Sure, Jackson Hole may have been voted the number one ski resort in North America this season by Ski Magazine. But when it comes to the essential element of the sport – snow – Grand Targhee is actually numero uno.

“In the Rockies, we have the most snow, the deepest base,” said Grand Targhee’s director of sales and marketing Ken Rider.

With a 66” base and total season snowfall of 162,” the ‘Ghee has most of the other Rocky Mountain resorts beat at the moment. And to top it off, Skinet.com, the online portal for Ski Magazine, recently ranked Targhee number three in the West for best snow quality. Only Wolf Creek, Colo. and Alta, Utah were ranked higher, while Grand Targhee’s Wyoming rival bottomed out the list at number ten.

Rankings aside, the real measure of a ski area’s success is in ticket sales and the amount of traffic it attracts. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is typically the busiest of the season, and for Grand Targhee, this year’s holiday week was record-setting.

The resort was bustling with activity all week, setting records with ski school lessons, rentals, snowshoe tours and skier/rider counts. “It definitely was a record week for us,” said Jennie White, marketing and social media manager.

New Year’s Day set a record with the most skiers and snowboarders on the mountain in Targhee’s 45-year history.

“With six inches of new snow and sunny skies, it was just an awesome day all around,” White added.

With the parking lots at capacity by mid to late morning, cars lined the road behind the entrance, waiting for a spot to open up. And people weren’t just packing the lifts and ski terrain. According to Resort Naturalist Brigid Sinram, the guided snowshoe tours were filled with guests all day.

“We ran out of snowshoes. It was crazy,” she explained.

On-mountain dining and lodging saw the dollar signs come streaming in. According to White, the New Year’s Eve dinner at the Branding Iron sold out, and both vacation rentals and on-mountain lodging were sold out all week. “It was an outstanding week, as we were at capacity several nights,” said Guest Services Manager Greta Frohlich.

“It’s just exciting. It means we’re doing a lot of things right,” said Rider. “And it’s good for this entire community. The more people we can get coming over here, the more people are going to be dining in Driggs, staying in the other hotels and motels. It helps the local ski and snowboard shops. It’s a domino effect.”

Business was indeed booming for local lodging, eateries and shops down in the valley.

“If Targhee’s busy then we’re going to be busy,” said Ed Hoth, manager at Peaked Sports. He said his shop was the busiest he’s ever seen and had a record number of rentals and sales during the holiday week.

Over at the Royal Wolf, business was solid and steady. “More or less we had a full house nearly every night,” said owner Pat Markert. “It was consistently busy the whole week.”

The same was true for Tony’s Pizza and Pasta. “It’s definitely been a busy week,” said manager Morgan Kay.

On the lodging front, guests filled up the rooms during the whole week. “We were busy and booked up most nights,” said John Nielson of the Pines Motel.

“We have been booked solid and it has been fabulous,” added Barbara Denisoff at Teton Valley Cabins. She said they even had to turn some guests away because there was no room.

Up at Grand Targhee, Rider said that holiday week sales this year were greater than they were last year. He attributes this increase to a combination of great snow, a solid marketing strategy and the focus on providing a quality guest experience. “We have great snow, we’re working on providing great guest experiences, and when all of those are hitting on the right cylinders, people are going to come back.”

While Targhee may lack the glitz and glamour of other resorts like Aspen, Vail, and Jackson Hole, the ‘Ghee prides itself on the low-key, throwback ski experience it offers.

“People like it here because it reminds them of what skiing was like when they were growing up in the East Coast, or going to the local resort in the Midwest or in the Rockies,” said Rider. “Being able to provide an experience that connects with someone’s emotional link with their youth is huge. Then you throw great snow on top of it, you’ve got a killer mix there.”

Targhee launches Learn to Ski

On the heels of their huge holiday week, Grand Targhee has just recently launched its Learn to Ski program. January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard month, and for the second year in a row Grand Targhee is offering its 1-2-3 Start Me Up ski and snowboard package.

“Learning to ski and snowboard can be a daunting task, but Grand Targhee wants to make you a lifelong skier or rider,” said Mark Hanson, Grand Targhee’s Director of Ski & Snowboard School. “With Targhee’s ‘1-2-3 Start Me Up’ program you’ll, become a skier or rider in no time.”

The package includes three sessions of two-hour group lessons, a Shoshone lift ticket and a full day standard gear rental package. On the completion of the third lesson, guests will receive a 2013-14 season pass. To qualify for the package you must be a beginner skier or rider who has never held a Grand Targhee Resort season pass.

“It’s a really good way to get into the sport for people who might have been hesitant to start out with it,” said Jennie White.

This article appeared in the Valley Citizen on January 8, 2014.