Elite Traveler November-December 2015

elite traveler NOV/DEC 2015 ISSUE 6 123

GETTING AROUND Jackson Hole installed the Bridger Gondola in the 1990s to access underused intermediate terrain between Rendezvous and Après Vous Mountains. Next up is the Teton Lift, a selfie birthday gift for December 2015, that releases skiers and boarders onto a network of newly-hewn pistes on the borders of the Grand Teton National Park.

Left: bath with a view at Hotel Amangani

In time, he added the Circle A Motel and the adjoining Woods hotel, creating the site for Jackson’s first quality hotel in only 15 years. His own design style is traditional, but his forward thinking sons, Sadek and Darian, insisted on a win-win compromise between western lite and contemporary chic. The 58 rooms and six suites are luxuriously uncluttered, with silky terry cloth-lined robes for the short hike to the rooftop “They insisted it couldn’t be done on such an historic site, but I never take no for an answer” Jim Darwiche hot tub. Many rooms have wrap-around terraces, but it’s 301 for the only in-room fireplace. Darwiche is something of an Anglophile and collects cars including a Land Rover Defender and a 1962 E-Type Jaguar in British racing green. A Mercedes shuttles guests up to Teton Village. There are many options for a night out in Jackson, but my start is Bin 22, a wine bar with 1,000 bottles from all over the world. I could dine elegantly on rare elk at the Blue Lion or on big meat at the Gun Barrel, but my favorite is sushi at Nikai, an upstairs hideaway near the museum. After dinner, it’s the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. I perch on a western saddle of a bar stool, order a Wild Turkey on the rocks and put my quarters on the pool table to challenge the locals. So good to beat them on their turf. So good to watch the couples in cowboy costumes performing the Western Swing. So flattering when a gentleman in a cowboy hat invites me to dance – so unwise to join him, but so cowardly to refuse. With no intimation of humiliation I acquiesce. Jackson is that kind of town. Minty stayed at Hotel Terra and traveled with Ski Safari, (+44 1273 224 060, skisafari.com). From $2,750 per night to rent the Blue Moose Lodge at Hotel Terra in the winter season, (+1 855 318 1770, terraprivateresidences.com). Alternatively rent Amangani for exclusive use. From $34,000 per night plus service charge and taxes, (+1 307 734 7333, amangani.com)

With mellow slopes above the town and serious bowls and tree skiing on the upper mountain, the complex is the most diverse in Utah, the state that dares to claim ‘the greatest snow on earth’ on its car number plates. Inclusion in the Vail Epic Pass ($695 a year), an ‘open sesame’ for the company’s resorts in Colorado, Lake Tahoe and Perisher in Australia as well as Park City, is a bonus. Park City’s Main Street evokes its silver mining prime, with restored 19th century buildings and cheerfully informal bars and restaurants. As home to the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford’s January showcase for independent movies from around the world, it is a magnet for Hollywood players: Redford's Zoom restaurant is always rammed. Neighboring Deer Valley, conceived as a retreat for those who don’t want to share their slopes with boarders, enjoys a symbiotic relationship with Park City: Stein Eriksen Lodge is the only five-star spot in Utah, tucked away from prying eyes near the Deer Valley mid station. Look out for Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Costner and Al Pacino in the Glitretind gourmet restaurant. John Travolta is a regular guest too but prefers to party in the privacy of a suite with windows blacked out ahead of his arrival. (steinlodge.com) it provides elite hotels where Hollywood A-listers can stay.

The Montage is a family friendly ski-in, ski-out hotel in the beautifully isolated Deer Valley. A handsome Swiss Mountain dog called Monty – what else? – welcomes guests in the lobby. Apple and Moses, Gwyneth Paltrow’s children with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, are among Monty's fans. (montageshotels.com) Sky Lodge is a contemporary chic hotel overlooking Park City’s Main Street and Zoom. There are 30 suites (with private Jacuzzis on the terraces), topped off by the penthouse, with three bedrooms, dining and sitting areas, 2,500 sq ft of wraparound decks, two hot tubs and amazing views. (skyparkcity.com) The Washington School House is an 1889 building that now describes itself immodestly as the world’s number one boutique hotel. Intimately yesteryear, with high ceilings and antiques in 12 rooms and suites, it is located just off Main Street. (washingtonschoolhousehotel.com) Further information: visitparkcity.com

MOVING ON TO UTAH Park City Mountain Resort is the largest ski resort in America. This status will be confirmed when it joins with Canyons resort – and when new owners Vail Resorts open the Quicksilver Gondola link with Canyons in December 2015. Vail Resort’s initial $50m investment also includes high-speed quads and on-mountain restaurants.

Photos: Lucas Gilman, Getty Images