Teton Valley Real Estate, Idaho, Driggs Victor Tetonia, Alta Teton Valley Idaho, Driggs, Victor, Tetonia, Alta Real Estate Sales

The purple overlay represents the possible expansion of Grand Targhee Resort’s boundary if a new Special Use Permit is approved. Caribou-Targhee National Forest Supervisor Brent Larson has inked “acceptance” of the resort’s new Master Development Plan, the step that precedes an environmental assessment.

A new Master Development Plan for Grand Targhee Resort has gained acceptance by the Forest Service and is the next step toward scoring 600 additional acres of terrain in the South Bowl, located just north of Teton Canyon and west of the Jedediah Smith Wilderness.

The 2011 Master Development Plan (MDP) for Grand Targhee replaces the 1995 MDP and is consistent with the 2008 County Master Plan that was approved by Teton County, Wyo. commissioners. The county plan is a separate document that considers development of the private 120 acres acquired during the controversial Squirrel Meadows-Grand Targhee land swap that was finalized at the end of May, 2004.

The 2011 MDP, which is available for review at the Teton Basin Ranger Station in Driggs, includes a final chapter that considers an Upgrade Plan calling for 270 acres of new ski trails as well as new and improved glades on both Fred’s and Peaked Mountains. Consistent with the 1995 MDP, two on-mountain restaurants are still planned at Targhee for the summit of Fred’s Mountain and the summit of the Sacajawea Lift. Additionally, two new lifts on Peaked Mountain, the Peaked Lift and the Lightning Lift, were also included in the 1995 MDP, but two new lifts, the Sacajawea Connect and the Wishing Well, have been added in the 2011 MDP.

Though the construction of any new infrastructure is dependent on Grand Targhee’s ability to invest in capital improvements, the consideration of an expanded Special Use Permit is an upgrade that would not require as significant an investment.

“The Upgrade Plan includes enlarging Grand Targhee Resort’s Special Use Permit area to the south by approximately 600 acres, into an area that is referred to as the ‘South Bowl’,” the 2011 MDP reads. “With the Upgrade Plan, Grand Targhee Resort’s guided SnowCat and backcountry offerings would shift to this area.”
Known at one point in time for its slogan, “Snow From Heaven, Not Hoses,” the Upgrade Plan allows for more than five times the current snowmaking.

“Grand Targhee’s existing snowmaking system is planned to be expanded from 9.9 to 55.6 acres,” the 2011 MDP reads. “Another 2.6 acres of snowmaking coverage is planned for the tubing facility, bringing the total snowmaking coverage to 58.2 acres.”

While snowmaking, new lifts and restaurants are exciting prospects for Grand Targhee Resort, the possibility of 600 additional acres to the south seem a highlight of the 2011 MDP. This additional acreage would bump Targhee from roughly 2,294 to nearly 3,000 acres on the Special Use Permit, allowing for more SnowCat opportunities, an amenity that draws loyal patronage from Teton Valley and visitors alike.

The Special Use Permit currently in place at Grand Targhee was renewed in May 2004 by the resort’s ownership group following finalization of the land swap that established private ownership of the base area. In order to expand its boundaries to the south, a new Special Use Permit will be necessary according to Brent Porter, the Recreational Specialist with the Caribou-Targhee National Forest that administers permits for Grand Targhee.

Porter stressed that the 2011 MDP was accepted by the Forest Service rather than approved, an important distinction within the government agency that is tasked with simultaneously, “Caring for the Land and Serving People.”

“Please be aware that acceptance of the MDP does not mean that any or all activities will be authorized,” Caribou-Targhee Forest Supervisor Brent Larson said in a letter to former Mountain Manager Scott Pierpont in January 2010. “The appropriate administrative process for issuing a special uses authorization, including required environmental and other analysis, will need to be completed in order to respond to any request for specific authorization…We look forward to working with you to implement the expansion projects shown in the MDP. These projects should provide excellent opportunities for the visiting public.”

Drop dead gorgeous, elevated 6.78 acre building site in Yellow Rose Subdivision with panoramic valley views immediately adjacent to BLM/National Forest along entire length of eastern boundary of property. Irrigation water is supplied via canal. Currently property is partially farmed in grain and partially natural grasses, trees and brush. Virtually unheard of opportunity to purchase beautiful, high quality horse property in Alta Wyoming adjacent to public lands. Additional lots and acreage available at additional expense, also a good condition, well maintained older home as well. Contact listing agent for details.

Priced at $399,000  Call, text or email Dave Dery for details, 208-709-4155,  dave@altarealty.com.

Your Teton Valley, Driggs ID, Realtor

With over 100 inches of snow up at Grand Targhee this year, the resort was boasting some of the best conditions regionally as the Christmas holiday approached this week.

And by Wednesday morning, Targhee had reported an additional seven inches to raise the bar with a 35-inch base. As it continued to snow throughout the day, the little storm that could seemed an early gift from the snow gods.

High pressure systems have pushed storm systems south for much of the winter, loading up southwestern Colorado with the most snowfall this year. As a result, Targhee’s Marketing and Sales Manager Ken Rider was considering what the resort could do to make the season bright earlier this week.

“We’ve got good conditions up here for early season,” Rider said. “But we are focusing on the whole family environment, continuing to offer more than just the snow we rely on each year. We have got 100 percent of the mountain open with all the lifts running and we’ve got the Nordic track open, offering snow biking in addition to skiing. We’re catering to families by bringing back to life many events.”

Though Grand Targhee is used to being under a lot more snow by this time of the year, the resort is in good shape considering the conditions of other area resorts. With only a 20-inch base, Sun Valley had only 40 percent of its terrain open earlier this week, and Park City reported only a 20-inch base with only a third of its trails open this week.

While most of Colorado is also looking for more snow, the southwestern part of the state was in the best shape so far this season. With a 60-inch base, both Wolf Creek and Silverton were sitting pretty in the Centennial State. While areas around Seattle in the Evergreen State have received enough snow for a 70-inch base, temperatures hover just around freezing this week, affecting conditions.

Sled rides

With roughly 73 percent of average precipitation in the region this week, Travis Moulton’s Teton Valley Adventures was still waiting for a little more before Yellowstone officials will open the west entrance of the national park where Moulton is allowed 20 guided snowmobile riders per day. Though the rides through Yellowstone are popular, Moulton has been grateful for enough snow to offer guided tours of the Big Hole trail system as well as rides up to Cave Falls from Teton Valley and scenic loops through the Mesa Falls area.

“We just need a few more inches of snow for them to open the west entrance of Yellowstone,” Moulton said Tuesday. “But there is lots of riding we can do with trails connected throughout our region.”

Teton Valley residents might think they’ve missed summer every once in a while, but no one has ever complained that they went without a winter season. Though there has been very little snow over the past few weeks, Wednesday’s storm had trucks plowing piles across parking lots and down the road, making way for the last push before Christmas.

Great Snow Fest

Schussers and snowmobilers weren’t the only ones glad to see more snow on the valley floor. As organizers of Teton Valley’s Great Snow Fest consider all the events that are planned for the middle of next month, snow is a particularly crucial element.

The large concrete forms set up in front of the Driggs Community Center this week are not footings for a new geotourism center, they are a trial run of block making for the snow sculpting competition that will span the second week of the new year. A dozen teams are signed up to create snowscapes, drawing from the existing pool of talented local artists.

Instrumental in organizing the snow sculpting competition in Driggs this year, local artist Mary Mullaney has become well versed in the creation of the large frozen cubes needed for the event. After filling the concrete forms with a few feet of snow, volunteers stomp layer upon layer to eliminate air pockets. It is a slow process that means loading, shoveling, stomping and repeating until the eight foot tall cubes are created.

After all the snow is compacted into the cubes, Mullaney said the forms can be removed, but it takes several days for them to set up. For this reason, trial blocks are being constructed this week, and the final blocks will be built the week before the sculpting competition begins.

Whether you plan on skiing, sledding, snowboarding, sculpting, snow biking, ski-joring or taking part in any of the other outdoor activities this winter, a little more snow in the mountains and on the valley floor was a welcomed sight this week.

Grand Targhee will open the Blackfoot chair this Saturday giving skiers and riders access to all terrain off of Fred’s Mountain. The resort will have four of five total lifts open and they include Blackfoot, Dreamcatcher, Shoshone and the Papoose Magic Carpet.

Resort officials are stressing that everyone exercise considerable caution while early season conditions exist. Visitors to the resort should also expect limited grooming until the area receives additional snow.

Lift tickets will be available this weekend at the following rates:

Adults (ages 13-64) $59

Seniors (ages 65+) $44

Children (ages 6-12) $29

Children (5 yrs & under) Free

Grand Targhee anticipates opening Peaked Mountain and the Sacajawea Chair, as soon as snow conditions allow. The resort is currently reporting a 29 inch base and 100 inches of total snowfall.  For more information on Grand Targhee Ski Resort go to www.grandtarghee.com

Gorgeous free standing 2 bedroom, 2 bath estate home with large deck, cute 3 season porch and many upgrades including hickory wood floors, slate tile floors, granite counters, wood doors and trim with natural wood finish. Very well maintained, near new condition, full appliance package including clothes washer and dryer. Private, quiet, Ski Hill Rd location just a stones throw from the Wyoming state line. Paved roads, super well maintained and managed development. Teton Valley’s finest town home product, exceptionally well designed and located to take advantage of Valley amenities.

Priced at $254,900  Call, text or email Dave Dery for details, 208-709-4155,  dave@altarealty.com.

Your Teton Valley, Driggs ID, Realtor

The genesis of Five 11 Main began a hundred years ago in the history of Ashton, Idaho. In the early 1900′s, a new bank was built to serve a thriving farming and logging community. As well, the railroad passed through Ashton on its way to Yellowstone Park, enlarging Ashton’s “dot on the map”.  The bank later relocated and the building became the local pharmacy and soda fountain known for decades as ”City Drug”.

Over the years, many people have traveled through Ashton and stopped for the famous City Drug Huckleberry shake on their way to/from the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, Mesa Falls and other winter and summer destinations. Both locals and visitors made a stop at City Drug a part of their travel routine. In the fall of 2008, after 90 years of service, the owners of City Drug turned off the fountain pumps and offered the building for sale due to the need to adapt to pharmacy business changes (Walmart 30 miles!).

Responding to community and visitor dismay at the fountain closing, Jeff and Deanne Hamilton, recent transplants to the area (although Jeff’s grandma attended Ashton high school in 1906), purchased the City Drug building. Envisioning the resoration of old, and creating a new Ashton highlight for locals and visitors alike, the building and fountain were updated and restored.

On May 11, 2009 at 5:11 pm,  the fountain located at 511 Main St. began flowing again.

Five 11 Main serves the tastiest fountain treats, stone oven baked pizza, homemade soups and delicious specialty sandwiches. The remodeled building exposes old original brick walls and the original bank safe (seating for 2!). It also features displays of Ashton’s historical and current events as well as other area highlights.  Five 11 Main provides meaningful employment for local residents and supports community efforts to “pay it forward” with any profits generated.

Located at 511 Main St., just east of Hi. 20, Five 11 Main serves incredible food with a smile. If you are looking for a combination of great food, great service and great atmosphere – Five 11 is the place to eat.  Check out their menu at http://www.511mainashton.com.

Rustic and cozy 2 bedroom, 1 bath home, horse ready, 2 lots, 10 acres. Efficient passive solar system heats house on sunny days, wood stove in basement helps out when cloudy. Garage has attached car port for additional covered storage.  Horse facilities include a tack room, loafing shed, hay storage, fencing, the whole works. Even a nice little chicken coop. Ride your horse or mountain bike into the National Forest across thousands of acres of undeveloped rolling terrain. Beautiful location with gorgeous Teton and mountain views. Sand hill cranes and water fowl frequent the area and nearby conservation land.  Private & quiet!!

Priced at $199,900  Call, text or email Dave Dery for details, 208-709-4155,  dave@altarealty.com.

Your Teton Valley, Driggs ID, Realtor

With the potential to set precedent in the state and possibly the nation, Teton County Commissioners will consider a resolution at their next regularly scheduled meeting that could allow a new user group on winter trails that have traditionally been designated for snowmobiles.

Teton County Attorney Kathy Spitzer has drafted a resolution essentially clarifying the fact that Idaho State Statute 67-7112 has always provided counties with the authority to allow vehicles other than snowmobiles on groomed trails in the winter so long as they are registered with the state.

“Idaho Code doesn’t talk about whether these vehicles are motorized or not, they simply wanted to protect the groomed trails from being degraded,” Spitzer said.

Dave Byers has been riding his bike on the Big Hole trail system for years, in the summer and winter. He is joined by hundreds of other mountain bikers in the summer, but only he and a handful of other cycling enthusiasts mount up on fat bikes once those trails are covered in snow. Apart from having really wide tires, fat bikes (also called snow bikes) are pretty much like mountain bikes. Another difference is that the evolution of these bikes presents an eager new user group onto a groomed trail system that has been funded by snowmobile registration for decades.

Over the years that Byers and others have been riding the Big Hole trails on snow bikes in the winter, there has never been any conflict between users, and no one anticipates future conflict. But without an affirmation from the county by this proposed resolution, Byers and other snow bikers feel they are not contributing to the established trail system. They want to be a part of the system, but bikes don’t have a vehicle identification number and cannot currently be registered with the state.

“We know it is expensive to groom these trails, but snow bikes were definitely not even on the radar when current legislation was enacted,” Byers said. “We want to figure out a way to contribute.”

Teton County Commissioners Bob Benedict and Kelly Park were approached at the end of last summer by cycling enthusiasts with this idea of allowing snow bikes on the trails of Snowmobile Grooming District 33.
They attended meetings and spoke with grooming district board members as well as Idaho Parks and Recreation officials, the agency that redistributes snowmobile registration dollars back to the grooming district to fund trail maintenance.

“Everybody is in support of multiple user groups, but no one wants to give up what they currently have,” Benedict said. “I am for anything that allows more users to participate in activities in the mountains.”
More user groups on trail systems often translates to economic prosperity for a region, and that seemed no small part of the snow bikers’ pitch for political affirmation.

“Teton Valley is like the Moab of snow biking,” said Andy Williams in reference to the region of Utah that experiences significant visitation each year due to its incredible mountain biking options. “Snow biking is a destination sport for this valley.”

Working at Grand Targhee Resort for many years, Williams said this was the first winter that snow bikes are available for rent through the resort and other shops locally. In support of a shared trail system, Williams added that Grand Targhee has already opened its Nordic track to snow bikes with a race scheduled for January 15 as part of the Teton Valley Great Snow Fest.

“The sport is really taking off, and Grand Targhee is the first ski resort in the nation to offer snow biking,” Williams said. “But you can’t take a snow bike anywhere another machine hasn’t already gone.”

Like many other forms of non-motorized winter outdoor recreation, snow biking is most enjoyable on a track that has been groomed by the same sort of equipment used throughout the Big Holes by Snowmobile District 33.

“As a user group, we want to support grooming,” Williams said. “I’ve skied all my life, but never felt comfortable using cross country gear. It was always a struggle. Snow biking solved that for me.”

Wade Kaufman has been employed by District 33 to groom the path from Victor to Driggs in the winter once there is enough snow on the ground. He grooms west on Bates Road all the way to Horseshoe Canyon and into the Big Holes to Green Canyon. He grooms from Tetonia to Bitch Creek and miles of Pinochle Loop located in the northeast corner of Teton County.

Kaufman confirmed that no conflicts have ever resulted from snow bikes on the groomed trails during his tenure with the grooming district, but he expressed concern that a new user group could present safety hazards and might possibly have future implications on the trail system.

“I don’t foresee an issue as long as everyone plays nice,” Kaufman said. “Everyone’s going to have to be willing to give a little, but I don’t see anything in it for the county. This will be breaking new ground on winter trail use.”

As an avid snowmobiler himself, Kaufman is sensitive to the impact that one user group can have over another. He is still fighting the Forest Service closure of Mail Creek to snowmobilers, and he would hate to see a new user group affect the access of another group.”

“This is not about trail access,” Byers said. “This is about seeing if we can do something to support the established system of groomed trails.”

This article was printed in the Valley Citizen in the December 1, 2011 issue.

Gorgeous 1/2 acre lot in Targhee Towne-Alta, WY with Teton views, just minutes from Grand Targhee Ski Resort.  This lot has open space to the north and west of it due to the Altamont lot building envelopes, giving the lot owner a huge benefit of not having to pay for additional open land around them. This lot is priced to sell.

The Targhee Tune-Up is a great way to kick off your Nordic Cross Country Season. Grand Targhee is offering both a 5K and 10K race in either Skate or Classic on our groomed nordic trails in the Rick’s Basin Area. The start will be located on the Nordic track in Rick’s Basin at 11:00am. The registration for the event will be at the Grand Targhee Ski School Offices from 8:30am – 10:30am.

$15 for those with a Nordic season pass, $20 without, and $8 for kids 14 and younger Male / Female – 5K and 10K, Skate / Classic, Kids – 2.5K or 5K

Date:  December 10th 2010

Event registration details or ticket information:  Registration at Ski School/ day of 8:00am-10:30am

Start Time:  11:00am in Rick’s Basin Nordic Track

Awards Time:  Approx. 2:00pm at Redezvous Confrence Room North.

Race Categories: Male/Female 5K and 10K with both Classic and Skate styles.

Youth Race Categories:  2.5K and 5K open style.

Race Entry Fees :  $15.00 for Grand Targhee Nordic Pass holders, $20.00 for non-pass holders and $8.00 for children 14 and younger.

For more information go to grandtarghee.com.