off-season activities

Jackson Hole Ski Swap

Jackson Hole Ski Swap

The Jackson Hole Ski Swap is such a deal – not only are the prices hard to beat, most of the time, but you get into that kind of party atmosphere and excitement as part of a large, anticipating crowd. Correctly called the Jackson Hole Ski Club Ski Swap, it is a fund-raising effort for the Jackson Hole Ski Club – 25% of the sale price goes to help those young athletes train and compete against regional competition.

Jackson Hole Ski Swap 1

The Jackson Hole Ski Swap is an annual fundraising event hosted by the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club.  Local and regional vendors as well as local ski enthusiasts will be selling new and used Alpine, Nordic and Snowboard equipment and clothing.  Please come along if you have gear to sell or need something for the upcoming season.   The Jackson Hole Ski Swap is an annual event, always held the last weekend of October. Hundreds of people line up at the doors on a frosty late October morning – all in down jackets, wool hats and Sorrel boots – yes, another Jackson Hole ski season is on the horizon and the tempting ski flicks by Teton Gravity Research and Warren Miller have already made the rounds – amping-up the excitement.

Jackson Hole Ski Swap 4

Memberships to the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club are $30 and provide hundreds of benefits and discounts at local businesses throughout the winter season. Jackson Hole Ski Swap 2

Here’s the address for the Jackson Hole Ski Swap:

Heritage Arena- At the Rodeo Grounds

305 West Snow King Avenue Jackson, Wyoming

 

Jackson Hole Ski Swap 3

Here’s the schedule: Here’s the schedule for the Jackson Hole Ski Swap:

Friday, October 24, 2014 12-7pm at the Jackson Hole Heritage Arena

Vendors drop-off 12pm-2pm Public drop-off 12pm-7pm

Saturday, October 25th 7:30am – 1pm at the Heritage Arena

6:30am – Coffee from Elevated Grounds and burritos from Pica’s on site!  All profits to benefit the JHSC Scholarship Fund 7:30am -The Early Bird gets the Worm!  Come early to get the cream of the crop at the Swap!  Early Bird admission is ten dollars or five dollars with your Ski Club Membership Card. Paying for early admission is definitely worth the price because you get the pick of the good stuff and a relatively uncrowded experience. 8:15am- Doors open for the public.  General admission is one dollar or free with your Jackson Hole Ski Club Membership Card.   Please bring your membership card or purchase one at the door.

Saturday, October 25th 2-4pm at the Heritage Arena

Items not sold during the Ski Swap must be picked-up between 2pm and 4pm.  Please bring your paperwork to retrieve unsold items. Items not picked-up by 4pm will be considered a donation and taken to the Sublette Ski Swap.

5:00pm – 7.00pm – Get a massage at Jackson Hole Massage Professionals.

Be well,   Hamish and Rochelle.

in Blog / Jackson Hole / Jackson Hole Parties / Off-season / Off-season activities / Uncategorized  by 23 Oct 2014 0 comments

Hot Springs near Jackson Hole (Part II)

Hot Springs near Jackson Hole (Part II) – Heise Hot Springs

Rochelle celebrated her birthday for the second year at Heise Hot Springs just last week.

image showing Heise Hot Springs

There were about sixteen of us (not all massage therapists) and we all made the pleasant drive over Teton Pass, then Pine Creek Pass (turn left in Victor, ID), past the ‘World-Famous’ Square Ice-Cream Store at the Swan Valley Junction.

 

Then it’s 30 minutes of driving through vast potato plantations and all the while alongside the mighty Snake River. So to put you better in the picture, it’s about 3/4 of the way to Idaho Falls from Jackson Hole – turn off the road (right) at a couple of large potato silos, drive a few miles towards the Snake River (delightfully, the hot springs are right on one of the Snake River braids) through small farming communities (Ririe) – and you’re there. Here’s a Google Map: 5116 E. Heise Rd., Ririe, ID 83443

 

The hot pools and buildings themselves are standard fare, though a handsome old two-story brick house with dormers dominates the scene. That’s where the owners live. There’s an open-air ‘warm’ swimming pool (92’F)- surrounded by walls to keep out the weather, and at one end of that, covered by a canopy, is the hot pool – kept at 104’F. We found this to be a delightful temperature to hang out in for half an hour at a time. These two pools are kept open all winter and it’s a wonderful way to spend a day when skiing just doesn’t sound that great and the longs months of winter in Jackson Hole are getting OLD.

 

If lazing around in warm or hot pools isn’t your ball of wax – and you have kids with you – then in the summer time there’s a whole plethora of activities: zip line, open air swimming pool (open only Memorial Day through Labor Day), flume, RV and camping, gorgeous park by the river with picnic tables and BBQ grills. When we were there, the willows overhanging the river were just coming into leaf – like in the photo here – and it was a beautiful scene.

 

– and there’s even golf. Pizza can be had at a basic small restaurant on site – and it’s nice to sit out there on their sheltered deck and watch the golfers coming in. But we were there just to ‘chill’ – or, I should say, warm up while we chilled – oh well…you know what I mean.

Next week…another hot springs near Jackson Hole – Granite Creek.

Be well,

Hamish and Rochelle

 

 

 

in Blog / Jackson Hole / Jackson Hole Parties / Off-season / Uncategorized  by 19 Apr 2014 0 comments

Hot Springs near Jackson Hole

Hot Springs near Jackson Hole

We’re deep in the off-season now in Jackson Hole. And the weather can be ‘iffy’. What do massage therapists and other seasonal workers in Jackson Hole do with themselves in the off-season? One of our favorite things  is to go to hot springs – all of which are about 90 minutes from Jackson.

 

Rochelle and I paid our first visit to Green Canyon Hot Springs recently, This is on the way to Rexburg, Idaho. To get to it from Jackson Hole, you have to drive over Teton Pass to Victor, north to Driggs and then towards Rexburg. The Green Canyon Hot Springs is about half-way between Driggs and Rexbuirg – four miles south at highway mile marker 116 on Hwy 33 in the northern foothills of the Big Hole mountains – which flank the western edge of Teton Valley, Idaho. I can’t believe I’ve lived in Jackson Hole for thirteen years and never been there before. It’s an absolute delight. There are two pools – one is an Olympic sized swimming / playing pool with temps of about 96’F, the other pool is pure relaxation with temps at about 105’F. These are fed from a spring that emerges from the ground at 115′. The hot springs have been run by the same family since 1953 – the present building was built in 1947. It’s definitely showing its age and needs some TLC – but then there’s just tons of character.

 

The hot pool area itself is what one might imagine as ‘Heaven’. It’s like a greenhouse and all painted a light blue. There’s a surreal feeling of peace and well-being. (Hence relevant to this massage blog.) The temperature of 105’F is a little much to stay in for long – but steps emerge from the pool and you can submerge yourself in there as little or as much as you like – and of course take a dip in the cooler pool when you need to. Speaking of which…there’s a ‘Plunge Pool’ at 55’F – quite a shocking quick dip in there will do much to cool you down, that’s for sure.

 

The drive to Green Canyon Hot Springs is really quite delightful – through potato fields that are typical of Idaho, it’s nice to see this way of life and the farms laid out. And the views of the Tetons on our return Journey towards the Teton Valley…stunning:

 

 

Overall, an afternoon there (or a day – take a picnic – or a couple of days – go camping with the kids) is relaxation defined. Ahhh…we love off-seasons on Jackson Hole.

Next week I’ll talk about the other two hot springs near Jackson Hole – Granite Creek, up Hoback Canyon, and Heise Hot Springs – also in Idaho but on the way to Idaho Falls.

Be well,

 

Rochelle and Hamish

 

in Blog / Jackson Hole / Jackson Hole Parties / Off-season activities / Uncategorized  by 16 Apr 2014 0 comments