LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Jackson Hole Downhill // BY MARK BAKER

One of the country’s last community downhill ski races returns this year on a course that’s fast, twisty, and open to anyone—skin suit and race skis not required.

It’s fast and formidable, and the fat-baggers like the Jackson Hole Downhill. But anyone who skied it every March will never forget the original course on Snow King, the ski area just five blocks from Jackson’s Town Square. Local and regional racers last flew down the Town Downhill course in 2019. A year later, the race was moved from Snow King to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and renamed the Jackson Hole Downhill. The Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club began hosting the Town Downhill—it was one of the club’s major fundraisers—in 1982. A community ski race, the Town Downhill was open to anyone who wanted to race, and categories included Pro, Am, Junior, Snowboard, Telemark, and, more recently, Fat & Baggy. The latter was added to encourage local skiers with limited race experience to join the fun. Racers in that category are required to wear clothing that flaps in the wind—although this isn’t interpreted literally; Fat & Baggy racers are fine as long as they’re not wearing the aero skin suits worn by “real” ski racers—and they race on skis that are at least 86mm underfoot (a typical race ski is usually less than 70mm underfoot). The category also encourages costumes.

“I was really bummed to see it leave Snow King, from a historical standpoint,” says Jason Moore, the race and events manager at JHMR. The race was a fundraiser, though,