Nordic Notes – February 4, 2026

Nordic Notes are written by JH Nordic Alliance partner Gannett Swann each week and published on Wednesdays in the Jackson Hole News and Guide. With permission, the Nordic Alliance archives them on Fridays as a weekly digest of cross-country skiing in Jackson Hole, Teton Valley and Grand Teton National Park.

Stay Strong!

With the continued warm temperatures, this will be a good week to move back towards higher-elevation options like Turpin Meadow, Grand Targhee, or Togwotee Pass. Some lower-elevation groomed trails like Teton Pines may slow or suspend grooming operations, hopefully only temporarily.

There is hope in the forecast! With elevated chances for moisture towards the beginning of next week, the Nordic season may yet flex its muscles!

Events

The Moose Chase, one of the oldest and most revered races in the valley, will be Saturday, February 14th. Featuring 1k, 2.5k, 5k, 10k, and 20k options, it has choices for every skill level and, on the whole, is a low-stress beautiful glide through the woods and fields at Trail Creek Nordic Center. What a
great way to get out on the trails, meet members of the Nordic community, and get an invigorating workout on a Saturday morning.

Tech tip of the week: Taking care of you after a cross-country ski

Be sure to have an extra dry shirt ready in the car to change into immediately after you have worked up a good sweat. While doing a full change, with pants, is not practical, removing a wet, cold top and replacing it with a warm, dry one makes for a much more pleasant drive home and helps prevent the
winter crud from finding you.

Your body’s glycogen window is open for about 1 hour after your workout. Now is the time to eat that gooey chocolate chip cookie you have craved, or the sweet pie. The sugars ingested within an hour of the workout will help your body recover for the following day.

If it was a hard ski, plan for a nap or additional rest that evening. Ski workouts do not make you stronger and more fit unless they are combined with the appropriate rest and recovery.

Finally, remember to be thankful and have gratitude for this wonderful place in which we live, and for your body which allows you to go out and enjoy it!

Tips from Scott Horn, local Nordic Master

Jackson Hole Trail Conditions and Updates

Turpin Meadow Ranch

This will be a particularly excellent time to visit Turpin Meadow, with an excellent snow base keeping them in the best condition in the Valley, as many other trails slow or stop grooming entirely. Especially with a big race at Trail Creek this week, there has never been a better time to make the drive.

Turpin Meadow has every amenity one could ask for, including rentals, tours, guides, lessons, food, even an overnight stay for a romantic getaway!

Groomed Daily. Trail Pass $25, $15 for youth. For current trail conditions check the live webcam at turpinmeadowranch.com/web-cam!

Grand Teton National Park

GTNP remains in fine condition at the start of the week, with their more northerly locale blessed with cooler temperatures and deeper snowpack. The groomed trail from Taggart to Signal will be absolutely beautiful this week, with clear skies and warm temperatures. Skaters in particular may benefit from heading out in the morning while the trail remains delightfully firm.

Skiing is free, but access to groomed areas of GTNP requires a park pass.

Trail Creek Nordic Center

Trail Creek has begun a reduced grooming schedule in order to preserve every last bit of snow they have. When grooming does take place, trails should be more than excellent, the Husky doing a magnificent job.

The upcoming weekend has two days of Inter-Mountain Division races. Avoid any temptation to even think about skiing on the race course! Woods trails will be accessible from near the Old Pass Road trailhead and, though ungroomed for that timeframe, should remain quite skiable.

Groomed daily. Trail Pass $20 – pay online, or leave cash or check in the box by the cabin.

Teton Pines

Conditions are getting a bit sketchy at Teton Pines. Skiing will likely continue to be available, but conditions may degrade in quality. Morning skate skiing while the trails are still solid should provide the best experience. Hopefully there will be enough snow atop the golf course to keep grooming proceeding safely.

Groomed daily as snow permits. Trail Pass $23

Deception Creek at Togwotee Pass

It feels a bit strange to be recommending Deception Creek in February, but this week it may be some of the better free groomed skiing available. It is a bit of a drive to Togwotee Pass, but the kind people of Dubois groom this trail fairly regularly, and it is among the highest elevation trails in the area, making it a great place to ski!

Togwotee Pass in general is also a great place to explore off-trail. With thinner snow this year, breaking trail is very doable even for intermediate or beginner skiers. Instinct can be to stick to horrible and icy trails, but setting a new track can be glorious – not just for the leader, but for everyone following behind.

Tip for the parents: get your children to burn off that excess energy breaking trail! Just make sure to have some fun downhills and great snacks along the way for positive reinforcement.

Teton Valley Trail Conditions and Updates

Grand Targhee Nordic Center

Grand Targhee is a premier location for Nordic for this week and perhaps longer. Due to its high location and solid snowpack – including three inches of surprise snow last week – it likely has the best groomed trails in the surrounding area. Notably, these trails are quite hilly, so may not be for all users. For
those who enjoy that sort of thing, however, they will be quite fun!

Trail pass $25/day. Groomed Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends. Dog passes available, $5 per day or $50 for the season.

Teton Canyon

Teton Canyon is looking remarkably good. With beautiful views of the Teton Range and gentle terrain, this is a great place to get your skis beneath you.

Groomed Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Please remember to pick up after your pooches!

Southern Valley

A few inches of fresh powder nicely freshened up Southern Valley over the past week. Warm afternoon temperatures should make these trails pleasantly soft, and make the steeper downhills much more pleasant for the more casual skier. This will be a great week to check out Southern Valley!

Alta Track and Teton Reserve

These gentle rolling trails were beneficiaries of a very welcome 3-4 inches of fresh snow over the past week, allowing for some major improvement. Colder weather will help them remain in relatively good condition!

Otherwise, they may start to struggle again, so be sure to check the grooming page to see what it will
be.

Be sure to support the grooming of Teton Valley trails by purchasing a TVTAP Trail Sticker and be part of an awesome group.

These trails and more can be found online at jhnordic.com/trails. Find something new, or blaze your own trail!
— Gannett Swan