For some, picking a good ski town to live in is all about the snow. For others it’s the terrain. But for many, a simple equation tells a lot about what living in a ski town might be like and whether or not it even merits further investigation. Enter…the Elevation/Population ratio, when a result that is = />, 1 means it’s good times for the ski bums! So, considering all this…how do Teton County towns live up to the Elevation/Population equation? Let’s see!! (Don’t quote me on these numbers here…it was a quick google search. :))
Jackson- 6237/9806 = .64
Wilson- 6148/3041 = 2.0
Hoback- 5879/1453 = 4.0
Alta- 6440/469 = 13.7
Moran- 6749/475 = 14.2
Moose- 6453/460 = 14.2
Kelly- 6447/242 = 26.6
Teton Village- 6239/205 = 30.4
(teton county town- town elevation/population = the higher, the better!)
Well, we first see that Jackson would be the least desirable of town in Teton County to live in for ski bums. And who’s to argue with that…unless you’re walking distance from the Brew Pub. And surprise, surprise, my favorite Teton Country town of Moran…only made the halfway mark to the counties highest result. But is should be of no surprise that the town of Teton Village, home of JHMR, The Village, The Vill, The Moose, THE GNAR…came out on top. With sick terrain, a tram, few streets, no traffic lights to navigate, it deserves the win.
*And by the way, if you’re thinking about coming out to ski at The Vill this winter…during the month of January, buy two airline tickets, and get two more…FREE! Call 888-838-6606 for details. So…how do some other notable town in the west compare to Teton County’s finest? Here are a few. What does your town come in at???
Aspen, CO- 7890/5914 = 1.3
Telluride, CO- 8750/2361 = 3.7
Crested Butte- 8924/1651 = 5.4
Squaw Valley, CA- 6200/2691 = 2.3
Mammoth, CA- 7900/7402 = 1.1
Alta, UT- 8560/399 = 21.5
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up here in Silverton, if we just use census numbers (which I’d imagine you did as well), we get 9318′/531 residents, or 17.55…
but in the winter (which is really what we’re interested in after all), it’s more like 300 residents, which puts us above 31… either way, your equation holds true…
You have to consider the # of beds occupied in Teton Village during the winter for your calcualtions though…the # of tourists living there, even for a couple days, adds a lameness coefficient you forgot to account for.
Ventelon, France
5904ft/50people = 118.08
’sayin’
story, wy
5480/ 600 people = 9.2
nice ptor…
here is the flaw
Valdez
10 feet / 4,353 = something obscenely small
Looks like I choose the right place to live:)
Can a ski bum really ‘live’ in the Vill?
Andermatt, Switzerland
4,747/1,265=3.8
…also just sayin….
The equation I’ve always heard in Wyoming is that if the population is greater than the elevation, then it’s a “city”. Jackson, Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie…
Oh wait. Sorry, is Jackson really part of Wyoming?
ok…ok…i know there are some flaws in the equation…but isn’t it REALLY expensive in europe…especially switzerland. and isn’t valdez a heli-skiing/fishing town?
back when i was till shitting green…i dated a girl who lived in the village…and it sure seemed convenient.
I have always followed the rule of thumb to live where the Elevation exceeds the population. As a resident ski-bum in Teton Village I am glad to know that my neighborhood is at the top of the list. It does have fantastic ski terrain. Too bad about all those lifts and tourists
Without the lifts and tourists the Vill wouldn’t exist. Bums and tourists are a paracitic relationship. Strange that BC skiers argue about the best resort town.
Ptor’s right on. And Rando, I have to imagine there’s a better chance of making the economics work in Ventelon than the Village. Oh, and there’s about 85% more lift served vert in La Grave, and certainly no "lameness coefficient" calculation needed there.
Yeah, but Jackson, Wilson, Moran, Moose, Hoback, Kelly, and Teton Village are all basically the same place. By my calcs that adds up to 15,682 feet and if you factor in the attitude polynomial and divide it by what is, by any standards, a very tiny mountain range your total number has so many zeros behind the decimal that you’re actually better off living somewhere like Leadville.
done said it.
yeah…i’d take la grave over the village any day…but i’m not sure i’d call moran, moose, kelly…the same as jaskson. granted…they are all near each other…but far from the same “place”.
no, no, no…I was only joking. It actually totally sucks here. We didn’t just have a 2 meter storm in the alpine and the place is crawling with fur coats. Chamonix is way more significant and meaningfull!
1650/16000 = .103
and yet there are two ski hills with in and hours drive, we had a 2m snow pack by mid November and I seldom see anyone in the back country unless I’m skiing with them.
should have going touring today.