JACKSON, Wyo. — The Darwin Ranch, known for its uniquely remote and rugged summer operation, has opened its lodge to winter clients for the first time in decades.
For an idea of what to expect, here’s a client testimonial:
“When Tom suggested the Darwin to his long-time college buddies as the destination for their annual ski trip, the others were skeptical. Scott’s always hungry for high speed lifts and brag-worthy vert, John lives for the aprés hot tub scene and Jim is nervous about the skillset required to backcountry ski. Tom assures them that the Darwin will be an experience unlike any other, an adventure for the four of them to shake things up and make the most of their boy’s trip.
When they meet their guides in Jackson, they do a final gear check before setting off on the journey to the Darwin. At the forest service boundary, they switch from trucks to snowmobiles and take advantage of the 25 mile approach of forest road to get the hang of snowmobiling.
Arriving at the remote lodge, they’re greeted with a hot lunch and settle into their warm cabins. The whole place is theirs – quiet and tranquil. Over dinner, the guides and hosts orient them on their many options for their stay. Ski touring straight from the lodge, a cross country ski looking for wildlife, or a skate ski on groomed track through the pasture. Tom’s most excited about hopping back on a snowmobile with skis on his back to ride for untracked turns in new terrain. Sitting around the woodstove sipping whiskey, the four of them scheme with their guides for what the next day can hold, some still skeptical about this whole thing. Will the snow be any good? How will they access it?
At first light, they fuel up with a hot breakfast and coffee, bundle up and find their snowmobiles purring in the dawn. More confident on the snowmobiles now, Scott begins to find the flow, experimenting with shifting his weight and ripping powder turns. “Delightful,” he thinks, “but aren’t we here to go skiing?” A quick 20 minute brap takes them to a high alpine meadow, the Wind River Range on the horizon, the Gros Ventre Wilderness a stone’s throw away, and the Teton Range jutting into the sky beyond. The whole of western Wyoming comes into view.
Astonished and stoked, they click into their skis and drop into the deepest, untracked powder they’ve ever experienced. Giggles and laughter erupt, and it finally sets in. They’ve gained access to wild and infinite expanses of public land and it’s their winter playground for the next week. Scott’s obsession with vert gives way to linking perfect powder turns. John leads the charge on apres sauna and braving a cold plunge in the Gros Ventre river through a hole in the ice, whiskey always at the ready. Jim spends the week learning all he can about backcountry skiing from his guides and putting it into practice every day. Meanwhile, Tom’s already scheming their return trip for next season. “
The Darwin puts a whole new perspective on skiing the backcountry and is currently booking the Winter 2022/23 season!
Email oliver@darwinranch.com or learn more at https://www.darwinranch.com/skiing.
