Ski with an Olympian at Jackson Hole: My Day with Tommy Moe

Ski with an Olympic gold medalist. If you dare.

No pressure. I’m only skiing with U.S. double Olympic medallist and skiing legend, Tommy Moe. I’m on on a full day “Ski with an Olympian” guiding adventure in Jackson Hole Resort, Wyoming. Although there was a very good chance he would lose me on the first run. In his gold medal winning downhill race in Lillehammer in 1994, Tommy would have reached speeds of over 120 kilometres an hour.

‍

(Tommy Moe’s downhill gold at Lillehammer)

Jackson Hole isn’t known for easy skiing. It’s steep slopes - including Corbet’s Couloir, a double-black diamond drop that’s one of North America's steepest runs - and rugged backcountry wilderness tend to appeal to advanced skiers. And speed-demon Olympians.

Thankfully, Tommy didn’t try to break his speed record on our first run. In fact, it was not only perfectly cruisy, but it was also possibly one of the best runs I’ve ever skied. One of the advantages of hiring a guide in Jackson Hole is that you get to hit the slopes an hour before the gaggle of gung-ho skiers run amok.

There had been a mighty dump of snow after the runs had already been groomed for the night, so by morning there was a thick frosting of powder blanketing the groomers. Tommy called it 'Cowboy Powder'. It’s the first time I’ve ever skied a long wide-open run with almost knee-deep powder. And we were the only ones on it. I now know where the name comes from; I yee-hawed all the way down the run.

The morning was a blur – although that was mostly just trying to keep up with Tommy. We next jumped the line and were first up on Big Red, the iconic Jackson Hole cable car, which shoots up to 3,185 metres and the summit of Rendezvous Mountain.

I have no idea where we went next. We passed through a gate for some backcountry powder, and I was busy concentrating on following Tommy’s perfect lines while squealing with delight like a lottery winner.

My thighs were very happy when lunchtime came around. As we dined at Piste Mountain Bistro, Tommy showed me videos of his daughters doing somersaults off cliffs. They were only 10 and 12. These kids were literally born to ski; Tommy’s wife is Megan Gerety, ex-U.S. downhill and Super G racer.

A blizzard blew in after lunch, and at times I lost Tommy in the fog, but I managed to mostly stay on his heels as he found powder stash after powder stash. On our chairlift rides Tommy told stories of his downhill days (that’s downhill skiing, not bad days), his love of Jackson Hole and the heli-skiing operation he part owned in Alaska.

For a skiing legend, Tommy was incredibly humble and charming. And he’s a good liar, too. On out last chairlift ride for the day, Tommy said to me, “You’re a really good skier.” I looked like an average intermediate skier next to Tommy.  

Ski with an Olympian (Tommy Moe or Resi Stiegler - three-time Olympian and slalom specialist)

Prices start at $US1195 per person and go up to $1,620 for a full-day private guided tour.