Hundred Days 019
God Save the King
Day 019: 01/03/12 – God Save the King
Written By: Z
Photography by: Jake Johnston
If you told me years ago that I would end up living in a hotel, I probably would have concluded that I was destined to become a Generation X dropout, some listless dreamer in lukewarm pursuit of Kerouac’s Road, which I never properly read. Then if you told me I would be a writer in said hotel, I’d undoubtedly conjure images of the Gonzo Journalism nightmare, complete with drugs, booze, and a horrific room service tab that threatened to chase me out of town. Today, I live in a hotel. And though my reality falls somewhere between The Dude and Raoul Duke, the hotel itself is far better than I would have imagined.
I got it all: an enormous hot tub, a heated pool, an arcade, vending machines, a hair salon and a hotel bar where the barman, Charles, knows my name and serves my beers in chilled mugs. I sleep in a king size bed with six— count them—six pillows. I have a balcony, free cable, fresh towels, and enough soap, shampoo and conditioner to shower three times a day if I so choose. My room came with four lamps, three chairs, eleven coat hangers, two tables and a coffee maker. I leave Room 35? with my bed undone and return with it magically remade to military standards. Put simply, I’m living like a king at the King…Snow King, that is.
As I stroll down to the Atrium for my daily serving of a veggie omelet paired with bottomless black coffee (which runs me around $5.59), I often imagine this place in its glory. I picture neatly clad guests sauntering in with fine leather luggage in tow. I picture a bellman in a bowtie, addressing everyone “Howdy, Ma’am/Sir.” I picture gentlemen down at the Shady Lady smoking cigars and sipping brandy while their wives kibitz in the hot tub. I picture Sunday afternoon socials where the women wear white gloves and the children play without screaming. All the while, Snow King Mountain looms watchfully, a regal beacon of this Western outpost.
Sure, these might be the fanciful products of nostalgia, but that doesn’t discount the King’s ability to impart them. Indeed, the hotel possesses a certain rustic elegance that I dare say is timeless, at least in Jackson Hole. On my jaunt out West, I’ve stayed in all sorts of hotels, motels and inns, ranging from the palatial to the parasitical. No matter their level of quality, all were bound by a common denominator of lackluster, a place you’d forget as quickly as the room number you stayed in. The King, by contrast, has character, from its exposed timber frame down to its brick foundation. Better still, its magnificence lies in its details: the bottle opener on bathroom sink, the rough hewn wood of the table legs, the TV remote with only four buttons. Not to mention, it’s perhaps the only hotel in town with its own ski shop. It’s in this setting that I lay my head to bed each night and dream living-the-dream dreams.
No, I am not some trustafarian playboy living in the lap of luxury at hundreds of dollars a day. The fact of the matter is that this place is Bob Barker’s kind of place: the price is right. Sadly, I fear my good fortune comes at the cost of Snow King’s financial woes, which are well documented (even the New York Times is keeping tabs). Owner Manuel Lopez has reported annual losses of $500,000 on the resort’s ski operations alone. Despite an inspired effort by the local non-profit Friends of Snow King, despite all of Lopez’s silver-tonged wheeling and dealing, the hotel struggles to stay afloat as most investors take a bath.
So as I gaze out my bedroom window and watch Rafferty’s Lift creep up the King, I can’t help but feel a sense of remorse. Like the old dog that’s sidelined by the family’s new baby, Snow King Resort sits silently dejected up on the hill. My only hope is that this special place stays defiant, preserving its western hospitality and remaining a haven to the many wandering writers still to come.
Other Posts from The Mountain Pulse
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
02/18/14 - A break in the storm reveals the sight that never gets old, a breathtaking sunset in Grand Teton Nation Park. Photographer: Stephen Williams
Previous Photos
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
The 43rd Annual Shriner's Cutter Races
Previewed By: Adam Glos
Saturday, February 15th // Sunday, February 16th
Melody Ranch // Jackson, WY
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
General Admission: $15
This weekend, give your ski ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
The 2014 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Sponsored By: Skinny Skis
Previewed By: Adam Glos
Saturday, Feb. 8th / 8 pm // Sunday, Feb 9th / 7 pm
Jackson Hole High School ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Moon Taxi
Previewed By: Ellie Stratton-Brook
Saturday January, 25th
Pink Garter Theatre // Jackson, WY
With special guests the Acoustic Weapons
Doors - 8:00pm // Show - 9:00pm
Tickets: $14 in advance // Buy Tickets ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
2014 Coldsmoke Awards
Previewed By: Stephen Williams
Saturday January, 18th
Emerson Cultural Center, Bozeman MT
North of the Sun - Filmhuset AS
Never Not Part 2 - Nike
Valhalla - Sweetgrass Productions
Previous Photos
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Warren Miller's Ticket to Ride
Previewed By: Stephen Williams
Friday December, 20th
Pink Garter Theatre
All Ages Showing - 6:00 pm
21+ Showing - 9:00pm
$16 / Buy Tickets Online
Read More
Avalanche Awareness Night
Thursday 12/05 - 6:30 to 9:30pm
Jackson Hole Center for the Arts
$5 Donation benefits Teton County Search and Rescue
Previewed by: Stephen Williams
From the time that Powder Magazine's annual Buyer's ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
03/20/14 - Spring is right around the corner and with such a high snowpack in Jackson Hole, the touring season will be awesome. Doug Hayden, Kevin Salys and Tyler ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
03/15/14 - What a perfect day to be in the mountains. Fresh snow, clear sunny skies and just a little wind. Alex Howell takes a moment to take in ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
03/11/14 - Springtime pow surfing with Kyle Martin from Dragon Alliance as he rips into 13" of new snow under bluebird skies at Grand Targhee Resort. Photographer: Kevin Cass ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
03/10/14 - 2nd Annual Ski Joring Championships
Written and Photographed By: Stephen Williams
Ski Joring is an event with a perfect mix of Jackson Hole's historic cowboy culture and the new ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
Canyon Kids Release Double EP
Written By: Adam Glos
Photos by: Christie Quinn
In case you missed it, the debut album from Canyon Kids hit the electronic shelves recently, proving once again ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
<
Head for the Hills
Previewed By: Ellie Stratton-Brook
Thursday March, 6th
Town Square Tavern // Jackson, WY
9:00pm // Tickets: $10 // Buy Tickets Online
Although you may have seen many bluegrass bands around ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
03/02/14 - Mark Byall slashes a line in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry as the consistent flow of snow continues into March. Photographer: Stephen Williams
Previous Photos
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
02/23/24 - A skier flies off a jump being pulled behind a horse racing down a track at Melody Ranch just south of Jackson for the 2nd Annual Ski ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
02/22/14 - February has been incredible in Jackson Hole and it's not quite over yet. Marian Herbick digs into the bottom half of Four Pjnes with more fresh snow ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
02/21/14 - Nick Grenoble left his snorkel at home and had to come up for air between trips to the whiteroom. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort was unbelievably deep today ...
Read More
Tweet
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s);if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");
The 2nd Annual North American Skijoring Championships
Previewed By: Adam Glos
Saturday, February 22nd - 12:00pm
1 Sunday, February 23rd - 11:00am
Melody Ranch // Jackson, WY
General Admission: $10 // Kids 12 and ...
Read More