I had the wonderful opportunity of skiing at Jackson Hole back in 99. (yes I know; just thought I'd add thoughts since I just discovered this site and because Rendevous Mountain is a largely fixed structure ;-))

Anyway, the mountain is epic. It has very difficult terrain, and a backcountry feel. There really aren't very many "trails"; you are free to choose your line. Also, at over 4000 feet each run (assuming a full descent) is longer than you can get at just about any lift-served area on this continent.

One thing that is great about jackson is that whether you choose rendevous mountain (the large mountain at jackson) - in which you take a tram up - or the smaller ridge that the Bridger Gondola serves, you get relatively fast access up the mountian without having to change lifts and negotiate more lines. And while on that subject, lines were never an issue there (was there on weekends and weekdays in late March). But do be aware that a "normal" wait for a tram COULD be upwards of 20 minutes, assuming you got to the tram dock just after a tram left and there were (now more than 100) people there. So probably looking at <10 minutes for a tram, and not any longer for the gonola.

I don't know if things have changed since I was there, but in-bounds any appreciably-sized cliffs are literally fenced off. This is a positive for families and those wishing to preserve their bones, but any avid huckers may be disappointed.

Nevertheless, this is still NOT a place for beginners or even true intermediates. It's really all about the extreme terrain here. If you are looking for the western experience but are a beginner or mild intermediate skier liking floating along blue cruisers at controllable speeds, then maybe you should check out the reviews of large Colorado resorts. To put it bluntly, there is not much of the mountain that an unexperienced/unskilled skier can actually ski. To put it another way, beginners/intermediates that ride the tram up to catch the views from the top of Rendevous mountain may literally be obliged to take it back down as from up there you will have to negotiate bumps, 40-degree pitches, glades, deep powder, and/or rocks any way you descend.

As for the other categories of this review, I don't want to say too much about that since I was there so long ago. Although I will still point out this isn't really a party hotspot. If that aspect is important to you, maybe look elsewhere. And for activities, expect it to be rustic and outdoors. There are elk-watching rides, which my friend and I went on. If you don't live around elk or alot of deer, check it out. Also, there is backcountry snowmobiling in the National forests/parks there.

Overall, a great ski destination in the middle of nowhere, with a strong western influence.