Ride the tram to 10,450-foot Rendezvous Mountain for views of skiers and peaks.

By Cara Froedge

Hearts are leaping in western Wyoming now that the owners of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are finally powering up their flashy new aerial tramway. (The public opening is on December 21.) The old version, in service for 40 years lifting skiers and sightseers 4,139 feet up Rendezvous Mountain near the town of Jackson, was retired in 2006 as antiquated. The rebuilt tramway—with its $31 million price tag for new cars, cables, motors, and towers—sweeps to the top in just nine minutes and transports up to 650 riders an hour.

As in the old days, riders board at a clock tower, now a stylish column of stone, timbers, and glass that stands eight stories tall.

The two new black-and-red passenger cabins each hold 100 riders and operate safely in winds more powerful than the old cars could handle. Tall picture windows reach almost to the floor, permitting both children and adults to soak up sweeping vistas of the Snake River Valley and the craggy peaks of Grand Teton National Park.

Stepping out at 10,450 feet, riders can dawdle at the top and return on the tram or ski back down, a trip that takes average schussers around 30 minutes. Daredevil skiers can try to beat the car to the base. jacksonhole.com.