Pioneer & Innovator
The founding father of Snow King, Neil Rafferty tirelessly promoted skiing in Jackson and around the region. Born in Grampian, Pennsylvania, he made his way west, arriving in Jackson in 1930. he ran a trap line with his dog sled team on the shores of Jackson Lake and regularly hiked Ruth Hannah Simms Ski Hill (now Snow King). When the Jackson Hole Ski Club fielded ideas for a mode of uphill transportation, Neil’s cable-tow design was selected. He was an integral part of Snow King’s first chairlift, as a planner, builder, and its first passenger in 1947. Constantly pursuing new possibilities for the expansion of skiing in Jackson Hole, Neil operated portable rope tows on Teton and Togwotee Passes in the 1950s and 60s. He built a cabin near Jackson Peak for cross-country skiers, broadening ski experiences in the Gros Ventre and Teton ranges. During the summers, he erected signs promoting Snow King’s “Scenic Chairlift” around the region. Rafferty’s undying love for skiing produced Wyoming’s first ski area –and one of the first dozen ski areas in the United States. He always made all skiers feel welcome on Snow King, but his favorite saying was “It’s for the kids,” and he will be remembered for his efforts to encourage involvement in the sport. Named Citizen of the Year by the JH Chamber of Commerce in 1989, he was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2005.
