Travel editors seem to be drawn to The Alpine House and want to share the secret with their readers. As a mater of fact, we've been mentioned recently in Ski, Travel & Leisure, Outside, Skiing, Travel Agent, Park City Magazine, Teton Home and Country Accents. The CBS Early Show hosted Travel and Leisure's Associate Editor Nilou Motamed when he said that the Alpine House is THE place to stay while in Jackson Hole—we're not surprised!
Charming & Cheap Ski, January 2003
by Everett Potter
Good deals on desirable digs are hard to come by, but this inn fits the bill. Here you'll sleep well knowing you saved a bundle.
Scandinavian pine and exposed beams set the tone at the Alpine House, located two blocks from Jackson's town square. Owners Hans and Nancy Johnstone are both former Olympians (she's a biathelete; he competed in nordic combined). The in nhas 22 rooms with pine trim ad pastel colors, down comforters and plush robes. Most rooms have individual fireplacves or dimminutive white porcelain wood stoves. You'll also find a library stocked with well-thumbed mountaineering books, a spa room, a Finnish sauna and an outdoor hot tub. Mornings bring banana pecan pancakes or Rocky Mountain eggs benedict from chef Eric Bartle to stoke you for your first leap off Corbet's. Details: 800-753-1421; alpinehouse.com; doubles from $110, including breakfast.
Best Value Travel & Leisure, December 2002
by Sally Wadyka
Alpine House owners Hans and Nancy Johnstone are both former Oympians (Nordic combined and biathlon, respectively). Hans is also an expert leader for Jackson-based Exum Mountain Guides. Over a skier;s breakfast of whole-wheat cinnamon crêpes with maple-roasted apples, or eggs benedict with house-smoked trout, he'll help you plan an ascent of a nearby peak. 285 N. Glenwood st., Jackson; 800-753-1421 or 307-739-1570; www.alpiinehouse.com; doubles from $110, including breakfast.
Olympic Hospitality At The Alpine House Teton Home, Fall/Winter 2002/2003
by Rob Marin
Guests always get the gold.
Visitors to the Tetons are a mixed bunch. Some are seeking rugged adventure like rock climbing and backcountry skiing, devoting the lion's share of their trip to roughing it. Others come for the magnificent scenery or downhill skiing but want to be pampered daily with fine food, a great room and friendly local hospitality. Lodging properties in Jackson Hole typically cater to one crowd or the other, but at Hans and Nancy Johnstone's The Alpine House, both ends of the spectrum are likely to feel right at home, in large part due to the hospitality of the innkeepers themselves.
A luxurious inn with an informal atmosphere, The Alpine House blends Scandinavian design, country style and an adventurous, outdoor spirit. Whether for one night or a whole week, a stay is akin to visiting a couple of congenial friends dialed in to the Teton outdoor scene—who also happen to own a great house in downtown Jackson.
The Johnstones' place features a bistro-like open dining area with an enticing combination of ivory walls, warm pine trim, heavy timber beams and plenty of sunshine. Here guests can enjoy a gourmet breakfast or optional dinner during the winter season. A whimsical Viking mural, painted by local artist Greta Gretzinger and inspired by Hans' Norwegian descent, graces the espresso bar, which is only steps from some fireside reading in the intimate library. Fireplaces and down comforters warm the cozy guest rooms, which also draw their character from antiques and custom-built beds.
The look and feel of the inn grew directly from the Johnstones' personalities, interests and backgrounds. Both Hans and Nancy are unfailingly personable, and they welcome guests with the decidedly faded blue-jean demeanor of grown-up mountain-town ski bums. Both learned the sport as part of active New England families; both are climbers, travelers and Olympic athletes.
Hans' mother came from Norway, where children start skiing about the same time they learn to stand on two feet. "She can't help it," he says of her life-long affliction. Neither could he. He grew up in Massachusetts, where his father ran a Nordic ski program and the sport was a family tradition. He began competing in high school and went on to become a five-year member of the United States Ski Team, participating in the Olympic Nordic combined (cross-country skiing and jumping) event at Calgary in 1988.
Nancy grew up schussing the slopes near Stowe, Vermont, switching her focus to the more aerobically demanding Nordic combined discipline during college. She joined the Army National Guard in the 1980s for their biathlon (Nordic skiing and target shooting) training program and ultimately competed in the Olympics at Albertville, France, in 1992. She met Hans in 1986 at an annual Nordic training camp in West Yellowstone. Together they have traveled throughout Europe and Russia, ski touring and competing.
Hans worked as a civil engineer when they first moved to Jackson, and although they had always thought about opening a business together, neither envisioned becoming innkeepers, despite the fact that Nancy's father had run a motel back in Stowe. "We were going to open a bagel shop," Nancy says, "but Pearl Street [Bagels] beat us to it."
In 1991 the pair bought a "fixer-upper" cabin not far from Jackson's town square. When they realized the town had designated the area as a lodging district, they decided to get into the hotel business. "They had to hit us over the head with [the idea]," Hans jokes. He says they only bought the property because it was "the cheapest place in Jackson." The old cabin was moved to the back of the lot, and construction began on The Alpine House.
The Johnstones designed their inn like a European country house—instead of following the massive log lodge trend so prevalent in Wyoming. They had raced and ski-toured in Norway together, and both were impressed with the clean lines and open, brightly lit interiors of Scandinavian country homes and ski huts. "We didn't want a cookie-cutter look," Hans says.
They were nervous about committing to their own business, but they also enjoyed the creativity of coming up with a unique design. "It was actually pretty exciting," Hans says, "though the stress was sometimes a little more than you like." Their taste is evident in the attention given to the interior of the living area, including century-old recycled timber ceiling beams and the radiant-heated, rustic tile floor. However, they did get some help from their families in furnishing the place. Hans' and Nancy's mothers scoured New England antique shops, and Hans' parents drove their finds all the way to Wyoming.
They opened in July 1994 with seven rooms and scraped by for years, running the place by themselves. Nancy did all the cooking and Hans brought in extra income guiding Teton climbers (for the world-renowned Exum Mountain Guides) and skiers (for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides in Alaska). Not above the ordinary chores of winter, he even shoveled snow off the roofs of Jackson Hole homes. At times the work overwhelmed them. "It seemed like a nightmare," Nancy says. "We had no experience or training. We'd just wing it."
But wing it they did. In 2001 a major addition and remodeling job expanded The Alpine House to 22 guest rooms. Most feature gas-fired white porcelain stoves and beds specially crafted by a Bozeman furniture maker.
Hans and Nancy moved into a separate residence and hired a staff, which has freed them from many day-to-day tasks. Now in more of a managerial role, they have some additional personal time, though they still put in plenty of hours. Typically starting work at 5:30 a.m., they might escape for a ski by midafternoon. More importantly, they can devote time to building a family.
While competing in Russia, the couple saw a great need for adoption. In 1999 they brought home a bright little boy named Sasha. Hans, smiling proudly, says, "He rules."
"He rules us, anyway," Nancy quips.
"We always wanted a genius for a child, so we figured we had to adopt," Hans says, grinning. They are considering adopting a second Russian baby.
The Alpine House chef Eric Bartle has relieved Nancy of the time-consuming cooking tasks and helped redefine the inn's menu. "I want my breakfasts to compete with all the restaurants in town," he says.
"We try to do everything in-house," Bartle continues. He bakes his own granola, smokes his own meats and grinds specialty sausages, all with an eye on presenting fare that is both delicious and healthy. Since the kitchen is open to the dining area, guests are entertained by Bartle at work, and they frequently pepper him with questions. "I definitely play it up," he says, explaining that he loves his role as live entertainer.
Hans and Nancy give their chef freedom to orchestrate the menu. "I like to squeeze my own tomatoes," says Bartle, who shops locally, utilizing hometown growers and suppliers, and uses seasonal produce whenever possible.
Guests can choose from memorable breakfast entrées like Rocky Mountain Eggs Benedic—an English muffin and poached eggs topped with trout (alder-smoked in-house) and an orange-dill hollandaise sauce. Flapjack fans can gorge on banana-pecan pancakes with whipped vanilla butter and pure Vermont maple syrup. Spring Harvest Breakfast Hash includes herb-roasted fingerling potatoes, asparagus, leeks, woodland mushrooms and scrambled eggs, all mixed with aged Vermont white cheddar. Two entrées are served each morning, along with a buffet of lighter fare, including fresh fruit and muffins, breads, cereals, juice, organic teas and coffee. Teton adventurers sometimes apply the motto "Go big or go home" when they play; if they get carried away at this breakfast table, they just might go home bigger.
The Alpine House clientele are about half casual tourists and half athletic outdoors folk. "We get a lot of harder-core skiers," Nancy says. Hans adds that fellow Olympians periodically visit as well. "Freeloaders," Nancy says with a smirk.
Many climbers camp or stay at Climbers' Ranch in Grand Teton National Park for part of their adventure, enjoying a night or two of luxury at The Alpine House after their climb. Hans and Nancy sometimes guide guests on outdoor climbing, skiing or trail-running excursions. They and their employees are also great resources for local outdoor information. "We have a young staff who ski and fish and like to talk to everybody [about it]," Nancy says. The library also contains a number of useful outdoor guidebooks.
After a weekend climb of the Grand or a day of thigh-burning ski runs on Rendezvous Mountain, guests can soak in the spa, bake in the Finnish sauna or book a rub-down in The Alpine House massage room. The Alpine House massage therapists specialize in a variety of massage styles, including Swedish, deep-tissue work and sports massage, and will customize their treatments to an individual's needs and preferences. And beginning this winter, The Alpine House is offering specialty spa treatments as well, like soothing mud baths. The inn also features a meeting room for business clients who need to combine a little work with their play time. For those who must stay in touch with the office, the guest rooms have telephones, voice mail and data ports.
Hans and Nancy may seem to have devoted their lives to their favorite "leisure" activities, but they achieved their lifestyle through years of hard work, both in training for international competition and building their business. At times they've wondered whether it was worth the sacrifice, but the pieces are falling into place. "We can't imagine what would be better," Hans says.
"I could have married a rich husband," Nancy teases him. That this couple created a tasteful, first-rate inn with great food and friendly down-home comfort shouldn't be a surprise. Hans says it all when he talks about the rewards of Olympic competition: "It's always satisfying when you do your best." That's an attitude that's bound to keep guests of all disciplines coming back again and again.
Open year-round, The Alpine House has standard and deluxe rooms and suites, most with fireplaces and private balconies. Prices range from $155 to $265 in summer, $110 to $245 in winter, and $95 to $175 between seasons. Ski packages including lift tickets are also available. Call 1-800-753-1421 for more information or log on to www.alpinehouse.com.
Inn of the Month-The Alpine House Jackson, Wyoming Ski, February 2001
by Kristen Gould Case
Just a two-block walk from Jackson's antler-clad Town Square, the 22-room Alpine House offers comfortable, Scandinavian-style hospitality sans old-world snobbery. Hundred-year-old timbers frame the vaulted ceilings, but you won't find any dusty fly fishing creels here. The interior is clean and bright, with pine trim and pastel colors. Rooms feature down comforters, fireplaces, balconies and antique furniture, yet steer clear of European-cutesy. You'll find chocolate dipped strawberries at your bedside each evening, fluffy robes in the closet and toiletry products from a local boutique in reusable containers highlighting the environmentally friendly philosophy here.
First opened in 1994, the lodge recently added 15 rooms, a cozy library and a white-fenced front yard, complete with Adirondack chairs and hot tub. Owners Nancy and Hans Johnstone are former Olympians: she a biathlete in Albertville, France he a Nordic combined skier in Calgary, Alberta. Hans leads mountaineering climbs up the Grand Teton and heliski trips in Alaska. Nancy leads guests on trail runs and cross-country ski treks. Professional, down-to-earth service is their specialty.
The daily breakfast buffet is served in the sunny dining room, offering an espresso bar, homemade baked goods and made-fresh-daily items such as roasted red pepper, chevre and spinach frittata. Afternoon wine and hors d'oeuvres are also served. Fellow guests are skiers, Yellowstone goers, gallery browsers, fly fishing aficionados, spa seekers taking in an on-site massage, or Finnish sauna and jock-types-- friends from the innkeepers' U.S. Ski Team days. Don't miss the dining room mural, in which comical Viking figures eerily resemble the owners.
Room rates range from $90 (low season, standard room) to $265 (high season, suite) and include breakfast. Contact: The Alpine House, 285 North Glenwood Street, Jackson, WY 83001; 800-753-1421; 307-739-1570; fax: 307-734-2850; www.alpinehouse.com.
Scandinavian decor heightens this newly expanded inn at the heart of mountain country.
Call it instinct. Nancy Johnstone, never a professional interior designer, knew exactly how to decorate The Alpine House, the country inn in Jackson, Wyoming, that she co-owns with her husband Hans. "Hans's family is Norwegian," she says, "and, as cross-country ski-racers, both Hans and I raced in Scandinavia a lot—and we just like that Scandinavian country look. Out here, we're a little different because, in Wyoming, so much is decorated with a kind of heavy lodgepole, western look—and dark. There's nothing wrong with that, it's a native look.. but we feel that our look fits in well too."
For the light and airy Scandinavian interior she has created, Nancy credits both her mother and Hans's mother for their help. Together, the two mothers did much of the antiques-shopping for the inn. "They live in the East and went all over Vermont and Massachusetts in their shopping expeditions," Nancy says. "Then, Hans's parents brought most of the furnishings they bought out here in a U-Haul truck." Furniture pieces are not the only antiques at Alpine House. Ceiling beams are a century old, purchased from The Big Timberworks in Bozeman, Montana. "Our beams came from a warehouse in Washington state," says Nancy. Another proud bit of recycling is the fireplace mantel in the library, a beautiful carved-wood piece found at an antiques fair in Massachusetts. "When we bought it, my father-in-law said, 'That looks like a piece of junk; it's not going to work," she says. "But my husband refinished it, and it turned out to be really nice. It only cost $20. We were very excited about that."
All the beds are new, especially made for the inn by a Bozeman furniture maker. "He kind of modified some of his styles—customized them for us—with carving and other details we were looking for," Nancy says. Also new are the little white porcelain stoves—another charming reminder of Scandinavia, that are in all the rooms in the new wing completed in the summer of 2000.
In the Scandinavian spirit, Hans said, "Let's have Vikings on the wall." And Nancy found just the person to do it—a local painter, Greta Gretzinger. On a wall of the dining area, behind the bar, they are far more cheery, far less fierce than the traditional image of Vikings. Other decorative painting, in the traditional Scandinavian style, was done on the walls of halls and bedrooms throughout the inn by another local painter, Sue Cedarholm.
Jackson, Wyoming, as a place to live and become innkeepers had been an easy choice for Nancy and Hans. For one thing, there's the sensational scenic beauty of the area. For another, "We both are skiers and climbers," says Nancy. So, for this pair of former Olympic athletes, it was natural to be attracted by the special activities that come with the mountainous territory. The couple's enthusiasm for their inn-keeping careers seems to have been elevated by their recent expansion, which added 14 guest rooms to the seven they started with in 199l. "By getting larger, we made the place much nicer," Nancy says. "We have a lot more public space, nicer front yard and porches, a sauna and a massage room, a larger dining room, and we redid the kitchen. And now we have a great chef, Eric Bartle." She adds modestly, "The food is way better than when I did the cooking."
Nancy, who before the expansion did "everything, cleaning as well as the cooking," reports that now they have really good people doing those things. "I'm still busy, but I'm more like the manager," she says. "It's fun to run the inn because I'm proud of the product." Since she grew up helping her parents run a motel they owned in Stowe, Vermont, she brings experience as well as pride to her new job. Hans, who worked as a civil engineer when the couple first settled in Jackson, now combines inn-keeping with working as a mountain guide. His mountain expertise is a bonus for Alpine House guests, many of whom seek his advice on the best trails to follow and what to look for when they hike.
Whether guests are at the Alpine House for hiking in the summer or skiing in the winter, they all seem to enjoy returning to the inn at the end of the day—to soak in the hot tub just steps away from the front door, enjoy a glass of wine on the patio or at the bar, or curl up with a book in the comfortable library. It's like being on top of the world!
