With recent Teton protests mirroring national frustration with immigration enforcement, we ask advocates about what’s effective. We get on the slopes with Teton Village Olympian Anna Gibson, whose meteoric rise in the debut sport of ski mountaineering has been a long time in the making. And what Wyomingites are asking their lawmakers before a hotly anticipated legislative session. 

Featured music by VaMoose.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

We remember Max Martin, a Jackson native turned professional skier and trainer, whom friends say never let a day go to waste. Mental health professionals share the network of resources that understand grief in a mountain town. Why Wyoming lawmakers are considering doing away with all taxation on land used for housing. And how Wyoming’s coal performed in 2025 after the Trump administration threw its weight behind the coal industry. 

Featured music by Tori Lund and Alec McKee, members of the band Float Trip.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Resources mentioned in today's episode include: 

Mental Health and Recovery Services of Jackson Hole

Teton Interagency Peer Support

Survivors of Outdoor Adventures and Recovery

Climbing Grief Fund

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

A cowboy suddenly finds himself at-odds with Grand Teton National Park. Ski patrollers across the Mountain West fight for better pay. And why Wyoming’s Supreme Court upheld abortion access. 

Music from The Buckskin Boys, recorded at KHOL. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

A theater educator checks her new healthcare premium estimates for the first time. With Affordable Care Act price hikes around the corner, Jacksonites and their healthcare providers wonder what to do. 

Ski and music legend Bill Briggs shares some wisdom learned over 93 years. 

And the United States Forest Service is building affordable workforce rentals on public land on Jackson’s eastern edge. Town councilors and county commissioners may buy in. The debate now is how much to pay. 

Plus, how one billionaire Jackson couple is investing in Wyoming press, philanthropy and politics.  

Music from Bill Briggs. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

In the midst of war, Ukrainian civilians are redefining the meaning of van life. After his death, a Cody-based country star lives on through newly-released music and the mental health work of his family, including Jackson’s former mayor. A leading state lawmaker takes us to church, a place that inspires his political vision and that of many fellow Freedom Caucus members. 

Music is “The King is Back” by Luke Bell, released by music label Thirty Tigers. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

One Jackson woman shares the aftermath of her husband's detention and three-month stay in ICE custody. A group of men over 57 talk about friends and how to find them. We remember former Vice President Dick Cheney, who lived in Teton County for over 30 years, with an archived interview from 1989. Two friends reflect on how they came to run a 45-year-old balloon rally in Teton Valley. 

StoryCorps conversation produced by Emily Cohen. 

Music from Clay Humphrey @yourhumphrey.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

We learn about the work of a mental health therapist in town supporting community members struggling with the increased presence of ICE in town. A public record request shows voter complaints about the state’s election laws. The longest land-based migration route in the lower-48 is at odds with the state’s energy goals. And we hear another conversation from our collaboration with Storycorps between two neighbors reflecting on their families' multi-generational ranches.

StoryCorps conversation produced by Emily Cohen. 

And we share the local music teacher Missy Joe’s latest single, 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Dual-seasonal workers are among those facing diminishing healthcare options and potentially triple-digit price increases. We talk to a climbing and ski guide wondering what to do and seek some practical advice from experts. As Israel and Hamas take steps toward ending a two-year war, we hear from people in Jackson who are celebrating, mourning and wondering what's next. Novelist Tea Obrecht and poet Matt Daly share their thoughts on writing in the age of AI and autogeneration. And we hear a conversation between Priscilla Marden and Cara Galleni about a Teton County program using horses to build leadership skills. 

StoryCorps conversation produced by Emily Cohen. 

Featuring music from VaMoose. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

A novel workforce housing project just outside Jackson is slated for construction next spring on leased land within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. We hear from one of the project’s leaders at a time when public land and housing are at the forefront of national land use debates. A local legend, Jay Pistono, recently died at 67. We remember the man who preserved skiing on Teton Pass. Plus, we get a taste of how Jackson’s Center for the Arts is becoming more accessible to Spanish-first speakers. And we listen to a conversation between Jackson theatre professional Andy Munz and writer Claudia Mauro on being queer in Wyoming. 

Featuring music from Aaron Davis @aarondavisongs.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

When the state cut property taxes this year, it hit organizations doing some pretty gritty work. We head to the banks of the Snake River to meet up with a team that’s still sniffing out weeds… literally. No shade on wildlife art, but we hear from artists working to bring work to Jackson Hole that’s a little weirder. Jaelin Kauf is the region’s top hope for Olympic gold in Italy this winter. We hear from her parents as the freestyle skier waves goodbye to her home mountain, Grand Targhee. And from the StoryCorps archives, we bring you to a conversation with Irene Beardsley. She and her climbing partner became the first women to summit one of the world’s tallest mountains, Annapurna, in 1978. 

StoryCorps conversation produced by Emily Cohen. 

Music this week is from Casper the duo Pleasure People. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.