The hidden homes of the super-wealthy help and strain the Jackson Hole workforce. How plow drivers and Teton Pass patrollers hold up a culture of collaboration and safety. The airport shuttle might end with a whimper, but begs bigger questions about transit goals. And how abortion bans impact a state’s workforce and economy. 

Featured music from Michael Batdorf and Michelle Dickson. 

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.

Strict limits on abortion access have prompted questions for the state’s few providers. We hear from a staunch immigrant advocate in east Idaho and west Wyoming who has voted for President Trump three times. And Mark Engel brings us original tunes and creativity wisdom. He’s an Olympic skier-turned-full-time Jackson Hole musician. 

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.

Scientists and citizens search together for some mangy mammals that have struggled in recent years. What a particularly warm winter means for the regional ski economy. What we can learn from a few of the Wyoming women featured in a new book from Jackson-based photographer Lindsay Linton Buk. And why, every two years, states such as Wyoming put on the pressure to balance a massive budget. 

Featured music from Hilary Camino and Leif Routman. 

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.

Where to turn as cancer and autoimmune treatments dwindle in east Idaho. On the open slopes of Grand Targhee Resort, Jaelin Kauf remembers skiing the same run over and over with her family to create bumps like the ones she’s now shredding at the Olympics.  Why a bar in Lithuania keeps tight tabs on Jackson Hole’s downtown webcam. And in a Colorado ski resort town, what began as a labor dispute has since reshaped local politics with the resignation of two local officials.

Featured music by church bats.

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.

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.