Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 13, Rockin' the BROs

Thursday, Feb 26

It snowed a ton today. In the morning we headed O.B. and did a Four Pines. We got a bunch of untracked. We went up the tram and out the high gate. From there we skied down Far Drift which is basically skiing down Rendezvous Bowl, but on the other side of the Jackson Hole Resort boundary. So we got freshies the whole way.

Then the work begins. We hiked up the short, but steep Paranoia Ridge. There is a beautiful, but short powder run right next to the boot track which Mimi and I skied last year. I thought it might be fun to repeat this year, but by the time I got to the top I was huffing and puffing and covered in sweat, so skiing down and hiking up a second time didn't seem as attractive.

Frank, Greg, and Mimi somewhere on the way to Four Pines.


After a short traverse, we made a longer, but less steep hike up to Four Pines. There was quite a crowd on top, but we got geared up and away before most of the rest of them. My favorite part of this run was a couple of slots through the rocks; the snow was deep and we shot down the slots and then down the face below to the bottom of the slope. It looked like a reasonably long run from the top, but much too soon we were at the bottom. We must have been screaming down the hill, because it ended way earlier than I expected.

Then we had a long traverse back from Rock Springs Canyon to the ski area. It wasn't really that far, but with Greg on his snowboard, traverses can be a travail. Especially when he gets too low and has to climb back up to the track. Second year running this happened. I joked that last week I skied the Triple No (No Shadows, No Name Peak, No Name Canyon) and today we skied the Triple Slow (we waited for George on the climbs, we waited for me on the descents, and we waited for Greg on the traverse). As usual, Mimi and Frank were excellent and patient guides, leading us to the best runs and educating us about safety in the backcountry.

Yay! George made it.


Phillip and George at the top of Four Pines.


After lunch, Greg, George and I went back out and had some of the best runs of the entire trip. We stayed inbounds and took a couple of trams and a gondie. The snow was fine in the Bowl, but was wicked fun in the Hobacks. We were skiing fast and smooth, getting face shots on some of the turns. Greg was ripping on his snowboard, throwing up a plume of snow as he sped down the mountain. George was linking beautiful turns, flowing from one to the next. And I thought I was skiing about the best I have ever skied. I felt fast and in total control, with big smooth turns in the open parts of the slope and then making quick turns to dive between the trees at the bottom.

Greg nearly impaled himself on this punji stick in the Hobacks. (See the broken branch next to his knee?)


George rests for a moment before ripping down the rest of the Hobacks.


I attribute my breakthrough skiing to three things:

1. Change in attitude. Instead of overanalyzing my technique and criticizing everytime I got in the backseat or off balance, I decided to do my best and enjoy the skiing regardless if I was skiing as well as the rest of the party. This really paid off in our Four Pines trip. I don't think I've ever had so much fun out of bounds before. I just skied and didn't worry about how I looked.
2. Change in technique. At lunch, George and Greg made some suggestions on how to improve my skiiing. In particular, narrowing my stance and keeping my hands in closer and driving down the slope. I have been working on just these things all week, but when we go OB or the conditions deteriorate, I tend to forget and go back to my bad habits. When we went back out after lunch, I put it all together and flew down the mountain like never before. I really felt that my skiing was BRO-worthy.
3. Change in conditions. We probably got 12 inches of snow today. It made skiing much easier. It was pretty close to hero snow and probably accounts for some of my improvement. But I think it all started with having the right attitude.

We were on the 2nd to last tram and then got on the gondola at 3:57, three minutes before it closed. Everyone on the mountain was giddy, enjoying the excellent conditions. The gondie operators agreed with me that they should keep the lifts running until dark because it was just to good to quit and go inside. But the ski day did end after a last run down Casper Bowl, and we just hope for more of the same tomorrow.

Dinner was a lot of fun. Greg made a wilted brussel sprout salad and I made pizzas. We drank more of George's wine and went to bed early. Greg leaves at 5 AM tomorrow and the rest of us want to get in the tram line early for more POW.