Jackson Hole 2008 - Day 6 (All Day Dump)

Nick gearing up for another day of deep. Another 4 or more inches fell during the night and it continued to storm all day. Still snowing as I type this after a day of excellent runs.


That's Michael waiting for the rest of us to get our boots on. The patio off the Teton Club's ski locker is a ground level in the summer. In the winter they have to build snow stairs so you can climb to the top of the snow pack.


Julie's still recovering from her cold and moving a little slow, but there was no way she was going to miss these great conditions.


Mimi and Frank have a locker pass that allows them to catch an early gondola so they get first tracks. The hoi polloi have to wait in line for the gondola to open at 9 AM, and there was a long line today. Accidentally, we got in the singles line a few minutes before 9 and didn't have to wait long before we were heading up the mountain. Bonus #1: Chatting with Hollee Armstrong (proprietress of the spa at the Teton Club and wife of Sick Rick Armstrong, extreme skiing legend) in the line. Bonus #2: They put all four of us from the singles line of into the same gondola so we got the short wait in line and the companionship during the ride up.

We caught up with Mimi and Frank at Sublette Chair. They already had a run down Rendezvous Bowl and we headed up for another. Then a great shot through the trees in Bivouac Woods with Mimi. Followed by an awesomely deep run down Expert Chutes. Three awesome runs in the first couple of hours. Our final run before lunch was North Hobacks, a looong powder run. We hugged the trees and had some insane fun. Lost Greg for most of the run, but unlike yesterday we didn't send Frank out to find him. Didn't work yesterday and didn't want to diminish today's run. Just like yesterday, we all hooked up at Union Pass Traverse so no problemo.



Here's a shot of Julie near the bottom of Rendezvous Bowl. Even sick and run down, she skis better than most. We had another yummy lunch at our condo thanks to Chef Al's split pea soup and super sandwiches--BreadMan bread fortified with Mimi's granola, topped with condiments like sun dried tomatoes, olive tapenade, hummus, artichoke hearts, and cranberry sauce. Oh yeah, some meat, cheese, and lettuce too.

After lunch Mimi went grocery shopping; Julie and Nick took naps; and Frank went to do some work around the house. Michael, Phillip, Greg and his friend Harry went back for more snow.


In the gondie, Greg took a call from a customer (Greg's and architect) and let the caller believe he was in the office, rather than out shredding the slopes.

Unlike yesterday, the afternoon runs were as good as the morning, maybe better. We had fun in the Study Plots and Bivouac Woods. The ride up Sublette was cold, with the wind and snow howling. The ride up East Ridge was more of the same, and then Rendezvous Bowl was white out conditions. I couldn't tell which way was down until I got to the black doingers marking the steepest route down. Using them as slalom poles enabled me to enjoy the run down. At the bottom I asked Michael about doing another lap, but he said no way, too cold. Then Greg slid up on his board and said it was the best run of the day. After a long wait, Harry showed up on his board and said never again; he couldn't tell up from down in the whiteout and basically fell his way down the bowl.

After another ride up Sublette, Greg talked Harry into another go at the Bowl. Michael was too cold so we headed down the Hobacks. This time we stayed in the trees between North Hoback and Cheyenne Gully; the snow was deep and the fun was off the charts. Michael is skiing great and led me on the best route through the trees. After learning from him, I zipped past him to get first tracks and he followed, complaining that the second skier didn't have as much good snow.

The day ended with a run down Dick's Ditch behind a couple of snowboarders throwing 360's off the rocks. Then some time in the hot tubs and dinner at Mimi's. A near perfect day.

Jackson Hole 2008 - Day 5 (Cowboy Powder)

We got some real snow today (13 inches). It started snowing heavily around 6 AM and kept up till dinner time. My first ride up the gondie (gondy?, gondi?) I heard Jeff Zell (extreme skier turned guide, and brother of Julie Zell, champion boarder turned restauranteer) tell his clients that the best skiing would be "cowboy powder"--fresh snow over groomers. So I took his advice and skied Gros Ventre and a couple of Lower Tramlines. I got three runs from the gondola in untracked snow before the rest of the gang moseyed out around 10:30.

The kids waiting at the gondola for the adults to get their acts together. That's a snow flake in front of Nick's nose, not a tissue to stop the nosebleeds he often suffers in the high altitude dry air of Wyoming. After skiing a few runs with us, the under-15 set went their own way for the rest of the day. We saw them at lunch and again at dinner.


Cousin Greg, the renegade boarder, joined the gang today. His flight from NYC was delayed 24 hours by the snowstorm in the east. Bubba, Paul, Chris and Eric left Jackson for Boston today but got held up in Chicago for two days due to the storms. Skiers' delight is travelers' woe. Greg, aka Eggy, had a couple of tumbling falls which we promptly named "egg-beaters".

We went into the Teton Club for a late lunch, from which some of the crowd never recovered. Julie and Frank (see below) extended lunch naps into all-afternoon affairs, but Nick recovered and spent the last couple of hours skiing Casper Bowl with his cousins. Julie is still recovering from her cold and I suspect Frank is suffering from hosting-induced fatigue.

After lunch, Greg and Michael showed off all the cool things they could do with the iPhone and iTouch. Frank and Michael also held a forum on internet lingo. Topics debated included the pronunciation of "pwned" and the proper use of "teh".

Jackson Hole 2008 - Day 4

We got some snow today, with more forecast for tonight.
Julie got new custom footbeds and ski boot liners.
Unfortunately, she also got Nick's cold and spent the day in bed instead of on the slopes.


While it was cloudy and snowing on the top of the mountain, at the base it was sunny and warmer. This band was rocking the line at the gondola.


Eric borrowed one of Mimi's backpacks yesterday to carry his skis up the Headwall. He felt so cool with the pack that he wanted to wear it again today, even though it only held some snacks and water.


Bubba and Paul head back to Boston tomorrow. Bubba left her hat and goggles in the restroom and had to wear Frank's neckie on her head to keep warm. Sort of looks like a fuzzy, black toque.

Speaking of interesting ski wear, take a look at this outfit.

Jackson Hole 2008 - Days 1, 2, and 3

Day 1 - Waiting for the gondola to open. Had some fun in Cheyenne Bowl and multiple runs down Broken Goggles. Rode the double up to ski Rendezvous Bowl. This is the second year with no tram. Can't wait for the new and improved tram next year.

Day 2 - Excellent base of snow, but no new snow. So not much to report. Skied Ten Sleep and Expert Chutes. Also Alta Three and Bird in Hand. Met up with Bubba's neighbors from Carlisle and skied a few runs with them. The 16 y.o. followed our kids up and over Roller Coaster Rock, but had too much speed and flew off the top of the rock and fell about 10 feet flat on his back. No injury, but broke his rental ski in half. His Dad was PO'ed until he found he paid the extra $1 per day for insurance and wouldn't have to pay $500 for broken skis. Matt, the younger brother (13 y.o.) continued to ski with us and was psyched to ski so many double diamonds. He told his friend Chris, "You're family never stops. They ski everything."

Above are a couple of shots of paragliders taking off from Gros Ventre, right below where the gondola unloads. The pilots earn some money by strapping a paying guest rider in front of them and running down the hill to fill the sail and glide down to the valley.

Day 3 – Still no new snow. But after two blue bird, sunny days, there were some clouds today and a dusting is forecast for tonight. Boston and NYC got dumped on, but nothing here.

We hiked up the Headwall today. Nick was sick and didn't ski yesterday, so today he skied with his cousins M&M, while we climbed. The entry where we took off our skis and put them on our packs was tricky, as you can tell by Chris struggling up the first section in front of Frank (below).

Then it's just a long climb up the boot track to the top. The photo above is looking back at Chris and Frank. The photo below is looking up at Michael and the rock marking the top of the climb.

Chris, Frank, and Mimi approach the top of the climb.

Mimi crests the top of the climb.

Phillip on top.

The whole gang posing at the top of the Headwall climb, with Corbett's Couloir and Ten Sleep in the background. From left to right: Michael, Julie, Phillip, Bubba, Eric, Frank, Mimi, Chris.

Mimi and Bubba enter Casper Bowl, the prize after the hike.

Michael found the best snow by entering the chute from the skier's right (above). Below he makes a turn and enters the steepest section of the chute.

Below, Chris catches some air off a cat track. It looks like he's jumping for joy at surviving his first experience skiing out of bounds.

I also took the following videos, but the picture quality leaves something to be desired.


Mimi demonstrates that just getting to the start of the climb was difficult.



Michael drops into the chute in Casper Bowl. But first... Bubba falls into the chute.

Garfield Trail hike & ski with George and Rob

It took almost two months, but here are the photos from our hike.
I finally found a way to move photos from my phone to my computer.
The resolution is disappointing, but here they are.

from email sent Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 10:51 PM

I am going to meet Rob at the NH Liquor Store on I-93 North near exit 11 in Hooksett, NH between 7 and 7:15 AM. I will leave the Mini there and go the rest of the way in Rob's dark green, old Chevy Tahoe 4WD. We will meet George at the Cannon Mtn ski area base lodge between 8:30 and 8:45.

We are hiking up the Garfield Trail to Mt Garfield peak and then skiing back down.
Plan is to leave the trailhead by 9:00 AM. Assuming it takes 4 hours up and we then ski down, 2 hours max, we'll be done at 3:00 PM. If we hike and walk down, we should be down by 4:00. It gets dark about 4:30 or 5:00 so we absolutely want to be out by then So I should be home between 7 and 7:30 PM.

The trailhead is off Gale River Loop Rd.
Directions and map - Take I-93 North past Cannon, then Rte 3 North until a small picnic area 0.3 miles south of its intersection with Trudeau Road. This intersection, often called 5 Corners, has signs for Trudeau Rd. Avoiding the right fork, follow the Gale river Loop Rd south for 1.2 miles then swing left and cross a bridge for the parking lot on the Right.

Extreme Backcountry Sledding

For Nick's 13th birthday, we went to the Mt Cardigan Reservation for some extreme backcountry sledding.

The sun was shining and the trails were covered with 8 to 12 inches of new snow. Life was good. Nick and his friend Mikey made good time in their snowshoes on the flat trails at the base of the mountain.

A couple of hours later, we were breaking trail on the steeper sections and the boys began to tire. Mikey said, "This isn't at all what I expected. I thought we would be walking up the mountain. This is HIKING!"

Near the top of the Firescrew Mountain, the Manning trail goes past a couple of huge boulders and you have to be careful not to slip and fall 20 feet. So Nick decides that it would be fun to slide down these rocks on our butts. Despite my reservations, he was right. It's scary sitting at the top of the drop, and on the way down you free fall for a few feet, but the snow cascades down in front of you acting like a brake and making for a soft landing.



Nick in the starting gate.



Wheee!




Mikey's turn.



Woo Hoo!



Rejuvenated from our play in the snow, we pushed on up the trail. At the Ledges the trail comes out of the woods and opens up to some excellent views and large snow fields. We made two or three runs on our sleds and got some serious speed. We were amazed that we would sled down for a seemingly short time and then it would take us 5 or 10 minutes to hike back up, gasping for breath.

Then after eating our lunch at the Ledges, the real fun began. We rode our sleds back down the narrow, twisty, tree lined hiking trail we spent all day climbing up. By now, enough snowshoers had climbed up the trail that their track was packed down and resembled a bobsled run. This was extreme sledding and required deft steering and quick reflexes to avoid going off the trail and hitting a tree.

We went so fast and had so much fun that we don't have any photos from the steep sections. The only sledding photos are from the much flatter trail at the base of the mountain



Nick on his Swiss Bob sled. The Swiss Bob is easy to carry and worked great on steep and packed trails, but it doesn't have enough float for powder, and is so short that our backpacks dragged in the snow acting like a brake.



Mikey on his surfboard. Although more awkward to carry, the surfboard offered lots of options for sledding. In addition to the belly flop, Mikey could ride sitting or on his knees.

After six hours of hiking and sledding, the boys barely had enough energy to make it back to the lodge. Only the promise of hot chocolate and dry clothes got them back on their feet to walk the last 15 minutes back to trailhead.

The AMC Lodge was hosting a group Scottish musicians and dancers. I enjoyed listening to their music while I relaxed by the fire. But the boys were in a hurry to leave, so we loaded our gear in the car and headed into Bristol for dinner. Mikey confided that he had to get out of there because the music was making him sick. In fact, he did look ill so we gave him a plastic bag so he would be less likely to christen the back seat of our new car.

It began snowing as we finished our hike, so by the time we left the lodge there was a layer of new snow making the dirt road very slippery. We couldn't make it up the hill, the wheels just spinning until the car came to a halt near the top. I suggested spending the night at the lodge and hoping the road was cleared by the next morning, but Mikey said he'd rather walk home (120 miles). Fortunately, on our fourth attempt, we crested the hill and coasted down the other side. Of course, the downhill was equally slippery and even locking the brakes didn't slow our descent. Good thing we were the only car on this narrow road.




In Bristol, we ate at The Mill which serves excellent soups and veggie sandwiches. After a couple a couple games of chess, Mikey felt better and ate a artichoke sandwich. Then the band started to set up on stage and we beat a hasty retreat in case bongos make Mikey sick too.

It was still snowing pretty hard and the traffic on I-93 was crawling along between 10 mph and 30 mph. The boys promptly fell asleep and after half an hour, I was able to speed up to 50 mph and we eventually got home, safe and sound.



Below is a rare photo of the trip leader, driver, photographer, and journalist.

hike/ski Mt Cardigan

My son Nicholas (13 next month) and I went to Mt. Cardigan to hike and ski. Here are some notes (actually, lots of notes) about our day and some links I found while researching or trip. I also am attaching some photos, and the notes I printed out and carried with me.

On the East Side is the AMC 1000 acre Cardigan Reservation, including the Class 3 Holt trail which is considered one of the more difficult trails in New England.
The West side of the mountain is Cardigan State Park.

Here's what we did (times are approximate).

• 6:45 AM – Left Winchester.
• 8:45 AM – Arrived at AMC lodge, bought a map and futzed around with our equipment (e.g., figured out how to carry Nick's ski boots, and put on our crampons).
  
• 9:30 AM – Hiked 1200 feet (vertical) up Holt to Cathedral Forest to Clark Trail.
• 11:00 AM – While eating a sandwich at the top of Alexandria Ski Trail, watched another skier get first tracks in the couple inches of new snow frosting the trail. (Note to self: eat at bottom of ski trail, not at top.) Then clicked into our skis and realized that Nick's boots didn't fit the bindings on his skis. Using my Swiss Army knife, we were able to adjust the bindings and hiking downhill was averted. (Note to self: check all equipment the night before.)
• 11:30 AM – Skied down Alexandria (800 vertical). The trail was fun, narrow and twisty. It must have been heavily skied after the last big snow, because it was bumped up with a couple inches of new snow on top. As we skied down, we hit hidden rocks and ice lurking underneath the light cover of new snow. We met the skier who beat us to the trail skinning back up as we went down.
• 11:45 AM – Tried to traverse along Allieway Ski Trail to Manning Trail. Quickly realized that without cross country skis or climbing skins we were not going to make it so we put our skis on our packs and post holed next to the ski tracks; very tiring. Then we hiked up Manning (for a total of 1000 vertical) to some ledges where a large group of hikers was getting ready to head back down. They didn't know where the ski trail was, but they shared some brownies with us. Then we ate the rest of our food (of course we had reserves in case we didn't make it back before dark—you can survive on dried mango and bison jerky if you have to) and looked around for the ski trail.
• 1:45 PM – After failing to find the start of Duke's Ski Trail, we decided that if we headed down slope and kept to the right we should be okay. The first 50 yards or so was through an open field of snow and we had some really fun turns. As we approached the forest ahead, we saw some blue blazes and then a sign for Duke's Ski Trail. The trail was less steep than Alexandria but the snow cover was better and the run was longer (1300 vertical) and took us right back to the lodge. Near the bottom we discovered the remains of the old rope tow, and the rusted out car used to power it.
  
• 2:30 PM – Put our skis and boots back in the car and sat around the fireplace in the lodge. Before hiking up for our second run, Nick wanted to do three or four runs. But after hiking up twice, I decided I wasn't carrying my skis and his boots another vertical foot. I was still up for snowshoeing the Nature Trail near the lodge or hiking out the waterfall and back, but after thinking about it over hot chocolate, Nick admitted his thighs were tired and he was ready to call it a day. The lodge was full of 60+ AMC members from the Boston Chapter who were there for a weekend of hiking. They shared their snacks and stories and made us feel welcome.
• 3:30 PM – Drove to Bristol for dinner at an Irish Pub called Cu Na Mara. We ate bangers and Boxti stuffed with lamb, garlic, and rosemary and drank Irish beer (Harp for me, Root for Nicholas).
• 5:15 PM – Drove home. Nick slept the whole way.
• 7:00 PM – Unpack then watch The Longest Yard on TV.

Below are some useful links I found while researching our adventure.

• Directions on how to get to Mt Cardigan Lodge
• First Tracks Online Ski Magazine
• summer photos
• more summer photos
• a report on BC Skiing Duke's Trail near Mt. Cardigan from MIT Outing Club
• another MIT OC report with videos of the skiing at Mt Cardigan
• Basecamp: Cardigan Lodge
• Snowshoe above treeline and summit Mt. Cardigan
• Skip the lift lines: classic backcountry ski and snowboard tours of Mt. Cardigan and Firescrew
• Down-mountain ski tour of Mt. Cardigan
• Cross-country ski or snowshoe Mt. Cardigan's lower elevations
• Stay overnight near the summit of Mt. Cardigan at High Cabin
• Winter Fun for Families week: spend February school vacation at Cardigan
• Learn winter skills: Cardigan mountain safety workshops and Sat. evening programs
• Cool photos from Mt Cardigan: rock in winter, trees in winter

what to wear

• thermal underwear
• wool socks
• fleece
• snow pants
• snow coat
• insulated boots
• hat
• gloves / mittens

packing list

• snow shoes
• crampons
• hiking/ski poles
• sunglasses
• skis (not this time, let's just hike and check out the skiing for another trip)
• extra clothing: including glove liners or mittens, hat, fleece, goggles, face mask
• food
• water
• camera
• binoculars
• compass
• map (but I don't have one)
• directions
• first aid kit
• emergency supplies

Michael wrestled in his 4th JV match yesterday.  He is 3-1 with 1 pin, 1 win on points, 1 win by default after the other grappler hurt his ankle during the match.  His one loss was a close one by points.
He wrestles in the same weight class, 152 pounds, as Jumper in the photo below.

from Sunday's Boston Globe

Winchester wrestlers continue to flatten opponents

Winchester's Mike Jumper (left) attempts to lock up North Andover's Derek Timpe in their 152-pound match, part of a quad meet that the undefeated Sachems swept. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

By Andrew Petrie Globe Correspondent / January 27, 2008

One might scoff after hearing Winchester wrestling coach Larry Tremblay describe his team's effort in a 57-9 victory as "flat." But that's where the laughs stop.

The team, led by seniors Miguel Tirado, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Charlie Hale, and Zach Gramlich, blew out Watertown, Foxboro, and host North Andover yesterday. The Sachems improved to 22-0, but what is more impressive is their 53-match winning streak.

"We've had long streaks before, including winning 56 league games in a row [1993--2001]," Tremblay said. "I keep telling these guys not to pay too much attention to stuff like that. Once you think about it too much, you end up wrestling not to lose, which never works out."

Even Tremblay, who says he hates to rank his teams, admits his current squad ranks as one of his five best.

"Last year was this team's surprise season, we kind of snuck up on a bunch of people," he said. "Personally, I'd rather fly under the radar. It's not too easy playing with a giant bull's-eye on your back."

One of the few men who could relate was in the building. North Andover coach David Castricone, a longtime friend of Tremblay, had his own impressive streak of 76 straight wins (2004--06).

"[Winchester is] one of those teams that comes around only once in a while," said Castricone.

Castricone's wrestlers had no reason to hang their heads. Outside of the defeat to Winchester, the Scarlet Knights beat Foxboro and Watertown. The victories improved their record to 17-6 and helped Castricone move within 10 wins of the state record of 608 held by former Lowell coach George Bossi.

"I knew we had a strong squad heading into this season," Castricone said. "I wanted to go after the heavy hitters this year, and most of our losses are against top-notch teams."

That being said, don't expect Castricone to rush into facing Winchester again. "I'm just happy they're in Division 3 and not Division 2," he said with a chuckle.

In other wrestling action:

Lowell, the 2007 New England champion, hosted a quad meet that featured a battle with Timberlane, the defending state champions from New Hampshire. Lowell edged Timberlane, 28-27, behind strong performances from Christian McCarthy at 125 pounds and James Downing at 160. Victor DeJesus at 130 and Evan Connors at 140 both went 3-0 on the day.

The Slasher

It has been an interesting year for Michael's wrestling team.  Someone has it in for them.  Just before the holidays, someone slipped into the wrestling locker room during a school assembly and used a knife or scissors to slash all of the wrestling clothes.  They cut up all the shoes, headgear, warmups, singlets, and anything else that was left in the room.  The damage totaled $2800, and the police are handling it as a felony.

Then on Saturday morning, someone sent an email saying that Saturday's quad meet was canceled.  The email was apparently sent by a captain's parent and so some boys went back to sleep and others ate a big breakfast.  Someone detected the hoax and so calls went out to all the missing wrestlers, but one of them ate too much and couldn't make weight for his match.  Fortunately, the team was able to defeat all three of the other teams in spite of the turmoil.

Sunday the wrestlers and their parents met at the high school to get an update from the school officer about the harassment and to make plans to prevent further attacks.  The police are using their "elite high tech team" to track down the email sender.  The school is changing the lock on the door to the wrestling room and going to have an adult posted outside the door with a portable radio.

Michael pins his man

Michael is wrestling on the high school team this year.  Last year the varsity team was 31-0 and won the state championship.  Half way through this season they have won every match.

So far Michael has wrestled two JV matches and won them both.  On Saturday he pinned his opponent in the second round.

A few people have wondered whether Michael could out-wrestle me yet, and after he showed me some of his new moves in the living room last week, I wondered that myself.
So this morning I joined Nick, Michael and a couple of friends wrestling around in the snow in our backyard.  After thrashing around with Michael for awhile, it appears my extra experience (and extra pounds) give me the advantage, at least for now.

It's snowing

Schools were closed today, so I spent an hour shoveling with the kids.  Then Nicholas went sledding with some friends and Alexa and I went cross country skiing around Horn Pond for an hour-and-a-half.  It was almost magical; totally silent, trees bent under the snow and everything white and fresh.  Michael stayed in and did homework.

Unfortunately, no one considers cross country skiers around here.  The plows clear the paths leaving nowhere for the skiers.  And by the time we returned, people had tramped over our parallel ski track instead of walking next to it.

Tomorrow I'm going backcountry skiing with George and Rob at Mt Garfield in NH.

Fwd: Rats!

For the last month or so, there has been a gnawing noise in the kitchen.  Then we came down one morning and the throw rug by the refrigerator was all chewed up.  Phil the bug man, a patient of Julie's who happens to be an exterminator, came and pointed out where the critter had tunneled  under our patio and into the crawl space under the kitchen.  I removed the bricks and filled the space with gravel and then replaced the bricks.  Phil also put some poison and glue traps in the basement near the crawl space.  Over the next couple of weeks, the glue traps disappeared but the gnawing continued and every couple of days we had to clean up more of the gnawed up run.  When the snow melted, I checked and saw that the rat and dug all the gravel out from under the patio and more bricks were caving in.

So today, the boys and I took advantage of the warm weather to take up about 1 foot square of the brick patio.  We repaired the hole in the railroad tie border with hardware cloth (basically wire mesh) and a piece of 2x6, then filled the hole and the tunnel under the house with concrete.  We spread concrete where he had dug out under the bricks.  After the concrete cured, we put sand on top and replaced the bricks.  On the inside of the house, I pulled the refrigerator out from the cupboards and filled the gaps with rat poison, wood blocks, and foam insulation.  Then I nailed strips of wood along the base of the wall to seal the 1 inch opening between the wall and floor.  Finally, I used acrylic caulk to seal the tiny seams.

No way the rat was going to be able to get back in the house through his old tunnel.  After several hours of rat proofing the house, we sat down to watch the Colts vs. Chargers.

But what's that noise from the kitchen?  Sounds like gnawing.  Oh no!  I sealed everything up real well but I must have sealed the mouse into the house instead of out of the house.  Aargh!