Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 12, I'm not worthy

Wednesday, Feb 25

It was dumping this morning.

The bowl was awesome.

A telemarketer (Bubba's name for a telemark skier) watched me ski down Alta 2 and called up, "You're rocking the BROs today." That would normally make me feel great, but he had just watched me hook a tip on a branch and take a head first ride down the chute. I want to get a sticker for my BROs with that immortal line of Wayne and Garth: "I'm not worthy."

At lunch I switched to my Pocket Rockets. With several inches of new snow, I skied great. The day was redeemed. The bowl was buffed smooth and I've never skied it faster or cleaner. Paul could have skied it today and enjoyed it.

Tonight we had dinner at the BrewPub, where they brew Snake River Beer. My SRB Cobb salad was okay, but the draft beer was excellent. Then we saw a sneak preview of the movie Swift. Silent. Deep. the story of the Jackson Hole Air Force. It was cool watching this movie about a bunch of local ski heroes with an auditorium full of locals who know and ski with these guys.

Geordie and Greg at the tram dock.

Geordie and Frank on the tram.

Mimi and Greg on the tram.

Phillip on the balcony at lunch. It's dumping.

Geordie in Ten Sleep. There is a skier coming down Corbet's Couloir behind George and two more waiting to launch at the top of the cooler.

Anonymous at Snake River BrewPub.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 11, Mardi Gras

Tuesday, Feb 24

Today was disappointing. The expected snow didn't come; I didn't ski as well as I want to; and I burned the sausages on the grille.

Despite all this it was a good day. Mimi and Frank joined Greg and me in the morning ski. We had some fun runs down the Bowl and through the Hobacks. When we got to the club for lunch and surprised George in his boxers. He got into JH early and was changing into his ski clothes to join us on the mountain.

We caught the Tram and repeated the morning run through the Hobacks, but the spring skiing snow was setting up and was now very tricky to ski. Though Greg on his big ole snowboard thought it was great, George and I were skiing in survival mode. The best runs of the day were in Rendezvous Bowl. I thought the snow in the Bowl got better each time; the wind smoothed out the bumps and the snow was creamy near the doingers. But the wind was howling; the first 4 turns were strange because when you turned left the wind accelerated you to warp speed and then when you turned right it was like hitting a wall. After those initial turns, the ridge blocked the wind and the skiing was excellent.

Apres Ski there was a Mardi Gras celebration in the Great Room. We ate jambalaya and King Cake and drank Hurricanes. We wore beads without having to earn them the New Orleans way. I even got a chair massage which relaxed my back after too many tumbles in the Hobacks. For dinner, I grilled sausages on the patio. The reality didn't live up to the anitcipation (just like the snow storm); I burned the sausages to a crisp. But dinner was saved by Mimi's baked potatoes and George's Pinot Noir.

Pray for snow. The forecast promises snow every day this week, but I am getting cynical about the forecasts.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 10, Waiting

Monday, Feb 23

Today I'm waiting. Waiting for the big storm to dump 18 inches of powder. Waiting for Greg and George to get here.

I woke up early as usual, about 5 AM. I stretch, do the daily dozen, and read for awhile. About 6, I baked pita bread, looking out the window I see it is snowing hard. Oh joy!

My clothes are all layed out on the bed; I want to be on an early tram. I eat breakfast and work a crossword puzzle. At 8:55 I get in line for the tram and walk right onto the 9 AM tram, first public tram of the day. PSIA Bruce Keller comments on the BROs I'm skiing and points out the chipped paint on the tram, caused by the cover used to hide the tram until its unveiling on opening day.

Phillip in the tram.

The skiing was very good. Fresh snow makes every run more fun. A bit after 10 I walked right on to the next tram; it wasn't even full so the ride was comfortable and I chatted with a group of skiers from Iran.

About an hour later, I came back to the Teton Club for an early lunch. It was snowing pretty hard and my plan was to allow more snow to fill in the bumps while I ate.

Big disappointment. When I got back on the tram at noon, the snow had stopped and the conditions degraded throughout the afternoon. Oh well. The forecast is still for lots of snow tonight and tomorrow.

Greg got here about 9 PM and spent the next couple of hours MacGyvering his antique snowboard bindings, so he could get another week of riding out of them.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 9, Turista

Sunday, Feb 22

Yesterday, as I was putting on my skis at the top of Cody Bowl to traverse over to No Name Peak, I slipped and crashed into a local skier, someone Mimi knew. Mimi said to him, "Sorry. He's my brother-in-law. He's a tourist, but he's okay." That's about as much acceptance as a visiting skier can hope for from the locals, even from your own kin. :)

Today I skied alone again, missing Julie and my kids back in Boston. I got on the tram at 9:30 planning to take it easy and ski groomers to recover from yesterday's backcountry adventure. At the top I saw John and Lisa, who skied No Name with us yesterday. They were also skiing groomers today and asked me to join them. I thanked them, but declined. I wanted to go slow and stop often to look at things I usually rush right by, trying to photograph the area from a different angle. I got in touch with my inner tourist and took photographs of Corbet's Cabin and the inside of the tram. I even skied the Apres Vous side of the resort. The intermediate trails were icy and Saratoga Bowl was frozen moguls; I only made a few turns before traversing back onto the groomed trails.

I took a long break for lunch, from 11 to 2, but then skied until after the lifts closed at 4. My first and last runs were from the tram and Rendezvous Bowl was quite nice. In between, I must have skied every traverse at the resort.

Here are some things I learned today:

• There are 73 steps from the ski lockers to room 306. Since I climb them twice a day, it takes a bit less than a week to equal the climb up Cody Bowl.

• You can buy an 105 Howitzer Ammo Box for $10 at Corbet's Cabin.

• The Bear Flats Snack Shack at the base of Sublette chairlift is closed.

• Now I know why we get such good cell phone reception at JH. That tree at the entrance to Saratoga Bowl is really a cell phone tower.

• I rediscovered "Jaws" which we used to ski with the kids when they were little. Today I just gawked at the sign, like a tourist. I saw a "Caution Cliff" sign and turned the other way.
  

• The avi beacon training area is open again.

• Good thing, because I need more practice.

• They should have made the clock tower taller. The tram dock blocks most of the clock so you can't tell what time it is. Dock, block, and clock all rhyme. Cool.
  

• You can use the grille on the patio to cook your dinner, and let the staff do the cleanup.

• You can walk out of the Great Room, across the patio, and onto the ski trails.

• Rowdy O'Yeats is a Teton Club owner. Rowdy, a.k.a. Michael T. Thorsnes, retired from his law practice and served as Poet Laureate for the Presidential Campaign of John Kerry.

• I found this quote from Kipling in a book in the Great Room: "What profit to kill men? Little, that I know. But if evil men are not now and then slain, It would not be a good world for weaponless dreamers."
  

• The new restaurant in the lower level of the Teton Club is named Slopeside Rendezvous so they didn't have to change all the SR logos when they bought the space from the bankrupt Snake River Sporting Club. The restaurant provides ski locker service for $3000 per year; 17 people took advantage of it this winter.

• In addition to my three pairs of skis, I can fit a beer in my ski locker for apres ski. I can drink 3 Newcastle Brown Ales from my locker for the price of one at the Slopeside Rendezvous.

• Teton Village Sports has a spoon collection in their ski rental shop.

• Matt "Harvard" Barber is the only name written in Crimson.

• The Teton Club has 30 winter weeks and 100 summer weeks still for sale.

• Peter Steinbrenner's name is right above ours on the plaque of founding members. Peter is distantly related to George Steinbrenner of the Yankees. Boo! Hiss!
  

Cousin Greg was supposed to arrive at the Teton Club tonight. But his flight was delayed by a missing a co-pilot and couldn't make the connection in Denver. So he decided to work another half-day and try again tomorrow. Mad River Glen ski patroller George will joins us Tuesday. I'm looking forward to skiing with both of them again.

JH Weather Forecast
One more day of sunshine is expected before another snowstorm hovers over our mountain, dropping 12"-18" between Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 8, Triple No

Saturday, Feb 21

Today we skied OB. Mimi and Frank, Lisa and John, and yours truly skied Cody Peak, No Name Peak and No Name Canyon. On Cody I skied No Shadows, so that is the Triple No.

Mimi skied Pucker Face, a steeper route with a band of rocks/cliffs you have to negotiate. Pucker is Mimi's personal white whale. About 15 years ago she was in Steep Camp, and the graduation exercise was to ski Pucker Face. She did it, but had sewing machine legs, and has been afraid of Pucker Face since then. Today she dropped right in and skied a beautiful line. No fear, no problem, no bad turns--another Triple No.

The hike up Powder 8 Bowl was tiring, but the traverse out to No Name Peak really did me in. There is a long section you have to side step; a couple of guys took their skis off and walked so I did too. Big mistake. Soon I was foundering in powder up to my waist. The others put their skis back on, but I couldn't even get out of my hole, let alone get my skis off my pack and on my feet on this steep and deep traverse. Then a snowboarder passed me, crawling so he didn't sink in so far. I emulated him and made it up to the scree section where you have to walk, but crawling totally wiped me out. Take it from me, keep your skis on in deep snow.

The other four in our group are excellent skiers and looked awesome on each run. I skied pretty well. I had no nervousness this time out, and made many good turns, spooning the previous skiers tracks most of the way. But in both No Shadows and No Name Face, I tumbled at least once during my run. Frank says the snow was wind loaded, making skiing tricky. I felt like the weak link, but had an excellent day in the mountains. The photos just don't do justice to how gorgeous this area is.

In summary, the skiing was excellent, the hiking was exhausting, the scenery was unsurpassed, and the company was fantastic. A good day all around.


Mimi and Frank about to start the climb up Cody Bowl.


Mimi climbing the steepest, most difficult part of Cody Bowl. The route was different a few days ago, but the snow melted and the teeny little toe holds of the other route aren't possible now, so you have to climb through the rocks, which is difficult in Alpine ski boots.


Cody Bowl. Four Shadows, our route last time, is in the shadows. No Shadows is closer and in the sun. Pucker Face is the closest and steepest with that band of rocks running across it.


After skiing No Name Face, we had to hike a bit to access the north-facing slopes of No Name Canyon. By this time (about 12:30 pm), the south facing slopes are heated by the sun and prone to slide. Even though I am thoroughly exhausted by this point, I am smiling because we get to ski the rest of the way back to the ski resort.


John and Lisa with Phillip in the middle.


Mimi and Frank with Phillip in the middle. Everyone else was anxious to get going again, but I delayed them with the camera ploy to get a bit more rest.


In No Name Canyon we skied three gentle pitches before the long traverse back to the resort. This first slope was almost untracked when we got there. Only the two rightmost tracks marred the perfection of the snow (the straightline running across the slope and the long turns on the right). The next three tracks are John, Frank, and Phillip doing an okay job of spooning the big boys' tracks. On the left you can see Mimi (in the lead) and Lisa making figure 8's all the way down.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 7, All by myself

Friday, Feb 20

My family went home today, leaving me to ski the next week all by myself. Even though we come out here for 2 weeks every year, this year the boys decided they couldn't miss a week of school so they went home. With no one for me to take photos of, I just have words today.

I said goodbye to my family about 5 AM, and came back to the suite and baked bread. First I made dough for pain a l'ancienne to make pizza and baguettes after it slow ferments in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Then i made pita bread and ate a couple with honey. Mm-mmm!

After reading for awhile and doing a crossword puzzle, I finally got out to ski at 10:30. I learned my lesson--always be in line when the lifts open. The skiing was great today and I missed the first hour-and-a-half; bummer. It was windy all night long and buffed the bumps in Rendezvous Bowl smooth. I had two great runs down the bowl even though the wind was still howling. It was so windy in Tensleep Bowl that when I pointed my skis downhill, the wind kept me from moving. The wind scoured off all the snow, so Tensleep was about the only place that wasn't fun to ski, but it led me to Cirque which had excellent snow in the dead tree line.

Two hours after my late breakfast, I met Mimi and Frank at Osteria for lunch. They were meeting with a couple (owners of The Fresh Market) that were considering moving to Jackson Hole and wanted to get an insiders view of what family living in Jackson Hole was like. It was interesting to hear what they value about living in JH. Mimi said they live outside, not inside. That's why their house is small, but their garage is large, to hold all their outdoors recreation equipment. This emphasis on the outdoors gives their children an interest in nature and conservation. Living in JH also reduces materialism, partially because of the lack of shopping opportunities, but mostly because the residents focus on what people do, not what they own.

After lunch, I did another lap of Tram, Sublette, Thunder. Cirque was still good. So was Triangle Trees. The snow was excellent in Tower Three Chutes too, but the bumps were heinous. My legs were exhausted by this point, so I took the gondola so I could sit and recover a bit. Like all the other lifts, the gondy had no line. In fact, I was given an 8-person gondola car all by myself. Just before the door closed, a young woman joined me. At first I was disappointed not to be able to enjoy a solitary ride up the mountain, but she was very interesting and we had a great chat. She graduated from Dartmouth (where she was the leader of the Dartmouth Outing Club) six years ago and moved to Jackson Hole. She works for the Rocky Mountain Conservation Something or Other. Her fieldwork includes ski-tracking wolves during the winter.

After the lifts closed I checked out the gear at Wildernest Sports. Two things stood out: the ski boots with clear shells so that you could see the linings; and the great deals on barely used demo skis. The ski shop guy told me that hotel bookings were down 30% this year, and that translates into a bad year for ski rentals.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 6, Christmas Tree Bowl

Thursday, Feb 19

When I woke up, I couldn't bend my thumb; it was bruised and swollen from yesterday's crash. It was difficult putting on my gloves, but I could ski, so we all headed out for an adventure at Teton Pass.


Teton Pass is a half hour drive from Teton Village and the ski resort. You have to get there early to be sure of a parking space alongside the road. Then you hike or skin up and ski down any of the many powder slopes.


On the way, we stopped at Pearl Street Bagels in Wilson for a breakfast of coffee and bagels.


At Teton Pass, Michael, Mimi, Frank, and Julie are ready to head up at 8:15 AM.


Michael skinning up the mountain. Soon the coats would come off as the climbing warmed us up.


Julie climbing with "skins" attached to the bottoms of the skis. The little fibers of the skins keep the skis from slipping backwards, so you can ski up fairly steep slopes.



Mimi in the lead, as usual. After a short climb, we got a few excellent turns in the Powder Reserves, then the real climb up Christmas Tree Bowl began.


The eponymous "Christmas Tree" the bowl is named after.


More climbing.


Phillip taking a break.


Frank stopped to dig a snow pit on the slope we were going to ski. This helps us understand the snow stability and judge the risk of avalanche. Frank determined that the snow pack was stable, low risk.


Michael and Phillip watch and learn as Frank explains how to judge the snow stability.

There was still a lot more climbing to do.


After all the clmbing, there were sweet, sweet turns through the super-light powder and big grins at the bottom.


Phillip had his usual "powder anxiety" and cratered right next to a skier Z-ing his way up the bowl we wanted to ski. Thus I forfeited any righteous indignation at this interloper, and had to settle for the schadenfreude of watching him make a lame jump off the kicker. But as you can see from my smiling face, my last run was a lung-burning succession of super fun turns all the way down Christmas Tree Bowl. Michael's assessment: "You were a little slow at the top, but you made excellent turns at the bottom." Parents live for those crumbs of praise from their kids.


By a little after noon, Julie and Phillip are relaxing on the tailgate of Frank's truck back at the highway. Frank and Mimi once again proved to be excellent guides for a fun day of backcountry skiing.

We bookended our adventure with another stop at Pearl Street Bagel. The perfect way to end the excursion: Mochas and Chai Lattes and conversation with Richard Hughes, the first person in charge of marketing for Jackson Hole Resort when it opened up back in the sixties. Mr. Hughes grew up in the circus, as a third-generation acrobat, contortionist, and magician.

Tomorrow Julie and the boys go home. So do the Sellews. Phillip will miss them all, but will try to make them proud with every run I take down the mountain.

video of Frank's snow pit
video of Julie and Mimi skiing Christmas Tree Bowl
video of Mimi stripping her skins