Jackson Hole 2017: Jordan Does Rendezvous Bowl

This is about Jordan skiing Rendezvous Bowl; read about the rest of the ski trip here.

Rendezvous Bowl is that big bowl at the very, very top of the resort that you saw clear from town and knew you would be skiing later. When you ride the tram up, the operator will give you the spiel about how Rendezvous Bowl is for expert skiers and riders only, the local standing next to you will probably be mouthing the script in unison since he or she has heard it so many times. And yes the visibility can be bad some days and require you to ski by using the force, but on a good day it’s not just where the tram docks; it’s your personal powder playground. The wind likes to howl up top, which can be a good thing. Days when the bowl hasn’t gotten a re-up of powder the wind can buff the bowl smooth, essentially grooming it. Those are the times when you want to be up there. Oh and if it’s clear the view ain’t bad either. --from Top 10 Ski Runs at Jackson Hole

According to EpicSki, Rendezvous Bowl is nearly half a mile wide with about 800 vertical feet. "There are really only a couple of things to ski from the tram. Rendezvous Bowl is the 'easy' way down. It's big, wide, moderately steep, and subject to all kinds of wind, sun, snow, and weather conditions. It can be powder, smooth skier-pack, rock-hard frozen bumps, creamy corn, or ankle-deep slush. It can have horrible white-out conditions or it can be one of the most gorgeous places you've ever been."

But first, a practice run on the bumps of Elephant Tree...

Rendezvous Bowl looks bigger from on top than from the safety of the Tram.

It's a long way down.

Rendezvous Bowl isn't kind to first-timers.

Does this bowl ever end?

Style and control in Rendezvous Bowl.


Jordan's first trip down Rendezvous Bowl was a huge success!


Jordan is elated.


His coach is proud.


His girlfriend is relieved.

A couple days later, Jordan skied the bowl again. Even with the "limited visibility," he skied it faster and more confidently. There were a few inches of new-ish snow that made the skiing even more fun.

Next year, Corbet's Couloir?

Send it into the weekend. #corbetscouloir #jacksonhole #jhdreaming #skiing #ski #thisisskiing

A photo posted by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (@jacksonhole) on Jan 13, 2017 at 8:08am PST

Jackson Hole 2017: Hats on the Square

This is about hats; read about the rest of the ski trip here.

Alexa flanked by JH newbies, Cody and Jordan.


Rockin' our Choucas spangles in Jackson Hole.

Shopping at Knit on Pearl for pink yarn for you know what.

Alexa thought that she could knit a hat faster if she used big yarn.

Apres-ski knitting.

Ready for the apres-inauguration Women's March.


On our way to the airport we participated (from the shuttle bus) in the Women's March in Jackson Hole.


In Pictures: The Women’s March on Jackson

Better pictures than the ones I took from our moving shuttle bus.


Women's march draws crowds in Wyoming


Jackson Hole March Joins Efforts Across the Globe


Odd, didn't see any pink cowboy hats.

Jackson Hole 2017: Apres-ski

This is about the beers we drank in Wyoming; read about the rest of the ski trip here.

My takeaways...

• If you are ever in Jackson Hole, visit Melvin Brewing at the Thai Me Up Restaurant and Brewery. Excellent beers (my favorite is the 2x4 DIPA) and great pub-style Thai food.
• Epic Brewing's Sour IPA is pretty good, and definitely not your typical IPA.
• Sockeye Huggy Bear Dark Sour is just gross, despite its appealing name.
• A week of skiing and apres-skiing with a bunch of 20-somethings is taxing on a 50-something body.
• College kids will buy the 30-packs of Olympia, but it will sit in the refrigerator until all your craft beer is gone. I consider it money well spent on furthering the education of our youth.

Both yummy.

Both surprisingly drinkable.

My favorite.

Surprisingly not terrible at $1 per can.

Stickers on the trash can in Corbet's Cabin at the top of the tram.
"No beer is safe" was certainly true of the stash in room 306.

Melvin's Purple Drank Black-Raspberry Ale was another fun experience in my sour explorations. It's no Gürlimann Berliner Weisse from Shilling Beer Company, but still fun and tasty.

Cheers to a great day of skiing, followed by great fellowship and food at Thai Me Up / Melvin's.

Melvin's Tarnation Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

Melvin's on tap at Thai Me Up.

Cool drawings on the walls of Thai Me Up.

Jackson Whole Grocers offers Sip and Shop, craft beer on tap for $1 and a holder for your pint glass built into the shopping cart. The Sigma Chi boys were down with the Sip part of the offer, but not so much the Shop part.
Next year I'm taking a couple of growlers to Wyoming. One for a $16 Kombucha fill; the other for a $10 craft beer fill.

Proof that there is skiing before apres-ski.

Wildlife Brewing - The Tetons on Tap. I liked the beer so much, I bought the hat. :)
Sockeye Dark Sour Huggy Bear. I disliked the beer so much, I left most of it at the Teton Club.

Robes with two pockets are part of the reason we had to go to the packie store so often.

 -5F days of skiing required a soak in the hot tub.

 When 2 pockets just aren't enough, Julie acted as the beer-wallah.

The college boys rolled in the snow, then jumped in the hot tub. The graduated Jordan, found a more sensible use for the snow banks by the hot tub.

 Cody and Alexa.

 Phillip, Jared, and Nicholas.

We shared a gondola with the guitarist of PTO. So we went to the Moose to hear him play bluegrass.

The eponymous moose.

Celebrating the Mangy Moose Saloon's 50th anniversary, and we didn't even know it.

Thursday night, we helped judge the Teton Club Chili Cook Off. The next two days, I suffered gastrointestinal distress. Not saying it was the chili; several of our crew missed a day of skiing for various illnesses, so I might have picked something up over a shared sip of a craft brew.

My first score card went missing, so I made sure no one would take my second one.


Connor announced the winners. Our votes were aligned with the People's Winners, but the cup went to the Chili master selected by the official judges. Surprisingly, his chili didn't even make our top 3. Different tastes...

Teton Club has wine glasses and water glasses, but no pint glasses or tulip glasses.

The kids bought me a tulip glass to leave at the Teton Club so I won't have to drink out of inferior vessels.

The perfect pour in a perfect glass at the end of a perfect week at Jackson Hole.

#23 Moosilauke w Steve H and Mark P

7:59 AM on Sunday, January 8, 2017

Mark made the drive up in the wee hours after the storm and met us at the Notch Hostel. Steve guided us up his favorite trail, Glencliff, to the summit of Moosilauke and made believers of us. The day was way cold (below 0F) and super clear, providing great 360-degree views from the top. It was also very windy (>30mph) so exposed skin froze quickly and I didn't dare leave my gloves off to take many photos.

Stats:

• Peaks: Mt Moosilauke
• Weather: Clear and cold. -6F at summit and windy (30+ mph)
• Parked: lot on High St (just past Long Pond Rd) in Benton, NH
• Trails: Glenncliff Tr, Carriage Rd, and back
• Time: 3h58m, 7:59am-11:57pm
• Distance: 7.3mi
• Track: GaiaGps

An overview of my Single Season Winter 48 with links to all the trip reports is here.

Mark before the -6F and 20+ mph chill on the summit.

Bluebird day on the Moose.

Steve on top, admiring Franconia Ridge in the mid-distance and the Presies in the back.

Barely managed a summit photo. Three quick snaps and my fingers were numb for thirty minutes. I noticed a white spot on Mark's cheek, so he covered his face to prevent frostbite; that's why he looks like Kylo Ren here.

Mt Moosilaukee just after Glencliff Trail and Carriage Rd junction. Beautiful, but bitterly cold. Brrrr!

After the hike, after the drive home, after the unpacking... comes the apres-hike ale.

...People we met on the trail. 

Near the top we met a couple of guys in their 20's. On the way down we all hung out at the junction of Glencliff and Carriage Rd for awhile and shared their cheese and sausage--a wilderness charcuterie. It was the first winter hike for one of them, so he picked our brains about equipment.

Coming down the trail, I met John and Pepper on their way up. I almost gave him a big hug, I was in such a good mood from an excellent Moosilauke hike and I enjoyed chatting and hiking with him so much on Jefferson the day before. 

There was also a large group of Dartmouth students climbing up. When we got to the parking lot, Mark was able to rescue their youthful drivers. They couldn't start the mini bus. Mark wiggled the locked steering wheel and the motor fired right up.