i love snowboarding

All I can say is...I love snowboarding. It's the weeks like this that keep me going back for more, and make me realize why I chose to live in a place like this. Oh, beautiful Jackson Hole.

a very snowy sublette chairlift ride.

dreamy alpenglow at teton village.

Playing in the Park...Grand Teton, that is...

This week I've tried to get up into Grand Teton National Park as much as possible. On Thursday I went searching for grizzlies and didn't see anything but got some great scenics up at Jenny Lake and Coulter Bay. I'm sure I'll see one of those impressive animals one of these days. Today we spent the afternoon up at Phelps Lake at the sweet jumping rock. With the amount of snow this year I was too scared to jump into that frigid water but I definitely documented the debauchery! Oh and on a side note, I ran 12 miles on Friday. I decided I'm going to train for the first ever Jackson Hole Marathon that takes place on September 24th this year. I did a half marathon three years ago so I know it will be tough but the training is going fantastic so far. And besides, what better scenery could you find for a marathon than our beautiful town of Jackson??

Coulter Bay.

Beautiful whispy clouds.

More Coulter Bay. I mean seriously...am I on Lake Washington??

It's so beautiful here!

Oxbow Bend.

Jackson Lake Dam.

Mount Moran and those pretty yellow flowers that are so abundant right now.

Jenny Lake.

David hucking meat at Phelps Lake today.

Our new friend Jeb swan diving into the icy waters of Phelps Lake.

Riding Bikes in the Tetons

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day in Jackson Hole. All of the locals who are around for the off-season headed up to Grand Teton National Park where the road is closed to motorized vehicles until May 1st. The open roads gave us the freedom to enjoy this beautiful country and soak up some rays, even though it was a mere 35 degrees when we started our bike ride...That's spring in Jackson for you I guess!

David starting our on our frigid ride through Grand Teton National Park.

Quite a view!

It's almost May...

The open road.

Loving life!

Taking a break.

Kicker Sesh on Teton Pass

The off-season has officially begun here in Jackson Hole. I've heard horror stories about this time of year, also referred to as "The Mud Season". The snow begins to melt away, people leave, and the town is lifeless. Lucky for me, I picked up a house-sitting gig for local portrait photographer Flo McCall out in South Park. It's not too far from town, but it's private with a dog and lots of room to play. It's also convenient in the sense that it's a straight shot up to Teton Pass where I can get those last few turns out of the way before I put my snowboard in the closet and pull out my bicycle.

In order to take advantage of the snow still left in the mountains, we packed up the truck with some friends and headed up to Teton Pass. We decided to make a run on an area of the south side of the pass called "The Claw". (Sounds scary, I know.) The Claw is a face made up of lots of trees, chutes, and cliffs. Super fun. The first day out, the snow was amazing. Still soft and fluffy due to the north-facing slope aspect. On our ride down we spied a spot that would be perfect to build a backcountry kicker. We've talked about doing that all season and decided that it was time to finally get it done.

Saturday, we piled up in the truck again, shovels ready to go. It took David, Trevor, & Russ (I was moral support) over an hour to build the beast. I'd say they did a pretty nice job though.

Finishing touches.

It was time to hit it. I busted out my camera and got some shots of the boys sessioning. The jump had a pretty steep landing and they got some big air off of it.

David backflipping over the valley.

View from below.

Everyone started getting tired and we decided to head out around 3:30 pm. It was a nice long day on the Pass. Of course, there was still another day in the weekend, meaning another day to ride. I was feeling pretty sick when I woke up (not sure if it's allergies or a cold) but nevertheless, I dragged myself out of bed to go hike up to the Claw. Fresh air always helps when I'm sick anyway. We had a crew: David, Trevor, Russ, Cyrus, Justin, and our Seattle friends Robin Pitt (a fellow photog) and his girlfriend Julie (used to work at Café Ladro in lower Queen Anne!). Everyone sessioned all day and we had the best time.

Cyrus, frontside 360.

Russ sends it.

Cyrus & David hiking the jump.

Trevor rocks his pickle.

David, backside 5.

David gets that backcountry method shot he's wanted all season!

Unfortunately, that might have been one of the last days we get to ride this season. The snow was so heavy and sticky when we came down through the chutes that it was almost unbearable. Needless to say, it was one of the best days we've had out on the Pass with good friends, good riders, and lots of laughs.

Friday Night Fun

David and me at the show.

It's been a while since David and I have legitimately gone out on a Friday night. We've always been the ones with the work schedules opposite of everyone else. Last night, we hung out for a bit with friends at the Cadillac, migrated over to the Townhouse Tavern for some pizza and pool, then ended up at the Storm Show movie "Magic Moments" that was playing at the Snow King lodge.

Great turnout for the premiere!

It was quite a turnout. Packed, actually. We ended up standing the whole time. The movie was awesome though. Almost the entire thing was filmed in Jackson Hole which made it that much more exciting since pretty much every one here knows where the lines are. One of my favorite parts of the flick was watching a few different skiers hitting lines off of Cody Peak including "Talk is Cheap", "Central", and "Igneous Rock". "Talk is Cheap" begins with a descent down a steep slope, a mandatory 20-30 foot drop into a no-fall zone because after the drop you have to hit another smaller drop, and then thread-the-needle through a skinny little couloir so that you don't go tumbling over the cliffs around you. It's pretty gnarly. Nothing I would ever even dream of doing, but it's definitely fun to watch people scaring themselves. Here's the trailer if you want to see some freaky stuff.

Afterward, instead of paying another $12 to go to the after party we made our own at the Cadillac. Apparently we weren't the only ones thinking that the Cadillac was a good place to go. It seemed like the whole town was there. Meeting up with old friends, getting introduced to new friends, what a great night in Jackson.

Oh and P.S., I got a job! I'm going to be a photographer for Elevation Imaging. They take shots of people at the top of the mountain and skiing at Jackson Hole. Then you can go to the bottom and buy the photos. Should be interesting to say the least.

P.S.S. It's still snowing!!