12" of Fresh at JHMR

After an angry snowstorm wailed all night on Tuesday, we woke up to a foot of fresh powder that had fallen exclusively overnight. The sun was out for a bit in the morning so I was able to get a few shots in before the clouds took over again. Here's to more powder days!

David stomps a 20+-footer in Bernie's Bowl.

A Surprise Powder Day...on Gaper Day!!

80s Dream Team

Ah, yes. Everybody's seen them. Maybe you are one of them. Does your ski outfit contain hints of neon? Is your ski outfit tight? Are the legs on your ski outfit just a bit short and tapered? Is your ski outfit all one piece?? Does your butt look long, wide, and flat (otherwise known as a "mom butt")?? Do you just skip the ski outfit all together and wear jeans?? Then you're a GAPER! Here in Jackson Hole, we experience an unbelievable amount of gaping. One piece suits and neon clothing seems to get dug up out of closets from all across America and appear on the beginner slopes of Jackson Hole. Or maybe even the glorious Thunder Bumps run for the more "advanced" of the gapers. Yesterday was April 1st. Tis the day to celebrate the extreme amount of gaping that occurs here. It's the time when all the locals can let loose and finally wear that one piece that they've been hiding away for all these years. Or maybe they'll just dress up like something random...like a hot dog...or a banana...or a rabbit? No need to explain anymore. Check out the photos to see for yourself...Oh yah. It was a powder day too.

Long, flat, wide butts. One pieces are so attractive.

On the tram.

Hiking out to Four Pines.

Anna slashing pow in her one-sie.

Not sure if you can find me in this picture...Oh I guess the neon gives it away.

On our way to shred Thunder Bumps.

Lingering.

Fanny packs are so hot right now.

Hunter dressed like a normal tele skier.

Party at Thunder Bumps.

Which costume is creepier?

Me and my delicious hot dog.

Upper Mountain Madness

Our majestic backcountry peaks: Rendezvous, No Name & Cody

Because the tram never opened on Wednesday, that meant that there were fresh tracks to be had on Thursday. We got up early (ugh, again) and caught the 7:24 am bus. Yet again, the bus was packed with UVM kids and we were forced to stand while the bus driver nearly knocked us over with his frightening slam-on-the-brakes habit. David and I jumped in line as soon as we got there. The resort opened on time with bluebird skies and frigid temperatures. I think it was -27 when we got to the resort. To much disappointment, we were cut off right at the end of the first tram box and had to wait at the front of the line for tram box #2. Pretty much a bummer. So much for taking the earlier bus.

Luckily, only 100 people got to Rendezvous Bowl before us, so the snow was still unbelievably soft and fresh when we got to the top. Smoothest run ever. We also got to take a look at the crown of the avalanche that had pulled Mark Wolling under. It was pretty scary looking. I couldn't imagine being stuck in an avalanche of that scale...or any size for that matter.

The site where ski patroller Mark Wolling was caught in an avalanche.

We rode up Sublette a few times and got some fresh tracks over in Tensleep and the Cirque. Too bad it was getting choppy by noon, but it was still a fun day. After David went home to work I met up with my friends Anna and Justin. We overheard that the lower faces were going to open up so we camped out for about 15 minutes on the South Pass Traverse right on top of South Coulter Ridge. Soon enough, a ski patroller came down and yanked the "closed" signs out of the ground. Moments later we were ripping through knee deep powder that hadn't been ridden yet this season. It was one of the best runs I've had so far! It stayed fairly fresh for another two runs and then I called it a day.

David picking a line above the Cirque.

Finding fresh among the tracks.

Today was another frigid day and I was only able to hang around for a few runs due to the extreme temperatures. Tomorrow it's back to the grind, so I'm glad that I was able to make some nice turns before that.

Fossil Mountain and Mount Bannon from the top of the tram.

The Good, the Bad, and the UGLY of Jackson Hole

I anticipated this morning in the same way that a 5-year-old hopes to open a shiny new bike on Christmas. The forecast rang true and I woke up to 10 inches of new snow in Jackson Hole. David and I made breakfast and raced to the bus, only to find it packed with what seemed like 500 other sweaty people. It was a long bus ride out to Teton Village. When we got there, we hopped into the tram line. From the looks of it, we hoped to make the 3rd car up. Wouldn't have been too bad, I suppose. As usual, the resort was scheduled to open late. I wasn't surprised, considering the fact that I could here the avalanche bombs all the way from town.

Waiting in a long line for a tram that would never open to the public today.

After waiting for nearly two hours (we had arrived in line at 8:15), announcements circulated that it would be at least another two hours before the tram opened, due to an "incident". The hosts chatted about it a little "hushed" at first, but the news became widespread later this afternoon.

Mark Wolling, ski patrol veteran, had been caught in a slide above some cliffs in Cheyenne Bowl. He was buried 6 ft deep, and found within minutes by his partner with no vital signs. After visiting the clinic, he was resuscitated and a pulse was found. Last I heard, he was being transported to Idaho for more medical care.

This is event is scary in so many ways. 1) It shows how dangerous this mountain can really be...not that we had any question about it after last year's incidents. 2) If a 20 year ski patrol veteran like Wolling can get caught, then us backcountry amateurs should be extra cautious. I heard some people talking about going to the Pass today and I thought that was the most insane idea I've ever heard. Danger was HIGH for today. Not worth it to me.

Needless to say, the upper mountain never opened today. I did have a great time riding what was available though. It was a little slow going in the huge lines, but the gondola definitely had some fresh snow left to ride. We met some kids from UVM while in line and ended up hanging with them all day. I am hoping to wake up and get there early again tomorrow to go get that fresh stuff that was left untouched today. It's going to be a cold clear night, so the avalanche danger should slowly subside.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Mark Wolling and his family this evening.

A Powder Day at Alpental

All racked up.

It's pretty hard to believe that it's March right now. Yesterday I woke up to snow on the ground before I left for work and today's been pretty blustery with intermittent rain showers. Out of the six years I've lived in Seattle, it's only snowed maybe once a year in the city...if that. Unfortunately, those Seattle snowfalls have only barely begun to scratch the surface of what should be amazing snow in the mountains. It's been a bit of a slow winter up at Stevens Pass and Alpental, and all I can say about the last couple weeks is - it's about damn time!! So here I am to write about a pretty sick day that David and I had up at Alpental on March 6.

David drops a cliff under Chair 2.

It started out early, as I had to be back to work at 4 o'clock. We rushed out of the city to find ourselves in a winter wonderland just an hour later. Arriving at 8:30 a.m., we quickly put our boots on only to see that the chairlifts were already loading! Once we reached the top of Chair 2, we had to stop for a moment to stare out at the beauty of the Cascades. Bright blue skies, sub-20 degrees, and 12 inches of pow! Nothing could ruin this day. We headed over to Edelweiss Bowl and rode a few powdery bowls, face shots all the way down. Beautiful...until we reached the bottom of Chair 2. A line??? It's Friday, don't you people have to work? Needless to say, the powder was too good to get discouraged. Everyone was all smiles and even the little old man that plays the flute on the ride up was there. You all know who he is. Pieces of colorful wood protrude from his helmet like the horn of a unicorn. I guess every local mountain has it's characters.

David and I took a few more magical runs, but had to call it a day due to the annoying lines. We stayed and had some lunch, enjoying the sunshine and good vibe, then headed back to the city. Was it worth the drive for the few runs of pow? Hell yes. Enjoy the photos, and don't forget to stop by my photography site, www.powderphoto.com if you haven't seen it yet!