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Day 8: Busted and Broken in Jackson
Hole
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Day 4: Coming of Age: Bridger Bowl Montana Day 3: Lost Trail On the Montana Landscape |
| Perhaps we should have by-passed Jackson Hole. The cold chill followed
us to Wyoming and while the thermometer claimed the temperature was rising
to 0, we didn't notice much of a difference. The first day was laced with
lagging and sickness. Billy Summers and I chilled for the day while the rest
of the crew worked Teton Pass.
For the benefit of those that haven't heard of Teton Pass, it's a ridable winding road that connects Jackson Hole and Driggs, Idaho. Because the high, snowy, often avalanche-riddled pass is the only access between the two towns, the highway department regularly dynamites the deep banks creating the perfect road shot for those interested in riding it. Above the road is a hike that locals boast can offer neck-deep powder on a good day. For those not interested in hiking, one person shuttling up and down the mountain can offer snowboarders faster terrain access than a chairlift and with the bonus of music and heat in the car. While Jackson Hole ski area, known to locals as "The Village," is the average tourists choice, Teton Pass is where you can find recent local transplant like Brian Iguchi or J.P. Martin on any given day, especially when Jackson Hole is tracked out and flooded with tourists. The hiking above the road run is apparently bragably phenomenal, but we never saw it so that is one Wyoming legend we left to rest. Our second day had us heading up to the ski area just fifteen miles away from the movie-set model Western town of Jackson. The resort is a skiers paradise, especially on a mogully, chewed up day. This is immediately evident as high-tech parabolic skis and tele-boards make up most of the line we are waiting in to get on the tram. Notice that there is a tram at this mountain, something we hadn't seen thus far on the Tour. We got the full flavor of this skiers heaven as we spent the day scouring the mountain for fresh turns (all the local snowboarders are stoked that I'm writing this because it sounds like I am saying don't go there). Last year I was able to experience one knee deep Jackson Hole powder day, but this just wasn't going to be one of those years. No one seemed to bummed though cause the temperature steadily rose throughout the day, the sun was shining, and we still had a lot of good days of riding in front of us. and it isn't unusual for a dump to yield a couple feet in a night While everyone else was busy being pro snowboarders and shooting kicker madness, I followed a local friend off to another portion of the mountain. We rode a quad chair where we were welcomed with an awesome view of the Tetons and Buck mountain to our right. To our left was Cody mountain. And directly underneath the chair as we neared the top was Alta 1 and 2, a nice cliff band with varying levels of drops. Part of it was roped off due to exposed rock, but most of it looked good. As we all know looks can be deceiving. We rode Alta 1 and instead of fresh turns down mini-chutes, we found ice with a smattering of powder on top, which we thoroughly shaved away. The cold snap had left its mark on this often shadowy part of the mountain. Pretty much everywhere we went had seen better days earlier that week when the snow was fresh. A Jackson Hole favorite called Hobacks, a huge open slope the size of a football field, that on a fresh day could probably match heli-touring, was sporting serious crust and Northwest-like snow mixed with brief pockets of powder. For every smooth toeside there we're two bucking bronco turns to follow. At the bottom we had the pleasure of riding a Poma something I still dread for fear of catching and edge and finding myself sliding on my chin three-quarters of the way up. Needless to say this time was not much different, at least I gracefully let go of the rope when saving myself from the mini-hike up the mountain became a better option than being dragged by the mechanical contraption. We made the attempt to fight the conditions, but eventually gave up going for some groomers. Speed runs are always better than getting tossed on poorly formed moguls. Of course we found out later that we had missed the boat on finding good snow. The rest of our crew had done a little hiking and discovered some fresh turns and shootable conditions, which they rode until there was a little accident. We missed that too. It's not a good thing to relive, rewrite, re-experience accidents, but for awareness purpose I think it's important to mention (sorry Josh). Josh Rosen lived up to his reputation as a seriously insane hucker and made an unfortunate acquaintance with a tree then a rock after hucking off a cliff. Don't try this at home boys and girls. Kodak courage is not a worthy kind of courage unless you're making a hell of a lot of money. The result of Josh's little fiasco was a tree broke his fall, a rock broke his board, the contact of it all sprained his ankle. I don't think the inside of his four day old K2 Fat Bob was the only education the group received in experiencing that fall. The moral of the day: Kodak courage is not worth it once you get hurt. But in spite of the minor letdowns of our time in Wyoming, and although nothing out of the ordinary happened, the beauty of Jackson Hole was undeniable. Beyond the picture-perfect town surrounded by hills and endless sky, we found good grub, some accommodating friends, an excellent pit stop before Utah. |
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