Yesterday I knocked off day number 1 of skiing in the Tetons for the 08/09 season. Hiking around in the snow, making turns, post-skiing tallboys- it’s back!! Sort of anyways...
Unlike the lucky skiers in Utah, the snowpack is still very thin up here in Jackson. Lately I’ve been spending countless hours looking at snowpack data on SNOTEL (basically watching the snowpack fluctuate between 9 and 11 inches) and hitting the refresh button on the Teton Pass and JHMR web cams, waiting to see flakes flying and for visual evidence that skiing is possible.
We have gotten one decent storm so far, but just about everyone I’ve talked to has scoffed at me when I mention the idea of going skiing. Responses I’ve gotten so far: “Wear body armor”, “You’re going to break your ankle”, and “Dude you’re an idiot, I’m gonna laugh when you get hurt.”
There was even an article published in this weekends Jackson Hole Daily entitled, Experts: Despite snow, not time to ski just yet. The article opens by saying, “while Jackson Hole’s amped bro-brahs already have scraped their sticks down Telemark Bowl on Teton Pass, local experts say the mountains need a little more snow before mere mortals break out their skis and boards.” That one made me laugh a little bit.
All of the doubters are probably right, but I went skiing anyways. I probably hit 30 rocks. But it was pretty awesome to be out in the snow and making a few legitimate turns. And I didn’t break my ankle either.
