Tech Support?

I just purchased a new reciever and a new computer which will start to form a new entertainment system. Check out the number of input & output ports on the back of the reciever! I think that I will need to call tech support more then once over the next month.

Deep Snow = Lack of Blogging

Deep ski turns at Teton Pass - Santa delivered.

Targhee SnowCat Day

Targhee SnowCat Day
Originally uploaded by krughb

On Sunday we used our rain checks from Cat Skiing at Grand Targhee last year. During the past week the Tetons received about 15-20 inches of snow, with 5 falling on Saturday.

Once on the hill, early season conditions existed, but the snow was between boot to thigh deep with about 1 foot of light blower snow on the top. The cat ski area at Targhee is fairly small, so it was not uncommon to feel old tracks, but every few turns the untouched patches of thigh deep snow existed.

This summer Targhee cut a few new trails for cat skiing and they represent the steepest runs the mountain. After a few more feet of snow these trails will be completely filled in and serve up excellent skiing. Overall, most of the cat ski terrain is intermediate, but the day was enjoyable with a few feet of fresh powder.

Festive Living

I just purchased the first holiday gift for my wife over at Festive Living in Victor, ID today. I used their E-Commerce platform and purchased the gift online with a store pickup. It's amazing how quickly a business can build an online presence. I am heading over to Targhee this weekend so I figured that I would pickup the gift in person. It's snowing in Jackson today and I along with 5 of my good friends are hoping that the snow continues because we are going cat skiing at the 'Ghee on Sunday.

Jackson Hole Fake Snow Report

I was planning on writing about the opening of the upper mountain at Teton Village, but after reading the snow report on Monday I decided to call out the emblishments. Everyone is aware of the fact that most mountains exaggerate the snow report. This ranges from forecasting Heavy Snow when the weather station calls for chance of flurries to outright deception of the current conditions. The case on Monday was closer to the latter at Jackson Hole.

Mountain Report - Monday
The snow on the upper mountain is just phenomenal! I took a run down Pepi's Ridge and found deep, bottomless, fluffy powder for most of the run. I also found untracked lines through Bird in Hand and Bivouac woods, and enough cushion to attempt a small rock drop. (Yes, I DID land it, thank you very much for not doubting me!) Even the groomed trails were super smooth, and I easily cruised back across the traverses when I wanted to return to the base. All in all, an excellent day! -AC

I agree, that on Saturday and Sunday the snow was phenomenal on the upper mountain, including Bivouac Woods. However, I skied Pepi's Ridge and Bird in Hand and both were horrid. Pepi's ridge needs another 3 feet of snow to cover the rocks/boulders. Every 3rd turn I hit a rock along with everyone else who skied the trail as evident by their tracks. Bird in Hand was even worse, rocks/boulders every turn. This run takes the skier through a feild of boulders and it needs about 5 feet of additional snow. Not to mention the sun crust that setup in this area due to the fact that it faces South. I hope these 2 runs were the wost of the year, because it does not get much worse. Don't fall for the hype.

1st Glory Lap

1stturn
Originally uploaded by krughb

I made my first trip up Glory on Thursday. A accent of glory entails a 2000ft hike straight up a snow staircase followed by a quick ski run back to the car. A number of runs are possible off the top of the mountain. This picture was taken on 1st Turn a West facing ridge that drops towards the Idaho side of the Tetons.

Poachers

Props to Burton for putting this together: http://www.burton.com/poachers/Default.aspx

A contest with a $5K award to the best video of people poaching the final 4 resorts where snowboarding is banned.

Busy Weekend

I scored a trifecta this weekend:
1. Listend to a talk from Michael Chabon, a Pulitzer Prize winner, who told a fictional memour and then described the techniques he used when writing the tale. Overall, I rated the story as a "B" and the lesson on writing as an "A+". Despite the long fictional ramble, it was a very enjoyable evening.

2. Friday night we partied down at the Teton County Library Winter Ball. A night of drinks, food and frieds at the Four Seasons with all proceeds going to the library foundation.

3. Saturday night we listend to Wade Davis, a noted anthropologist and ethnobotanist whose work has usually focused on the observation and analysis of the customs, beliefs, and social relations of indigenous cultures in North and South America, particularly the traditional uses and beliefs associated with plants with psychoactive properties. He gave a facisinating presentation about the global loss of culture.

Sunday night I went to bed early to catch up on lost sleep.

Lined Up

The snow has picked up in Jackson this morning. It looks as if the storm is lined up to Oregon. I just returned from a quick pass run where the wind was blowing hard and slabs were forming. Tomorrow could be deep, wind effected, and high avalanche danger. A quick pit on an east facing slope around 8,000 feet revealed:

1. 1 foot of new consolidated snow
2. 1-2 inch hard crust
3. 3 inches of faceted snow
4. 1 inch crust
4. 3-5 inches of faceted snow to the ground