Powder Week–Jackson Hole
I’m up here in Teton Village for Roxy and Powder Magazine’s ski test week, although it’s not really a ski test because the skis are not ranked and there are no cards to fill out. It’s really just ripping around trying out all the new skis on the market.
I got up here on Sunday. We drove up through a huge snowstorm so the drive took extra long, but I was able to sleep soundly through part of it. Monday morning we got up super early to ski Grand Targhee, because Powder week didn’t officially start until Monday night with the kick-off cocktail party. Targhee was really cool. It’s always fun to check out a new resort. We found some sick pillow lines off the Sacajawea chair and the snow was so deep!
On Tuesday morning I woke up really early because I was so stoked to ski Jackson for my first time ever. The 48 hour snow totals here in Teton Village were 26", so I was chomping at the bit to get out and make some turns. I skied with Kathryn Brackenridge, a Jackson local and Powder contributor for the morning. We ended up meeting up with "Sick Rick" Armstrong and some others and headed out for a tour in 4 Pine. The terrain at Jackson is mind-blowing! There are so many big cliffs and steep chutes and long, long, wonderful powder runs, both in-bounds and out!
In the afternoon, I headed out to Granite Canyon for another tour with some Powder folks and filmed some video for the website. I was seriously in awe of the magnitude of the mountains back there. The snow was amazing, and our line choice was superb, soft, powdery, pillow drops alongside a 2,000+ foot couloir.
Today (Wednesday) my friend Drew Stern came up from SLC to ski with me. We began our day with a hike to Cody Peak, skied that, skied Powder 8 bowl then headed to Couloir restaurant for a scrumptious lunch put on by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Skied another Granite lap in the afternoon, then came back to the hostel for a nap. All the hiking has made me extremely tired, so I’m hitting the sack early for another day. Check back soon for pictures!
Tomorrow is the last official day of Powder Week, but Friday I’m planning on hooking up with photographer, Jackson local, and fellow Roxy Mountain Project team member, Alexa Miller to shred the resort. Saturday, we’re thinking about hiking Teton Pass in the morning and then heading back to SLC in the afternoon–Plans could change however!
Still trying to figure out my plan for March–debating about possibly doing some competitions (Snowbird Freeskiing Comp–and then Gelande in April), maybe heading to Tahoe or Telluride — we will see what happens.
Some things I LOVE:
Thermic boot heaters–
These little devices have totally saved my poor toes from frostbite on this trip. They are super easy to use and charge and can provide 20 hours of heat.
Thermicare Refresher
This little guy packs up super easily, and dries my boots and gloves so I don’t freeze in the morning. The tubes are flexible, the fan is quiet and it uses UV-light to reduce bacteria (which means my boots don’t have their usual odor-a very important thing for my carpool buddies). These dryers are such a life-saver! I’m not leaving home without ’em.
