You're Crazy, but I'll Follow You!

Famous last words as I followed my friend Dusty through a boundary gate into uncharted territory.

Unfortunately we haven't been getting the snow we need up here in Bozeman to open up the ski areas. Dusty and I were getting the itch so we made a last minute trip into Jackson, WY to board at Jackson Hole. We drove down there at night through a snowstorm. I say "we" but really it was Dusty that drove it, and he did a damned fine job. At some points we couldn't make out the road due to all the snow. We had to use the markers on the side of the road to navigate. Then we hit the pass into Jackson and it was pretty sketchy. Only later did we learn that the plows stop after 9:00pm....we were arriving about 11:00pm!! It was pretty slow going, but we made it.

The next day we got up and checked the snow report. Only 2 lifts and 11 runs open at Jackson, or we could hit Grand Targhee - about 75% of the mountain open and only one lift not operating. You can guess the decision that we made from there. And of course, it was back over the pass.

At least there was light and the plows had been running. It wasn't too bad, but you just had to take your time and drive slow. We were on our way to our first day of boarding!!!

Interestingly enough we both noted that there were a TON of back country enthusiasts and ski trails all over the place. If you are into back country skiing this is the place to go!

After making it to the ski area we were a little disappointed with how many people there were hanging around and only one major lift heading up. One guy behind us was telling us that the conditions weren't that good so we weren't looking forward to much. We both agreed that since it was our first day boarding we'd take it easy and just get some good runs in. Little did we know that the powder was incredible!!! We warmed up with a green road / groomer and only briefly got off into the powder a bit. Then we did a quick tweak of our equipment, got some liquid courage and headed back up!

This time we hit some blues. Unlike other ski areas that I had been to the runs weren't very well defined and that made for wide open boarding / skiing. It was great for carving all over the place and going through tree lines. Powder was easily 3 ~ 4 foot deep everywhere we went. I guess the guy that said the conditions were bad was another crack-smoking wondering idiot of the great North West. Here is a shot of Dusty playing in the snow while on a run.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, we actually ended up on a black run and played through some treelines until we hit the road again. Talk about a fat bastard!! I felt completely out of shape as the high altitude and working the board were taxing me a lot more than I remember from last year. So we rested for a moment and then Dusty says we should go through this boundary gate as there is a ton of powder down there. I then noted that there weren't ANY tracks and it didn't appear as if anyone else was going that way. That is when I uttered the statement that I thought he was crazy but I'd follow him in.

Dusty is a far better boarder than I am but he's patient with me which is why I like to go with him. He pushes me and then he's nice enough to wait for me while I figure out how to navigate something. So off we went into the really deep stuff. I'm not as good in real deep powder, but I am learning. I wiped out a couple of times and it really hard to get back up when you can't push off of anything because your hand sinks in to the snow up to your shoulder. Dusty calls out to me telling me not to come this way, to stay high and avoid it, but it's too late. I have to go that way and unfortunately I didn't have the speed to carry me through a fairly flat section. Imagine, if you will, a narrow V with very little room for moving and 30 ~ 45 foot walls of snow, rock and trees on both sides of you. That's what we were now stuck in. I had to unstrap my board and hike through the flat spot. No trick angles or trick photography here. I am literally up to my crotch in snow and fighting to get to a downhill spot so can get my board back on.

We got our wish!! Only, it was more of the same narrow, twisting, very difficult "trail" with which we had to navigate. I kept thinking it couldn't be too much further to get out, but it just kept getting worse and worse. We probably should have hiked up the incline when we had the chance, but it was too late now and we had to keep going.

The best part? How about the cliff we had to jump off of?? Yeah, sweet. Some kid yelled to tell us there was a cliff ahead, but it was only "six feet." Does this look like a six foot cliff to you? The sad part is that while we were trying to figure out how to navigate it the ski team school came by. A bunch of little kids with an instructor and they went off of it one-by-one like it was no big deal. Finally Dusty takes the plunge. He goes over the edge and disappears out of site. We all heard this loud "WHUMP!", but no Dusty. So we were all looking at each other and someone said "that didn't sound too good." But as it turns out he was fine and was able to get this pic of me getting ready to take the plunge.

And was it over? No, not by a long stretch. But we finally made it out and onto the road. I have no idea how long it took us to make that run. Probably a good hour and a half or more. Naturally, we had to make it back to the bar and have drinks after that run. I looked it up on the trail map. We started on a blue, hit one of two blacks, across the road, and then into an unmarked "out of bounds" trail to bring it all home. So much for taking it easy the first day out. I managed to only hit two trees and three rocks.

We ended the day with a couple of more runs through some deep powder blues and tree-lines until we literally couldn't control our boards anymore from being so fatigued. It was just an awesome day out there. Next stop? Back over the pass to Jackson where we were staying for some Apre Ski beverages and dinner. We tried to hit Teeton Thai, but it was closed until Dec. 20th so we had to head off elsewhere for din-din. If you ever go there, I would suggest NOT going to the Snakeriver Brewery for dinner. It was OK, but it didn't really do it for me after a hard day of boarding.

We hit a few bars afterwards and then I found a breath analyzer machine that I thought would be fun to try out before we headed back to the hotel. Little did we know that it wasn't working. So we are there and there a bunch of guys checking the whole scene out. Dusty goes first and he's blowing into the little straw and nothing is happening. So we all encourage him to blow harder. Poor guy, I thought he was going to pass out from blowing so hard and then a chick walks by and tells us that it's broke and not to waste our time. Oh well.

The next day we drove back to Bozeman. Fortunately the sun was out and the roads were much better than they had been. We even got to stop at the Wolf Pack Brewery and sample the suds and grub. Every time I have ever been through there they have been closed so it was nice to finally stop in and check it out.

All in all it was a great trip. Nobody got hurt and we didn't end up stuck in a ditch. The only bad thing is that now we get to compare the rest of the season to what we just experienced. Somehow, I don't think it will stack up.

BTW - if you want to check out more pics, click HERE. There are some good snow / scene shots!