Jackson Hole Skier Magazine 2019

JACKSON HOLE

36

YEARS

JH Skier 16 |

JACKSON HOLE Enters New Era

32 |

GRAND TARGHEE Commemorates 50 Years

38 |

SNOW KING Jackson Town Hill Salutes 80

56 |

GUIDE SERVICES Share the Goods

76 |

ALPINE MEDICAL ADVICE From Docs Who Ski

100 |

LOCALS Natives Who Live to Ski

112 |

WINTER WILDLIFE Viewing Excursions

118 |

WHISKEY & BEER Made in Wyoming

Jackson Hole Winter 2018 | 19

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RESORTS

BACKCOUNTRY

16 Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Enters New Era

31 B-T National Forest Avalanche Center

30 Alpine Guides at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

56 Exum Mountain Guides

46 Snow King Mountain Resort Commemorates 50

64 Teton Backcountry Guides

24 Solitude Station Opens

32 Grand Targhee Resort Salutes 80 84 Ski Shops of Jackson Hole

90 Kings & Queens of Corbet’s

94 Chris Figenshau, Photo of the Day for 21 Years

128 Resort Trail Maps

54 The Code of Backcountry Ethics 60 Jackson Hole Mountain Guides

66 Backcountry Zero — The Three Ps 68 CMH Heli-Skiing 70 H20 Heli-Skiing

72 Alaska Rendezvous Heli-Guides 74 High Mountain Heli-Skiing

PEOPLE

52 Native Teens Steeped In Ski Life

88 Innovators — Locals Pursue Their Calling

100 Roots — Jackson Hole Natives Live To Ski

108 In Memoriam, Jackson Hole Skiers We Lost

The JACKSON HOLE SKIER annual winter visitors’ guide is free when picked up at one of 160 distribution points throughout Jackson Hole and at Information Centers across the region. Receive one in the mail by sending $6 to JH SKIER, P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, WY 83001.

Copyright — 2018 by Focus Productions, Inc. (fpi).

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. www.focusproductions.com www.jhskier.net focusjh@focusproductions.com

On The Cover Caite Zeliff, Far Drift Contents Tommy Moe, Cody Bowl; Wade McKoy photos Publishers Bob Woodall, Wade McKoy, dba Focus Productions, Inc. Editors Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall Copy Editor Mike Calabrese Photo Editors, Art Directors Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall Photo Manager, Photo Editor, Editorial Assistant Eric Rohr Advertising Bob Woodall Distribution Manager Mark Hassler w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

COMMUNITY

DIVERSIONS

27 I Ski With Pepi

12 Photo Gallery

28 Doug Coombs Foundation

112 Snowshoe, XC Ski with Ecotour Adventures

44 Biathlon HOF Inducts Martin Hagen, Pam Weiss

118 Wyoming Whiskey

28 Teton Adaptive Sports

116 Sled Dog Tours with Jackson Hole Iditarod

46 FIS World Cup Racers Stiegler, Johnson, Kauf

49 Freeride, IFSA Junior Regional Returns to Toilet Bowl 51 FCE Jackson Town Downhill Mini Hahnenkamm

51 Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club’s Triple Crown

120 Local Breweries — Snake River, Wildlife, Stillwest 122 Activities, Events, Options to Explore 126 Lodging Directory

130 TGR Theater on Jackson’s Town Square

76 Alpine Medical Advice, St. John’s Medical Center 78 Alpine Medical Advice, Teton Orthopaedics 80 Igneous Skis 82 Maiden Skis

126 Jackson Hole Babe Force

Contributing Photographers

Nic Alegre Rick Armstrong Erik Boomer Steven Earl Chris Figenshau Mark Fisher Jay Goodrich Amy Jimmerson

Mathew Kaunitz Lance Koudele Jason Malczyk Fredrik Marmsater Emmett McLaulin Wade McKoy New Thought Media Josh Metten

Jonathan Selkowitz Jarrett Smith David Stubbs Greg Von Doersten Riis Wilbrecht Bob Woodall Sally Yocum

Contributing Writers Kieth Benefiel Dr. Andrew Bullington Mike Calabrese Bob Comey Kieth Cozzens Dr. Jeff Greenbaum

Sandra Keats Rob LaPier Mary Woodall Lowell Wade McKoy Jeff Moran Blair Pendleton

Jay Pistono Melissa Thomasma Emma Walker Bob Woodall

2018

J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R

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Wade McKoy

STOKE

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Skier

Ryan Halverson

Photographer

Wade McKoy FPI / Storm Show Studios

Location

Cody Massif 2 0 1 8 -1 9

J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R

13

Skier

Unknown

Photographer

Greg Von Doersten

Location

Twice Is Nice

Skier

Morgan Dinsdale

Photographer

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J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R

STOKE

Wade McKoy

Location

Cody Massif

Skier

Forrest Jillson

Photographer Jay Goodrich

Location

Mount Glory

Musicians Tram Jam

Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Teton Village

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Facing Forward Looking Back W hen the ski lifts stopped spinning last spring,

Jerry Blann stepped down from his 23-year tenure

as president of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

As the new president, Mary Kate Buckley, assumes the chair and looks ahead to meet new horizons, the Jackson Hole Skier talked with Blann about the state of the resort when he arrived in 1995, its current high-profile status, and about skiing.

Skier

Jeff Leger

Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Cody Bowl

Jackson Hole Skier Of your many accomplishments as president of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, what are you most excited about?

Jerry Blann One: The improvements on the mountain – The tram, two gondolas, Bridger Restaurant, Cody House, Bridger Center. Rendezvous Mountain now has the most modern lift system in our industry.

Two: The community. Critical fundamentals for tourism, like air service and outreach to the broader community. Over the past 23 seasons, winter has accelerated to become a more significant contributor to our economy. Before Paul McCollister got the mountain going, winter was an afterthought. Now, winter visitors spend more money, much more, whether it’s in Teton Village or Jackson. Winter visitors come for a week.

You have the opportunity to engage and inform them on the things critical to our community. I think that’s important.

Three: The people. That’s the thing that excites me most. In participating in these projects, I’ve been able to work with a great group of people inside and outside JHMR. The new tram is a good example. Two years of intense construction—while we were in operation! It was amazing.

By 2006 the original tram was reaching the end of its useful life. After 18 months of engineering studies and analysis, we were looking at it and saying, “Should we repair it? Should we upgrade it?” We had engineering studies stacked three-feet tall attempting to understand all of the critical component issues.

The community came unglued when we made the decision to retire 2018

J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R

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Skier

Mya Akins

Photographer Wade McKoy

Top

Happy worker on deck at Corbet’s Cabin.

Photographer

Greg Von Doersten

Bottom left

The Big Red Box — the JH Aerial Tram

Photographer Wade McKoy

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the tram without an immediate answer for its replacement. But we had to work through it.

To look at the possibility, for example, of two gondolas as an alternative.

A couple of things made the difference in selecting a new tram over a two-connectinggondolas system. The weather, particularly the wind on top of Rendezvous Mountain, was a critical determinant. Even with a bicable gondola, which would provide more stability than the two single-cable gondolas on

the lower mountain we currently have, we’d still be down a substantial amount of time.

But we were also looking at overall skier capacity on Rendezvous Bowl. You can’t groom it. Technology has not advanced that far yet. It has limited ability to absorb skiers.

A gondola system could deliver too many skiers to the bowl.

The Forest Service had to approve whatever alternative we chose, so it all took a little time. When we announced that we were going

w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

to close the tram and replace it, but that we didn’t yet know what we were replacing it with, a lot of people were upset. The next morning, I got to the office at seven and picked up a voice mail, and this guy was railing. He said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “I just moved here – my brother’s idea. I was in Telluride, and I loved it there, but do you know what made the difference? My brother was here, one, and two, the big red box. And now you’re shuttin’ the damn thing down!”

I pressed redial. The guy picked up, and I said, “Hi. I’m Jerry Blann, the one you left the message for.” I caught him by surprise and told him what we were doing.

I called him over the next few months, talking to him about the process, and eventually he became an advocate.

Both Poma and Doppelmayr bid on the project. I was pleased that Garaventa (Doppelmayr) got it. They’re both good and we have both. They’re the only two lift companies

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The community came unglued when we made the decision to retire the tram without an immediate answer for its replacement.

in the world.

Cutting down the old towers was like felling a tree. Then cutting them up to haul down. In October 2007, after we got the foundations done, we ripped down the bottom terminal. The previous summer, we had used the old tram to pour the new concrete foundations and haul the old towers down.

In the winter of 2007-8, I opined that we would likely have a record snow year. It snowed 605 inches that season.

They started building tower one the day after ski season and we were to be at tower three by a certain date. We kept plowing the road – over a dozen times. There were 30foot tall berms.

Eventually, the road fell apart from too much pressure and we had to rebuild it. Garaventa was going to take their crew to another job. I’ll never forget a couple of wrestling matches we had to keep them here.

Building that tram was a big deal. There’re not many people in my world that get an opportunity to do that.

Coming back to the people.

From the senior management to the entire JHMR team, we could not have achieved what we did without a sustained commitment from each and every person.

JHS The base area, especially the Village Commons, has evolved very nicely.

JB Yes, and that came from governance. When I got here, there was virtually no governance within the core of Teton Village. Jim Gill, the mountain manager, had started the process of amending the Mountain Master Plan. Paul McCollister envisioned an 11,000 daily skier capacity, which is a crazy number. I referred to the lift-system master plan as a bunch of pick-up sticks tossed across the mountains. He had lifts all the way to Jensen Canyon.

We cleaned all that up by updating the plan with modern technology and reduced our Comfortable Carrying Capacity to 7,690 per day. We’re still working with that capacity. We based it on the design number of people per acre – the lowest in the industry. It’s something like five-per expert acre, 10-per intermediate, and 15-to-20-per beginner acre, which, we can all agree, we don’t have much of.

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Top

Jimi Figenshau on foray at the ice castle.

Photographer Chris Figenshau

Bottom

To skin or to boot?

That’s the question.

Photographer Wade McKoy

The biggest challenge is – and that comes back to the Mountain Master Plan – now we’ve got to land it. We have to look at an average utilization of that capacity. Last year was a great example. We had good business from the start, with good snow from the beginning, and it lasted right through to the end—635,000 skier visits.

So, plus or minus 700,000 is probably where it maxes out.

That’s going to be the most interesting process – how to mature that 700,000-skier-visit number. It depends on when they come. Last year we had a record year by far, but we didn’t have a record day, which typically comes at Christmas.

In fact, we were off by over one thousand. That’s a very good thing. You want to ideally spread visitors out evenly throughout the season.

January has been helped by the Mountain Collective Pass and now – as the industry consolidates – the Ikon Pass.

Those passes, for us, assist in filling in the weakest parts of the season.

I remember it was St. Patrick’s Day, 1998, finally, on the 50th public hearing, we got the Teton Village Master Plan approved. Prior to that, Teton Village was governed by a plan developed in the mid ‘60s by the original developers. It desperately needed an update. I could see at the outset we needed another entity, a governing body, to assist in managing impacts to Teton Village, such as transportation. So we created an Improvement Services District (ISD), an entity authorized by the State of Wyoming. We didn’t want to incorporate as a town, so we made it a condition in our Master Plan. We needed governance, and that our biggest concern – then and now – is transportation. We said we needed a governing body with the authority to oversee the mitigation. We dovetailed the Village Master Plan into the Mountain Master Plan. We planted the seed in the Master Plan, and Teton County agreed and made it a condition of approval. That allowed us to get the ISD established.

The commercial interests in Teton Village got on board. Jim Terry, Junie Fuchs, and Joe Byron, a lot of good people.

And that allowed us to do all the improvements you’ve noticed over time. The bed base Continued page 22

Continued from page 20 would support about 40 percent of the mountain capacity within the Village and the remainder relies on town properties, local season-pass holders. That ratio has held up reasonably well.

The Village Commons was Mountain Resort land – remember our leaking, failed ice rink? We gave the land to the Teton Village Association (TVA) and that allowed it to evolve into what it is today, a simple open space and community gathering spot with activities, concerts, ice skating, et cetera.

Heated sidewalks – we were one of the first to realize the importance of heated pedestrian ways because of our vertical separation in the winter. And it actually snows here, so it was a good thing. All financed by TVA (the ISD), then later, TVRD, which we refer to as the super-ISD. It allows TVRD to charge a sales tax within the Village core that raises a couple million dollars a year and pays for improvements to the commons area, transportation, parking management, et cetera.

It took us five legislative sessions to get TVRD approved in the Wyoming Legislature.

There was no precedent in the entire state. We told them, “Listen, we’ve got to have this, to enable us to be competitive in our industry.”

And eventually they said, “You’re persistent,” and they passed it. It was Clarene Law and Grant Larson who carried it. Without them and others, including Liz Brimmer, we couldn’t have done it. Clarene was awesome.

It was a leap of faith for the state but strategically one of the most important things we have accomplished for the sustainability of Teton Village.

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Wade McKoy photos

I remember it was St. Patrick’s Day, 1998, finally, on the 50th public hearing, we got the Teton Village Master Plan approved.

Above: Jerry Blann, 2018, motor room, Jackson Hole Aerial Tram.

Below: Jerry Blann, 1995, skis for a photo in the JHMR newsletter announcing his arrival.

JHS Among the community organizations that you helped create, JH Air has helped local businesses by bringing in non-stop flights from major U.S. cities during ski season.

JB I’m really proud of JH Air. It has become the model for the ski industry. Matt McCreedy, JHMR’s senior vice president and CFO, and I came up with the idea. We knew it would need broad-based support from more than just JHMR, so we approached local businessman and politician Mike Gierau. He embraced it and we formed a 501 (c) (6) non-profit. JH AIR now has over 200 businesses involved. Platinum members put in $30,000 a year. We raise over a million dollars a year. I’m still on the board. Kari Cooper, the former JHMR chief marketing officer and current JH AIR executive director, has been there since the inception and is doing a great job. Mike Gierau and Pete Lawton are co-chairs. JHMR, Snow King, and Targhee put in a lot of benefits for participants, like discounted passes for employees at Platinum Level. It is a huge incentive to participate and has gotten a lot of attention in our w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

I went out on avalanche routes with the ski patrol, usually Route 4, Corbet’s, with ‘The Mate,’ Callum Mackay. My confidence of the professionalism within Jackson’s patrol convinced me they were different. industry. We started with 80 percent of the winter flights having financial backing, and now it is 20 percent. Eleven non-stop markets in the winter, which is simply outstanding for our resort and community.

This year I am president of the Airport Board (Blann is on his fourth term and is a 19year member). The improvements to the airport have made a very favorable impression for our guests. Yes, there are improvements on the mountain, in town, and the Village but you’ve got to be able to get here with the least hassle possible.

We’ve got a great relationship with Grand Teton National Park (the airport is the only commercial airport inside a Park). And now the park superintendent, David Vela, has been nominated to be the new director of the national park service. Congratulations to David.

JHS Describe a typical free-skiing day from the late 1990s. Describe one from last winter. Then, imagine your future as a skier.

JB When I first got here, one of the things I really wanted to understand was our ski patrol relative to what I knew of patrols back in my Aspen days. I had come into Aspen’s management trainee program as a scab during a unionization effort. It wasn’t a good fit and I wanted to understand the situation in Jackson and not follow that Aspen lead.

So I went out on avalanche routes with the ski patrol, usually Route 4, Corbet’s, with ‘The Mate,’ Callum Mackay. My confidence of the professionalism within Jackson’s patrol convinced me they were different. My free-skiing days, because I was in that group, were on the tram. I’d usually get in a couple runs on Rendezvous Bowl, then back down to the office.

That was my routine, until Bridger Gondola came in about 20 years ago. That lift made a big difference in the way people can access the mountain. I’ve got to hand it to guys like Bill Schreiber, JHMR’s planner-engineer, in terms of the alignment of that gondola. Coming in behind a ridge, protected from the wind.

In the last few years, after we built the Teton Lift, my favorite run is Wide Open. The way they groom it you can make GS turns and get a lot of vertical in a short period of time.

Remember back in the ‘90s? Groomers were completely different than they are now.

And now, with the Sweetwater Gondola, you’re there, boom. And Sweetwater provides that additional out-of-base capacity. With the mid-station, the new Solitude Station, opening this winter, will be a state-of-the-art teaching facility for the amazing pros in the Mountain Sports School.

Après Vous is amazing, too. It’s kind of sleepy over there now.

What happens in my skiing future, that’s the question. Now I can be a little more discriminate on any given day. During the 23 seasons I had an office here and my skis were close, I always wanted to look at things. Go w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

skiing. See what’s going on. I’d go up and try to catch up with Tim Mason. As VP general manager he oversees lifts, the patrol, grooming, and most of the operations.

So, for me now, it’s going to be a new paradigm. I can ski more, get out more days, see what’s good, and connect with some people I am looking forward to skiing with.

A lot of people have asked me how my transition is going. I have to say, so far it’s

great. The reason is, I’m currently on five boards, plus a few advisory committees as well as consulting. I am finding it’s rewarding to continue to stay involved and contribute to our state and community. Maybe an elected position next? Ha! I am not going anywhere. Why would I? I live five miles from the best ski area in America.

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JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT

Access & Resources

Tram Jam, performing for 25 years and counting, Saturdays at the base of Bridger Gondola.

New Mountain School Sports Complex, Solitude Station, Opens Jackson Hole Mountain Resort continues its commitment to enhancing the beginner skier and family experience with the new mid-station

Mountain Sports School facility at the Sweetwater Gondola, Solitude Station.

A short two-minute ride from the base, this 12,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility features conveniently located rentals, a covered-

Below: Jimi Figenshau tows sister Winnie. surface carpet lift, a ski school staffed with topnotch instructors, a family après-ski dining experience, and a private event space available both summer and winter. The Sports School’s new hub—for children's lessons seven years old and up, adult beginner lessons, and adult class lessons—is out of the base area bustle in a comfortable lodge environment.

Steep and Deep Camps

Kids’ Ranch

Wade McKoy (top); Chris Figenshau (bottom)

To be the best, snow hounds have to ski and ride the best. Steep & Deep Camps nurture skiers and riders who won’t settle for anything less: the best terrain in the lower 48, the best access, the best instruction from the best coaches, and the best camaraderie.

During these intensive camps, students learn how to safely and confidently explore the extreme terrain and snow conditions that make Jackson Hole famous. Expert coaches provide tips on finding the best line, reading a slope, steep-skiing etiquette, and terrain selection.

Camaraderie and community ensure a quality experience for everyone involved in this camp, and the fun continues after the lifts close: camp tuition includes après ski events, tech talks, and an awards dinner with prizes.

The Kids’ Ranch offers age-specific activities and lessons for children from 6 months to

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17 years old. Ski and snowboard lessons, multi-day camps, teen programs, evening activities, and a fully licensed childcare facility are conveniently located in the Cody House. At the Kids’ Ranch, youngsters can learn, be challenged, make friends, and walk away with lasting Jackson Hole memories.

Stash Park “It’s a dream come true for snowboarders,” said Ranyon d’Arge, JHMR park and pipe supervisor. “To be able to hit four perfect rainbows (bent-over trees with both ends touching the ground) in a row, that’s huge.”

“The Stash Park changed the way freestyle snowboarders ski Jackson Hole,” said Rich Goodwin, a park and pipe crew member.

“You talk to the high school and middle school kids, they don’t even remember what run they used to take because now the Stash is all they take.”

Jackson Hole’s four Stash parks are located on Campground, Ashley Ridge, Deer Flats, and at Antelope Flats. The Antelope Flats park is “super friendly, low on the ground, and meant for the kids,” d’Arge said. “It has a playground-like structure for a drop-in, which makes it fun.”

Stash parks are eco-friendly; all its features are constructed from deadwood, rock, and dirt rather than the more traditional plastic and steel components. “Instead of having burn piles, we clean up the hill and recycle a lot of the deadfall,” D’Arge said. “We don’t harm any live trees.”

Ice Skating Rink The Teton Village Association and JHMR’s new Village Rink on the Commons is a big hit for après-ski fun and relaxation. Those who bring their own skates can enjoy the rink for free. Rental skates are available at the warming hut, along with snacks and warm drinks.

Open from 3-9 p.m. daily from mid-December to mid-March. Come see Santa skate on December 23 & 24 from 3-4 p.m.

JH Tapped / Twitter The jacksonhole.com website is also smartphone-compatible.

Download the resort’s free app—JH Tapped—for maps, weather, useful tips, and mountain info. Groomed and closed runs are also indicated. Locate yourself along with your friends and family on the Jackson Hole trail map, courtesy of Google Latitude. Record your runs and log vertical feet and distance. Display your tracks on the trail map. E-mail images to friends, post them to Facebook, or view them in Google Earth. Check the resort’s Twitter feed, @jhski, for frequent updates on snow conditions and status of lifts.

Mountain Hosts Jackson Hole Mountain Hosts lead complimentary orientation tours for intermediate-level skiers. Tours depart daily at 9:30 a.m. from the Mountain Hosts’ meeting place, directly behind the general store at the base area.

Backcountry Yurt Luxury in the backcountry? Yep! An overnight stay in the Rock Springs Yurt combines the best of winter and wonder. Ski to the yurt through the backcountry gates or tour up from the base to the scenic location in lower Rock Springs. The “Yurtmeister” prepares dinner, dessert, breakfast, and hot drinks. Day-trippers can check in for just a hot gourmet lunch option or an après ski event.

Vertical-Foot Club Become a lifetime member of the Jackson Hole Vertical-Foot Club by skiing 100,000 feet in a week. Earn a certificate of achievement and a Western belt buckle for a lifetime total of 300,000, 500,000, and 1,000,000 feet. Open to all visitors. For more details on how to enroll, check in with the Customer Service Center. Smartphone users can download the free JH Tapped App to log vertical feet by GPS. On-Mountain Dining RPK 3 – The newest slope-side dining establishment in Teton Village, conveniently located adjacent to the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, offers fast casual lunches, a fun après scene, and everything else in between. The menu should satisfy everyone with its mix of healthy comfort food and hot and cold beverages to quench a mountainous appetite.

Piste Mountain Bistro, located at the top of Bridger Gondola and w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

307.733.5599 | 80 Center Street Jackson Hole, Wyoming www.hines-gold.com Hand Made in the U.S.A.

Since 1970

Above: Torchlight Parade on Aprés Vous Mountain. Below: Music Under the Tram, The Devon Allman (top) Project With Special Guest Duane Betts(bottom). minutes near the roaring fire or take a load off outside on the sundeck during a warmer day.

Casper Restaurant boasts classic gourmet ski comfort food, from burger bar to burritos. The best on-mountain bar at JHMR is here as well, pouring local beers and mixing warm drinks with a kick.

Saturday Music in March, April A great way to celebrate the arrival of spring. Live music from a variety of bands playing right under the tram dock. The snow bar, brimming with libations, inspires everyone to join the crowd gathering during Saturday afternoons in March!

Jackson Hole Rendezvous From March 14-16, visitors and locals alike enjoy three days of free live music, in both downtown Jackson and Teton Village. Past acts include Michael Franti, the Zac Brown Band, O.A.R., Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Blues Traveler, G.Love & Special Sauce, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.

Top of the World Waffles – Ride the aerial tram to the summit and enter Corbet’s Cabin for freshly made sweet or savory waffles.

Off-Piste Market – The home of Sicilian pizza and plenty of grab-n-go options, located at the top of the Bridger Gondola, Off-Piste offers quick but comforting food to fuel skiers and snowboarders out on the slopes.

Rendezvous Cafeteria – Located at the top of the Bridger Gondola, where floor-toceiling windows deliver impressive views, the cafeteria is perfect for a lunch on the hill. Rendezvous features Asian-style noodle bowls, a full grill, a salad bar, and Idaho salt-baked potatoes.

Casper Restaurant – Stop by for a few

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Environmental Responsibility Situated in one of the world’s most pristine environments, the resort steadfastly maintains its pro-environment practices.

Piste Mountain Bistro, for example, is a member of 1% for the Planet, further complementing already established eco-friendly practices. The majority of ingredients are sourced within a 250-mile radius, menus are designed seasonally to reduce the carbon footprint, and local farmers’ markets and ranches are extensively resourced. Since 2012, the resort’s signature restaurants have partnered with 1% for the Planet, contributing 1% of all profits to local environmentally focused business and non-profits.

JHMR is a founding member of the National Ski Area Association “Climate Challenge.” This voluntary program is dedicated to helping participating ski areas reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reap other benefits in their operations, such as reducing costs for energy use.

The resort has also notched a Golden Eagle Environmental Award, the highest standard of environmental achievement in the ski industry issued by the National Ski Area Association. In 2015, JHMR met its five-year quantitative goal by reducing the company’s GHG emissions from electricity, natural gas/propane, and vehicle fuels by over 10 percent. The results were driven by updates to building heating systems, year-round use of B10 diesel fuel, and conversion of multiple vehicles to run on 100 percent waste vegetable oil collected from JHMR restaurants.

JHMR recycles nearly 1/3 of its trash and offsets 100 percent of its lift electrical energy usage with renewable energy credits.

And, finally, there’s the fight to save the white bark pine from chronic beetle infestation. The blight has killed vast numbers of the thousand-year-old, high-altitude species, so JHMR and the Bridger Teton National Forest have sprayed 250 trees and placed pheromone patches on 575 trees to help stave off the scourge.

Bob Woodall (top); Wade McKoy (2)

Marmot chairlift, promises a sophisticated yet casual dining experience. Gather the friends for a bistro-style meal—with a Rocky Mountain twist—and enjoy celebrating snow-world adventures on the mountain in a relaxing, casual setting.

I Ski With Pepi Community rallies behind renowned skier

Pepi Stiegler Career Highlights 1952 Austrian Junior Champion, slalom 1960 Olympics, Squaw Valley: silver medal, giant slalom 1961 Austrian National Champion 1964 Olympics, Innsbruck: gold medal, slalom; bronze medal, GS 1965-1994 Ski School Director, Jackson Hole Ski Area 1995-2002 Ski Area Ambassador, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Pepi and the Stiegler family are enormously thankful for the outpouring of support from our community. The "I Ski with Pepi" campaign helped offset the huge expense of Pepi's recovery.

Looking ahead, the goal of the campaign is to keep Pepi active and socially engaged. Please reach out and share your time with Pepi. To get involved contact Seppi at seppi.stiegler@gmail.com.

Pepi Stiegler, Mt. Glory windslab, 1970s.

Austrian Olympic champion, Jackson Hole’s

first ski school director, father of two World Cup skiers, Pepi Stiegler continues to climb life’s mountains.

He has prevailed over MS for decades, and now, at 80, he’s making a comeback from a fall that almost claimed his life.

Pepi’s recovery has taken an incredible leap over the past two years. He is independent in his home and at times can be left alone.

Professionals and a network of friends take him on daily walks. His son Seppi, who now coaches with the Jackson Hole Ski Club, coordinates his care plan.

Pepi Stiegler’s enormous impact on Jackson Hole’s ski community and skiing at large is well documented, his notable accomplishments enshrined in hallowed halls. In 2014 he was inducted into the newly formed Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club Hall Of Fame.

He had already been inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2001, the Professional Ski Instructors of America-Intermountain Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Intermountain Hall of Fame in 2004. — JH SKIER Pepi Stiegler with his daughter Resi, who is in her 17th year racing on the U. S. Ski Team.

LO D G E Smiling Faces…

Cozy Room...Hearty Food Experience a taste of the Alps in a historic lodge at the base of the Tetons.

Conveniently located next to the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, The Alpenhof is the perfect location for a winter adventure in Jackson Hole.

Swiss Alpine Rooms

Hearty Complimentary Breakfast Outdoor Spa and Pool Massage Therapy

Wade McKoy photos

The ‘Hof Bar and Bistro serves hearty meals all day with plenty of Swiss Cheese and Chocolate with European wine and beer.

w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

For an extraordinary dining experience you must join us in the Alpenrose Dining Room for Eclectic Swiss Cuisine.

The Alpenhof Lodge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places

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At the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Teton Village, Wyoming

307-733-3242 alpenhoflodge.com J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R

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DOUG COOMBS FOUNDATION

by Emma Walker

Photos: McKoy (rt); New Thought Media courtesy Snow King Mountain Resort (left)

A decade after an accident in La Grave, France, claimed his life, the

Keeping a legendary skier’s legacy alive.

legacy of legendary steep skier Doug Coombs lives on. And not just in his hundreds of first-ski descents, his membership in the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame, or his pioneering contributions to the sport of heli-skiing.

Coombs’ passionate spirit is celebrated every day in the Jackson Hole community thanks to the Doug Coombs Foundation.

Founded in 2012 by his wife, Emily, the nonprofit creates opportunities for kids from low-income families in Jackson Hole to learn to ski. Emily discovered a need for such an organization when their son, David, was in grade school, active in sports and skiing. One day, he told her it made him sad that he couldn’t hit the slopes with any of his friends, since none of them skied.

Continued next page

T

Teton Adaptive Sports

Jason Malczyk photo courtesy Teton Adaptive Sports

Adaptive Skiing & Snowboarding in the Greater Teton Area

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eton Adaptive Sports (TAS) is a non-profit organization founded in 2005. Its mission is broad: to promote, support, and develop sports and outdoor recreation opportunities for people with disabilities living in and visiting the Greater Teton Area. Aware that skiing and snowboarding bring participants great joy, TAS works to make outdoor recreation more accessible to and inclusive of people with different abilities.

Trained adaptive instructors offer children and adults alike an enriching mountain experience through lessons and group skiing. With specialized adaptive equipment and TAS’s expert teaching techniques, anyone can access top-notch terrain at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) and Grand Targhee Resort.

The outfit raises funds every year to purchase new adaptive ski equipment to donate to the JHMR and Grand Targhee Resort adaptive programs. The money is also used to pay for ski instructor adaptive training, scholarship the cost of lessons for Jackson Hole area adaptive skiers, and pay for the free-to-skiers programs offered to special education at Teton County Schools.

Additionally, TAS partners with Adaptive Adventures, JHMR, and Grand Targhee to organize two advanced-skiing camps for adaptive athletes each spring (Adaptive Steep & Deep Camps).

Check out the TAS website (tetonadaptivesports.org) to see how both locals and visitors can get involved in adaptive skiing and snowboarding.

TAS Adaptive Skiing by the Numbers 2017/2018 Season 197 - Number of TAS scholarships awarded for adaptive lessons in the 2017/18 season out of 725 total at JHMR. 52 - Number of Teton Kids program participants skiing weekly from Teton County School District in the 2017/18 season.

10 - Number of advanced skiers who came from all over the U.S. to participate in two adaptive Steep & Deep camps.

17 - Number of Professional Snow-sports Instructors (PSIA) Adaptive Certifications for ski instructors at JHMR. 2 - $12,000 for two new sit-skis donated by TAS to JHMR's Adaptive Skiing program.

Get in Touch tetonadaptivesports.org info@tetonadaptivesports.com 307.203.2223 w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Coombs continued "That was my wake-up call," Emily said.

Many low-income families in Jackson Hole are immigrants, she explained; they work jobs supporting the ski industry, but beyond that, skiing isn’t part of their everyday life.

"Doug was all about breaking barriers and taking people places they wouldn’t go otherwise," she said. “So that’s what this foundation does.”

Marmot has played a huge role in the foundation’s success. Since its inception, each season culminates in the Marmot-Coombs Classic at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, a springtime celebration that, according to the resort’s website, encourages participants to "finish off the year strong—just like Doug."

The Foundation accepts as many students as possible every year, with a focus on accepting participants from low-income families.

Emily and the foundation’s executive director, Mary Ericksen, said one of their primary enrollment goals is to not turn anyone away.

After they’re accepted, foundation participants are enrolled in ski school at Snow King, Jackson’s “Town Hill,” where they ski a couple of days a week during the winter. Some of the youngsters become incredible skiers within a few seasons but, as organizers note, that’s not primarily the point.

"It’s really not about teaching kids to ski," said Ericksen. “It’s watching kids come into their own, find self-esteem, find themselves.

It’s helping them to be a part of the community—and they learn that they can do anything. The skiing is secondary.”

It’s also important to make sure kids are having fun.

"Doug was always saying, ‘That was the best day of my life!’" Emily recalled. “We want to take these kids out for the best days of their lives so far.” The foundation’s program doesn’t end when the snow begins to melt.

During the summer, Emily and other staff members lead hikes. And local outfitter Exum Mountain Guides, for whom Doug worked a number of years as a certified IFMGA mountain guide, takes kids on rock-climbing outings in nearby Grand Teton National Park during warmer months.

"That’s part of Doug’s legacy, too—we don’t just stop skiing and watch TV all summer," Emily said. “Then the ski season comes around again, and you’re prepared.”

Just as important as the programming is the outreach the Doug Coombs Foundation provides to families, many of whom aren’t familiar with seemingly high-risk sports like skiing and rock climbing.

"It isn’t just a financial thing," Ericksen pointed out. “We have to make sure families know about what their kids are doing and feel welcome.”

The foundation works with Snow King and local gear shops to provide discounted lift tickets and rentals to family members of students. Last season, several parents and older siblings tried skiing, too. One parent even made an ascent of 13,755-foot Grand Teton.

"If Doug could show up one day and ski with these kids at Snow King, he’d be blown away," Emily said. “These kids will grow up and carry that spirit of adventure that Doug had.”

Used with permission from Marmot. Story originally appeared at Marmot.com.

The Original Mangy Moose Steakhouse and Saloon Having Fun Since 1967 Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Grab-N-Go Items Aprés Ski • Live Music Wine Store • Groceries

Located in Teton Village at the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

www.mangymoose.com 307-733-4913 2018

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JACKSON HOLE Mountain Resort

S

kiing out of bounds puts you in the untamed Tetons – no ski patrol assistance, no marked runs, and no avalanche mitigation to the slopes.

Inherent dangers lurk in the backcountry. Learn the proper mindset for this wild mountain environment by hiring a guide.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Alpine Guides is one of the oldest ski guide services in the U.S. and boasts a world-class roster. They know where to uncover the hidden powder stashes and how to enjoy a safe, fun day in the mountains.

Some important points for all backcountry travelers to consider: • Think with your head, not with your ego.

• Don’t use a hit-list for the backcountry. Go with the safest option for the day. Every day is different for avalanche conditions: aspect, wind, new snow, etc.

• Have the right gear and know how to use it. Beacon, probe poles, and shovel. Make sure to turn your beacon ON and test it with your buddy.

• Ski with a partner and let someone else know where you are touring.

• Beware of sucker tracks.

• When you are on a big slope, before you make your first turn have an exit plan in case it slides. Look for an island of safety anywhere you have to stop.

• Be courteous by not skiing down on top of other parties.

• Study the weather and avalanche data and forecasts.

— JH SKIER

Backcountry

Skier

Jeff Leger

Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Cody Peak

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J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R 2 0 1 8

On January 16, 1974, a group of

15 mountaineers from the National Outdoor Leadership School were on a two-week winter expedition in the Teton Range.

BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST

AVALANCHE CENTER Article by Bob Comey, Director, BTNF Avalanche Center

Members of the group triggered a large slab avalanche as they were ascending the Teton Glacier moraine on skis. Three men, who were 18 to 20 years old, were buried in the avalanche debris and died.

On January 12, 1976, two backcountry skiers were killed by an avalanche near the ski cabin on Jackson Peak. On March 20 in the same winter, a ski tourer died in a backcountry

There have been 68 backcountry avalanche fatalities in northwest Wyoming since the avalanche center began operations in 1976.

Many of those accidents have occurred immediately outside of the boundaries of the local ski resorts.

Wade McKoy

avalanche after he left the boundary of Grand Targhee Ski Resort.

These tragic events encouraged BridgerTeton National Forest snow ranger Gary Poulson to create a daily backcountry avalanche-hazard forecast. Gary developed a report format that included new snowfall information, a weather forecast, reports of recent avalanche activity, and a prediction of the general avalanche hazard. It debuted in December 1976 and was focused on terrain outside of the boundaries of our local ski resorts, Teton Pass, Grand Teton National Park and other nearby areas readily accessible to ski tourers. A similar program had been started by Knox Williams in Colorado two years earlier and another similar program was also being launched in the Pacific Northwest in December 1976.

The Teton regional information was initially accessed via a telephone hotline and can still be accessed by phone at 307-733-2664. In the 1990s Gary’s successors, Jim Kanzler and Larry Livingood, began posting the avalanche center forecasts on the Internet at jhavalanche.org. Continued interest in remote backcountry terrain and the development of snowmobiles capable of climbing steep snow-covered slopes resulted in the expansion of the forecast region into the Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas in 2001.

This expansion was accomplished by the installation of a specialized network of remote automated weather stations.

There have been 68 backcountry avalanche fatalities in northwest Wyoming since the avalanche center began operations in 1976. Many of those accidents have occurred immediately outside of the boundaries of the local ski resorts. Safe travel in the backcountry requires local knowledge, avalanche awareness, skilled partners, and avalanche safety equipment. Avalanche education opportunities are plentiful in Jackson Hole. Many early w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

3/23/2018, Green River Canyon, Drew’s Slide Considerable Avalanche Danger, all elevations, all day.

The slope fractured on the skier’s second turn. He deployed his airbag and managed to self arrest on the wide ledge below the first cliff.

General Avalanche Advisory posted that morning at jhavalanche.org — Dangerous avalanche conditions exist in the backcountry. Since early yesterday morning, 17 inches of snow containing approximately two inches of water has fallen in the mountains. At the mid and high elevations, new snow and wind have formed slabs that lie upon lighter snow and crusts. These slabs will be very sensitive to backcountry travelers and some potential exists for them to release naturally. prototypes of avalanche rescue gear were developed in Jackson in the 1970s by LifeLink, an innovative local company. A wide selection of the modern versions of these essential avalanche safety products is available in local shops.

The work begun by Gary Poulson continues. The Bridger-Teton National Avalanche Center posts hazard forecasts for the Teton, Togwotee Pass and Greys River areas every morning by 7 a.m. Evening forecasts are posted by 7 p.m. The center also posts avalanche events using Google map technology, weekly snowpack summaries, and it has links to accounts of avalanche fatalities in Wyoming dating back to 1877 when Thomas Hodgson was killed by a snow slide at the Centennial Mine. New products like the snowpack tracker display recent and historical data from a network of remote automated weather stations. The site also posts specialized ava-

lanche weather products issued by the National Weather Service (NSW) in Riverton, Wyoming. The “RPK” weather forecast is created by the NWS for the center and is posted during the very early hours of the morning and again at around 3 p.m. This product is a mustread for local powder skiers and riders.

The avalanche center this year has installed two new remote automated-weather stations near Surprise Lake in Grand Teton National Park and is partnering with the park service to increase the avalanche center’s presence in the park and to enhance the scope of the daily avalanche-hazard forecast within the park.

Backcountry travelers are encouraged to take an avalanche class, monitor the information posted on the center’s website, practice safe travel techniques, and post field and avalanche observations on the avalanche center’s website for others to view.

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Grand Targhee Resort Half a Century Strong A s Targhee celebrates 50 years, Gene Palmer, one of the ski area’s founders and its first ski school director, helps open a window onto its evolution.

Eighty-seven-year-old Gene Palmer remembers Fred’s Mountain before it became Grand Targhee Resort, when its main winter visitors were snowshoe hares and the occasional cross-country skier — and summer visitors numbered only Fred and the sheep he herded.

A lifelong skier and racer from nearby Rexburg, Idaho, Palmer had settled back onto the family farm in the 1960s after two years Continued page 34

Skier

Todd Jones

Photographer Wade McKoy

Decade 1980s

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Continued from page 32 military service in Europe – where he also skied – and an eight-year stint teaching math, chemistry, and physics at Madison High School in his hometown.

“Then along came this opportunity,” said Palmer. “In the late Sixties some friends came to me, they needed people with knowledge about the ski business.”

Palmer helped the group raise seed money for a loan from the Economic Development Administration to build the ski area. During the three-year pre-construction period he served on the board of directors. When Grand Targhee opened on Dec. 26, 1969, he resigned from the board to take the helm as the resort’s first ski school director, a post he held for the next 25 years.

Today Palmer is as passionate as ever about skiing, still excited to learn new techniques.

“Gene is still skiing, and still thinking about skiing,” said Mark Hanson, Targhee’s Ski and Snowboard School Director for the past 20 years. “He’s eager to share that knowledge with others. He inspired me to be a learner, too.”

Skier

Ben Ross

Photographer David Stubbs

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w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Over a half-century later, one thing still resonates.

“It’s the snow,” said Palmer. “I’ve skied all over the Intermountain West, some in the western U.S., and several times in Europe, and I was always glad to come home. We have the greatest snow on earth.”

An abundance of snow wasn’t always preferable, though.

“In the beginning years we didn’t have snow cats,” said Palmer. “The first winter we were open, we were setting up a slalom course and it started snowing. By the time we got back to the top, five feet of fresh snow was on our course. We had some real heavy winters those years. Everybody called it ‘cowboy skiing’ because we didn’t have the machinery to groom it.”

The race team did the best they could, sidestepping the courses and learning to race in soft snow and deep ruts. This knowledge helped Palmer’s son Gary win an important ski race.

“When my son was in college at BYU, they won the Collegiate Ski Association National Championships at Waterville Valley, Vermont, because he could ski ruts,” Palmer said. “He was the cleanup man and he had to get third, which he did, for them to win. They brought him there because he could ski ruts.”

During Palmer’s career at Grand Targhee he worked for three different owners.

“The group of us that built it went broke in four years,” he said. “We lost our shirts. An Ohio plastics manufacturer, Bill Robinson – he invented resealable plastic cups and lids – bought Targhee for its debts.

They were good people. They tried hard. In ‘69-73 they put the Blackfoot lift in. We kind of limped along and did the best we could.”

That’s a far cry from where Grand Targhee is today. The modern, complete resort is owned by Geordie Gillett and his father George, who once owned Vail. They are hands-on and love Grand Targhee. Geordie Gillett, who first moved to Driggs and now lives in Jackson, is involved with resort operations every day.

“They’ve done some great things,” said Palmer. “The atmosphere is very positive. I’m so happy and feel so blessed to be able to be here and be a part of this.”

Skiers

Rob Haggart, Jason Tattersall, Jeff Leger, Bissell Hazen

Photographer Wade McKoy

Decade 1980s

Skiers

Gene and Gary Palmer w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

Decade 1970s

GRAND TARGHEE RESORT

Access & Resources

Snowboarder

Skier

Photographer

Photographer

Ryan Cruze

Erik Boomer

Ben Ross David Stubbs

excellent children’s program. Grand Targhee’s Kids FUN Zone offers great terrain specifically designed to accelerate the learning curve. Early Tracks is for intermediate skiers and riders looking to get a jump-start on their day and enjoy Targhee’s powder paradise before the lifts open to the public. More info: 800-827-4433

Green Practices

Mountain Characteristics

2,000 acres of lift-serviced terrain: 10% beginner, 70% intermediate, 20% advanced.

Vertical rise: 2,270 feet. Base elevation: 7,851 feet. Groomed trails: 500 acres. Ski lifts: two high-speed quad chairs, two fixed-grip quad chairs, and one magic carpet.

Ski & Snowboard School

Under the direction of Mark Hanson, Grand Targhee Resort’s Ski & Snowboard School offers PSIA/AASI instruction for adults and children, as well as a special adaptive skiers’ program. The Start Me Up package for firsttimers combines soft snow with experienced instructors, beginner equipment, uncrowded slopes, a dedicated beginner learning area, and the Papoose Conveyor lift. The Kids Start Me Up package is nationally recognized as an

A leader in environmental resort practices, Targhee is now also partnered with POW (Protect Our Winters). Additionally, the resort raises money by matching collections from employees and guests to fund local environmental and conservation projects, including those at the resort. So far over $80,000 has been steered to projects.

Grand Targhee Resort received the Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence in 2009 and 2011. In 2007 it became the first North American organization to carry out an in-depth inventory of greenhouse gas emissions through The Climate Registry. A central mission in Grand Targhee Resort’s Sustainability Charter is to limit its environmental impact by making integrated changes in waste management, energy use, and local ecosystems. Grand Targhee is prioritizing sustainability by taking powerful steps to manage its carbon footprint.

Nordic, Snowshoe, & Snow Bike Trails

15k of groomed Nordic trails make great cross-country skiing, ski-skating, fat-tire snow biking, and snowshoeing, all of it rolling past the base area into the surrounding forest, glades, and meadows. Leading the way for fat-bike enthusiasts, the resort grooms over five miles of single-track trails for fat biking and snowshoeing.

Activity Center Adventures

Stop by the Activity Center to book a myriad of winter adventures. Snowmobile through Yellowstone for close-up views of bison and Old Faithful or tour other regional attractions like Mesa Falls and the Big Holes. Ride on a horse-drawn sleigh with an authentic cowboy and his trusty steeds to a high-altitude yurt and a Western sleigh-ride dinner.

Terrain Park

Boasts at least four to six rails per line, plus a jump section and two lines of features – one for beginners, one for more advanced skiers and riders. Look for new features this season with monthly changes and a local competition series.

Tube Park

A $15 day ticket includes use of snow tube, tube runs, and lift access on the Papoose Magic Carpet. All riders must be over 42 inches tall. Special rates available for groups of 25 or more. Reservations are recommended for tubing after 6 p.m. Open Weds. through Fri. from 3-7 p.m. and weekends from noon to 7 p.m.

Grand Targhee Cat Skiing

A hallmark of Grand Targhee, cat skiing on Peaked Mountain affords breathtaking views of the Grand Tetons. Twelve people ride a huge powder reserve of over 600 acres and w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Photos this page:

Snowboarder

Iris Lazzareschi

Photographer

Erik Boomer

up to 20,000 vertical feet in a day. Professional guides lead clients through a variety of terrain – expansive bowls, mellow glades, and steep, treed pitches. Reservations required.

Call 800-827-4433.

Mountain Tours

Join a Mountain Host at the base of Dreamcatcher daily at 10:30 a.m. for a moun-

tain tour. They’ll unveil the viewpoints and lesser-known areas of the three mountains that make up Grand Targhee Resort.

The Nature Center

Satisfy your wonderment of the Tetons’ flora, fauna, and geology with a resort naturalist. Just stop by the Nature Center cabin between the Kids’ Club and Ski School. You

can also book a 2-hr. naturalist-led snowshoe tour at the Activities Center.

Shuttles

Daily round-trip shuttles run from Driggs and Jackson Hole. The resort is a scenic 48 miles from the Jackson Hole Airport, 85 miles from the Idaho Falls Airport.

— JH SKIER

POWDER NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE Celebrating half a century of legendary snow and good times. Grand Targhee Resort’s home on the western slope of the Tetons continues to provide a ski and snowboard paradise with uncrowded slopes, western hospitality, and #TargheeVibe.

GRANDTARGHEE.COM | 800.TARGHEE w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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Snow King Mountain Resort

Photo courtesy Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum; 1958.3351.001

Jackson’s Town Hill Salutes 80 Years

Snow King Mountain from Town Square, 1954

A ffectionately known as the “Town

Hill,” Snow King Mountain Resort this winter salutes eight decades of service to Jackson’s ski community.

Established in 1939, Wyoming’s oldest ski resort remains a vibrant, year-round hub in 2019. Locals and visitors can still gather amid its stunning views to ski, snowboard, hike, bike, and enjoy the myriad activities stretching from its thriving, modern base to the mountain’s crest.

The small but mighty mountain continues its decades-long position as a training ground for local kids and for national ski-racing teams from around the world. With a 1,571-verticalfoot rise, three lifts, 32 runs, 400 acres, and skiable terrain for every level of skier, full-day tickets remain affordable at $59 for adults and

$49 for juniors and seniors.

For the past 20 years, economic demands have shaped Snow King’s direction in the very competitive and expensive ski-area arena, demands faced by ski resorts across the country.

The resort has sought to engage groups like the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club – who partnered in a major snowmaking upgrade in 2015 – and the town itself in its efforts to remain viable. Other western “Town Hills” have faced or are now facing similar challenges. Some have shut down, some are operated by municipalities at a high cost to taxpayers, and others are only one breakdown away from closure.

Historical Highlights 1939 The Jackson Hole Club, a predecessor to the local Chamber of Commerce, comw w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

missioned Snow King’s first lift, selecting Neil Rafferty’s cable-tow design from several liftconcept submissions. Rafferty, who became known as the “Father of Snow King,” built the 18-person surface lift from a used oil-drilling cable, junkyard tire rims, and an old Ford tractor. The first day of operation netted $2.95, while January, February, and March earnings totaled $18.18, $136, and $38.55 respectively.

Season pass prices were $10, $8, and $5 for men, women, and children.

1940s Snow King became well known throughout the intermountain region for recreational skiing and for hosting alpine ski races and Nordic ski jumping.

1946 Wyoming’s first chairlift, a single, was built on Snow King from a used Colorado gold mine ore tramway named “Lilly.” Neil Rafferty became ski area manager until he retired in 1974.

Skier

Resi Stiegler

Photographer

Jonathan Selkowitz

Location

Snow King

1959 Double chairs were added to the lift.

1967 Bill Briggs acquired Snow King’s ski school from Bill Ashley and became ski school director. He founded the Great American Ski School and introduced new methods and terminology to ski instruction.

1972 Western Standard Corporation of Riverton, Wyoming, took over ownership. Its president, Roy Peck, and Manuel Lopez guided the mountain through difficult times when the old lift had to be decommissioned.

1974 In the first (and last) Snow King Canoe Race, participants piloted canoes and rafts down the mountain in a Le Mans start.

1975 The Snowmobile Hill Climb began with a Jackson Hole Snow Devils high-markw w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

ing contest on Grizzly run. The event subsequently moved to the west side of the ski area and became the World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb.

1978 The Rafferty Lift was built on the east side of Snow King, providing access to lower intermediate ski terrain and the newly installed Alpine Slide.

1981 Snow King began offering night skiing on Rafferty.

1982 The Town Downhill inaugural race was held by the Jackson Hole Ski Club.

1984 Jim Sullivan became ski area manager. That year he increased the lower mountain’s skiable terrain through earthwork and tree removal on Snow King’s privately owned

48 acres. Bill Briggs pioneered and flagged an easy way down and Snow King’s crew widened Turnpike and Cat’s Meow runs. The cost of a season pass was $435.

1988 Corduroy snow, snowmaking, and the NCAA National Championships came to Snow King. The resort bought the first of several tillers, vastly improving grooming. Snow King widened the Exhibition ski run, turning the narrow, hard-to-ski lift line into a 200-footwide ski run. Snowmobile Hill Climb racers, at long last, slalomed to the summit, a great improvement over the previous high-mark near tower 11.

1989 The purchase of winch cats and the construction of anchors allowed another 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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Photo courtesy Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum; 1958.1444.001

Skiing on Snow King in the early days. major innovation in grooming.

1992 Snow King added snowmaking and additional night lighting on the Rafferty side.

1994 Cougar Chairlift opened, improving access to intermediate and advanced-intermediate terrain, races, and special events.

Snowmaking and lighting were added from the top of Cougar. Night grooming was introduced and became the norm. Summer trail improvement changed the summit hike from straight up to a 10-switchback trail, opening the endeavor to 600-to-700 people a day during the summer months.

1996-2003 Numerous international ski teams trained on Snow King in preparation for the World Cup opener in Park City, Utah.

1997 King Tubes snow tubing park made its debut.

1998, 2000 Snow King hosted the U.S. National Championship ski race. The Hagen trail was built, allowing in-town access into Cache Creek.

2000 The ski histories of Snow King Ski Area and of Jackson Hole were entered into the University of Utah ski archives and into

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the Intermountain Ski Hall Of Fame by Jim Sullivan.

2002 Snow King hosted pre-Olympic training for eight international Olympic alpine ski teams, garnering the resort international exposure. Nine out of the 30 alpine skiing medalists at the Salt Lake City games had trained on the slopes of Snow King.

2000-2012 Bill Briggs, Neil Rafferty, Karen Budge, and Pete Karns were inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame.

Mid-2000s The cost of season passes at Snow King dropped to $99 as ownership struggled to figure out how to continue operating the mountain in the face of financial difficulties.

2012 Manuel Lopez and partners sold the Snow King Resort hotel properties while retaining ownership of the ski area and its privately owned 48-acre base area. Ryan Stanley became general manager of Snow King Mountain.

2013 In partnership with the Town Of Jackson, Snow King received a $1 million loan and a $500,000 grant from the Wyoming Busi-

ness Council to bring snowmaking, potable water, and utilities to the summit. The Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club invested $1million in new snow guns to help open the mountain for early season race training. Updated snowmaking helped the mountain open in late November for the winter of 2014/2015.

2014 Snow King celebrated its 75th Anniversary, hosting a series of events, including a free ski-day, the Town Downhill, a Pond Skim, and randonee races. The Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club celebrated its 75th anniversary with the creation and opening of the JHSC Ski Museum and the JHSC Hall of Fame. In late 2014, the mountain ownership group reorganized and longtime partner Max C. Chapman, Jr. became president of Snow King Mountain Resort.

2015 The new ownership group invested over $20 million in mountain improvements.

They replaced the 38-year-old Rafferty double chair with a Doppelmeyer fixed-grip quad chairlift, added the Weigand Mountain Coaster, constructed the Treetop Adventure Course, built a restaurant and ski school facilw w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Photos this page courtesy Snow King Resort

From top: Night skiing; terrain park; fun for kids; uphill skiing ities at the bottom of Rafferty, and graded the base of the Rafferty for beginner skiers. Sadly, Manuel Lopez, Snow King’s steward for 40 years, passed away.

2016 A new miniature golf course was constructed after Snow King’s original course was demolished during base-area reconfiguration. Beginner skiers got a new magic carpet lift that replaced the old rope tow at the base of the mountain.

2017 A giant maze for summer base-area operations was constructed, the tube park got a new magic carpet lift that replaced the old rope tow, and additional lighting was added to beginner ski terrain.

2018/2019 Snow King Mountain Resort celebrates its 80th anniversary and remains one of America’s original “Town Hills.” Its owners continue working with the Town of Jackson and United States Forest Service on proposals for improvements to the mountain that would make it more accessible to a wider audience. Proposed construction includes a gondola to replace the old Summit Chairlift, a new summit restaurant, new beginner ski terrain at the summit and an easy ski-route from summit to base, a new chairlift on the mountain’s undeveloped, south-facing (sunny) backside, as well as additional summer activities like zip-lines and downhill mountain bik-

ing. A summit planetarium and observatory is also envisioned. It would be the first of its kind at a U. S. ski area and could be used for educational purposes. These Phase 2 developments are in the preliminary stage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) study. For more information check out snowkingmountain.com/phase2.

— JH SKIER References: Jackson Hole Historical Society, Gene Downer’s Teton magazine, the Jackson Hole Guide and the Jackson Hole News, Jim Sullivan, Manuel Lopez, Ryan Stanley.

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Photo courtesy Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum; 1958.0032.001

SNOW KING MOUNTAIN RESORT

For 80 years, locals and visitors have begun their ski or snowboard journeys on the slopes of Snow King Mountain. By far the most affordable place in the Tetons to learn these sports, an all-inclusive beginner lift and lesson package is only $149 for those 6 and older, and $99 for 3-to-5-year olds. New this year, the upgraded “Kid’s Castle” ski-and-play zone and groomed terrain features are designed to enhance the beginner experience. snowkingmountain.com; 307-201-5666 Winter Fun Zone The thrilling Cowboy Coaster, a state-ofthe-art alpine coaster designed in Austria, zips, twists, and turns down the mountain for a mile of loops, curves, and hairpin turns, some four stories tall. On the way up, riders enjoy unsurpassed Teton views. Dress warmly. Come winter, King Tubes is the hotspot for family fun. Piloting these “doughnuts” on the smooth, groomed run promises to bring out the kid in everyone. Easy access.

Winter packages include a 2-hour Coaster/Tube Combo ticket for $45 for all ages (must be 42” tall) and the Big King Pass – a full-day lift ticket and unlimited Tubing and Coaster rides for $90 or $50 with the purchase of a Ski or Snowboard Lesson (Free with a full-day private lesson). King Tubes and the Cowboy Coaster are open Mon.- Fri. from 27 p.m, Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays and holidays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

307-734-3194, snowkingmountain.com.

Rentals and Retail Snow King Mountain Sports houses a topof-the-line rental fleet and a world-class race tuning shop. The store features a selection of top-brand race gear, ski wear, and acces-

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technology. Scanners at the base, top, and various mid-stations track your progress.

Monthly prizes are awarded to those earning the most vertical and fastest times. Users can see everyone’s progress on the Snow King Tapped App and on the resort’s website. Uphill season passes are $75; a day pass is $10. snowkingmountain.com/uphill-travel.

Backcountry Access Beacon Basin

sories. The rental fleet allows customers to choose from a wide selection of skis and snowboards. With more than 20 years of skituning experience, its techs have the knowledge and skill to consistently produce high-quality ski and snowboard tunes for local racers and recreational enthusiasts. Book online and save 20%. Located in the Snow King Hotel just underneath Hayden’s Post. 307201-5096; snowkingmountain.com.

Night Skiing After the sun goes down, Snow King Mountain comes alive with skiers and boarders taking advantage of this one-of-a-kind evening activity that keeps the stoke going for hours after dark. Upgraded in 2014 to Bright Lights™, the King’s innovative lighting system reduces night-sky light pollution, more effectively covers the slopes, and lowers energy consumption. Night skiing at Snow King is available Tues.-Sat. from 4-7 p.m. snowkingmountain.com 307-734-3194.

Uphill Travel Snow King is the only ski resort in the area allowing alpine touring (AT) skiing, snowboarding, and hiking within its boundaries. In partnership with locally owned Stio outerwear, Snow King launched the 1st Annual Online Uphill Race that employs state-of-the art RFID

Photo courtesy Snow King Mountain Resort

Mountain Sports School

Access & Resources

Whether you ski big lines in the Tetons or just bought your first touring setup, we all share a common need for avalanche safety and mitigation. To that end, Snow King is proud to announce Beacon Basin, an avalanche beacon park where you can practice avalanche transceiver search and rescue skills. Located in the Ballpark at 100 E. Snow King Avenue, it’s free.

Terrain Parks

Snow King Mountain offers enhanced terrain park experiences this season in preparation for the U.S. Collegiate National Championships. Experiences include a slopestyle park with intermediate and advanced features, ramps, and jumps, and a base area rail-and-box park. Access to the terrain parks is included in the price of the lift ticket during normal operating hours.

Events Jackson Hole Snocross National Dec 7-8, Snocross showcases specialized high performance snowmobile and snow bikes on a snowy racetrack consisting of tight turns, banked corners, steep jumps, and obstacles. Riders race at speed of up to 60 miles per hour, jumps are up to 30 feet tall, and ridw w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

ers travel up to 130 feet before they land. snowkingmountian.com, 307.201.KING

Fast, Affordable and On Your Way.

Snowmobile Hill Climb

McDonald’s® of Jackson Hole

Snow King’s winter season finale event is an unqualified spectacle: The World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb. Now in its 42nd year, riders throttle their way straight up the King’s snowbound terra firma, trying to nail the speediest high-mark. The event benefits the Jackson Hole Snow Devils’ various philanthropic missions. Slated for March 23 through March 26 this year. Call 734-9653 or go online at snowdevils.org.

14th Annual United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Championships March 12-16. The Super Bowl of collegiate ski racing, over 500 top athletes will be onsite to compete for the National Championships.

Ice Skating Snow King Sports and Events Center, located at the base of Snow King Mountain, provides a rink full of activities and is home to the Jackson Hole Moose Hockey Club. For more information, visit the center’s site at snowkingsec.com or call 307-201-1633.

Opens Dec 1; Closes March 24

Open & Serving your favorites 5:00am - Midnight Daily

Full-day tickets remain affordable at $59 for adults and $49 for juniors and seniors.

Half-day tickets are $49 for adults, $39 Jr/Sr; night skiing is $30 adults, $25 Jr/Sr. Buy online and save $5 at snowkingmountain.com

1110 W. Broadway, Jackson, WY • 1 mile west of Town Square

w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

Free Wi-Fi 307-733-7444

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Martin Hagen and Pam Weiss named to

T

U.S. Biathlon Hall Of Fame find opportunities for mischief.

“We terrorized Snow King, racing up and down the hill. The ski patrol could see us coming and I’m sure they thought we were a bunch of hooligans. It was a good time.”

On the advice of his father, who held steadfast as Martin’s confidant and spiritual advisor – “He always had something to say to keep me going” – Hagen started ski racing with the Little Waxers, an early program of the nascent Jackson Hole Ski Club. By seventh grade, other mentors steered him into Nordic ski racing and coached him at an elite level.

“Ted Majors, my seventh-grade

Hagen, one of the good skiers, had his horizon expanded while just a freshman in high school.

“The junior nationals in 1970 were in Jackson Hole, and the Canadian team invited the other teams to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories for the Top of the World Ski Championships.

It was springtime above the Arctic Circle, still a fairly short day, six or seven hours. The air temperature was really cold and the snow was very dry, old, crystalline. As soon as you stepped off the trail you sunk up to your knees. All the top racers in the world were there—the Norwegians, the Finns, the West Germans, the

Photos courtesy Martin Hagen

wo long-time Jackson Hole Nordic skiers, Pam Weiss and Martin Hagen, received quite a surprise last spring: the U.S. Biathlon Association Hall of Fame inducted them into the fold alongside fellow Jacksonite Pete Karns, class of 2010.

Hagen and Weiss both grew up in the same era of Nordic skiing in America, Hagen a Jackson Hole native and Weiss a resident since her post-college move to Jackson for a job with U.S. Forest Service.

Martin Hagen Hagen began his life as a skier at age three, playing in his backyard on a homemade pair of skis.

“My dad built them. He put sealskins underfoot so we could walk around. My sister Julie learned to ski on them, and my brother Rody, too.”

By the age of four, young Martin had progressed into a daily routine with “everybody’s baby sitter at the time, the rope tow on Snow King.”

His father, Grant Hagen, was on the ski patrol. The year was 1958.

“He and my mom (Maggie) would go skiing and drop me off at the rope tow when I was little. As I grew up it became very social because all my friends were skiing at the King. After school, I would put my skis on, skate down Cache Street from our house to the lifts, catch the last few runs, then skate back home.”

That instilled a love for skiing at an early age, when many boys typically

44

science teacher, re-started the junior high level Nordic program and coached me through high school, along with coaches Pete Karns and Johnny Curtis. High school ski racers were, then and now, prompted to pursue a membership in the U.S. Ski Association through their ski clubs, and quite often the U.S.S.A. races and high school races were held at the same venue. Same kids, same coaches. So there was a big crossover, which prevails today.

“A big reason for the success of Nordic and alpine racing in the valley is the crossover between the club and high school programs. It builds camaraderie and respect between the newer skiers and the more competitive skiers who race U.S.S.A. It’s a good system.”

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Swedes. I remember seeing Juha Meito of Finland, one of the top Nordic racers of the day. He was a huge, imposing character. You’d see him walking around town or skiing on the tracks. Hook him a wave and he’d wave back.

“The world Championships were in Lake Placid in ’73, when Rusty Scott and I were seniors. Pete Karns was our coach at the time and organized getting us out there and entered as the first Junior Biathletes ever to race for the U.S. Rusty and I were good friends growing up and came up through the ranks together both on the JH Ski Club and High School teams, as well as the U.S. Biathlon Team.”

Hagen’s first trip to Europe came in 1974, skiing as a junior at the World Championships in Minsk, Bellarus.

“Rusty and I, along with the rest of the U.S. team, landed in Oslo, Norway, went up to Stavanger on the coast of Oslo, where we had a series of races. Just before I left home, my dad said that’s where our Norwegian ancestors came from. So that was kind of cool. My first race in Europe was where some of my family came from. I was told by an adult Norwe-

gian there that my name is very common in Norway. Every time I went around the corner there was somebody that looked like me.”

After high school Hagen raced on the U.S. Biathlon Team for 15 years and skied in three Olympics. He took a break after each, the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, New York, to attend and race for the University of Wyoming. Then he switched back to full-time racing on the U.S. Biathlon Team for the 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Winter Olympic Games. He remembers coaching Pam Weiss with her shooting skills for her bid for the 1992 Games.

“The women’s team added a nice dimension to our sport, that’s for sure. And the women biathletes are doing as well or better than the men.”

Hagen retired from ski racing in 1988, went back to UW and got a degree in music education. He is married and has two children, a son Charlie and daughter Severine, and a stepdaughter Sarah Grengg Wilson. His work is in creating bronze sculptures.

“I’ve been doing sculpture for the better part of 25 years. The driving force is trying to capture, like photographers do, the most intense moment in an activity or a situation. I draw on my own experiences with kayaking, climbing, and skiing. It’s a mood. I did a bust of a guy in the starting gate, one of my real early pieces; it’s a theme that I’ve pursued from the beginning.

“Through my career as an athlete I began to notice that in the human experience, intense endeavors, like athletics, demand that you push your abilities to your limits over and over again and each time you perform becomes a small play within a play that mimics life itself. In so doing, each performance enhances your life and lifts one up. Biathlon became my identity and my sole purpose during those years and gave me an avenue to try to do what my parents taught me by their example. To take life beyond the everyday grind and try to do something special, different, unique.

Just like my races, not every time is a winner but it lifts me up.”

Pam Weiss A Jackson Hole skier since 1976, Pam Weiss was welcomed into competitive skiing after years of rejection by other sports teams because she was female.

“There were no sports for girls at my high school in New Jersey, other than cheerleading,” Weiss said. “I tried to just train with the high school boys’ track team, but was denied.”

Because her father was a ski patroller, Weiss found her way into alpine ski racing – a sport that did in-

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ior Olympics program, as our shooting coach. She quickly raised the level of our shooting.

“The biggest breakthrough I had in physical training was in 1984, when I was named to the U.S. Woman’s Cross-country ski training camp in Boulder, Colorado, with head coaches Peter Ashley and Torbjorn Karlson.

The biathlon and Nordic teams provided financial support during races and training camps, but that was all. To make ends meet, Weiss worked seasonally as a waitress and a Snake River rafting guide, among other jobs. She started her own knitted ski-hat company, Mountain Woolies. Come winter, she put her be-

longings in storage and hit the road, following the Nordic race circuit.

“It was a dream to be able to just train, rest, and eat, and not have to work so many hours; our counterparts in Europe certainly weren’t working in addition to training.”

At the first World Team trials in Lake Placid, a case of pneumonia dashed her hopes of going to the first-ever Woman’s international World Championships. The following year, though, things fell into place and Weiss competed at the 1985 World Championships in Egg, Switzerland.

She podiumed in numerous European World Cups, and skied in the 1986 and ’87 World Championships.

With no Olympic spot for women’s biathlon in 1988 (the Eastern Bloc nations managed to sideline the sport until they could develop their own Photos courtesy Pam Weiss collection.

clude women. Once enrolled at the University of Vermont, she made both the alpine and the Nordic ski teams.

Alpine, however, prevailed.

“Suddenly I was the alpine team’s number-one woman skier,” she said.

“After that, I never got to do any cross-country skiing.”

She captained UVM to a thirdplace finish at NCAA, graduated, and moved to Jackson, Wyoming, where she entered a cross-country ski race on a lark during a winter of low-snow conditions for alpine skiing in 1977.

She won this first race, a 5k at Teton Village by 6 minutes.

Encouraged by Skinny Skis coowner Jeff Crabtree and Jackson Hole Ski Club coach Peter Ashley, a couple years later she won the West Yellowstone 50k and began getting help from U.S. Ski Team coach Marty Hall. In 1980 she was invited to Squaw Valley for the first Biathlon Team training camp to include women.

“I was fascinated by the sport and the mental aspect of shooting. We were fortunate to have Marie Alkire, a national Women's Air Rifle Champion, U.S. shooting team manager, and coach for the National Rifle Association's Jun-

teams), Weiss and her competitors raced in Canmore, Alberta, in an international NorAm series after the Calgary Olympics. It was bittersweet, but Weiss loved the hilly course and won the individual and relay races, calling it “her own personal Olympics.”

Along the way, she became an advocate for women in sports.

“I was trying to open doors for the women’s team and was an athlete’s representative to the board of directors. Most of the board members were either former or still active military that were not quite prepared for women to be involved in this maledominated sport.”

w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

Weiss, at age 33, was asked to retire by the team program director to make room for the younger, upcoming competitors. She refused and instead renewed her efforts in ski racing and continued to post good results.

Women’s biathlon was still a young sport and there were no examples to suggest an athlete’s potential longevity. She was determined to lead the way and show younger athletes what was possible in their careers.

Training on her own, Weiss spent time with some female cross-country skiers who provided a morale boost and served as role models.

“Alison Owen was an early U.S. woman cross-country ski racer who spent a summer training in Jackson in the late ‘70s. Jennifer Caldwell, a fellow U.S. Ski Team athlete, lived with me one summer in Jackson and we trained together. Earlier still, local Olympian Nordic skier Kelly Milligan and I did long runs in the Tetons.”

Leading up to the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France – the first Olympic games for women’s biathlon – Weiss retired from the national team and trained in Jackson.

She worked at Skinny Skis as a bookkeeper because the company’s flexible hours facilitated her race schedule. She trained under the guidance of Peter Ashley, and Martin Hagen coached her in shooting. But her chances were dashed five days before the team trials when an outof-control car crashed into her car and she was injured. That ended her

race career, during which she had achieved 17 national and international biathlon podiums and a win in the national 20k cross-country ski race in 1983.

Weiss now splits her time between Jackson Hole and New Zealand, where she runs the New Zealand Kayak School with her husband, Mick. She didn’t want to give up her sport to get a job and have kids, but once she had retired on her own terms, she did just that. She earned a CPA in accounting, started her own business in Jackson, and gave birth to a son, Liam.

In 2002, Weiss finally got to see women’s biathlon at the Olympics when she worked as a timer at the Salt Lake City Games.

“I enjoyed seeing many of the women who had just started the sport when I was retiring, racing at the international level. The sport has obviously evolved, but there were also some interesting discussions I had with women as to the continuing politics on the team. I often wish I had been able to give more, from my experiences, back to the female athletes in the years after I retired. It was, and probably still is, one of the missing ingredients in Woman’s Biathlon Team coaching.

“Being named to the U.S. Biathlon team Hall of Fame this year alongside Martin Hagen is a huge honor for me and, in my mid 60s, a wonderful recognition. Kind of like the icing on the cake!”

— JH Skier

Teton Born Olympic Skiers Resi Stiegler Born and raised in Jackson Hole, grew up skiing for the Jackson Hole Ski Club.

17-year U.S. Ski Team member Competed in three Winter Olympics, Eight World Championships.

Podiums on all levels.

Sponsors Rossignol, Shred, Leki, T2 Foundation, JHMR, Mountain Tactical, LuluLemonÂ

Center of Excellence in Park City Photo: U.S. Ski & Snowboard Slalom 2017 FIS Alpine World Championships St. Moritz, Switzerland Photo: Steven Earl Photography

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Women's Super G 2016 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships Sun Valley, Idaho Photo: U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Breezy Johnson Teton native and Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club alumna, Breezy Johnson, 22, has competed in FIS events since 2011. In March she sustained an ACL tear and is sidelined for the 2019 season. During her recovery, she’ll share the physical and mental challenges of rehabilitation on the ski team website, usskiandsnowboard.org.

Race Career Highlights 2018— 7th in downhill and 14th in super G, Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

4th in downhill, Garmisch; 8th in downhill, Åre, Sweden 2017 — Top-10 in the downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo; 11th place at Lake Louise and GarmischPartenkirchen; 13th fastest at Val d’Isere; 15th at the World Championships in St. Moritz; 16th at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee 2015/16 — Europa Cup Downhill Champ, Altenmarkt; NorAm Downhill Champ, Lake Louise.

Putting her Khombu boots to good use at the top of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Photo: Jonathan Selkowitz

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J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R

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Jaelin Kauf Race Career Highlights

1st place Japan World Cup 2017 1st place China World Cup 2017 2nd place China World Cup 2017 1st place Deer Valley World Cup 2018 2nd place Deer Valley Cup 2018 1st place World Cup Finals, Megeve 2018 (4 World Cup Victories, 8 World Cup Podiums) 2017/2018 Ranked 2nd in the World 7th place 2018 Winter Olympics 2017 World Championship Bronze Medalist 2017 Dual Mogul National Champion 2016 Silver Medalist at U.S. Nationals 2016 World Cup Rookie of The Year

Photos: 2018 FIS Visa Freestyle International Deer Valley, Utah. Steven Earl Photography

Olympic Memories

My favorite moment from the 2018 Winter Olympics, PyeongChang, South Korea came after my competition. I was heartbroken and crushed. I came so close, barely missing a spot to ski and compete for the medals. I can’t even describe the pain and heartbreak I was going through and still feel talking about it now. My dad, mom, brother, stepdad, uncle, godfather, and friends were all there to support and watch me in the Olympics. Following the event, instead of going back to their place to celebrate, I went back to their place looking for consolation.

Sitting there, surrounded by loved ones, I realized that my result never mattered. My family, friends, and the Teton Valley community were all so proud of me for everything I had just accomplished, medal or no medal.

In that moment I was so grateful for the amazing people in my life. I was proud of myself for competing on the Olympic stage, under pressure, and for skiing three great runs, no matter what the judges thought of them. I carried myself with grace and dignity and left everything I had on the finish line. It was not the moment I had envisioned, but it was the greatest moment of my Olympic experience and one I will never forget.

Sponsors

Oakley, ID One USA, New Balance w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

EMERGING TALENT Photos by Emmett McLaulin

Junior IFSA

After a two-year hiatus, the Jackson

Hole Junior International Freeskiers and

Snowboarders Association (IFSA) regional event returned to Toilet Bowl at

the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort last January. The event sold out with over 90 competitors from Utah, Idaho, Montana,

Will Mercer Colorado, New Mexico, & Wyoming.

A strong partnership between the

Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard

Club’s Freeride Program and Jackson

Hole Mountain Resort made the event possible.

Although the visibility was challeng-

ing at times, the storm delivered upwards of 20” throughout the weekend.

Competitors were glad to find lots of

deep turns and fresh landings on the

venue. For the first time in this event’s history we were able to run the finals on

Ellis Swain

the coveted Tower Three Chute.

The sound of cowbells filled the am-

phitheater, with spectators lining the

bottom of the run and cheering on the

athletes. After two days of standout

shredding, champions were crowned

and all celebrated the return of an annual event.

The event is scheduled for January

25-27, 2019. Bring your cowbells and support the regional youth.

Skier, main image: Jack Carney

— Rob LaPier, Freeride Program Director 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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U O Y S K N A H T .

For Helping Us Build Champions In Sport & Life Since 193

8

DID YOU KNOW JHSC… •

Is a nationally certified “Silver Podium” club placing it in the top 7% of clubs nationwide

•

Serves 500 student-athletes in Alpine, Nordic, Freeski, Snowboard and Backcountry programming

•

Employs 90 staff members and 10 year-round staff

•

Hosts over 30 days of community and junior competitions at every level generating $2,600,000 for the Jackson Hole economy

HOW TO SUPPORT THE CLUB •

Volunteer Help youth and community events at every level

•

Annual Fund Support all JHSC programs, high-quality staffing, and continued improvements

•

Annual Need-Based Scholarship Fund Encourage community accessibility

•

Sponsor Gain great exposure for your business, locally and beyond

Legacy Funds Available in JHSC Endowments • Betty Woolsey Olympian Endowment Incentivize merit and performance

• Karen Oatey Scholarship Endowment Ensure long-term viability for need-based support

JHSC, with its history, programs, staff, and events is a real backbone of the Jackson Hole community. – Mark Barron, former Mayor Jackson, WY

Contact: Brian Krill, Executive Director, bkrill@jhskiclub.org or Jeff Moran, Chief Marketing Officer, jmoran@jhskiclub.org for more information about the Club and how to support it

FCE Jackson Town Downhill

Wade McKoy / Bob Woodall photos; TDH 2018 venue moved to JHMR due to low snow on Snow King.

The 37th annual (Fish Creek Excavation) FCE Jackson Town Downhill features the heart-throbbing Mini-Hahnenkamm course on Snow King Mountain. With Pro, Recreation, Telemark, Junior, Fat and Baggy, and Snowboard divisions, this winter favorite draws close to 200 competitors and hundreds of spectators. Jackson Hole is one of the last places in the country to organize and support a non-sanctioned downhill race. The second Triple Crown event takes place on March 9 and 10, 2019.

Henry Hakoshima 2018 1st (Men’s Pro Division) First year racing Pro, previously in Jr. Division Jenny Allen JHSC U12 Alpine Coach 2018 TDH Women’s Pro champion

Tommy Moe 2009 2nd 2010 1st 2018 4th Zach Scwhartz (Men’s Pro Division) 2010 2nd 2012 5th 2013 3rd 2014 1st 2015 1st 2017 1st 2018 2nd

Triple Crown Watch or be watched in these winter festivals that push everyone’s adrenalin into the fun sphere.

The 27th Annual Skinny Skis Moose Chase Nordic Ski Race skates to a start at the base of Teton Pass on Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Trail Creek Nordic Center.

The 37th annual FCE Town Downhill - Mini Hahnenkamm charges down Snow King Mountain’s steep slopes on March 9 & 10, 2019. The base area fills with spectators at this legacy Jackson event.

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Come spring, the big daddy of them all, the Rendezvous River Sports Karen Oatey Pole Pedal Paddle, number 44, slated for Saturday, March 23, 2019, at Teton Village. The multisport event includes a downhill ski race from the summit of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, running and bicycle legs along Wyoming highways 22 and 26, and a river leg on the Snake River, from South Park to Astoria Hot Springs Park.

All events produced by the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club.

Check ‘em out at jhskiclub.org/triplecrown — Jeff Moran 2018

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ROOTS

Native Teens Live To Ski

Kai Jones

Born in 2006 to Shelly and Todd Jones

“I was born on Cinco de Mayo, a day that repre-

sents freedom in Mexico.

It was 4:30 in the afternoon and Bob Marley

was playing.

Highlight Reel

Won the IFSA Junior

Freeride tour, U12 category.

Elected to Teton Middle School student council.

Earned a segment in TGR’s

Climbed and skied the

Nic Alegre / Teton Gravity Research (portrait); Wade McKoy (ski, background)

2018 film “Far Out.”

Skillet Glacier route on Mt. Moran.

Missed 27 days of school be-

cause I was skiing and still finished with a 3.85 GPA.

Personal Philosophy

Support your friends and

family, have fun, be happy,

be humble, and enjoy every

moment. Put yourself out

there and live the life you want to live.

Goals

I want to try my hardest,

help my friends, do well in

school and push my skiing

to the next level.

Sponsors

Atomic, Quiksilver, Jackson

Hole Mountain Resort, Teton

Gravity Research, Smith Optics, and Ski Addiction

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Ellie Snow Armstrong

Born December 14, 2002, to Rick and Hollee

Armstrong. “Funny enough, I was born in the middle of a huge snowstorm.”

Highlight Reel

I’ve won and podiumed in several ski competitions,

but having a supportive family to help me get here is

the best thing possible. I hit the biggest air of my life

this year, around 50 feet. And I’m probably one of the youngest riders to hit Goal Post, next to Sublette lift.

To help me continue reaching my goals, I’m attending

boarding school at Wy’East Mountain Academy (formerly Windells Ski Academy) in Oregon this year.

Personal Philosophy

Be yourself and have a positive attitude. Always

strive to be your best and put in 100-percent effort.

Don’t let others get to you. We are humans, things

happen, things can hurt, and people will try to put you down for succeeding. The best thing to do is

keep being yourself, know you have people behind you to help you achieve your goals, and prove to

those people who put you down that they were wrong.

Spread the love!

Goals

To spread my love for the mountains and be an inspiration to the next generation, especially little

girls. This winter I’m trying to bring my double backflips onto snow (from the trampoline) and be one of

the youngest females to do one.

Sponsors

Rick Armstrong photos

Salomon Freeski, Smith Optics, Noso Patches, Teton Gravity Research, Mud Room, Nomad, Windells Academy.

I’m dedicating this to my parents, and to Bryce New-

comb, who took me under his wing the past few winters and showed me his way through the mountains.

I want to keep his spirit alive through my skiing.

Thank you, Bryce.

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The Code of

Backcountry Ethics A message from Teton Pass Ambassador Jay Pistono

Not so long ago, it didn’t matter. So few of us skied up there. But somewhere along the line, as fellow Teton Pass aficionado Davie Agnew pointed out to me some years ago, we began failing to use it wisely. We were witnessing the slow degradation of our access to the finest backcountry skiing in North America. So we began speaking out.

The ethics and safety code I espouse emerged collectively and has been passed down through the years. It comes from common sense, from a variety of people, and it has a historical perspective. It’s always open to discussion as new ideas and fresh perspectives appear.

Code of Backcountry Ethics Don’t ski Twin Slides or Glory Bowl when you might cause an avalanche that will reach the highway. If a skier or ‘boarder puts a slide across the road that kills a commuter, the highway patrol will seriously propose closing it to skiing.

Don’t drop in above another party. Hold off Bad choices might lead to parking lot closure. and let those people finish that line in case that thing goes. But if somebody is down there Skiers and snowboarders are making work. Overall, the folks who drive on the standing in the middle of the bowl, just totally WYDOT’s job more difficult than it needs to road especially resent skier-triggered slides. clueless, you can either go ski something else, be – and angering a slew of motorists, too. These folks just want to get to and from or ski down to them and give them a little lesWYDOT recently reiterated that recre- work safely. son. There’s always a way to present informaational users are not entitled to parking on I’ve always thought of the pass as a place tion where people tend to accept it. Don’t jump top of Teton Pass! to raise the human spirit, not as a place to down their throat.

Causing avalanches above the highway make a name for yourself. Not as some kind Honor the “No Parking Beyond This Point” is not cool; yet it happened 11 times last win- of snow commodity. A place where everyone sign. The parking lot at the top of Teton Pass ter. And many of those slides dispatched is welcomed, regardless of color, orientation, was built by the Wyoming Department Of snow onto the roadway, motorists, and or status.

Transportation as a safety turnout for traffic. It WYDOT personnel.

So be level-headed up there and make belongs to WYDOT. Try and park a door-width Be sensible. Think about where you are good decisions for the greatest number of apart to maximize capacity. And when you are and the stream of cars passing below. The people. Conform to the rules of logic. Think waiting for a space to open up, stay put rather reason skiers have access to Teton Pass in about the future. And maybe save some of than driving back and forth around the pullout.

Honor who should get the next spot; if somethe first place is because of WYDOT’s the stoke for the bar. — Jay Pistono one has picked up hitchhikers, maybe they are entitled to that person’s spot.

Control Your Dog. If your dog doesn’t pay there. In the springtime, it’s offensive when that stuff starts to attention to cars, keep it on a leash when you’re walking up the melt out. Teton Pass is part of our watershed. Look what’s going road. When hiking up Glory, and your dog is halfway into Twin on down in the Wasatch: dogs are not allowed in the backcounSlides chasing a ‘boarder, you don’t want that dog biting the try.

No Dogs! That’s the rule. There were too many people from guy; you’re putting an extra load on the slope, you’re wrecking Salt Lake taking their dogs up there. Nobody ever thinks that the guy’s run. Deal with your dog’s crap. Take a mutt mitt, use it, kind of stuff is going to happen (here), but it could. and put it in the station. Or at least fling it off the trail. Think about During bad visibility, get up out of the roadbed. If a plow is it: a can full of turds and there are that many fewer dumps out

Wade McKoy photo Jason Tattersall skier

Trailhead Unplowed

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Background photo Bob Woodall

coming down and a car is coming up, they could swerve into each other when they see you at the last second. But if you have to be in the road, walk in single file.

When hitchhiking, stand in a safe place and be ready to jump in that car. I’m constantly shocked at people hitchhiking at the base of Glory. Okay, it has a million tracks and it’s not going to slide that day. But why not go up the road a hundred feet? Then, w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

at least, you look smarter. And when someone stops for you, don’t make the driver wait. It’s inconsiderate, and it’s dangerous.

And a few final admonitions: Don’t walk in the skin track.

Don’t skin in the boot track. Don’t deafen yourself – keep the ear-bud tunes at a volume that allows you to still hear the outside world. Yield the uphill track to those faster coming from below.

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Exum Mountain Guides America’s oldest guide service and school of mountaineering

E xum Mountain Guides holds the

distinction of being the oldest guide service in Grand Teton National Park. For over 80 years, Exum has imparted wisdom and skills to clients seeking summer adventure in the Teton landscape.

They’ve ushered thousands of people of all ages to the summit of the park’s tallest peak, the Grand Teton.

In winter, Exum shepherds skiers and snowboarders through its extensive array of seasonal programs. Jackson Hole skiers are Continued page 58

Skiers (above)

Skiers

Photographer

Photographer

Zahan Billimoria guides his friend Ken Jarman

Wade McKoy

Location

Grand Teton National Park

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Zahan Billimoria and Pep Fujas Fredrik Marmsater

Location

Grand Teton National Park

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Facing page:

Guide Ben Gilmore teaches rope skills.

Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Snow King

Skier

Zahan Billimoria

Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Grand Tetons

Continued from page 56 sitting pretty, too. The Tetons, with dozens of roadside canyons cutting through their 7,000-foot vertical relief, reign as America’s best mountain range for skiing and snowboarding.

Exum’s president, Nat Patridge, described his company’s clientele: “We welcome a full range of skiers, from novices to the backcountry to experienced backcountry skiers who want to get into technical ski mountaineering. Many of our clients ultimately ski the range’s most challenging objectives, such as the Skillet Glacier on Mount Moran.”

The guide company offers a variety of outings, beginning with mellow introductory ski-days up Mail Cabin Creek on Teton Pass. The other end of the spectrum, skiing the Grand Teton, rounds it out. With all that’s in between, skiers can find something in the Exum portfolio that personally suits them.

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“The greatest value in guided skiing,” said Patridge, “is the pairing of terrain with a client’s ability and desire, especially in the Tetons, even with accomplished skiers.

“You can ascend a multitude of peaks and ski into numerous valleys by using ramps and other features most people don’t readily know about. It makes for a beautiful tour and a satisfying day when you ski a variety of terrain. Most people can achieve more by going with a guide than they ever could on their own.”

The company was founded in 1930 by Paul Petzoldt, one of the godfathers of American alpinism. The next year, Glenn Exum joined Petzoldt as an apprentice guide. On their first trip together guiding a client up the Grand, Glenn Exum pioneered a new route, thereafter named the Exum Ridge.

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EXUM SKI CAMPS • Ski Mountaineering Clinic, Jan. 25-27, Feb. 22-24, $995 • Splitboard Mountaineering Clinic, Feb. 22-24, $995 • Moran Camp, March 7-10, $2,295 • Advance Ski Mountaineering Clinic, March 15-17, $1,050 per person • Live To Ski Camp, April 18-21, $1,125 • Backcountry Skiing/Ski Mountaineering, upon request: Mt. Oliver, Mail Cabin Creek, 25 Short, Albright Peak • Ski Mountaineering — Buck Mountain, Nez Perce, Disappointment Peak, Mount Moran, Skillet Glacier Ski the Grand

“It’s amazing that on Glenn’s first time guiding with Paul on the Grand Teton, they pioneered a new way up it,” noted Patridge.

Successful route finding on uncharted mountain terrain relies on a number of factors coming together.

“They were very creative and good problem solvers. And then, they were very bold,” he added. “That combination of attributes allowed them to see the route where others might not have in the past.”

Early western mountaineers also had to be creative with their gear.

“Glenn climbed in a borrowed pair of leather football cleats, two sizes too big,” said Patridge. “There weren’t many options for footwear back then, and that was the best athletic shoe he knew about.”

Modern ski equipment makes it relatively easy to travel deep into

the backcountry. But safe mountain travel in winter requires more than just having the proper gear.

“We have an intermountain snowpack that poses a lot of snow-stability problems in many years,” he said. “On average we have issues, at least for the beginning of the winter.

Often by the time snow depths reach mid-winter levels, those instabilities tend to no longer react to a skier. But in the spring they sometimes can be awakened.

“Early season, however, it’s almost always game on.”

Patridge has an informed, broad perspective on skiing at resorts and skiing the backcountry. He’s guided around the world for 22 years, including heli-ski guiding in Valdez, Alaska, and locally, and backcountry guiding at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and in the Tetons.

“I think backcountry skiing – and ski mountaineering – is the highest form of skiing, the purest form of the sport,” he said. “Climb up on your own power, make all your own choices, and lay beautiful tracks down pristine snow.”

It might just be the perfect solution. Find out for yourself by calling Exum today.

— JH SKIER

EXPERIENCE

TETON BACKCOUNTRY WITH

Call Today

|

Ski Tomorrow

307.732.0606 exumguides.com

Exum is an authorized concession of the National Park Service and a nondiscriminatory permittee of multiple US Forest Service districts.

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Jackson Hole Mountain Guides Serving powder to skiers for over 50 years The Jackson Hole Mountain Guides

are 50-year veterans at sharing the region’s beauty with clients from around the world. They lead ski trips throughout the Tetons and conduct a variety of educational courses on winter skills, camping, touring, ski mountaineering, and expedition training. Since 1968 they’ve led classes and trips throughout the Western U.S. mountains in rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, hiking, canyoneering, and backcountry skiing.

No other Rocky Mountain range matches Grand Teton National Park and Teton Pass for backcountry ski opportunities.

“The Tetons are big,” said Paul Rachele, the company’s winter program coordinator. “Skinning up those east-side shots and looking out over the valley, nowhere else has such an open feeling.”

The opportunity to experience this for yourself is as close as the telephone. And while a private guide can always be arranged, JHMG conducts two-day deep-powder camps every other Tuesday and Wednesday from January through early March.

“All our guides are super familiar with the park,” he said, “so we can take people to our secret stashes and ski a bunch of powder.”

More winters than not, deep snow can be found cloaking the mountains surrounding Jackson Hole. But even in low-snow winters, local backcountry skiers manage to ski plenty of powder in safe conditions.

“With our northern latitude, it’s stable powder, especially in mid-season – cold-snow season. I skied the Grand Teton in February in perfect boottop powder.”

Luckily, most skiers don’t need to summit a major peak to reap the rewards of untracked snow. Three thousand vertical feet of east-facing fluff is but a few hours of skinning away. And the higher a skier climbs, the greater the number of steep lines that come into view.

“Our advanced ski tours are a little bit more adventurous. You see fewer skiers than on the standard front-side shots. That type of terrain could be a second-day option on one of our deep-powder camps, if the group is ready to go out that far.”

Continued page 62 w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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Skiers (inset)

Kim Havell and Steve Romeo

Photographer

Greg Von Doersten

Location

Grand Teton National Park

Skier

Bryce Newcomb

Photographer

Fredrik Marmsater

Location

Grand Teton National Park

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Skiers, all photos: Brian Warren, Jon Scheibel Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Grand Teton National Park

Continued from page 60 Newcomers to backcountry skiing are welcomed clientele, too.

“I moved to Jackson 10 years ago to climb in the Tetons year-round. I was not a skier but, since they kick you out if you don’t ski, I bought a pair and began teaching myself. I fell in

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love with skiing in a way that I didn’t expect. It was definitely a pleasant surprise. The whole backcountry ski phenomenon is quite sublime.”

JHMG’s Intro To Backcountry Skiing is a one-and-a-half day course on Teton Pass and in Grand Teton National Park. The evening before, clients meet with guides to learn about the gear needed and how to pack it. In the field the next day, guides teach about efficient backcountry travel, skinning technique, pacing, and nutrition.

The experienced backcountry skier who’s ready for a higher calling should look into JHMG’s three-day Ski Mountaineering Camp in late March.

“On Teton Pass we give them the shakedown on ropes systems and skiing techniques, and also cover rescue aspects. Skiing these big things in the park, you can’t just head out and hope everything goes well, then call for the helicopter if they don’t. You have to be prepared to self-rescue. We talk about rescue sleds and emergency bivy instructions. If the weather’s good, we’ll try at least one day in the high peaks, skiing bigger objectives, whatever is good, and skiing smaller things on the other two days.”

One other great benefit of going out with a guide: there are great ski runs off the back of these classic shots, Albright, and 25-Short, Mavericks.

“You look down this line and say,

JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN GUIDES SKI CAMPS Intro to Backcountry Skiing 1/2 day — $225 — December 1415, January 18-19, February 8-9 Deep Pow Camp 2-day — $550 — January 8-9, 22-23; February 5-6, 19-20; March 5-6 Ski Mountaineering Camp 3-day — $950 — March 26-28 Fischer Ski Camp 3-day — $1,050 — TBD Private Backcountry Ski Tours — 25 Short, Mavericks, Whimpy’s, Olive Oyl Advanced Ski Tours — Chute the Moon, Albright, Turkey Chute Ski Mountaineering — Apocalypse, Grand Teton, Mt. Moran

‘Boy, it looks like it’s gonna go,’ but you never know for sure. So we can point out these as we ski up, say ‘This one goes, this one you need a rope for, and this one ends in a 2,000 foot cliff.’ We can give you the lay of the land.”

Partnering with Fischer Sports, JHMG offers a camp that features ski experiences with Fischer athletes and representatives, all while skiing on Fischer equipment. Additionally, JHMG has a full fleet of Fischer rental skis, boots, and poles.

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Mammut is a partner in JHMG’s avalanche-education program. Participants can try out the new Berry Box beacon, along with a Mammut shovel, probe, and airbag pack. At the end of the course, clients write a review, which also may find its way into Mammut’s marketing.

Technology has made backcountry skiing a vastly different sport than it was 50 years ago. JHMG brings their long-term expertise to this modernized activity and continues to help skiers and snowboarders safely partake in its grand pleasures. — JH SKIER

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Teton Backcountry Guides

An alpine hut system in the Tetons L

ots of skiers can lead others into the backcountry, but Teton Backcountry Guides also provides shelter in the alpine zone. Their overnight and hut-to-hut trips into the heart of the Tetons make it possible to live in the mountains for a few days. Whether Mother Nature is quiet and peaceful or windy and stormy, whether the night sky reveals shining peaks under the Milky Way or snowflakes falling in darkness, you’re there, warm and dry.

Photographer

Mark Fisher, Fisher creative

Location

Baldy Knoll yurt w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

Skier

Forrest Jillson

Photographer Jay Goodrich

Location

Teton Pass

Diane Verna, co-owner of the Alta, Wyoming, based company, believes their niche lies in providing a unique wilderness skiing experience.

“When our clients ski from the yurts, there aren’t skin tracks everywhere, there aren’t people everywhere, and it’s not tracked out,” she said. “What’s there is 200,000 acres of wilderness to explore on skis.”

Take the Plummer Canyon yurt, for instance. The ski terrain includes steep runs and some that are moderately pitched. Stable snow conditions are required to ski the long, north-facing runs into the South Fork of Game Creek. When the avalanche risk is too high – and sometimes because the lower-angle slopes hold better skiing – skiers can work the slopes off Rhodesia Ridge or Mt. Wow. “And at the end of the ski day, you don’t get back in a car and leave the mountains,” she said. “You stay there—in comfort, and not in a tent.” w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

The wooden-floored yurts, made by Pacific Yurts, even boast operational windows and a sky dome. The firewood is cut and stacked, the propane tank is full, and the kitchen is outfitted with quality cooking utensils. Sturdy bunk beds sport three-inch-thick sleeping pads.

And the guide is also a good cook.

“Our clients eat well,” Verna said. “We provide deluxe, fresh, and organic meals.” Dinners include wild Alaskan salmon, mixed greens, and fresh vegetables.

Guests awake to fresh-brewed Starbucks coffee, fresh fruit salads, and other homemade treats.

“All our clients need to bring is a daypack with extra clothes, and we take care of all the rest,” she added. “It’s a real vacation for them.”

The hut system includes three winterized yurts, Continued page 67 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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Backcountry Zero

by Melissa Thomasma

It’s an utterly perfect day in Jackson Hole: soft, fresh

snow decorates the trees, and the untouched powder out of bounds beckons. Enthusiastically, your crew strikes out to play in the pristine, wintery wilderness. It’s like carving turns into a cloud, everyone exhilarated and brimming with the joy. Today will be one to remember.

But then the unthinkable happens: your friend’s knee twists, cracks.

She crumples into the snow. Just as suddenly, dark clouds slide across the blue skies. You realize that it’s getting late, and a great day has rapidly become an extremely dangerous situation. How will you move your injured friend to the car? What if you can’t get there by dark? Do you have what you need to survive the night?

Scenarios like this keep Teton County Search and Rescue busy throughout the winter season. Although beautiful, the cold season in the Rocky Mountains is unforgiving; skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers and other outdoor enthusiasts can find themselves in life-threatening situations in the blink of an eye.

“A lot of the accidents we see are preventable,” said Stephanie Thomas, executive director of Teton County Search and Rescue.

“Sure, some of them aren’t. Sometimes someone just had a really bad day. But others? They’re preventable things.” Nearly three years ago, this belief that the majority of backcountry incidents are avoidable inspired Thomas and others within the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation. They wanted to create a cross-sport culture in the community that helped prevent fatalities and backcountry emergencies.

A fresh and proactive approach, Backcountry Zero, was born. Its mission? “Backcountry Zero is a Jackson Hole community vision to reduce injuries and fatalities in the Tetons,” Thomas said. “Backcountry Zero is a four-season, cross-sport, community-led program created by the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation to inspire, educate, collaborate, and foster leadership in order to develop and heighten awareness for safer practices in the backcountry.”

Thomas explained the program’s main tenets, its three backcountry Ps: “Be Prepared, Be Practiced, and Be Present.” Preparation includes several areas of readiness: sufficient gear, route awareness, weather conditions, first aid, and survival skills. Groups who spend time in the backcountry should carry appropriate food, water, clothing layers, and emergency equipment. When facing an extended period in the elements or a partner with an injury, having the right tools to keep warm, hydrated, and energized can make all the difference.

The second ‘P’ – Practiced – refers to the education and skills people need to have before they head into the backcountry. “You can’t

Be Prepared. Be Practiced. Be Present. just buy the gear,” said Thomas. “You have to know how to use it and you need to practice with it regularly to keep your skills sharp.” It also means taking a first aid course, an avy course, and knowing how to fix your gear when it breaks. Each backcountry user needs to be sure they have the right education and the right skillset for their chosen adventure.

“The hardest one to talk about is the ‘Be Present,’ idea,” Thomas said. “It’s about the mindfulness of the mountains and where you’re at, who you are with, and asking if this is the right plan for today.”

This deep awareness is critical, she continued. “You might have all the education in the world, and you might have all the gear. But if your head isn’t where it needs to be for that day – that is the life or death decision.”

Avalanche awareness and other wintertime skills are very important to the Backcountry Zero program. But, Thomas stressed, so is the importance of the multi-season and cross-sport nature of the messaging.

“If you wear a beacon while skiing, you should wear a PFD on the river; it’s about cross-sport awareness.” In other words, safety, preparedness, and prevention are paramount no matter the season or the adventure.

Backcountry Zero Ambassadors highlight this diversity: the professional athletes who represent the program include mountain bikers, paragliders, skiers, climbers, and snowmobilers, to name just a few.

These faces of the program, Thomas pointed out, were selected because they don’t just talk the talk; they model the principles of Backcountry Zero in all of the sports they enjoy in Jackson Hole.

Thomas and the Backcountry Zero team seek to educate outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and are working to reach the community in a variety of ways. They offer classes that bolster adventurers’ preparedness and help ensure that people have appropriate gear and skills before heading into the backcountry. Recognizing the large number of youth in Jackson Hole who love to play in the outdoors, the program offers classes like “What’s in Your Pack?” for kids. It’s never too early to cultivate great backcountry habits. Additionally, the program’s blog and podcast share important stories and lessons with the public.

Local businesses have teamed up with the project as well. Headwall Sports hosts a “State of the Snowpack” presentation every other week, making sure that skiers and snowboarders are aware of avalanche risk in the mountains. Others, like Hoback Sports, showcase the pack recommendations that Backcountry Zero champions, and let customers know that they carry any items an adventurer might be missing.

Ultimately, Backcountry Zero is about fostering relationships, awareness, and a community-wide culture that is committed to minimizing fatalities and injuries in our favorite playground. As it continues to evolve, the program is reaching more people, making more educational and informational opportunities accessible, and keeping everyone safer. It comes down to this: staying safe today means you can ski again tomorrow.

Don’t be late for après...

Be prepared, practiced and present in the mountains.

If you don’t know, don’t go.

Join us. Become an advocate for A project of Teton County Search and Rescue 66

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backcountry safety at backcountryzero.com. w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Teton Backcountry Guides Services/Trips Teton Crest Traverse Yurt-based Backcountry Skills Camp Advanced Backcountry Skills Camp Steep and Deep Camp Women’s Backcountry Skills Camp Targhee Backcountry Overnight and Custom Hut Tours Hut Rentals

Backcountry 101: 1-day course Level 1 Avalanche Curriculum: 3-day course Teton Pass Tours Edelweiss and Columbia Bowls Mail Cabin Canyon Mt. Glory Mt. Taylor GTNP Tours 25’ Short and Maverick Mountain Mt. Albright and Wimpy’s Knob Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing

Skier

Morgan Dinsdale

Photographer Wade McKoy

Location

Southern Tetons

Continued from page 65 lowing you all day. And it all comes at a fraction of what a heli-ski vacation costs.”

TBG also leads day trips on Teton Pass and the Tetons, and teaches ski mountaineering and avalanche courses.

“Our guides are among the region’s most experienced and knowledgeable backcountry skiers and riders,” Verna said. “We find the best snow and terrain to suit our clients’ abilities. We also provide instruction and interpret the natural environment for a fun-filled and educational outing.” — JH SKIER

GO DEEP! LEARN BACKCOUNTRY SKILLS DAY CLINICS / 3-DAY CAMPS

EXPLORE TETON PASS DAY TOURS

DIY YURT RENTALS RESERVE NOW w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

TETON BACKCOUNTRY GUIDES 1986

Your Local Backcountry Ski Shop

Backcountry Ski Sales Professional Ski & Snowboard Tunes Rentals of Backcountry Ski Equipment, Snowshoes & XC Skis In Downtown Wilson At the Base of Teton Pass Next to Pearl Street Bagels

TETONGUIDES.COM

307-733-5228

wilsonbackcountry.com 2 0 1 8 -1 9

Wade McKoy / Jason Tattersall

each in a unique setting. Guides are available to lead groups on multiday tours, but experienced skiers can also rent the yurts unguided.

“We take pride in having top-quality, clean yurts,” said Verna. “We scrub them thoroughly every season and clean them weekly throughout the winter.

Most important, perhaps, “Our huts are for exclusive use,” she added. “Your small private group does not have to share the yurt—or the terrain—with others. No congested trailheads, no dog-eat-dog for first tracks, no group fol-

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CANADA

CMH HELI-SKIING LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

Heli-skiing’s three most important elements? Same as

real estate: location, location, location! CMH founder Hans Gmoser understood that. At a time when nobody else was interested in securing recreational alpine tenure in British Columbia, Gmoser struck out in a helicopter and surveyed the entire mountainous province.

He staked out 3 million acres that to this day contain Canada’s finest ski terrain. All are within the Columbia Mountains (in particular its sub-

ranges Selkirk, Monashee, Purcell, and Cariboo), which represent the sweet spot when it comes to heli-skiing. They combine huge quantities of dry powder, ideal pitches above and below the treeline, and oldgrowth forests that nature apparently designed for perfect tree skiing.

Born in Austria, Gmoser moved to Canada as a teenager. His North American climbing and mountaineering exploits during the 1950s are legendary. In the early 1960s he founded the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and was its first technical director.

Gmoser’s talent and enthusiasm as a mountain guide made him a natural to introduce the world to heli-skiing. In 1965 he launched Canadian Mountain Holidays (now CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures),

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Photos courtesy CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures

TERRAIN OVERVIEW

Canada’s Columbia Mountains (Selkirk, Monashee, Purcell, and Cariboo sub-ranges) pull powder out of Pacific storms at a staggering rate. Situated perfectly away from the warmth of the ocean and naturally protected from blasts of arctic air, temperatures stay consistent and mid-winter skiable snow is usually 3-4 meters deep, if not more. Sitting smack in the middle of this powder bullseye, CMH lodges are home to every type of terrain that skiers love, including rolling glaciers, sustained steeps, couloirs, perfectly gladed trees, pillows and spines. Additionally, CMH has created a range of trip types—from Signature to Small Group—allowing clients to customize their dream heli-skiing vacations.

NEAREST AIRPORT

Calgary, Alberta; Kelowna, British Columbia; Kamloops, British Columbia. Air charters to select CMH lodges are also available.

TOURING OPTION

CMH Heli-Assisted ski touring: Hosted at the Adamants, Bugaboo, and Cariboo lodges, ski highalpine, wide-open glaciers and perfectly spaced tree runs with fully certified mountain guides. In groups of 5-10 ski tourers plus 1-2 guides, these trips allow easy access to epic terrain and expansive wilderness.

Get the best of both worlds with Ski Fusion.

Four days of heli-skiing in pristine powder and three days of ski touring to see a different side of the breathtaking wilderness terrain.

the world’s first heli-skiing company and largest single employer of accredited mountain guides.

“Hans had a contagious passion for the mountains, and that is the foundation of our culture at CMH,” the company proudly notes.

CMH’s 12 lodges service BC’s endless bounty. Little wonder heliskiing becomes a lifelong obsession for some. CMH group sizes range from 4 to 11 and are completely customizable. At the forefront of snowsafety practices and technology, CMH guides and pilots are worldrenowned for delivering guests safely and efficiently to the best deep-powder runs of their lives.

“At one-third the size of Switzerland, our available terrain is large w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

SEASON

Early December through the first week of May.

YEARS IN OPERATION 53

CONTACT INFO & SOCIAL MEDIA

1-800-661-0252 cmhheli.com Facebook CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures Instagram @cmh_heli Twitter @cmh_heli YouTube: CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures

DOWN DAY ACTIVITIES

Daylong aprés, anyone? Or for an extra dose of fun try our indoor climbing walls, go snowshoeing or cross-country ski. For a little more Canadian “Eh,” guests can indulge in a friendly game of pond hockey followed by beers around a bonfire.

LODGING AMENITIES

From remote backcountry lodges that exude casual luxury to ultra-funky ski town experiences, CMH has 12 lodges designed for serious fun. For a complete list of CMH lodges visit www.cmhheli.com/our-lodges

PRICING

From $4,535 to choose your own adventure.

enough to be its own sovereign state,” the outfit points out in its press package.

Jackson Hole local Travis Rice knows only too well where to find the world’s ultimate powder paradise. Captured entirely within CMH terrain, Rice’s highly acclaimed film, Depth Perception, took its inspiration from this natural wonderland.

Home to the largest inland rainforest in the world, CMH Galena features perfect pillows, sweet spines, and Alaska-esque faces. “It had all the aspects of riding that I love,” Rice recounts in Depth Perception, perhaps the ultimate love letter to the area.

— JH SKIER 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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ALASKA

H20 HELI-SKIING CHUGACH PIONEERS STILL EXPLORING

H2O Guides, based in Valdez, Alaska, accesses over

4,000 square miles of terrain in heli-skiing’s famous Chugach Range. The company’s permitted area includes more acreage than any other Alaska heli-ski outfit. To boot, they hold the exclusive right to heli-ski in the Chugach National Forest between Valdez and Cordova.

Pushing ever deeper into the wilderness to ski and ride peaks and glaciers never before touched by alpinists of any sort, H2O’s reaches are so expansive that the company’s still pioneering first descents with guests every year.

Dean Cummings founded H2O Guides in 1995 at the forefront of

Alaska helicopter skiing. His first look at the Chugach was in 1991, when he competed in the inaugural World Extreme Skiing Championships, a contest he’s both won and podiumed in. Since then, he’s seen it snow – a lot. Up to 100 feet annually. During a two-day period in 2013, the National Weather Service at Valdez recorded more than 10 feet of snowfall. And this maritime snow is generally very cohesive and stable – perfect for Dean to pioneer safety protocols and many of the descents in the range.

Valdez is a commercial fishing village situated on the shores of Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. It’s surrounded by soaring peaks, glaciers, and forests abundant with rivers, waterfalls, and wildlife. The Chugach Range stretches more than 250 miles, from Anchorage to the Copper River to the Gulf of Alaska. Valdez, positioned in the middle, provides unfettered access to rugged mountains in every direction.

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Photos courtesy H20 Heli-Skiing

TERRAIN OVERVIEW

H2O Guides' permitted tenure areas range from the Shoup Glacier in the west to the Copper River in the east. The outfit accesses northern areas of the Chugach and can fly towards Cordova further southeast. Thanks to the company’s location in Valdez and its mobile fueling/staging capabilities, H20 saves the clients’ blade time for skiing.

H20 has exclusive access to remote wilderness venues such as the Tasnuna Glacier, Woodworth Glacier, Pencil Glacier, Schwan Glacier, and Heney Glacier – each one spanning more mileage than Wyoming’s Grand Tetons. These glaciers flow through rugged peaks containing tens of thousands of vertical feet of skiing, pickup zones, and lunch spots. Guests fly in Eurocopter Astar B2 and B3 helicopters – the Ferrari of whirlybirds, and ideal for remote guided aircraft operations in rugged mountainous terrain.

NEAREST AIRPORT

4 miles from Valdez, Alaska.

SEASON

Feb. 24 to April 27

CONTACT INFO & SOCIAL MEDIA

reservations@H2OGuides.com Website: alaskahelicopterskiing.com Instagram: @deancummingsH2OGuides Facebook: Dean Cummings' H2O Guides Alaska Heli Skiing

YEARS IN OPERATION 24

LODGING AMENITIES

Guests enjoy rustic waterfront lodging at the Valdez Harbor Inn. Located in the heart of Valdez, next to the boat harbor, it has stunning 360° views of soaring Chugach peaks and glaciers. The Wheelhouse Lounge and Restaurant are conveniently located on site.

Each morning starts with a hot, healthful breakfast in the dining room. Heli-ready gourmet lunches keep you energized in the field.

Delicious dinners await back at the lodge.

Private heli-skiing regions include hundreds of peaks and glaciers, all containing slopes that vary from mellow to steep—and everything in between. Skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels can select from a wide variety of terrain.

H2O excels in guiding advanced skiers to the Alaskan classics: spines, exposed ramps, flutes, and slender couloirs. The company also takes pride in guiding more accessible runs on gentle glacier cruisers and down moderate powder bowls. All skill levels can ride the playful features in these mountains, which include natural halfpipes, tubes, and pillows. Snow safety is, above all else, the primary objective for H2O, evidenced by its spotless safety record.

— JH SKIER

DOWN-DAY ACTIVITIES

Only minutes away from the Valdez airport, the Valdez Harbor Inn is conveniently located within easy walking distance of Valdez restaurants, bars, grocery stores, museums, snowshoe trails, world-class groomed cross-country and skate skiing trails, a post office, library, cinema, community fitness center, and the ferry terminal.

PRICING

Beyond the Tusk All-inclusive Package, $7,889

OTHER

The North America Mechanized Ski Guide Course held annually in Valdez was founded in 2004 by H2O Guides.

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ALASKA

ALASKA RENDEZVOUS HELI-GUIDES RIDING HIGH IN THE BLUE HOLE

Forty five miles up the Thompson Pass from Valdez,

An Alaska ski-guide pioneer, Theo Meiners, years ago recognized this site as the prefect location for a full-service lodge, tavern, and heli-ski base. Now in its 17th season, The Rendezvous Lodge and Heli-Guides has built a potent reputation for delivering the goods to ski and snowboard enthusiasts from around the world.

The lodge’s press release notes that, “Rendezvous Lodge is located farther to the north than many of the other heli-ski operators in Valdez, putting our guests closer to the Blue Hole of Thompson Pass. Storms often clear from the north, so we can take advantage of the most skiable days.”

The lodge also happens to be surrounded by seven enormous peaks.

From the adrenaline and excitement in the mountains, to the bar that never sleeps, the Rendezvous is where luxury meets extreme. The brochure’s final menu item: “The Rendezvous lodge employs trained chefs who will wow you with a delicious, diverse menu. There is no better place to relax in the mountains of Alaska.”

Experience at the lodge is not limited to a single life-changing moment; skiers will come back year after year, thanks in part to a wide range of packages. The Rendezvous is where the “ninety-nine percent meet the one percent, and everyone speaks the language of high fives.”

A typical day includes about 30,000 vertical feet on peaks with elevations up to 6,800 feet and descents up to 5,000 vertical. Boasting an annual snowfall of 30-80 feet, it’s no wonder that Valdez is home to the original big-mountain experience.

— JH SKIER

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Photos courtesy Alaska Rendezvous Heli-Guides

Alaska, is a spot long known to locals as “The Blue Hole” of the Chugach. Sounds like a good spot to be. And in the Chugach, it is.

TERRAIN OVERVIEW

For 17 years, the Alaska Rendezvous Guides has operated out of the ‘Blue Hole’ of the Chugach Range with a commitment to a professional and fun experience. The location offers fast and easy flights to some of the most incredible topography in Alaska. Mile 45 creates easy access to amazing terrain, and depending on your choice of accommodations, you can scout lines from your hotel window, motor home, or poking your head from your vestibule. Some of these life-changing runs are sustained 55-degree 4,000plus vertical foot faces, leading to mile-long glaciers.

Perfect-powder pitched peaks and untracked freshies is the MO of ARG. The Alaska Rendezvous Guides offers something for everyone, and pairs guests with people within the same ability.

NEAREST AIRPORT

45 Miles North of Valdez, Alaska.

CONTACT INFO & SOCIAL MEDIA

Info@arlinc.com; 907-822-3300; facebook.com/alaskarendezvous; Twitter: @ak_rendezvous; Instagram: @AK_Rendezvous

DOWN-DAY ACTIVITIES

Cross-country skiing, touring, snowshoeing, Wiffle ball tournaments Lodging Amenities – Eight-room lodge with

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two queen beds per room, 250 sq. feet, bathroom, boot driers, laundry facilities, sauna and massage services.

SEASON

March 4 - April 29

YEARS IN OPERATION 17

OTHER

PRICING

$1,110 for one day (six runs), or $10,205 per person double occupancy for seven nights.

36 runs, lodging, all food and non-alcoholic beverages, all equipment—including BCA Tracker2 transceivers. BCA Float 22 airbags available. Additional charge for single occupancy.

Touring and Snowcat options

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WYOMING

HIGH MOUNTAIN HELI-SKIING A LIFT TO THE GOOD STUFF

has sought the ultimate, deep-powder helicopter skiing experience for its Jackson Hole guests since 1974.

The enterprise’s ski terrain includes 305,000 acres in the Snake River and Palisades mountains as well as portions of the Hoback, Teton, and Gros Ventre ranges. Vast

open bowls, steep chutes, enchanted forests, and glades describe this superb ski terrain.

Clients are transported by a Bell 407 and the latest model AS-350B3e A-Star helicopters.

A day with HMH consists of six runs, approximately 12,000-15,000 vertical feet, transportation to the heli-pad, and lunch. Extra runs are available at an additional cost when time and conditions allow. For skis, new Rossignol Super 7 HDs are recommended

and available to rent. Flying in groups of one guide and 4 - 5 guests, three groups with each helicopter (27 guests) fill out the company’s maximum daily operations.

HMH flies out of two bases, each with lodging and spa packages. The Snake River Sporting Club, 13 miles south of Jackson, serves as the main base, while Teton Springs Lodge and Spa outside Victor, Idaho, has the Teton’s west slope covered.

Wade McKoy photos

High Mountain Heli-Skiing (HMH)

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Wilderness Study Area Private Tours A few lucky skiers get to fly into the Wyoming side of the Snake River Range, officially the Palisades Wilderness Study Area (WSA). Only exclusive private tours will be offered in the Palisades WSA. These mountains average 20 percent more snowfall than neighboring ranges and hold some of the best powder skiing in the Jackson-Teton area.

HMH has added a second helicopter, the Astar B3e, to facilitate these exclusive private tours. Up to eight skiers in two groups of four ski as many as nine runs (eight guaranteed). Lunch and ground transportation are included in the total cost (8 or fewer skiers) : $15,950. Clients first ski the front side of the range – Coburn Creek, South Fall Creek, South Elk Creek, and Powder Peak – and then return on the back side – Garden Canyon, North and South Indian Creek, Dry Fork, and Wolf Mountain.

Helicopter-assisted Ski Touring Take an early morning heli-lift into the southern Tetons and spend the day touring some of Jackson Hole’s biggest mountains. The helicopter lift and full day of guided ski touring costs $395 per person, based on a full group of 4 ($1,580 for the group).

On the last run, ski to the road and a waiting van.

Helicopter pickup and shuttle from Teton Village A helicopter shuttle, $600 each way for up to four people, links Teton Village with either Teton Springs Lodge or Snake River Sporting Club. Or fly directly from Teton Village into the mountains and get the ski day started early.

Otherwise, all heli-ski trips meet daily at 9 a.m. at one of two base locations assigned to clients when they check in on the day prior to their scheduled trip. Teton Village skiers who need transportation will be picked up at 8:15 a.m.

In Teton Village, information is available at hotel concierges and ski shops. Stop by or call 307-733-3274 with questions or to hear about conditions.

— JH SKIER

TERRAIN OVERVIEW

HMH operates on the Bridger-Teton and Caribou-Targhee National Forests under a permit from the National Forest Service. HMH is also a member of the Heli-Ski US Association.

SEASON

December 18 to April 1

CONTACT INFO & SOCIAL MEDIA

HMH 307-733-3274, heli-ski@wyoming.com, www.heliskijackson.com https://snakeriversportingclub.com/ www.naturalretreats.com/teton-springs-lodge-spa-idaho-vacationrental; or call 208-787-7235

YEARS IN OPERATION 45 years

LODGING AMENITIES

The newly completed Fairway Lodges at Snake River Sporting Club are approximately 2,600 sq. feet, have 4 bedrooms with 4.5 baths, fully equipped kitchen and private hot tub. Guests will have access to all winter amenities, including cross-country skiing, snow bikes, ice skating, platform tennis, snowshoeing, and its tubing hill. They will also have access to the clubhouse facilities, including the fitness room, merchandise shop, and restaurant. Heliport is nearby.

Teton Springs Lodge & Spa, located in the center of the idyllic Teton Valley, Idaho, is a tranquil, upscale community. The all-season luxury resort offers guests top-tier facilities and recreational options, with a helicopter landing zone right outside the door. Stillwaters Spa features a full range of treatments, including deep-tissue and sports massage.

PRICING

Daily heli-skiing rates: $1,350 per person (6 runs). Extra runs when available are at the discounted rate of $150 per run.

UNTRACKED . . .

UNTOUCHED . . .

UNBELIEVABLE

Operating under permit by the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

High Mountain Heli-Skiing Jackson Hole 307-733-3274

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ALPINE MEDICAL ADVICE

What To Do When You Hurt Your Knee There may be more than meets the eye.

Skier

Dorian Densmore

Photographer

Wade McKoy

Situation

Intended air, communed with nature. His limbs intact.

From Jeffrey Greenbaum, M.D.

Saint John’s Medical Center Medical Director, Emergency Department

I am frequently asked what to do

after injuring one’s knee while skiing or snowboarding. Although the answer is not complicated, it does depend on several factors specific to each accident.

Ski- and snowboard-related knee injuries come in a few different varieties. Fractures (broken bones) and dislocations are on the more serious end of the spectrum. While ligament sprains and muscular strain can be relatively minor.

If you sustain a knee injury while on the mountain, the first thing you should do is perform a self-assessment. The most important

“If you sustain a knee injury while on the mountain, the first thing you should do is perform a self-assessment. The most important question is whether or not you feel comfortable standing up and bearing weight.” question is whether or not you feel comfortable standing up and bearing weight. If you cannot, then it could indicate a broken bone, w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

and the best advice is to wait for the assistance of the ski patrol. If your knee can tolerate your body weight, the next test is to check for instability or a feeling that your knee is going to buckle. The easiest way to accomplish this is to flex and extend your knee while leaning on a ski pole or your buddy’s shoulder.

An unstable feeling in the knee might indicate a ruptured ligament, and again you should wait for assistance.

What could happen if you attempt to ski/snowboard on an injured knee? Well, that depends on how badly your knee is damaged.

If you have a fracture, skiing could then cause the bone fragments to separate or displace.

In other words, you will make the fracture worse, which is generally not good. If you have a ruptured ligament, the danger of skiing down to the bottom is that your knee may buckle or give out and potentially cause a secondary injury to that knee or to another body part.

In general, if you feel capable of skiing or

T I P S TO H E LP K E E P YO U S AFE boarding after a knee injury, you are probably not causing any further damage. But, if you are experiencing severe pain or instability, then waiting for the ski patrol is the correct move. The only exception is if you find yourself in the backcountry, far from help. In that case the risk of hypothermia from a prolonged rescue time may outweigh the risk of causing more damage to your already injured knee.

In the backcountry, self-rescue is your first rescue, but if that is not possible, trying to stay warm while waiting for help may be the next best thing.

INJURIES

Bob Woodall photo

Tibial-Plateau Fracture: a broken bone on the weight-bearing surface of the knee.

Distal Femur Fracture: a broken bone on the lower end of the thigh-bone.

Patella Fracture: a broken knee-cap.

ACL Tear: A ruptured ligament that results in severe knee instability. Commonly the person feels a ‘pop’ in the knee (sometimes they even hear a ‘pop’).

MCL Sprain: A partial tear of the ligament on the inside (medial side) of the knee, generally causes pain but not severe instability.

LCL Sprain: A partial tear of the ligament on the outside (lateral side) of the knee, generally causes pain but not severe instability.

Cartilage Injury: A cartilage tear in the knee usually results in pain, stiffness, swelling, and catching (clicking and popping), but not knee instability.

These healers are skiers too, and they’ve seen a thing or two.

You can avoid altitude illness by staying hydrated and refraining from excessive alcohol intake. If you drink caffeinated beverages regularly, Gretchen Schmid, R.N. | Jeffrey Greenbaum, M.D. don’t stop. Caffeine is safe at high altitudes and suddenly stopping can actu- Most skiers believe they are more ally cause altitude illness symptoms. likely to be injured on the most difficult terrain, but I've seen horrific accidents — Jeffrey Greenbaum, M.D. Medical Director JH Ski Patrol when skiers didn't see a cat track.

Medical Director SJMC Emergency Dept

— Gretchen Schmid RN, Flight Nurse

Quality Medical Care Away From Home Immediate medical attention for injuries and illnesses Walk-ins welcome Same day appointments available On-site x-ray and lab Hours: Monday–Friday: 9 am–7 pm Saturday–Sunday: 10 am–4 pm

307.739.8999 tetonhospital.org/urgent

1415 S Highway 89, Jackson (Smith’s Food Center Plaza) w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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ALPINE MEDICAL ADVICE

by Andrew B. Bullington, M.D.

ACL tears occur often in alpine skiing and are still one of the most common injuries seen coming off the slopes. Despite the improvements in equipment, these injuries continue occurring at an alarming rate.

In a study of Alpine skiers, ACL tears account for nearly 50 percent of all injuries to the knee1. Multiple factors contribute to this injury.

Studies have shown that there is no difference between gender for rates of ACL tears among elite ski racers2, but there is a difference in younger male and female skiers. Studies showed 2.3 times greater risk for ACL tears in women below the age of 25 while skiing3.

These risks can be broken down to intrinsic and extrinsic risks factors.

Extrinsic Risk Factors Ski-shape improvements have increased the velocity that can be attained on the mountain, resulting in more severe injuries. Snow conditions (deep powder) can also play a part by making it much more difficult to control the ski. Loss of ski control can put you in “the backseat,” which leads to increased risk of ACL injury4.

The final factor is what I call the “Jerry of the Day” phenomenon. Because of social media’s appeal, some people are taking more risks as they document their attempts to “Send it!” With more people ‘going big,’ we have seen an increase in injuries.

Intrinsic Risk Factors Women are, at minimum, 3 times more likely to suffer an ACL tear than men in sports5. This is due to multiple characteristics inherent to the anatomy of the female knee and the biomechanics of the female athlete. The female knee anatomy has a structure that can increase the risk for ACL tear. First, women have a smaller ACL

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Andrew Bullington, M.D.

With strength and conditioning prior to beginning the ski season, you can substantially reduce the risk of ACL tears.

Wade McKoy

The difference between women and men, and sage advice from my father.

Bob Woodall

ACL Tears in Alpine Skiing

circumferential diameter – smaller ACL = less force required to tear the ACL6.

Second, the bony anatomy of the female knee is “tighter,” increasing the risk for ACL tear7. The “notch” where the ACL is located is narrower and makes it more susceptible to being pinched. Finally, the biomechanical and neuromuscular factors of the female athlete are the most important documented variables that increase their risk for ACL tear. These studies have demonstrated a true difference associated with gender on how women jump and land when compared to men. The female athlete, when landing, internally rotates the hips and angles her knees together. This puts the ACL under greater strain, leading to a 3-fold increase in ACL tears in female athletes8. All of these factors combine to make women much more likely to tear their ACLs. All is not lost, though.

The key for you is preseason prevention and thoughtful approach to your day on the slopes.

Pre-season strengthening is paramount to avoid injury: with strength and conditioning prior to beginning the ski season, you can substantially reduce the risk of ACL tears. You can correct subtle mistakes while skiing that can get you into a bad position while skiing. If you are strong, you will be able to make the minor adjustments necessary to keep you out of bad body positions—the “back seat”—that significantly increase your risk of ACL tear.

Know when to end your day: when you are tired and fatigued, you are also at considerably increased risk for ACL tear. I hear so often at 5 p.m., “Doc, it was my last run of the day.”

It’s better to après ski at the local watering hole than at the ER. ACL prevention training: this is particularly important for females. There are specific programs for everyone to reduce their risk of ACL tears. Many trainers and physical therapists do an excellent job of leading neuromuscular training and education that can reduce your risks for ACL tears. These programs can correct poor mechanics. Trainers and therapists can educate the athlete’s muscle memory, reducing the risk of ACL tears. Studies of collegiate athletes enrolled in a preseason neuromuscular and proprioceptive (balance) training program noted an 88 percent reduction in ACL tears the first year after implementation9.

These studies prove that biomechanical and neuromuscular factors are the most important preventable factors for re-

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MEDICAL SKI TIPS ducing your risk of ACL tears. It is paramount to learn to drive the knees out rather than in when landing.

Know your limits: My father often said “Son, if you ever think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t do something,’ then you probably shouldn’t.” This sage advice can be applied across life but is crucial while you are skiing. “Sending it” off a cliff or jump will dramatically increase your risks of injury, or of becoming a statistic or a web video. Think twice if you notice a bunch of people with their cell phones out filming you. Know your abilities and use my father’s words to help avoid being a “Jerry of the Day.” Wear a helmet! My father also always said, “Son, you can’t fix stupid.”

While this will not reduce the risk of ACL injuries, skiers and snowboarders who wear a helmet reduce their risk of head injury. It’s simple to buy or rent a helmet that can dramatically reduce the risk of catastrophic head injury. Be smart: Wear a helmet. Knees and legs can be fixed, but the brain cannot be fixed… just like my dad always said.

Not all ACL tears can be prevented, but with some simple steps and a thoughtful approach to your day, you can reduce your risk of injury. The five rules above can help decrease the likelihood of finding yourself recovering from an ACL reconstruction.

Joshua Beck, MD

Andrew Bullington, MD

Angus Goetz, DO

Christopher Hills, DO

Adult & Pediatric Spine Surgery Knee & Shoulder Surgery Sports Medicine-Arthroscopy Joint Replacement Trauma & Fracture Care Fracture Management

Total Joint Replacement Surgery Spine Surgery Knee, Hip, Ankle, Shoulder Minimally Invasive Surgery General Orthopaedics Trauma & Fracture Care

David Khoury, MD

Sports Medicine-Arthroscopy Knee & Shoulder Surgery Trauma & Fracture Care

Geoffrey Skene, DO

Non-Surgical Spine Care Neck & Back Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

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Works Cited 1. Stevenson, et al. Gender Differences in knee injury epidemiology among competitive alpine ski racers. Iowa Orthop J. 1998; 18:64-66.

2. Bere, et al. Sex differences in the risk of injury in World Cup alpine skiers: a 6-year cohort study. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(1):36-40.

3. Raschner, et al. The relationship between ACL injuries and physical fitness in young competitive ski racers: a 10 year longitudinal study. Br J Sports Med. 2012; 46(15):1065-1071.

4. Bere, et al. Mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament injury in World Cup alpine skiing: a systematic video analysis of 20 cases.

Am J Sports Med. 2011;39:1421-1429.

5. Sutton KM and Bullock JM. Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: Differeces Between Males and Females. Am Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons. 2013;21: 41-50.

6. Giugliano DN, et al. ACL tears in Female athletes. Phys. Med Rehabil Clin N Am 2007;18(3);416-438.

7. Ireland ML, et al. A Radiographic analysis of the relationship between the size and shape of the intercondylar notch and anterior cruciate ligament injury. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2001;9(4):200-205.

8. Ford KR, et al. Longitudinal sex differences during landing in knee abduction in young athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2010;42(10):1923-1931.

9. Hewitt TE, et al. The effect of neuromuscular training on the incidence of knee injury in female athletes: A prospective study. Am J Sports Med 2006;34(3):490-498.

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SKI BUILDERS

Igneous Skis Keeping It Real for 23 Years

L

By Keith I. Cozzens

ike some of the most successful companies around today, Jackson-based Igneous Skis started in a garage.

Twenty-two years later, the prolific custom-ski company – known worldwide from Jackson to Austria – has cemented itself in the industry as a leader and has crafted one-of-a-kind skis by the thousands. The brand has amassed a cult-like following of fans that continues to grow each year and nourish the label.

Wade McKoy photos

Owner Mike Parris is the mastermind behind Igneous. He and founding partner Adam Sherman launched the ski brand on the core principles of creating genuine experiences, making 100-percent durable, custom skis, and keeping it real.

“We don’t do any advertising or marketing – most all of our business is word of mouth,” said Parris, who moved from Pennsylvania to Jackson

Mike Parris scrapes the burned-wood top sheet on Bill Bowen’s latest pair of Igneous skis. in 1999. “There are no logos on our skis. We decided years ago not to do it. People have to strike up a conversation about the skis to learn about them, and one of the first questions is always, ‘How do you like them?’ That’s how it has worked for 20-plus years, and I don’t see that changing much.”

His background in robotics and a stint building prototypes of the lunar and mars rovers for NASA were fertile grounds for Parris. That experience with precise details, his hands-on approach, and his love of skiing led him to combining all of these attributes and dedicating his time to perfecting the art of crafting custom skis.

His background in robotics and a stint building prototypes of the lunar and mars rovers for NASA were fertile grounds for Parris.

Bill Bowen always jumps into S&S couloir on his birthday, and always on his Igneous skis.

Igneous produces about 100 pairs of skis a year, and the clientele ranges across the board, from resort to powder to big-mountain skiers.

Half of Igneous’s business is from repeat customers, and that demographic spans the globe. For Parris, maintaining sustainable production levels, quality craftsmanship, and unforgettable one-on-one experiences, that’s what it’s all about – connecting with people and working with them to build their dream ski.

“I meet roughly 50 new people each year and get to know their backgrounds, how they ski, and what they want. The range of customers is unique – from carpenters who work all summer to bank money for winter’s off, to people with disposal income, and luxury buyers,” said Parris.

“I don’t necessarily want to make more than 100 pairs of skis a year – I spend over 20 hours on each pair. I want to keep my hands on the skis, and if I grew the business more, maybe that wouldn’t be the case.”

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Parris – and Igneous – originally started by making skis for themselves and people who skied like them, constructing their own wood cores, milling their own top sheets, and meticulously fine-tuning each pair of custom skis.

Parris’s love for what he does and his penchant for connecting with customers hasn’t gone unnoticed over the decades. With the

For Parris, maintaining sustainable production levels, quality craftsmanship, and unforgettable one-on-one experiences, that’s what it’s all about: connecting with people and working with them to build their dream ski. advent of new technology, materials, and building processes, Igneous’s art of custom ski manufacturing has been made available to skiers of all abilities and ages. As a result, a tribe of dedicated new and old-brand loyalists around the globe now flourishes.

Take Jeffrey Eagle, for example. A Jackson resident for 25 years, Eagle averages 160 days a year on skis. He owns 14 pairs of Igneous skis, “Iggies,” as he calls them. His quiver includes a 22-year-old pair of skinny skis, a pair of “Elvis Skis” featuring a collage of Elvis Presley photos on the top-sheet, and a pair of giant powder skis.

“I was working at The Sojourner Inn back in the 1990s and my chef came in to work one

Mike Parris spreads epoxy on base material.

day with a new pair of custom skis made in Jackson. He took me to the factory and there was a very good energy there, not to mention some very intelligent and down-to-earth dudes who love skiing. I placed my order a few weeks later,” said Eagle. “Igneous is still around because of the very top-tier quality of their product – they just last and last.

“My favorite memory is when I ordered a pair of new skis and asked if they could put some ashes from my dog (that had recently passed) in the core of my ski. They did, and also put a picture on the top-sheet as well. We had a little celebration.”

Another Igneous fan, Cedric Dupertuis, lives in Geneva, Switzerland. He skis 70 days a year at his home hill of Verbier, and first clicked into a pair of custom Igneous in 2000 after reading about the brand in a Powder magazine article that described the skis as “bombproof” and “the ultimate chargers.” He now owns three pairs and a fourth is on the way.

“It’s all about passion. Igneous makes skis that last a loooong time. Mike takes the time to understand your needs to make sure the skis he will build are what you really need – skis made for skiers by skiers,” said Dupertuis.

“When I received my first pair, everybody was laughing at me because they were wide. How many times did I hear ‘Hey, how was your water-skiing session today?’ They were ahead of the game at the time. Igneous has that point of differentiation in the ski industry, and I hope they are on the market for the next 50 years.”

Jackson Hole ski patroller and mountain guide Lisa Van Sciver still skis on a pair of custom Igneous skis she purchased 10 years ago.

Van Sciver skis 100 days a year and owns five pairs of Igneous. Their durability, wooden cores, and local vibe, she said, keep her coming back.

“When you want to ski something real, you need real equipment.

I like them. I trust them. I’d take Igneous boards anywhere – and I can’t say that about other skis,” said Van Sciver. “Plus, they’re local and if I ever need to get them fixed, I can go down to the shop and Parris saves me. I took my boards down to Chile and everyone said, ‘Ella tiene tablas de madera.’ Yeah, they are wooden boards. It’s a connection if I see someone on Igneous – I know we come from the same ski culture.”

The 22-year ride for Igneous and Mike Parris has brought together amazing people, experiences, and, of course, skis. And, according to Parris, the journey continues as the brand is guided by what it’s built and its core values.

Keith Cozzens, a valley resident for 17 years, is a senior director at Verde Brand Communications. He enjoys snowboarding and skiing with his wife Genevieve and their sons Fletcher, 5, and Ian, 3.

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SKI BUILDERS

Maiden Skis

The Maiden Experience

By Keith I. Cozzens

Kelvin

Wu landed in Jackson Hole in 2011. For him, the dramatic landscape, draw of the mountains, and legendary skiing would provide the optimal conditions for creating and growing his custom ski brand – Maiden Skis.

Portrait photo Wade McKoy; Ski photo courtesy Maiden Skis

Rewind a few years. Wu was living in Seattle working as an engineer and skiing weekends in the backcountry and at Crystal Mountain. For more than a decade, he’d been building his own skis out of his garage, experimenting with design concepts, and honing his custom ski-making process. His love for the sport, hard-wired engineering skills, and thirst for bucking the status quo of offthe-shelf skis led him to co-found Skibuilders.com – a how-to guide to help skibuilding hobbyists like himself craft their own custom dream gear.

“At the time the site was launched, there wasn’t much info out there on how to make your own skis. Everyone was very secretive,” said Wu. “Most of my early techniques – using epoxy, fiberglass, wood and foam cores – came from the surfing and kayak worlds. There was a lot of interest in the site in a relatively short period of time, and I was selling a good amount of materials to consumers to build – something I still do today that accounts for a decent portion of the Maiden business.”

But Wu wanted more. He wanted to push the envelope of what was possible in custom ski building and create diverse designs and shapes for skiers while incorporating local artists and elements of his surroundings.

Jackson Hole was the perfect place for his boutique ski brand. So he quit his job in Seattle and moved, and in 2012 Maiden Skis was born.

Nestled into a cozy work studio south of town with views of the mountains north, west, and south, Wu works his magic. It’s a oneman operation, except for some occasional help working the machinery when times are busy. Wu produces about 70 custom skis a year. But his business philosophy is rooted in Kelvin Wu and Ilka Hadlock in the shop (above). The Maiden experience in Jackson Hole (below). developing personal relationships with each of his customers in order to provide them a unique experience and a focused touch to every ski that leaves Maiden’s door.

“I work with a great mix of people buying custom skis, with about half local and half out-of-town,” said Wu. “I have no interest in doing any big production lines; I just want to focus on building custom skis and working with people one-onone. Small boutique ski companies are

changing how skis look, are more conscious of graphics, and have the ability to create new shapes than bigger companies do. And I think these larger brands are keeping an eye on what smaller, custom ski brands are doing.”

Maiden’s factory has state-of-the-art equipment, like an impressive industrial CNC (computer-controlled) router to shape the maple wood cores and a sublimation printer for custom top-sheet graphics. Wu even offers customers personalized, hands-on building and design workshops, which bring an

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In the early days, ski makers were very secretive. Most of my early techniques – using epoxy, fiberglass, wood and foam cores – came from the surfing and kayak worlds. intimate feeling to the whole process. Local Jackson flavor, of course, is a hallmark of Wu’s brand and skis. Customers can bring in their own graphics, but Wu also partners with local artists to amplify the level of customization and authenticity.

Local artist Ilka Hadlock, for example, has been living in Jackson since 2013. She started working with Wu in the fall of 2014. Her oneof-a-kind artwork has graced the topsheets of more than a dozen custom Maiden skis, and all of Wu’s demo skis display Hadlock’s memorable eye-catching graphics. Hadlock draws inspiration from living with the Tetons in her backyard, but she’s also done custom work for clients who have their own ideas – one client, for example, wanted his skis to match his motorcycle graphics.

“When I first started working on ski graphics for Kelvin, I was so excited. As a lifelong skier and artist, making ski graphics has been my dream job since I was five. And I still feel so lucky that we connected,” said Hadlock. “I love the idea that I’m making something that’ll be used to explore and experience the mountains, which is why I like playing off colors, textures, and symbols from our natural world.

Skis are an interesting canvas, being so long and skinny. It creates a unique opportunity to combine elements in a different way than you would in a standard landscape – and I really like that challenge.”

Like Wu, Hadlock revels in the one-on-one interactions and artwork creation she has with clients. Having the ability to connect with someone directly and transfer that to the skis’ graphics allows the ski to take on a life of its own, and ignites a hyper-personal process that falls in line with Maiden’s whole custom ski-building philosophy.

“Working closely with each client to successfully get to the final product – that’s what it’s all about,” Wu said. “The unique thing about Maiden is that everything is fully custom, and you can change and build every single piece of the ski from start to finish.”

Despite the increasing demands of operating a small business and year-over-year growth, Wu still finds time to test his skis in the mountains surrounding Jackson. Now, though, more of his time on snow is at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort with his kids and less in the backcountry, where he’s spent years.

“Our logo is a compass that meshes the ocean and mountains, and the name Maiden comes from maiden voyage – and setting off on your own,” said Wu. “This is symbolic for me, as I dedicated my life to building custom skis and charting my own course of striving to create the best custom skis and the best experience.” w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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Ski Tunes

Nomad

Wade McKoy photos

T

Nate Goss-Woliner

The only independently owned ski shop in the valley, Nomad – and its sister store, Mudroom, located in the Caldera House – is leading the way to a new age of waxing technology, without the wax.

The new Phantom Base Treatment is a permanent onetime application of new-age fluorocarbons that glide exceptionally well through all snow temperatures. Unlike wax, this chemical is inert and harmless to humans, plants, and animals. That could make a difference come spring runoff. The treatment lasts for the life of the ski or snowboard, even through numerous stone grinds.

Nomad employs a specialized hot box to apply Phantom.

“Our cure station saves customers the hassle and time of doing the application themselves,” said Gov Carrigan, director of retail for Caldera House. “I think one of the most

impressive qualities of the product is its environmental benefit compared to traditional waxes.”

For tuning, Nomad also stands apart, utilizing one of the industry’s most highly regarded ski-tuning machines, as well as the personnel to make it effective.

“The Wintersteiger Mercury is an incredible machine, no doubt about it,” said Carrigan. “But it’s the combination of human and machine that makes the magic happen.”

The art of ski tuning – listening to customers, interpreting their needs, then devising the tuning specifications that match the ski, to the individual, on that day – requires a unique skill.

“It takes communication,” he said. “I’m proud of my guys. They don’t have big egos. They listen to customers.

The machine is no better than the guy running it.”

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Teton Village Sports

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Braden Masselink Jackson Hole Mountain Resort wants to ensure Teton Village’s original ski shop continues its status on the leading edge of ski tuning.

“The new machinery is high-tech and high-end, and it allows us to bring tuning to the next level,” said Braden Masselink, TVS service manager. “With it we can customize our ski tuning to the individual customer’s needs and skiing style.

“We’re a busy shop but bought a small stone grinder by choice because it allows us to easily work with just one pair of skis at a time. It’s a slower process here but that’s fine, because we’re not looking to do the volume.

We’re looking for customized requests.

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“Take structures, for instance. We have a conversation with the customer, discover what they’re doing with the ski. If they’re heading out of town, we’ll talk about what the weather might be where they’re going and customize the tune for that trip.”

And for the home tuner, Masselink suggests an occasional shop visit.

“You should have the bases ground once the edges have been burred to the extent that you can no longer sharpen the edge. And the base is no longer flat. You may think the ski is working fine, but it’s because you’ve just gotten used to it. You should do this once a year, at least.”

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Ski Tunes

H

Wade McKoy photos

Hoback Sports

Matt Poluga

Hoback Sports, the town of Jackson’s time-honored ski shop named for a ski slope in Teton Village, recently came full circle in its ski-tuning expertise.

Evolving over the decades to specialize in repairing badly damaged skis while retaining a reputation for high-quality ski tunes, Hoback Sports three years ago came to the aid of Jackson’s ski-racing community – as the founders originally had back in the 1970s.

“For a while, up until a couple years ago, Jackson’s ski team had been sending their skis to Park City or Colorado to get them tuned,” said Matt Poluga, Hoback Sports’ repair shop manager. “We took on that raceteam clientele with the purchase of a Montana Chal-

lenge ski-tuning machine.”

And with that, Hoback gained the confidence of Jackson’s ski-racing community.

“We’re able to produce the different patterns and consistent bevels those athletes are looking for,” he said.

“We hope to continue to grow that and help get them out there winning races.”

The machine also does all aspects of ski tuning, from standard patterns to custom creations to suit any snow condition.

“We specialize in everything regarding alpine skiing and bicycles,” said Poluga.

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Jackson Hole Sports

L Rick Wilson

Location, location, location! – a familiar selling point that applies perfectly to Jackson Hole Sports.

“We’re the first line of triage as skiers come off the mountain,” said Rick Wilson, Jackson Hole Sports repair shop manager. “We see a lot of people who’ve just broken something – blown-out edges, core shots, broken bindings, broken goggles and zippers. We consider it our job to get the customer back on the hill as fast as possible, whatever the repair issue is.”

JHMR owned, JHS employees consider “skier happiness” as their vested interest. As soon as a potential customer walks through the door, an employee is there to help.

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“Customer service, that’s where we put our effort toward being high-end,” he said. “When something’s wrong with their stuff, we want to fix that and get them back out on the hill as quickly as possible.”

Location cubed often equals a high volume of business, so JHS houses the biggest ski-tuning machine this side of the Yellowstone River.

“We had to cut a big hole in the wall to get it into the repair shop,” he said of the Montana Sapphire. “It’s been running great. We’re pushing 20,000 tunes this year. It processes skis as fast as you can unload them.”

Which helps, since every year since 2008 has been a record year for ski-tunes.

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Innovators

Jackson Hole skiers carve their groove

Stephen McDonald, C. Ped. Jackson Hole skier since 1991

Product Highlights

Custom orthotics for skiing and life. The best in custom boot work. Hand tunes and daily wax.

Board Certified Pedorthist (C. Ped.)

Genesis / Evolution / Gratification

Helping people have a better ski day is important to me. Daily skiing is a gift. Skid Couture, now in its third year, allows me to engage skiers at a personal level.

Making sure your boots are top notch and waxing your

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skis for the current conditions make all the difference.

Pro tip for visitors: So much depends on your daily wax job. It dictates how you flow that day. Control issues, boot problems, fatigue, and lack of mojo all stem from poorly maintained or never-waxed equipment.

Don’t fight the changing snow conditions, glide through them!

Contact

Skid Couture Basement of the Hostel in Teton Village 307.413.5745 w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Wade McKoy photos

SKID COUTURE FINE CUSTOM BOOTFITTING

WILSON POWDER TOOLS

Benjamin West “Captain Benny” Wilson Jackson Hole skier since 1966

Product Highlights

I’ve gone back to the basics in building skis: no fancy machines, non-VOC epoxy, wood core, fiberglass wrap, Durasurf 4001 base material, edges from Europe, all laid up by hand – my hands. My top sheets are all oneoffs of recycled materials – sarongs, pants, shirts, the local forests, and anything I think might make a cool impression. My skis are funky, functional works of art.

Genesis / Evolution / Gratification

I started ski tuning at Wildernest Sports in the late 1970s. We endeavored to fix almost everything. I started re-basing skis with a heated pot of P-Tex, replacing full edges, that sort of thing.

Ten years ago, I made two decisions that culminated in me building skis today: I commissioned Igneous Skis to hand build two pair of skis for me, and I love them; I started testing skis for “Powder.”

Three years ago I went online and found Community Skis, Kristin Broumas and Michael Iish. They were making skis in a converted trailer in Mammoth Lakes.

On a whim, I drove down and made my first pair – from scratch to skiing – in eight hours. I know it sounds incredible, but I was schralping the gnar the next day on skis that I built myself.

Two winters ago, Community Skis drove up to Jackson and we manufactured 30 pairs in the parking lot of Serenity Builders, a business in south Jackson owned by some friends of mine who traded electricity for a pair of my skis.

This summer I constructed a venturi vacuum and some jigs for cores, and purchased materials for my own production. When I see a pair of my skis on the tram dock, it’s kind of cool, to say the least. The melting snowflake, my logo, is symbolic of the metamorphosis of snow and of my ski building – ever changing, ever evolving.

Contact

WILSON POWDER TOOLS (instagram) Box 8522, Jackson, Wyoming 83002 bennyskispowder@gmail.com 307.690.1987 w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

Kings & Queens of Corbet’s

If you’ve ever wondered why Jackson Hole isn’t on the Freeride

World Tour, you’re not alone. Jess McMillan, JHMR’s events and

partnerships manager and former FWT competitor, was pondering that very question with her husband Eric Seymour as they sipped

Amy Jimmerson (left); Wade McKoy (rt)

beer by the fireplace in their Kelly, Wyoming, home.

“We were going over the pros and cons of having a Freeride World Tour event come to Jackson Hole and realized Corbet’s Couloir is a perfect venue, but not for the FWT,” said McMillan. “It doesn’t fit their requirements. We thought it would be beyond cool, though, to hold an event there, so we created Kings and Queens of Corbet’s.”

McMillan recruited a committee of six JHMR employees who dove into searching for potential contestants.

Continued page 93

King

Karl Fostvedt Grew up skiing Sun Valley, Idaho.

Film segments with Poor Boyz Productions, Teton Gravity Research, Sweetgrass Productions, Toy Soldier Productions, 4bi9, Good Company.

2012 IF3 Rookie of the Year Award.

2014 War of Rails Champion. Big Bear, California.

2014 3rd Place Vars tournament. Vars, France.

2014 2nd Place Total Fight Slopestyle. Grandvalira, Andorra.

Sponsors: Dakine, Anon Optics, ON3P Skis, Soul Poles, Full Tilt Boots and Treefort.

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Queen

Caite Zeliff Born in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Caite Zeliff developed a love for skiing in the icy, rugged terrain of New England. Ski racing shaped her style as she traveled throughout high school and college on the FIS and NorAm circuits.

She raced Division 1 at the University of New Hampshire before moving to Jackson, Wyoming, to chase her dream of competing on the Freeride World Tour.

Wade McKoy photos

“After Corbet’s, I took the prize money and bought tickets to Europe, where I won the Freeride World Qualifying event in Nendaz, Switzerland. That allowed me entry into the Obergurgl, Austria, qualifier, where I placed 2nd. Earlier in the season I had placed 3rd in Revelstoke, which meant I finished the season ranked 2nd in the world. On the Freeride World Qualifying Circuit they only take the #1-ranked female skier to the big leagues the following year. So I missed making the Freeride World Tour by a single point! I was bummed, but I believe everything happens for a reason and I’m stoked to get after it again this year.

“From Europe I flew straight to Alaska, where I had the amazing opportunity to film and shoot with Blizzard/Tecnica and all the fantastic people up at Alaska Rendezvous Guides. It was a trip of a lifetime and has me dreaming about my next chance to head up to that magical place.

“I was outside of my comfort zone a lot this season. Traveling to new places with unfamiliar languages, boarding a helicopter and getting dropped onto peaks I had only dreamt of. In a weird way I found peace in these uncomfortable moments. I knew these new zones and big mountains were exactly where I wanted to be.

I was able to home in on an entirely new mindset. Last season I found a sense of confidence and mental strength that I lacked when I was ski racing. I found ways to calm my mind and breathing before freeski competitions, to look past the nerves and the stress and see the beauty of the process. These competitions bring you to the most gorgeous places, sur-

rounded by the coolest people, and I’m lucky to be part of it. I had the chance to ski next to legends that I’ve looked up to for years, go heliskiing for the first time, give filming a try, and ski countless creamy, dreamy pow runs. I am chomping at the bit to continue getting after it and pushing my abilities on skis.

Powder magazine featured Zeliff in a new Pro Deal column last August.

Sponsors - Blizzard/Tecnica, Shred Optics, The North Face, Boot Soul, Tenyao Salsa, Mons Royale

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run that amazing feat, plus Jess M headshot, interview Jess M, her idea?

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Amy Jimmerson

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Queen Caite and King Karl celebrate their coronation.

Continued from page 90 “We spent weeks looking for the right athletes. We wanted the best skiers and snowboarders in the world, and considered safety the most important aspect of the event. My original intention was to have the same numbers of men, women, skiers, and snowboarders. That’s still the goal.”

These elite athletes must also be able to pull double duty, because they would be the judges, too.

“I wanted the competition to be about the athletes. We wanted to see what they thought were the most innovative, creative ‘Wow!’ lines. As a competitor, I always hated being judged by someone who was not out there skiing the venue with me. It was important to me that the athletes chose who they thought was the very best that day.”

Each run was awarded 1-to-10 points in four categories: 1) Speed, Difficulty, Commitment; 2) Innovative, Progressive Maneuvers; 3) Controlled, Stomped Landings; 4) Overall Impression.

After the competition, the contestants and officials gathered in the TGR theatre on the

Sander Hadley, pictured, launched into Corbet’s with a double backflip 360. He stuck the landing—twice!

Other competitors performed an array of amazing feats during their runs in this freeride extravaganza.

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Wade McKoy photo series

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Jackson Town Square and, over pizza and beer, watched the raw footage. As the athletes-turned-judges marked their scorecards – and with a purse that topped $35,000 – they took their new role very seriously.

“The room was incredibly quiet until the first rider sent it off Corbet’s. Then the room erupted with applause. Most athletes did not talk with each other during the judging process, but you definitely heard whoops for the more spectacular lines and empathy for the crashes.”

Judging completed, scorecards turned in, the athletes left to get ready for the awards party at the Mangy Moose while McMillan and crew tallied the scores. The Kings and Queens received equal prize money: 1st Place $8,000, 2nd Place $5,000, and 3rd Place $3,000.

Only first place, though, got an actual crowning, their custom metal tiaras made by local artist Tim Waycott.

Kings and Queens of Corbet’s is scheduled for February 10-16, 2019. Check out jacksonhole.com for more information.

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Photo Chris Figenshau

Of The Day

Portrait and background photo Wade McKoy

21 years Shooting Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Photo of the Day

PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS

BY CHRIS FIGENSHAU Chris Figenshau landed a ski bum’s dream job with a preemptive strike.

“I knew before anyone else that the ski area was going to hire a photographer to shoot a new Photo of the Day webpage,” he said, remembering that pivotal moment in 1997 when his roommate, the resort’s IT guy, told Figenshau about the upcoming job opening.

He showed up at the offices of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, portfolio in hand.

“I wanted to convince them, before they could farm it

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2-3-17 Powder Daze. Jess McMillan warping.

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3-7-17 Locals adapt. Storm skiing couture by Olaf.

1-15-12 Sunrise over the Sleeping Indian.

2-5-12 Basking in it.

out, that I was the right guy. I made a hasty portfolio in my darkroom at home, random stuff, to show them what I was capable of – pictures of my girlfriend, people bungee jumping, rock climbing, skiing, a funny picture of a fat guy running a marathon, some experiments with double exposure.”

At the time, he was working as a darkroom technician for Powder Shots, the resort’s onmountain photo service who he also shot for occasionally. On his own, he photographed sports and lifestyles, hoping to get published.

Twenty-one years later Figenshau is still shooting JHMR’s Photo of the Day, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He’s also photographed more than 20 forays around the world, including expeditions to India, Nepal, and Greenland. He’s worked with iconic mountaineers such as Jeremy Jones, Jimmy Chin, and Hilaree Nelson, for prestigious companies, The North Face, Eddie Bauer, and Exum Mountain Guides among them. He’s been profiled in Powder and Freeskier magazines, and this year he’s featured in Ski Journal. The resort recently released a short video, Figenshau, 20 Years Behind The Lens on its website, jacksonhole.com (click on The Mountain, Video Gallery).

And it all started with an intense passion for skiing.

“The resort’s thinking, as well as mine, was that shooting the Photo Of The Day was the skibum job of a lifetime. You get to ski every day.

Your job is to ski every day, take a compelling photo, and upload it to the Internet.

“They bought the world’s first commercial digital camera. Five megapixels, a huge shutter delay – for action photos you had to pan because you never knew when the camera would actually take a picture. The job got me access, though, and my subjects got tickets, too. Everything was lined up for me to explore ski photography, without working for Powder Shots.”

Photography, always an expensive pursuit, was especially so back in the film age. Luckily, Figenshau’s summer job as a hotshot wild-land firefighter provided more than enough money for it. He worked for the Bureau of Land Management for five fire seasons – two seasons as a sawyer fighting forest fires, then three more seasons photographing them. From May until October, he worked 21 days on, two days off.

“I’d come back to Jackson, go to my P.O. Box and get my six-months load of mail, and there were all my paychecks, $40,000. For a guy who’s single and has no living expenses w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

1-14-15 Chasing the sun. Guide Kent McBride enjoys a busman’s holiday. during summer work months, it was a good deal, a great job for a ski-focused person. During winter I could take a break from having to make a living wage. And I could afford to give photography a shot, because it takes a ton of money to buy film, get it developed, and get better at it. It takes a long time – several years – to learn all the little things that come with ski photography.”

He gave himself four years to make a go of it, to become a commercial and editorial ski and mountaineering photographer. And if by age 30 it wasn’t producing, he told himself, he would switch gears and pursue photojournalism with a newspaper.

For a while, nothing panned out.

“I got a few things published here and there. I got some gigs, made a little bit of money. No real breakthrough, though, and there was not very much money. I got to 29 and said, ‘This isn’t happening, I’ve got to give this up and do something else.’” w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

Then the page turned. He got a gig with TGR, shooting stills in Alaska during the ski-pioneering days of Haines. He got numerous photos published, shot his first feature for Powder and, because of that, an expedition came his way, to Mount Waddington with The North Face.

“My first big creative fee, it was a real-money kind of job. So I finally broke into the industry, right before I was ready to bag it. But I had to decide. I had contemplated working for a paper, moving to Portland, Oregon, which would’ve been an interesting career. But I’d worked so hard to get to this point and I knew I couldn’t give up now. So I stuck with it and became a full-time ski-shooter-mountain person living in Jackson Hole.”

The resort continued to develop its website during the early years of Internet marketing. Somewhere along the line, their analytics revealed that the Photo of the Day page, which was buried in 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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1-29-15 Fleeting light on Cody Peak.

1-23-15 Amidst the walls of Corbet’s. Skier: Forrest Jillson.

1-9-11 Above a sea of clouds on Rendezvous Bowl.

Skier Jason Tattersall.

the site, was getting more hits than their homepage. The institution was cemented.

“Photo of the Day has become an entity that people expect and we don’t want to let our viewers down. Daily Snow Conditions are on the same page and there’s lots of interest in that, too. They go hand in hand: here is a visual representation of what you can expect.

“There is a journalistic standard: the photo should be real, not from a different day. I’ve been called out a lot of times, people saying, ‘There’s no way that was today.’ But it actually was. With photography you can make it look good. The picture might not be representative of every turn you made that day. But that moment pictured did actually happen. I’m not saying the whole mountain was like this, but it was like this for 1/1000 of a second.

“The Photo of the Day is an advertisement.

It’s PR for the resort. So if you’re looking for crappy shots of the resort, or bare spots on the hill, or hard pack, or moguls, or some sort of negative perception of conditions, then you probably shouldn’t be looking at Photo of the Day.” Today the website is one of the resort’s largest marketing tools. With that comes a demand for high-quality photos.

“You need to put stuff up there that’s compelling, good to a certain standard. Because someone’s watching, and if it’s not good, there’s feedback. So it went from whatever you want to do, to a higher level. The shot should represent current ski conditions and/or an event. I like to post great ski shots, a little lifestyle, some kids, Santa, the Town Downhill – mix it up. The overwhelming majority, though, is skiing or snowboarding photos. The skiers aren’t always pros, either. They may be far away and I don’t even know who they are.

“It might seem easy – and it is sometimes – to go out and shoot one picture, every day. But you’ve got good days and bad days. Days that are grey or freezing cold when normally you wouldn’t even go out. Or it’s raining. But those days must be done, so you end up out there when you might not otherwise. Flat light. Whatever. In that way it’s challenging, because it’s not always easy to get a good shot. And it’s challenging because it’s every day. ” The most challenging task, according to Figenshau though, is writing the captions.

“What can we say about this, another shot of someone skiing or snowboarding, that’s not a cop-out or waxing too poetic or too much prow w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

3-26-17 Jeff Leger arrives at the intersection of reality and a dream. mote-y PR? How do you make it real and interesting? Consumable. You don’t want it to be cheesy or stupid. It’s a fine line. I’ve written ones that were over the top and I’ve had certain captions rewritten for me, but not many.”

For this, Figenshau rises at six a.m., pours a cup of coffee, and sits at his desk. He resizes the photo (shot on the previous day), crops it, tweaks the color, and sharpens it. Then he ponders what to say.

A few of his favorite captions (with a description of the photo): Fret not, soggy valley dwellers. (The photo shows good powder skiing in Tensleep Bowl during a long period of valley rains.)

‘Bissell Hazen finds a blissful haven. (Deep powder, deep woods.)

Dual immersion therapy. Shroder Baker makes a significant breakthrough. (Photo is lined up so that the skier’s head is replaced by the sun.)

Now, with a wife, Emily, and kids – Jimi is 5 w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

and Winnie is 2 ½ – he’s focusing his lens more on families.

“When you have kids, you get tuned into what they go through. It’s a big deal for most of the people who come here. They have kids, their kids like to ski—the kid’s experience is important.

“My family really lucked out with the new Sweetwater Gondola. When it’s cold, when it’s snowing and wet, you get off at the mid-station, go up to the restaurant. Kids, they’re surly. They can lose interest at any point. The resort has made great improvements for kids, and Emily and I are having our kids at the same time. It’s cool and we feel fortunate.

“I’m really thankful to the village for keeping me around and developing the Photo of the Day. Hopefully, I’ll keep doing it. Who knows?”

And, who knows? The job of a lifetime could wind up lasting a lifetime.

— JH SKIER

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Roots

SKI TOWN NATIVES LIVE TO SKI

Forrest Jillson

Born 1987 to Brian and Shelly Jillson.

“Mom recalls it being a crisp, cold January day, natural birth, easy labor, healthy baby.”

Ski Town Jobs

Skiing; bartending at Trio Bistro.

Highlight Reel

2016 Freeskiing World Tour champion Two-time Dicks Ditch champion 4th in inaugural Kings and Queens of Corbet’s, 2017 Helped bring an Xgames Gold to JHMR when our team won the Real Mountain video contest, beating out the season’s videos from six other resort entrees.

Starred in Warren Miller’s 2018 film “Face of Winter.”

Personal Philosophy

skier. Find new ways to ski big lines in Jackson Hole. Help youngsters appreciate the natural world, as I have learned how to. If our future leaders appreciate roaming around these beautiful, wideopen places early in life, they will understand that these special places are integral to our living healthy lives, and that will help preserve these lands for future generations.

Keep filming, traveling, and growing as a

JHMR, Marmot, Volkl, Marker, Dalbello, Wilde Snacks, Mountain Athlete.

Be here now!

Goals

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Sponsors

Photos:

Jay Goodrich (main) Wade McKoy (top) Cam McLeod (left)

Hadley Hammer

Born in 1986 to Mike and Francesca Hammer. “My mom was climbing with legend Chuck Pratt the day before I was born. He fashioned a harness for her that wouldn’t put pressure on her belly. Dr. Sugden’s PA, who was there, told Chuck that if she went into labor, it would be up to him to deliver me as Sugden was out of town until the next day. It’s no wonder I love going up rocks and being in the mountains.

Ski Town Job

Professional Skier

Highlight Reel

Graduated college with honors; had “real” jobs in D.C. and Jackson; worked hard enough on my skiing so that it became my full time job.

Ski-career highlights include hitting Fat Bastard, competing on the Freeride World Tour, becoming the second skier to descend the Corrugated Spines in the Yukon, and filming with Teton Gravity Research in Jackson, Canada, and Bolivia.

Personal Philosophy

“Stubborn Gladness” – try to be nice, and laugh as much as possible, especially when skiing powder.

Goals

Ski down big mountains all over the world after climbing up them with my own two feet.

Sponsors

The North Face, Line Skis, Smith Optics and Helmets, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Smartwool, Dynafit, Petzl

Photos:

Fredrik Marmsater (top rt) Wade McKoy (2)

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LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE

Roots

SKI TOWN NATIVES LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE L

Jess McMillan

Born in 1978 to Connie and Harv McMillan. “My mom was hitchhiking in late October from Yellowstone to the Grand Teton Lodge Company, her first employer in Jackson Hole. There was a terrible snowstorm that day. She was near Moose and the wind was blowing sideways. My father picked her up and saved the day. The legend goes that I was born nine months later.”

Ski Town Jobs

Owner – Studio J Pilates Events and Partnership manager at JHMR

Highlight Reel

Jr. Olympic Downhill Champion Freeskiing World Tour Champion Warren Miller film segments Co-created the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s event with Eric Seymour and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Own a home and a business.

Personal Philosophy Be kind.

Goals

I think it would be cool to ski for a decade with Warren Miller Entertainment.

Sponsors

Volkl, Marmot, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Marker, Dalbello

Photos: Wade McKoy

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Seppi Stiegler

Born in 1988 to Carrie and Pepi Stiegler. “Born November 28, marking the seasonal start of snow in the Tetons.”

Ski Town Jobs

Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club - Head F.I.S. Coach Stiegler Ski Racing Camps - Owner, Operator & Dreamer

Highlight Reel

Three-time NCAA Skiing Champion World University Games Slalom Champion NCAA Skiing Giant Slalom Champion U.S. Ski Team World Cup athlete Two-time U.S. Alpine Championships Bronze Medalist Two-time NCAA All American NCAA Academic All American, 4.0 GPA during competition University of Denver Pioneer Leadership Award Daniels College of Business Management Leadership Award

Personal Philosophy

The ski lifestyle runs deep in my family’s history and traditions. A love for snow, competition, and the outdoors fuels my passion. Champions in sport and life are grown with hard work and dedication to personal achievement.

Goals

Developing our hometown athletes into champions in life and sport is my mission. I hope to share my unique knowledge and passion for skiing in a way that balances the roles and responsibilities of an educator and coach. The future is bright and I can’t wait to share it.

Sponsors

Thanks to Rossignol for all the skis. And thanks to my family, who showed me how to use them.

Photos:

Jonathan Selkowitz (2) Wade McKoy (head)

LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE

Roots

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Mycah Miller

Born May 6, 1983, in Jackson, Wyoming, to Dave Miller and Sally Yocum during a 10” snowstorm.

Ski Town Jobs

Vertical Harvest employee, Teton Adaptive Sports ski instructor, businesswoman.

Highlight Reel

Skiing since age 3. First student with Down syndrome in Wilson School and in Teton County School District. Junior year Prom Queen. Black belt in American Tae Kwon Do. First and only student with Down syndrome to graduate with a diploma from Teton County Schools. Assistant ski instructor with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Kids Ranch, 2001-2012, and with Teton Adaptive Sports, 2012-present. Teacher’s aide with Teton County Schools.

Data entry for Teton Literacy and Jackson Hole Reservations, 2002-2006. Working for Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole since 2014. Owner of Mycah’s Memos, watercolor note cards created

by Mycah and available at Vertical Harvest Jackson Hole, and in pet stores, veterinarian offices, and gift shops. Volunteers one day a week at St. John's Living Center (since 2013). Special Olympics competitor for 27 years, and still competes in alpine skiing, basketball, and bowling. Rec. Center kickball participant on the Vertical Harvest Kickball Team, the first integrated team in Teton County Parks and Rec. programs. Loves skiing, biking, camping, and boating. Lives independently with her kitty, Blossom.

Personal Philosophy

Passionate about raising awareness regarding the abilities that

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Photos: Wade McKoy (top); Courtesy Sally Yocum (above)

people with disabilities possess, especially those with Down syndrome.

Goals

To be a public servant and run for office. Filed for this year’s school board election on her own, but realized that the commitment was too much, and transportation was an issue.

Sponsors

Anyone who wants to be! w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Brittany Miller

Aka Brit Sunshine, born in Jackson, Wyoming, in 1990 to Dave Miller and Sally Yocum. “She popped out on the longest day of light in the year, the summer solstice.” - Dave Miller

Ski Town Jobs

Graphic designer, ski instructor at JHMR

Highlight Reel

I grew up in Wilson, in Red Top Meadows, or Shred Top, as I like to call it. I ski raced in the Inter-mountain region for six years and was Wyoming State Champion in slalom. I turned to the “dark side,” transitioning to Park and Pipe, and competed in USASA (United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association) on Jackson Hole Freeride Team for three years. Currently, I’m a ski-bum baby and a freelance graphic designer. I was working for a television company in Los Angeles and found myself daydreaming about skiing, so I Photos: Wade McKoy (rt); Courtesy Brit Miller (top) packed up and headed back to the mountains. Through everything, from skiing to my other professome of the same professional instructors who taught me. I resional endevors, my biggest cheerleader has always been my ally enjoy being surrounded by such an amazing community. dad, Dave Miller. He is the lead backcountry ski guide supervisor Every year I learn more about this place and myself. The whole at JHMR. He brought me into a fold of amazing skiers, all huprocess is epic. It takes a village and I’m very grateful for all mans who stand for pushing it and skiing hard. Learning safety, those amazing people along the way. The village kooks and perfollowing your gut, and trusting your ability are all things that my sonalities have always inspired me to push the limit, learn the terdaddio has taught me about being in the mountains. rain, bring the stoke and have fun!

Personal Philosophy

As a grom, the mountain was my playground. Now, as a young adult, I’m still exploring old stomping grounds and finding new, fun hits. It shows the endless fun you can have at the JHMR. Last year it was incredible to be ski instructing and working alongside

Goals

Keep learning. Keep loving. Keep skiing.

Sponsors

Saga Outerwear

LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE

Roots

SKI TOWN NATIVES LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE L

Photos:

Lance Koudele (top) Amy Jimmerson (bottom)

Tyler Van Martin

Born in Jackson, Wyoming, to Steve and Karen Martin during the historic 1988 Yellowstone fires. “I was born right on schedule, which would be the first and only time that I was on time for anything.”

Ski Town Job

Competing on the Freeride World Qualifying tour.

Highlight Reel

Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club alumnus and former coach.

Developed a passion for the sport and, through it, traveled the globe.

Montana State University graduate.

Level 200 USASA Freestyle Coach.

Avalanche 1 certificate. Nationally

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certified Wilderness EMT. Designed two award-winning skis with Sego Ski Company. Notched two Alaskan first descents.

Personal Philosophy

Skiing should always be fun! If it’s not, then you are not doing it right.

Goals

Qualify for the 2020 Freeride World Tour.

Design more skis.

Keep shooting photos and skiing with my brother Max for as long as possible.

Sponsors

Sego Ski Co., Shred, Opedix, Avalon 7, Virtika Outerwear

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Photos:

Amy Jimmerson

Max Martin

Born in 1993 to Karen and Steve Martin. “It was shaping up to be a nice powder day. The doctor thought he was going to go skiing but had to deliver me instead.”

Ski Town Job

Personal Trainer at Wright Training

Highlight Reel

Played in youth soccer programs and on the Jackson Hole High School varsity soccer team. Ski raced with Jackson Hole Ski Club until age 15.

Graduated high school at Rowmark Ski Academy, Salt Lake City, Utah. Continued education and racing at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. First athlete to compete in

the NCAA Alpine National Championship while also being named the Paul E. Arnold Male Athlete of the Year (twice, in 2014 and 2016). Graduated with honors and Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Physiology. American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. Mountain Athlete Advanced Programing Certified.

Personal Philosophy Ski hard, smile big.

Goals

Pursue my ski career as long as possible. Continue working in the health industry. Start my own business.

Sponsors

Sego Ski Co., Marmot, Shred Optics, Slytech Protection, NOSO Patches

LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE LIVE TO SKI SKI TO LIVE

Bryce Newcomb, age 30, of Jackson, Wyoming, passed away on June 15, 2018. Bryce experienced a traumatic brain injury on March 27, when a cornice gave way beneath him while scouting a ski line on Cody Peak outside the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Bryce is survived by his mother, Shauna Lockett; father Robert Newcomb; and brother, Cole Newcomb.

Bryce was born on Oct. 1, 1987, in Los Angeles County, California. Not long after, an earthquake shook the greater Los Angeles area, a testament perhaps to the incredible life he would lead.

In 1992, the family moved to Ketchum, Idaho, where Bryce had the opportunity to participate in numerous outdoors activities, including downhill skiing, soccer, mountain biking, road cycling and water skiing—anything and everything under the sun— and he mastered each and every one of them.

Bryce’s passion for skiing flourished on the Sun Valley Ski Team. He was a medalwinning skier throughout his career but found his true calling in competitive free-skiing. In 2007, Bryce won his first free-ski competition in Taos, New Mexico, and in pursuit of his newfound love for the sport, he moved to Jackson, Wyoming.

In Jackson, Bryce found an incredible community to call his own. Those close to him knew him as “Buckles,” for his passion for fitting ski boots. Bryce became a member of Atomic’s international ski team and an ambas-

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Mathew Kaunitz (portrait); Wade McKoy (ski)

In Memoriam

sador for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

The news of his death brought forth an outpouring of grief from the ski community; numerous friends posted photos and messages of love and condolences on social media. He is remembered as not just a skier, a regular in the tram line who skied everything the mountain offered, but as someone who enjoyed ripping the sleeves off his friends’ shirts to give them impromptu tank tops, and shredding big blocks of cheese as a way of poking fun at the

“shredder” attitude. He was quick to offer help to other skiers trying to achieve a higher level.

Through it all, Bryce was genuine in his love of skiing and the outdoors, and his approach was always in laughter and humility.

Donations in Bryce’s name can be made to Watershed Jackson, a charity that aids athletes with traumatic brain injuries, at www.watershedjackson.org.

— Provided by the family

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Jarrett Smith

In Memoriam

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and fireworks. He was a grounding force in a wonderful and close community of friends and family in Jackson and Salt Lake. He loved his dog, Hubble. Always curious, he would set his mind on a task and keep at it until he figured it out. Recent pursuits included raising chickens, brewing beer, learning to play the guitar, and volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Salt Lake City.

Next to his bed, Sawyer kept a book of quotes that resonated with him. His family shared two of them: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” — Steve Jobs “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” — Charles Darwin Though Sawyer’s time in wild places was cut short, his efforts to sustain the natural environment continue. The Sawyer Gordon Wild Riis Wilbrecht

Jackson Hole native Sawyer Gordon, 22, died on Sunday, June 11, 2017, from injuries sustained in a paragliding accident in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 7. He was an accomplished skier, mountaineer, climber, fisherman, and athlete.

Like many passionate and outspoken advocates for our planet, Sawyer developed a deep relationship with the lofty peaks and meandering streams of his home. Sawyer lived for the outdoors and encouraged others to leave no trace and to preserve the natural environment for future generations.

Looking forward to graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in electrical engineering and physics, Sawyer had intended to employ his career skills to help reduce energy use and its footprint on the planet by working to modernize the generation and distribution of power. He understood the stakes of climate change at a young age and engaged himself, both as an athlete and a student, in environmental issues.

Sawyer was a 2013 graduate of the Jackson Hole Community School and participated in Boy Scouts throughout his youth, which helped nurture his outdoor skills and his love of wild places. During college breaks, he worked for numerous local businesses over the years.

Fun times with Sawyer involved some combination of mountains, water, costumes,

Places Memorial Fund established by his family works to protect wild lands and supports climate-related causes. His legacy inspires us to be grateful for every outdoor experience, and to take a stand and fight for the wild places we love – especially during this time of uncertainty surrounding public lands and the unnerving trajectory of our climate.

Donations to the fund may be made online through this link: GoFundMe.com/sawyer-gordon-wildplaces-memorial — Susan Mick and Bob Gordon 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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Georg Simon Hirschland, 58, of Wilson, died in December 2017 at his home in Wilson.

A passionate lifelong skier, Georg and his family moved to Wilson from the New York City area in the mid 1960s to enjoy both the summer and winter activities in Jackson Hole. He lived in Wilson intermittently during his youth, attending Wilson School and Jackson Hole Middle and High Schools at various times. His family moved frequently.

When Georg became an adult, he chose Wilson as his permanent home, and had been here, with only brief absences, since.

Georg was a graceful and talented skier who honed that skill on the slopes of the Jackson Hole Resort, notching decades of 100-day seasons on those slopes. (He regularly lamented that his mother did not buy him a lifetime pass

when they were briefly on sale in the early days of the resort.) For many years, until ski injuries and mental health issues reduced his time on the slopes, Georg had informal competitions

Photo courtesy the Miller family

Candice Marie Miller Kwiatkowski was born in Waseca, Minnesota, on March 9, 1982, and died in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on July 23, 2018. She was 36.

Candice was an extremist. The way she skied, played music, dirt-biked, hiked, and lived was done with extreme intention and purpose and is perhaps why she connected so well with the people of Jackson Hole. She was one of them.

The youngest of eight children, Candice enjoyed a childhood filled with sports, music, skiing, church, and life on the farm. What started as a plan to be a musician in Nashville was superseded by her love of the mountains. Settling down in Teton Valley in 2004, Candice and her sister Karee, with their noticeable fashion sense and rocking funk-soul party band Mandatory Air, provided a living soundtrack for the entire local ski community for more than a decade. The Swine Heart’s Ball, Music Under the Tram, NYE at Top of the Gondola, TGR parties, The Mangy Moose, Cowboy, Trap, Knotty Pine, Silver Dollar, Fourth of July in the commons and too many weddings to count, The Miller Sisters were center stage at nearly every venue in the valley. The sisters were known to change outfits at set breaks, play longer and harder than any band out there, and exude a life-loving spirit that brought people together. The rowdy, swingfrom-the-rafters outlaw spirit of Candice is the stuff of legend. Anyone who witnessed Can-

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with local legend “Wild Bill” Bowen to see which of them could jump into S&S the most in a season. Corbet’s was another favorite of his. He will be missed by his many friends on the slopes.

An ardent summer outdoorsman, Georg thought nothing of hiking Teewinot by himself multiple times throughout the summer. He first summited the Grand when he was 11 with his stepfather, Peter Carmen.

Georg enjoyed playing duplicate bridge at the Jackson Hole Senior Center for many years. He worked briefly at Mountain House in the Community Counseling Center, and helped raise money for them by climbing Rendezvous Mountain during summer.

He is survived by his sisters, Liz Hirschland of Wilson (his twin) and Victoria Hirschland Hess of Jackson, and his nephews, Richard Hess of Jackson and Andrew Hess of Aurora, Colorado.

The family requests that donations be made to the Jackson Community Counseling Center in support of Mountain House and suicide prevention.

— Valley Mortuary

Wade McKoy photos

In Memoriam

dice sing “Bobby Magee” will not soon forget.

She was known by many and loved by all. And the way she skied was the way she lived: hard, fast, no looking back, and with a style that can never be matched.

She married Chad Kwiatkowski on March 1, 2008 in Driggs, Idaho. Their daughter, Mary Jane Lucille, was born January 22, 2009. Their son, Calvin Arthur, born on February 26, 2013, tragically died in infancy.

— Provided by the Miller family

Dr. Samuel Southwick, a long-time Jackson resident, died in his sleep March 9, 2018, in Borrego Springs, California. He was 89 years old.

Sam grew up in the rural Midwest. After college he went to medical school and joined the Air Force, where he served as a pathologist and achieved the rank of major. Stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California, Sam and his friends kept their surfboards in a dilapidated milk truck at a small airport in Santa Cruz and would fly down to surf the southfacing reefs. In the ’80s he built a casita at Punta Chivato deep in the Baja Peninsula on the Sea of Cortez.

Sam fell in love with skiing and spent his winters in Alta, Utah, before moving to Jackson, Wyoming, in 1964. He bought the Corbet family house on Simpson Avenue and rented it on the cheap to numerous local skiers, snowboarders, and climbers for over 50 years.

He lived in the small log cabin next door.

Sam was a powerful and graceful powder skier in the old Alta style. He appeared in several Dick Barrymore films, including The Last of the Ski Bums and Winter Spell. He named several Jackson Hole trails, including Bird in the Hand, Two in the Bush, and Dilly Dally Alley.

In 1966 Sam resuscitated patrolman Richard Porter following his burial in an avalanche in what later became known as Dick’s Ditch.

Sam guided friends on Teton Pass in the Continued bottom next page

Jonathan Selkowitz (ski, bike); Wade McKoy (portrait)

In Memoriam

Southwick continued

late ’60s and early ’70s and helped explore the local backcountry. He was the first to ski Granite Canyon. One day Paul McCollister, founder of the Jackson Hole Ski Area, asked Sam where he had skied.

When Sam said he’d skinned up a mountain that “had four pines at the top,” the name Four Pines stuck.

For many years Sam lived on a junk-rigged schooner in San Diego Bay. He loved old cars, slow boats, and vintage airplanes, and owned several of each. He was ever curious, with a wide range of interests, including design, navigation, astronomy, and aviation.

He is survived by his son, Josh, daughter-in-law, Karen, and grandchildren Sasha and Ben. — Posted online anonymously by “a friend of Sam Southwick.” It has been edited for length.

David J. Swift, 69, died suddenly of a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm while cross-country skiing alone in Grand Teton National Park on January 16, 2018.

Swift, a Jackson resident since 1976, studied filmmaking, journalism, and photography at Compton College and California State University, Long Beach. He served as a photographer and reporter for the Jackson Hole News and founded Atomic Digital, a design, photography, marketing, and pre-press facility. He contributed to the The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Motorcyclist, Fortune, People, and closer to home, Big Sky Journal, Jackson Hole Magazine, and Jackson Hole Skier. He has written, directed, and produced many 30-second television commercials and has received producer credit for two awardwinning short films: Killpecker: Origins and High-

Dr. Ken Lambert, longtime Jackson Hole physician, late of Providence, Rhode Island, died suddenly on Dec. 23, 2017, of cardiac arrest. He was 79.

A resident of Jackson Hole from 1977 to 2001, Dr. Lambert soon took his place among America’s best orthopedic surgeons. Nominated by surgical peers, he was listed for years in “The Best Doctors in America.” He began performing difficult revision surgeries and nonunions. His patients came from all over the country.

After completing a residency in orthopedic surgery in 1972, he was awarded a fellowship by the Swiss AO Foundation and taught at AO trauma courses stateside and in Europe. During the year in Switzerland, he researched skiing with his customary obsessiveness.

Dr. Lambert skied with the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol, kayaked, and climbed. He rarely saw a risk that he didn’t want to take. And he always pushed himself to do more and to do it better.

He pioneered the repair of the ACL ligament of the knee and was a U.S. Ski Team doctor. He was a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and a guest professor at Baltimore Shock Trauma. He ran a trauma fellowship program from Jackson. He wrote articles, contributed to books, lectured, and performed opera-

way 22 Revisited. He became one of Mountain Journal’s founding stable of columnists and he provocatively titled his intended installments, Trigger Warning.

David’s former partner, Colleen Thompson, helped him find organization in his creativity. Though they weren't married, they fondly referred to each other as "spousal equivalents."

Jonathan Selkowitz, the noted outdoor adventure photographer, expressed his admiration. “David made us smarter and happier. He was a great friend to so many. Of all the memories, it is the in-between moments such as car rides and random conversations that stand out most.”

American landscape painter Kathryn Turner, a Jackson Hole native, may have been the last person to see David alive. They stopped to chat on the trail while skiing.

“We talked about the blessings in our lives — family, friendship and all that is beautiful,” she wrote on Facebook. “With David, it takes no time to get to the heart of things.”

One of Swift's closest amigos was photographer Ted Wood, who also worked at the Jackson Hole News. “David had the spirit of a child, endlessly inquisitive, always looking for the beauty and grace in everyone he met,” Ted said.

“We took ‘dumb-boy adventures,’ as we called them, into the mountains and desert, and would see the track followed by most people and decide, wisely or not, we weren’t going that way. Always, we got into some kind of trouble but were able to escape the reaper a number of times."

After pausing, Ted added, "David was that kind of person you can never imagine not being here.”

Swift is survived by his and Colleen’s son Dyson, David’s daughter, Heather, numerous siblings, and his mother Millie Bonca.

— Excerpted from Todd Wilkinson’s extensive piece in Mountain Journal, mountainjournal.org

tions for surgical teaching videos. He edited the Journal of Orthopedic Trauma.

In 2001 he and his wife Sandra moved to Providence, Rhode Island, to be nearer their daughter Christine, then in her own medical residency, and her young children.

In Providence he worked as a consultant to companies developing biomaterials for orthopedic trauma. He was an adjunct professor of engineering at Brown University, advising biomedical post docs.

He was a co-founder and board member of Nanova Biomaterials.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1938, Dr. Lambert was always a fierce competitor. He pitched in the College World Series, won a full athletic scholarship to the University of Missouri, and played linebacker in the Orange Bowl.

Recently he volunteered at the Rhode Island Free Clinic and saw patients for as long as he was able.

He leaves behind Sandra, his wife of 53 years; his daughter, Dr. Christine Rayner, and her wife, Sarah Kincaid; Sarah’s daughter, Emerson; and grandchildren, Alice and Oliver Rayner. He is also survived by his brother Marvin (Mary) Lambert, of San Francisco.

— Excerpted from text provided by his family and printed in the Jackson Hole News and Guide

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Into the Wild

Experience the Solitude of Winter Photography by Josh Metten, EcoTour Adventures

ome to some of the most spectacular scenic wonders and richest winter-wildlife habitat in America, Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park encompass the vast southern part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. An area of over 18 million acres, the GYE comprises the largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states.

H

And when Old Man Winter blankets the landscape with his heavy white cover, the valley and mountains are transformed into a magical world. Elk, moose, bison, bighorn sheep, and wolves all become more visible as they move onto the valley floor to escape the high country’s deep snow.

A venture through the snow-muffled forest and along a frozen mountain stream can reveal the true wonders of the hushed Jackson Hole landscape. There may be no better way to traverse the white-mantled topography than on venerable snowshoes

or cross-country skis.

Although big-mountain skiing entices most winter visitors to the area, if they spend all their time on the resort slopes “they are missing out on this gem of a park only a few miles away,” said Taylor Phillips, owner of EcoTour Adventures. Striking out on your own is an option, but Jackson Hole EcoTour can lead winter wanderers into prime spots in the nearby national park in high style.

“There is an incredible value with getting out with a naturalist to explore the

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Left: Snowshoe tours in Grand Teton National Park provide an "off the beaten path” experience. Led by experienced naturalists at EcoTour Adventures, guests are educated about the area’s wildlife, history, and geology.

Left bottom: Bald and golden eagle sightings increase in winter as birds from as far away as Alaska migrate into Jackson Hole.

Above: With their long legs, moose are able to handle deeper snow than deer or elk. They concentrate in groups along the rivers and sagebrush flats of southern Grand Teton National Park in winter.

Below: Five different wolf packs have known territories in Grand Teton National Park, and winter is the best time of year to look for them.

backcountry. This is the only place in the U.S. that you have a world-class ski destination next to this array of public lands,” Phillips said. “I want our guests to understand the uniqueness of the area. We have access to quite a few different locations in Grand Teton Park, depending on how much time we have.”

A slow-paced activity, snowshoeing can be enjoyed by almost anyone. “If you can walk, you can snowshoe,” Phillips noted. “It’s a great way for people that don’t have the skills on Nordic skis to get out into the mountains, to get away from the crowds and experience the solitude, the splendor, and the quiet away from the road and to explore the backcountry in the Tetons.”

Tours are broken up according to ability levels: leisurely, moderate, or active. “We group people of similar activity levels,” said Phillips, “so they are not holding back or pushing people beyond what they are comfortable doing.”

For the cross-country ski excursions, guides are naturalists and PSIA Nordic certified instructors, so they are able to offer a high level of Nordic instruction in addition to their knowledge of the ecosystem. While the four-hour program designed for beginners is in a tour format, guides additionally can provide tips and techniques.

EcoTour Adventures wildlife tours are undertaken in safari-style vehicles featuring pop-up roof hatches so guests can stand, observe, and w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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Top: Sunny winter days can energize younger bull elk like these two sparring in Flat Creek on the National Elk Refuge.

Left: Red foxes spend most of their time listening for rodents scurrying about beneath the snow but won’t hesitate to take advantage of the bounty of animal carcasses.

Above: Studying track and sign unlocks an unseen winter world of wildlife in Grand Teton National Park.

Right: Using their superior hearing, great gray owls can detect and capture rodents underneath nearly 20� of snow! These diurnal raptors are often visible during the daytime hours.

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photograph local fauna from a safe location.

“This also disturbs wildlife a lot less than if we were outside the vehicle,” said Phillips, “and everyone gets a great view.” The outfit also suppies binoculars and spotting scopes.

“Our main focus is to maximize our guests’ time in the parks,” Phillips continued. “Grand Teton National Park is known for its wildlife and stunning scenery, but it is so much more. We enjoy educating our guests on the region’s wildlife, history, and geology as we take them to the great wildlife hotspots.

“We want to connect our guests to this incredible national park, the larger ecosys-

tem and the natural world in general. Our programs can be life changing!”

EcoTour’s guides all boast backgrounds in the sciences and love sharing their knowledge.

Guide Verlin Stephens, a former member of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Recovery Team, often asks his group, “What are you wanting to see?” He explained, “I like them to ask questions—you ask questions and you will learn more. I treat the trip like a joint venture and a learning experience for both of us.”

A number of trip options are available, from half-day to full-day excursions. But all are customizable and tailored to guests’ needs, and all tours include transportation from the guests’ lodging. A favorite program is the full-day combination: four-hours wildlife viewing and four-hours snowshoeing.

For snowshoe outings, equipment is provided. For XC trips, clients need to arrange to rent gear ahead of time. EcoTour can coordinate with Door 2 Door, a local ski-delivery/rental company, so equipment gets dropped off the night before.

A combo National Elk Refuge program includes a four-hour tour of Grand Teton Park, followed by a sleigh ride among the elk on the refuge and a visit to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Snacks and hot beverages are always available and lunch is included in full-day excursions. –JH SKIER w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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Mush!

Hike!

Let’s Go! Sled-dog tours, a storybook experience

by Sandra Keats

The tale is tried and true. Whether it

But 12 Totos pulling Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow down the Yellow Brick Road?

Not in Dorothy’s wildest dreams!

Well, what if Dorothy had found herself trudging down a trail deep in the Yukon?

Maybe then she might have swapped the ruby red pumps for a dog sled and her precious Toto for a team of Alaskan huskies to pull her home.

Dog sledding combines that primal relationship of man and his loyal canine with the rush of whisking through snow-covered country and disappearing into the wild. It’s the Jack London storybook experience.

Imagine a day where a foot of untouched powder settles over the Jackson Hole Valley.

You leave your skis at home and, bundled in layer upon layer with a thermos of hot chocolate in hand, you take to the trail with a local musher.

“Mush! Hike! All Right! Let’s Go!” the musher calls out to his team. The dogs explode into motion, and off you go, dog and man, on a picturesque journey across frozen rivers, snow-blanketed valleys, dense forest, and rugged mountains.

For you this is a one-day adventure. For the musher, though, it’s a lifestyle.

Just ask Jackson Hole’s eight-time Iditarod veteran Frank Teasley. It was the romantic allure that initially grabbed him and pulled him into the dog-sledding lifestyle. But now it’s the rewarding relationship between a musher and his dogs – and the commitment to those dogs – that keeps him involved yearround in this hobby.

“There’s a difference between a musher

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Bob Woodall photos

was Lassie and Timmy, Dorothy and Toto, Travis and Old Yeller, Duncan and Rin Tin Tin, or Buck and John Thornton, dog has always been man’s best friend.

Mushers are surrounded by the vast Gros Ventre Mountain Range as they glide along in silence. and someone leading a dog team,” Teasley said. “A musher lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes dogs – 365 days a year, the dogs

Dog sledding combines that primal relationship of man and his loyal canine with the rush of whisking through snow-covered country and disappearing into the wild. It’s the Jack London storybook experience. come first. It’s like having a very large family.”

Teasley, owner of Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Tours, started running dogs in 1979

with three Siberian huskies and a chair nailed to two skis. He now owns the largest touring company in the nation. He refers to his 200dog company as a “pension plan” for his veteran racing dogs and “high school” for his younger, less experienced pups.

“It’s like having more than 200 kids, which is extremely demanding, both physically and emotionally,” Teasley said. “Recognizing that every decision, like taking a vacation, is based on (the) dogs. The first priority, always, is that the dogs are taken care of.”

And it’s thanks to them that Teasley has successfully raced through Oregon, Montana, Minnesota, Alaska, Wyoming, and even Argentina. They’ve won the Race to the Sky in Montana three times, the UP 200 in Michigan in 2004, and hold the record for the Bear Grease race in Minnesota. Teasley’s team has w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

see teams cross the run the Iditarod eight finish line each day. times, including their So Teasley created best time in 1991, a what is now the sixth-place finish out largest dog-sled race of 74 racers. That in the lower 48 same year, they restates: The Pedigree ceived the Sterling Stage Stop Sled Dog Silver Award for the Race. most improved kenNow in its 24th nel and the Leonard year, and boasting Seppala Humanitareight different starts ian Award for the and finishes in seven “best cared-for different Wyoming team” in 1989. towns and one in During his earlier Idaho, the 400-mile years competing in race provides an althe Iditarod, Teasley ternative to the typiand other racers cal marathon-style voiced concern that races. Teasley says “The Last Great this type of race is Race” wasn’t easily much better for the accessible to specdogs than marathon tators. Spectators At Granite Hot Springs mushers are rewarded races, where dogs could view the start with a swim in its 112-degree water. rest only as much as in Anchorage and they run. But a stage race allows the dogs maybe the finish in Nome two weeks later. to rest more than they run.

But unless fans snowshoed deep into the Additionally, every dog in the race is exAlaskan wilderness, sometimes in 40amined by a veterinarian and “mibelow-zero temperatures, most of the crochipped,” a high-tech procedure 1,000-mile-plus race remained a mystery. involving implanting a microchip under the “I have to give credit to the Iditarod for dogs’ skin, so their vitals can be routinely putting dog sledding on the map,” Teasley checked. noted. “It’s a great race; it will always be a “The dogs have no ulterior motives,” great race.”

Teasley said. “You take care of them, they But Teasley decided in 1995 he was a take care of you.” bigger fan of the “Stage Stop” race concept, which enables the media and spectators to

A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME

by Blair Pendleton

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ounds of nature and the swooshing of the sled’s runners through the snow create the soothing soundtrack to our journey. Snow-blanketed trees seem to fly by as we mush along at nearly seven miles per hour. It seems to me, however, that we’re maxing-out around 20 mph. Could be. When racing, these same dogs average a speed of 17.8 mph for a total of 60 miles!

At one stop, we switch drivers, and I take a seat in the sled’s cradle to become another musher’s cargo. Riding so low to the ground offers a totally new and amazing scene. It’s as if I’m one-on-one with the dogs. I notice their every movement and begin to pick my favorites. One dog, Ally, enjoys the snow so much, she repeatedly bumps her behind into the snow bank by the trail. Another looks back at me each time we pause for a picture break, a pleading look in his eye, waiting for the cue to continue: “Alright!” Really, it sounds more like “Aaahh-ight.” But the dogs definitely understand and bolt into a run at each command.

After a few hours, we make it to Granite Hot Springs, a pool constructed in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Steam rises from the 112-degree water and brilliant rays of sun poke through snow-heavy limbs hanging precariously over the spring. We excitedly make our way toward the pool to soak in its warmth.

JACKSON HOLE IDITAROD SLED DOG TOURS Hosted by Jackson Hole’s own 8-Time Veteran Iditarod Musher, Frank Teasley A recipient of Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award • Learn Mushing First Hand Drive your own sled team!

• Jackson based tours in the Bridger-Teton National Forest • Meals, transportation, supplemental clothing provided • Half-Day and Full-Day Tours, Reservation Required • Serving the immediate and surrounding area • Enjoy a soak in a natural 105° hot springs on our famous Granite Creek Canyon tour For Reservations or Information

Call: 307-733-7388

JACKSON HOLE IDITAROD SLED DOG TOURS P.O. Box 1940, Jackson Hole, Wy 83001 www.jhsleddog.com

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Photos by Bob Woodall & Wade McKoy/Focus Productions, Inc.

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The Bourbon Trail Heads West Kentucky tradition comes to Wyoming

by Mary Woodall Lowell

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yoming has been traversed by many historic trails, notably those made famous during the 19th century’s opening of the West. But now, in the 21st century, Wyoming has become the western terminus of the “Bourbon Trail.”

Once confined to distilleries in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region, the “Bourbon Trail” now stretches 1,500 miles to the grain fields of Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin and the little town of Kirby. But there’s nothing little about Wyoming Whiskey’s mark on the spirit industry.

Situated along Kirby Creek’s share of the 1864 Bridger Trail to the Montana gold fields, Wyoming Whiskey’s 38-foot high, 18-inch diameter copper still rises from the basin like a manmade Devil’s Tower. Sam Mead, a two-time skiing champion in halfpipe and slopestyle USASA Nationals, runs the state-of-the-art facility, where he’s the distiller of America’s fastest growing label. In its brief nine years of production, the WW brand has earned industry acclaim for its craftings: Small Batch, Single Barrel, Outryder, Double Cask, and Barrel Strength Bourbon. And cherished Private Stock barrels have been selected by notable local whiskey purveyors like the Cowboy Bar, Local, The Liquor Store, and Westside Wine and Spirits for their specific flavor profiles.

Towering above Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin, the five-story distillery houses the 38foot tall Vendome Copper and Brass Works copper still.

Mark master distiller of 33 years and Bourbon Hall of Famer. Nally enthusiastically left the easy chair to guide the setup of the distillery and hone the recipe for Wyoming Whiskey.

“What that did for us,” said DeFazio, COO and co-founder of Wyoming Whiskey, “was bring the traditional style of bourbon-making from Kentucky to Wyoming. Our distillery is based on the Makers Mark recipe and design: a corn, wheat, and malted barley sour mash distilled through a continuous-column still and doubler.”

Though Nally moved on to other distilling ventures in 2012, his expertise positioned Wyoming Whiskey for numerous awards and accolades.

Eminent whiskey expert Paul Pacult gave WW’s Small Batch four stars and “highly-recommended” status. Mark Gillespie of Whiskey Cast

From cowboy heritage to whiskey fame

Getting serious about those Wyoming ingredients

Whiskey ages in oak barrels for five years or more and all the while breathing in the Wyoming air.

“Thinking” took solid form when Brad asked David DeFazio to be a partner and spearhead the development of the brand. The pair caught Bourbon Trail fever while attending Kentucky’s 2006 Bourbon Festival and purchased a still from Vendome Copper and Brass Works. The Louisville company, owned by another century-old family business, is under the leadership of fourth-generation still-maker Rob Sherman and has been in his family since 1910. Ninety five-percent of America’s whiskey is made in Vendome equipment.

Sherman connected Brad and David with Steve Nally, a retired Makers

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scored Small Batch 95 points, saying, “It’s one of the best bourbons I’ve ever tasted.” Whisky Advocate listed Wyoming Whiskey’s Barrel Strength Bourbon among the world’s top ten whiskeys. And Esquire Magazine last year named Wyoming Whiskey the number-one family-owned independent craft distillery in the country.

About those Wyoming ingredients

Corn, wheat, barley, and rye are grown in nearby Byron, Wyoming, and milled on site to feed WW’s cooker. “Where the still sits now used to be our roping arena,” said Sam. w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Bob Woodall photos

A modern entrepreneurial vision, Wyoming Whiskey is the child of two Jackson Hole pioneering families, the Meads and Hansens. The Hansens began homesteading around Jackson Hole in 1890, establishing one of the largest private, pastoral holdings in Teton County and, until recently, leased another 2,000 acres in Grand Teton Park. Their ranching legacy continues in the Spring Gulch meadows, home of Mead Ranch Natural Beef. In colder months, the Meads move their cattle to pastures in the Big Horn Basin around Kirby.

The idea to create whiskey from all Wyoming nonGMO grains came about when Sam’s parents, attorneys Brad and Kate Mead, decided to multi-purpose their Kirby property, located 270 miles northeast of the Teton slopes. Brad is the brother of current Governor Matt Mead and grandson of the late Clifford Peter Hansen, Wyoming governor (1963-1967) and U.S. Senator (19671978).

“Both my parents are serial entrepreneurs,” Sam said.

“My mother was interested in making wine. We started talking about that more seriously after we bought land in the Big Horn Basin to winter our cattle. The reality was, we couldn’t grow grapes there because it’s too dry. But that got us thinking: ‘We’ve got corn, wheat, and barley growing in the basin.’ Whiskey just made more sense.”

Wyoming Whiskey photo

MOUNTAIN SPIRITS Another fundamental component of traditional bourbon making is limestone-filtered water. WW’s got that too. The reason bourbon was once the special child mainly of the Bluegrass State is the 100mile radius of aquifers channeled through Kentucky limestone. Limestone nixes iron, sulphur, and other undesirable compounds that negatively impact the distillation process, while the high pH of limestonemothered water promotes fermentation.

Wyoming Whiskey draws its water from mile-deep Paleozoic aquifers of the Madison Limestone Formation in Manderson, Wyoming. “Geologists at the University of Wyoming tell us that the water we are pulling from the ground hasn’t seen the light of day in six-thousand years,” Defazio said. “That brings us back to the Bronze Age.”

Huge temperature shifts trigger the exhalation and inhalation of this air during summer and fall months. “In the span of 24 hours, we can have 50-degree temperature swings. These changes force whiskey to expand and contract in the barrels, which moves air in and out as well. Plus, evaporation of whiskey over time will cause air to be drawn into the barrel.”

The terroir lungs of the Big Horn Basin oxidize the alcohol molecule, making it “rounder and smoother, with the influence of sage playing a major role in the whiskey’s development,” DeFazio noted.

“Our whiskey is what it is, because of where it is.”

The latest from WW

Wyoming Whiskey has expanded its whiskey offerings to include Double Cask The Powers of Terroir (a sherry-finished bourbon), Single Barrel Bourbon (the top 1% of its bourbon barDeFazio has another theory about rels), Outryder (a bourbon and rye what gives Wyoming Whiskey its unique whiskey blend), Private Stock Bourbon share of bourbon history-in-the-making. (barrels exclusive to select whiskey purTerroir refers to environmental factors, inveyors), Small Batch Bourbon (its flagship cluding climate, soil, and flora that con- Head distiller Sam Mead samples the brand with a whiskey thief. product), and Barrel Strength Bourbon (a dition crop phenotype in a particular habitat. “The grain we grow in soils exclusive to the Basin makes our rare offering only available in small quantities every few years). And product special, but the most profound environmental effect occurs thanks to a strategic partnership with Edrington, owners of Macallan during maturation. All whiskeys are aged in oak barrels, but none age and Highland Park Scotch Whiskeys, Wyoming Whiskey will be available in all 50 states and in select international markets in 2019. in fields of sage and other high plains flora. Sage imparts a very different essence than bluegrass.

Mary Lowell is a poet and frequent author of articles published “Because wood is porous, outside air, and the essence that it carries, comes into constant contact with our whiskey as the barrels on ecclesial art history. She lives in Lexington, Ky, Horse Capital of the World and host to landmarks on the Bourbon Trail. breathe with changing temperatures.”

Raised locally by the Hansen/Mead family for over 100 years.

All natural Jackson Hole beef raised on conservation land and finished with spent grains.

Our beef are steroid and antibiotic free and are always humanely treated by gentle cowboys.

Mead Beef is dry-aged for 21 days for the most succulent steaks and bodacious burgers.

Available at the Jackson Hole Farmers Market

And these fine Jackson establishments: Mangy Moose • Teton Pines Snake River Grill • Snake River Brew Pub Sweet Cheeks Meats w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

A s k u s a b o u t ha v i ng yo u r e ve nt a t M e a d Ra nc h i n b e a ut i f ul S pr in g G ul c h • C o r p o r a t e E v e n t s • We d d i n g s • S o c i a l E v e n t s • Jackson Hole Natural Beef, LLC Jackson, Wyoming • 307.734.3911 www.meadranch.net 2 0 1 8 -1 9

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Local Beer Rules Supreme Hometown brewpubs are ideal for après ski adventures

by Melissa Thomasma

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près ski, now as much a component of ski culture as skiing itself, should help top off a day of playing in the snowbound landscape. Downing a few brews and a shot of spirits while reveling with friends is one way to enrich the memories.

Bob Woodall

But knocking back just any beer, when so many different locally brewed creations abound, seems an unworthy end to an epic day. Beer lovers know this, and when on the road to recreation hot spots they naturally seek out local craft options over mega-brews or even imports. Luckily, regional small-batch brews are becoming standard for most resort communities. In fact, craft beers now represent almost 13 percent of the United States’ beer industry. Not surprisingly, buying local is popular among beer drinkers, and they are increasingly turning away from run-of-the mill mass-produced brands. Over the last four decades the number of craft breweries in the United States has exploded, from 100 to more than 5,000.

Jackson Hole and Teton Valley, Idaho, have been riding this wave of new brewpubs. Local brewing operations offer beer lovers a couple of key features: an impressive array of inspired beers and a unique hangout spot ideal for après beverages and celebrating the day’s adventures.

Snake River Brewing

Snake River Brewing, the state’s oldest craft beer enterprise, occupies an unassuming corner in downtown Jackson. Founded in 1994, the “Brew Pub,” as it’s known to

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Local brew pubs pour a variety of award-winning craftings sure to please the palates of discerning beer lovers.

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MOUNTAIN SPIRITS locals, is a favorite year-round watering hole.

Relaxed and unpretentious, the spacious welllit bar and dining areas welcome longtime locals and visitors alike. Local art adorns the walls, and a large corner hearth encourages patrons to kick back and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow powder hounds and share a wood-fired pizza.

It’s not just the unique Jackson Hole vibe that keeps valley folks coming back for another pint, though. The beer that Snake River Brewing produces is celebrated both locally and well beyond the Equality State. A variety of their beers – from longtime favorites to new and boundary-pushing concoctions – have won an avalanche of awards at beer festivals near and far. In 2018, the Brew Pub was honored with a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for its Speargun Coffee Milk Stout.

Past brewings have garnered medals for its much-loved Pako’s IPA, Jenny Lake Lager (previously dubbed Snake River Lager).

Recent years have seen the addition of canning facilities at Snake River Brewing, enabling adventurers to more easily pack their favorite craft beverages into the wild with them.

It’s this connection between passion for the Rocky Mountain outdoors and enthusiasm for excellent beer that drives Snake River Brewing’s culture of eco-minded fun.

Wildlife’s offerings continue to collect awards from across the nation, but Harmon believes it’s more than just great recipes: “Quality and fun is who we are. Making people happy and bringing friends together to enjoy the mountain lifestyle is what we do!”

In other words, there’s never a bad choice on tap at Wildlife Brewing.

StillWest Brewery & Grill

The newest craft outfit on the scene is situated squarely at the foot of Snow King Mountain. StillWest Brewery sports a welcoming rustic and stylish atmosphere that’s literally built around brewing. Behind the bar – which is consistently stocked with taps boasting innovative and flavorful blends – guests can watch the brewing process unfold among shiny silver vats and pipes.

And what emerges from those vats is always new, fresh, and mouthwatering. “Our beers are all really approachable,” explained Don Alan Hankins, owner and brewmaster behind StillWest. “Our beer is exclusively available on site; we don’t can or distribute it at all. And that allows me to mix up styles and rotate unique seasonals.”

As the proverbial new kids on the block, Hankins and his wife, Chaney Scott, know that he’s got plenty of high-quality competition in the beer scene in Jackson Hole. His niche, he believes, is crafting innovative blends and keeping both locals and visitors coming back to sample what’s new. “It’s a fun way to be creative and keep people interested!” a smiling Hankins said.

Hankins and Scott are adamant that a quality brewpub is about more than what’s poured into glasses. The menu is also a balance of standby favorites and rotating seasonal specials. Utilizing local produce and proteins, over 90 percent of the menu’s offerings are made in-house.

For those spending a day skiing Snow King, the Town Hill, the location of StillWest can’t be beat. It’s a perfect midday lunch break or après spot. Patrons can settle into the deck, enjoy the lingering light of the expansive southern exposure, and savor one or two of Hankins sudsy creations.

When the sun starts to sink, and you pop your tired feet from your bindings, think – and drink – like a local by making one of these microbreweries an après stop. Sure, you could just sip the same thing you do at home, but when you’re in one of the most unique places on earth, why would you?

Local brewing operations offer beer lovers a couple of key features: an impressive array of inspired beers and a unique hangout spot ideal for après beverages and celebrating the day’s adventures.

Wildlife Brewing

Similarly inspired by the mountain adventure lifestyle, Wildlife Brewing in Victor, Idaho, offers an award-winning lineup of locally crafted beer. Brought to tap in 2003, Wildlife Brewing began accruing awards within two years of operation. Within five years it had expanded from a growler-filling station with takeout pizza to an established pub boasting plenty of on-tap options and a tantalizing menu.

Founder Ric Harmon embodies the deep and lasting connection between ski culture and beer culture in the area; he’s spent years pushing boundaries on the slopes, and was a founding member of the Jackson Hole Air Force. The brews around which we gather after an unforgettable day in the snow should be as local as the places in which we play, and as memorable as the people we seek adventure with. The mission is clear: “Wildlife Brewing is an organization dedicated to building relationships by creating unique beers.”

Wildlife Brewing’s momentum seems to be building, too. A new head brewer has recently joined the team, and is bringing more locally and regionally-sourced ingredients and elements to the brewery’s lineup. Canning operations are continuing to expand, which translates to access to their signature Hopstafarian IPA beyond the taproom.

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A Jackson Hole native, Melissa Thomasma is a writer who is deeply at home in the Tetons. She loves exploring the area’s mountains, rivers and forests with her husband and young daughter.

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D • I •V •E •R •S •I •O •N •S

MORE TO LIFE THAN SKIING

The Jackson Town Square is a magical place when lights illuminate the ice skating rink on winter nights.

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by Mike Calabrese

Brimming with shops, galleries, eateries and nightlife, the center of Jackson Hole demands more than a look, and promises a worthy reward. Downtown Jackson is something of a haven, decidedly free of ski hill queues or competition or the compulsion to grab one last run and push through one last turn. The focus demanded on the slopes can happily defer to the whimsy of a stroll around the town square and into dozens of nearby enterprises reflecting the Jackson Hole lifestyle.

R PARK – Jackson Hole’s valley is big. But sometimes too much of a good thing isn’t enough. Take parks, for example. Although it borders both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, the valley itself recently welcomed a new one, the R Park. Winter and

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summer aren’t the same for walkers, bikers, strollers, and most importantly for winter recreationists, for skiers!

The 40-acre playground, nestled right on the Snake River’s banks and ideally set between Jackson, Wilson, and Teton Village, also happens to be connected to one of the country’s coolest new pedestrian spans – right over the stunning Snake River. Great video and info about the new R Park and the pathways bridge at rpark.org.

Aside from its own groomed ski trails, the R Park’s trail connects to those of the Centennial pathway and the Emily’s Pond pathway, both also groomed for cross-country and skate skiers by the Teton County / Jackson Parks and Recreation Department. Already

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Josh Metten, EcoTour Adventures

ig cities, sprawling and humming with people and too often regarded as soulless, do have a heart, a pulse all their own. The small town of Jackson, though, distinctively lays claim to all three—soul, pulse, and heart. The Jackson Town Square, a colorful refuge distinct from the bustle around the slopes at our major ski areas, is a prime specimen.

An early morning cross-country tour in Grand Teton Park inspires as alpenglow illuminates the peaks. w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

just about the best and busiest rec. outfit this side of the Mississippi, it maintains nine cross-country tracks, about 20 miles of both classic and skate terrain. For a trail map, track-grooming schedules, ski conditions, and more info, visit the website: www.tetonparksandrec.org.

Use your ikon pass

@ Mammoth!

NATURALIST CROSS-COUNTRY & SNOWSHOE TOURS – Exploring winter landscape on snowshoes or cross-country skis, while rewarding, is certainly demanding. The solitude of winter landscape overwhelms some folks. But the backcountry can yield secrets and rewards under the eye of a trained naturalist. EcoTour Adventures offers just such an opportunity. Knowledgeable guides explain the cold-season environment for winter-challenged visitors and help create safe learning experiences.

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WILDLIFE TOURS – Head out into the winter wonderland for a one of a kind wildlife excursion with EcoTour Adventures. Window seating is guaranteed in their cozy, heated safari-style vans. High-quality spotting scopes, binoculars, and insights into the winter setting are all provided by professionally trained guides. A light breakfast, snacks, and beverages are enjoyed on the road. Lunch is provided on full-day tours. Visit jhecotouradventures.com.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING IN THE PARKS – For the independentminded, both Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks harbor trails and unparalleled landscape for cross-country skiing. Conditions, access questions, or transportation possibilities are all best researched at either www.nps.gov/grte or www.nps.gov/yell.

Bob Woodall

SNOWSHOEING – Grand Teton National Park offers ranger-led snowshoe hikes at 1:30 p.m. every day, from late December to March, weather and conditions permitting. Reservations are recommended. Snowshoes are provided, but a $5 donation is requested.

For more details call 739-3300 or visit the park’s site: nps.gov/grte and download a PDF on cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the park.

ICE SKATING – The local parks and recreation department sets up and maintains ice skating at multiple locations throughout the valley as an activity for all ages. The rink at the Snow King Center offers free ice time and rentals throughout the winter. As well, rinks are located in the town of Jackson and Wilson. While conditions allow, you can enjoy skating at the town square as part of Jackson Hole's winter tradition. For rink locations, hours, and restrictions, visit www.tetonparksandrec.org.

The Teton Village Association and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort have brought back the ‘Village Rink on the Commons.’ Rental skates will be available at the warming hut with snacks and warm drinks. The rink is open from 3-9 p.m. daily beginning in mid-December and will run through mid-March.

HOCKEY – “Go Moose!” is the battle cry for the Jackson Hole Moose, who play full-check hockey in the Elite Senior A division of the USA Hockey Association. Grab all the home action Friday and Saturday nights at Snow King Sports and Events Center. Visit the Moose online at jacksonholemoose.com.

PARAGLIDING – Clear days and light winds in our valley help set the stage for another equally astonishing view of Jackson Hole – from a paraglider! This breathtaking activity requires no athletic ability, and experienced pilots can even help those a bit daunted by heights. Or, for a fresh take on over-snow travel, try your hand at snow kiting. Call 307-690-8726 or visit jhparagliding.com.

RECREATION CENTER – Of course we have heated indoor-recreation outlets! Even the hardiest of locals come in from the cold every now and then. Just two blocks north of the town square on 155 East Gill, Jackson’s first-rate rec. center houses a gymnasium with full-size basketball and volleyball courts, an aquatic center, locker rooms, and a public meeting room. The aquatic center consists of an eight-lane competitive-workout pool, a therapeutic pool, a leisure-water pool, a hot tub, a water slide, a teaching pool, and sauna steam rooms.

Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday; from 12 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m., Sunday. For daily fees, call 739-5056. Go online at tetonparksandrec.org.

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And stay with us 100 yards from the lifts & trails!

OUR BEAUTIFUL CONDOS FEATURE:

1 and 2 bedroom fully furnished units 2 outdoor jacuzzis, and sauna underground parking free wireless internet fully equipped kitchen & bath

ST. ANTON CONDOS MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA

www.StAntonCondos.com BOOK ONLINE or CALL:

1-800-821-8761 15% discount non holiday. Discount will be applied when reservation is received. Must be used before close of Canyon Lodge April 15, 2019.

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Josh Metten, EcoTour Adventures

D • I •V •E •R •S •I •O •N •S

NATIONAL ELK REFUGE – Officially it exists as a refuge for elk. But time and circumstance now force these majestic ungulates to share that winter range with bighorn sheep, bison, mule deer, bald eagles, and yes, Virginia, sometimes wolves and mountain lions. Even grizzlies have been spotted crossing its scenic expanse. The National Elk Refuge rubs up against the town of Jackson, affording visitors the chance to mingle with wildlife aboard horse-drawn sleighs – unimpeded by zoo bars or cages. For the latest on the refuge, visit www.fws. gov/nationalelkrefuge.

JACKSON HOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM – Another valley treasure chest worth exploring— or musing in. Ken Burns himself took advantage of its trove for his epic, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” The valley’s bucolic ranchlands, charming town, and village areas belie the often brutal demands Mother Nature pressed on Jackson Hole’s earliest Native Americans, settlers, and visitors. A glance at the museum’s online interactive historical atlas of Jackson Hole reveals notable historical sites of dude ranching, homesteading, the National Elk Refuge, archaeology. Books and photos available for the more traditionally curious. We love this place, and it’s perched just two blocks from the town square.

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Truly a worthwhile visit or side trip if you’re in the downtown area. Online at jacksonhole.org.

JACKSON HOLE PLAYHOUSE – The Old West has come and gone, but more than enough of it is still showcased in the Jackson Hole Play-

Dinner theatre at the Jackson Hole Playhouse entertains and fills the belly at the same time.

house, a vintage theatre just a block’s stroll off the Jackson town square. This Jackson landmark and its offerings are about as grounded in Jackson Hole as valley scenery. Although summers see the stage filled with lively Broadway musical performances, winter finds the Saddle Rock Restaurant and Saloon hosting dinner theatre and offering a hospitable refuge from the demands of winter recreation.

The winter season opens with Holidays at the Playhouse, which runs from December 13 to January 5.

Jackson Jazz takes the stage on January 18, 19, 25, & 26. Music, song and appetizers are served, with show time at 7 p.m.

From February 13-23, The Bond Girls take on the best of James Bond’s theme songs and scenes. A fondue dinner accompanies the show.

Come Oscar season, February 28 to March 23, the Playhouse performers cast a humorous eye at the Oscar nominees and entertain dinner audiences with an hour-long comic performance of Hollywood Spoofs. At the end of the evening the audience votes for “Best Picture.”

Dinner nights start at 6:30 p.m. and reservations are required, 307-733-6994 jacksonplayhouse.com. w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m

Jackson Hole Playhouse

On the National Elk Refuge, horse-drawn sleighs carry visitors among the thousands of wintering wapiti.

Bob Woodall

CENTER FOR THE ARTS – Nothing fusty about land, and air. A sampling of the programs proves this edifice, home to Jackson’s vibrant cultural it: Sensory Exploration, Curious Kids, and community. Its campus sets the bar for regional Wacky Wednesday Science. A first-rate staff oversees the kids at the museum and on advenartistic centers, replete with a first-tier performance auditorium, classrooms opening into the tures into the valley’s wonders. For more info go to jhchildrensmuseum.org. worlds of dance, music, theatre, visual and literary arts, and inspiring HOLE BOWL – An enspaces for celebratertainment option right tions of all types. Two up everyone’s alley— blocks off the Jackson The Hole Bowl. town square, the cenTen lanes, 10 big ter nourishes cultural screen TVs, food and appetites year-round, drink to please anyone, both indoors and outeven private lanes for doors. Something’s alparties! A boutique ways happening here. bowling experience with Like that box of none of the pretense. chocolates, you never The King Tubes Park yields thrills for everyone.

Here it’s all about the know what you’ll get. fun. Jackson’s weather Take a peek by opening the lid online at jhcencan turn on a dime but those outdoor adventerforthearts.org. tures needn’t be rained or snowed out. Cool off, STARSTRUCK—JACKSON HOLE STYLE – Take in warm up, hit your stride on first-class alleys, or the beauty of the night skies, all year long. Peer try your hand at darts, pool, or in the video arcade. Parents can join the kids on lanes or settle through a Dobsonian telescope while experts reveal the heavens’ majesty. As free as the night into a couch while the brood has a blast. Tons of skies, too! At 7:30 on clear Friday evenings, free parking right outside the door. meet at the stunning Jackson Hole Center for TETON COUNTY LIBRARY – Need time to chill? the Arts in downtown Jackson. Scope out the Or maybe to warm up? Teton County Library can details at yomingstargazing.org. easily lay claim to one of the valley’s best-known JACKSON HOLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM – Through secrets: Libraries are flat out sweet! And this one is second to none, from high-tech to page-tech the eyes of a child…. and those eyes will be wide open at this center of wonder. Perhaps the to service and setting. Check it out, like most lovalley’s most unique attraction for kids, there’s cals do. Go online at www.tclib.org and plug into nothing childish about it. Open year-round, proJackson Hole.

Continued next page grams transport kids into the worlds of water,

PINKY G’s PIZZERIA

HÄAGEN-DAZS ICE CREAM

Cozy up at Pinky G’s Pizzeria! The local favorite. Located ½ block off Town Square.

Televised on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Voted Best Pizza in Jackson Hole. Try the menu favorite, The Abe Froman, with spiced sausage, mozzarella, and basil. With 20 beers to choose from, full bar & live music, we are sure to keep you entertained.

Jackson’s only place OPEN LATE!

All natural ice cream (Gluten-free flavors available). Non-dairy ice cream and sorbet, huckleberry shakes, smoothies, sundaes, shakes, espresso drinks, ice cream cakes.

We make our own waffle cones! Locally owned and operated.

Since 1993, southeast corner of the Jackson Town Square.

50 W. Broadway | Jackson 307.734.PINK (7465) www.pinkygs.com w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

90 E. Broadway | Jackson 307.739.1880 www.haagendazs.com

HAPPY HOUR Wednesday - Saturday 4:00pm to 6:00pm Aprés in the TPCC Lounge & Enjoy 1/2 Off ALL DRINKS & Our Under $10 Aprés Menu!

www.tetonpines.com (307) 733-1005x1 3450 N. Clubhouse Drive ~ The Village Road

Thirsty f after an exhilarating day in beautiful Jackson Hole? Stop by Westside Wine & Spirits in the Aspens Voted Best Pizza in Jackson H Village Road for a savory on Teton wine, scrumptious beer, or With 20 beers to choose from, full tempting spirit. b Our knowledgeable staff is here everyday from 10 am-9 pm.

The local

At the Aspens | Teton Village Road 307.733.5038 www.westsidewinejh.com

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D • I •V •E •R •S •I •O •N •S JACKSON HOLE BABE FORCE –The brainchild of extreme-ski champ Crystal Wright and co-founder Sarah Felton, the JHBF has a mission to empower all women to seek adventure in the mountains.

“The crux is inclusion, camaraderie, community,” said Wright. “The big demographic is the main thing for us. A lot of these types of organizations just reach the younger generation. But we want to reach all generations of ladies on this mountain who are pushing themselves like we do.” Get with the Force at jacksonholebabeforce.com

PEDIGREE STAGE STOP SLED DOG RACE – Don’t be put off by the cumbersome title. Competitors and packs of spectators certainly aren’t – not when the purse is for $165,000 in total prize money!

Launching from Jackson’s Town Square, mushers and their enthusiastic charges press on through the snowy landscape of Wyoming and Idaho. The festive kickoff, on January 25, 2019, is itself reason MARMOT COOMBS CLASSIC – Iconic skienough to hit downtown Jackson. Go onmountaineer and Jackson Hole local The JH Babe Force encourages women of all ages to push their limits. line at sleddogcentral.com or Doug Coombs (1957-2006) earned leJackson Hole Mountain Resort will again host wyomingstagestop.org for photos of celebrants, gions of admirers. His passion for adventure skicool canines, and activities surrounding the event. ing inspired countless others to explore the the Marmot Coombs Classic, on March 17, 2019. Cool raffle prizes, too, from Marmot and backcountry and carve the sidecountry. To comTHE DICK’S DITCH CLASSIC – Jackson Hole’s memorate his remarkable skiing life, Marmot and K2. A party featuring live music will follow the premiere race event for 18 categories of skiers

L • 0 •D •G •I •N •G

D • I •R •E •C •T •O •R •Y

Alpenhof Lodge

The European-style Alpenhof Lodge is located next to the tram in Teton Village.

The Alpenhof is known for friendly professional service, cozy rooms and creative Swiss cuisine. Many rooms feature fireplaces and/or balconies and everyone enjoys a complimentary breakfast to start the day.

Our selection of slopeside rooms will fit any style, budget and truly complete your vacation.

The mountain village and rustic base area offers all the necessities to shopping, dining and access to 2,602 diverse acres.

In-town vacation homes offer great access to Teton Valley and the resort.

Grand Targhee Resort

P.O. Box 288, Teton Village, WY 83025 1-800-732-3244 www.alpenhoflodge.com res@alpenhoflodge.com

Alta, Wyoming 83414 800-TARGHEE (827-4433) GrandTarghee.com

Jackson Hole Resort Lodging

Hostel

Alpenhof Lodge Dornan’s Spur Ranch Cabins 49er Inn & Suites Grand Targhee Resort Hostel Jackson Hole Resort Lodging

$$-$$$ $$ $$ $$-$$$ $ $$-$$$

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Rates Based on Double Occupancy

Restaurant/Bar

HOTELS ~ MOTELS LODGES ~ RESORTS

Kitchen Refrig-Microw

McCollister Drive, Teton Village, WY 83025 800-443-8613 Fax: 307-734-1077 www.jhrl.com, info@jacksonhole.com Hot Tub / Sauna

Teton Village, Wyoming 83025 307-733-3415 www.thehostel.us, info@thehostel.us Swimming Pool

Conveniently located next to the Bodega Specialty Grocer in the main parking lot of Teton Village. Ski-in/Ski-out lodging and accommodations for all seasons. Affordable condos to luxury vacation homes, for family getaways and reunions. Properties available in Teton Village, the Aspens & Teton Pines.

Continental Breakfast

Recognized for its value, location, and atmosphere, the Hostel is a Jackson Hole tradition. Our guestrooms have either a king bed or four twin beds, daily housekeeping service, and private bathrooms. Spacious game room, cooking facilities, coffee, and wifi. All this and the lowest slope side rates.

Private Room: $59-144, Bunks: $32-48 each.

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($) Cost Per Night up to $100; ($$) Cost Per Night up to $250; ($$$) Cost Per Night over $250

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Wade McKoy

event outside of Nick Wilson’s Cowboy Café. To sign up for the event, meet at the bottom of the mountain by 8:30 a.m., where you’ll pick your desired route and receive your commemorative patch. Visit jhrl.com/marmot-coombs-classic.

SKIS Volkl Head Nordica K2 Atomic Rossignol Icelantic

and snowboarders is a two-day banked-slalom competition that runs on elaborate courses of man-made and natural terrain set for March 2 & 3, 2019. Visit jacksonhole.com for details.

We deliver high quality service, ski, and snowboard rentals direct to your front door.

SNOWBOARDS

S

7:00am - 9:30pm

Never Summer

307.733.4077 www.d2dskis.com

Wine Shoppe over 1600 Different Wines

RNAN’S O D

Cabins

1&2 Bedrooms with full baths & kitchens

SPUR RANCH CABINS

Bob Woodall

Access to cross-country trails and Teton views

FAT-BIKE RACES – An offshoot of mountain biking, fat-biking continues to earn new adherents. And a growing number of fat-bike races are held on Nordic tracks and groomed snowmobile trails. Distances range from 15k to 30k.

Grand Targhee Mountain Resort hosts a race on January 19 this season, and fat-bike demos are available before and after the race. Grand Targhee also allows fat-bikers on its Nordic trail system throughout the season. Snow King Mountain Resort will host its own fat-bike races.

The 12th Annual Togwotee Pass Winter Classic Fat Bike Festival is slated for early March and features 25- or 35-mile loops. For more info visit snowkingmountain.com, grandtarghee.com and twc.athlete360.com.

NOTEWORTHY MUSIC BOOKING AGENCY • The finest live music acts in the region • Jazz • Swing • Rock • Country Solos • Duos • Trios & Big Band • Impeccable references

Grocery & Gas X-Country Ski & Snow Shoe Rentals

Gift Shop Spur Bar

Wine Dinners & Wine Tastings Monthly

12 miles North of Jackson in Moose A number of fat-bike races take place over the winter.

Pizza & Pasta Restaurant Trading Post

Ski Jackson Hole 3 Nights Lodging 3 Days Skiing Starting at

www.dornans.com

307-733-2415

Town Square Inns THE Place to stay in Jackson Hole

*

Check. it.

Rooms for every budget

out!

4 Hotels Located Downtown Jackson Hotel Rooms Fireplace Suites Log Cabins Hot Tubs Pools Fitness Rooms Complimentary Ski Shuttles *Per person, double occupancy.

Tax and surcharge not included.

townsquareinns.com

800-4-TETONS

Michael Calabrese 307-733-5459 P.O. Box 289 • Wilson, WY 83014 www.noteworthymusicagency.com jhnoteworthy@gmail.com w w w. j h s k i e r. n e t

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JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT

Mountain Characteristics

Base elevation: 6,311 ft. – Summit elevation: 10,450 ft.

Vertical rise: 4,139 ft. (longest continuous in the country) Skiable terrain: 2,500 acres of in-bounds terrain Open backcountry gate system accesses over 3000-plus acres 22 miles of machine-groomed terrain 10% beginner, 40% intermediate, 50% advanced Longest run: 4.7 miles Average annual snowfall: 38 feet (456 inches)

Lifts

• One 100-Passenger Aerial Tram • Two eight-person high-speed gondola • Four detachable quad chairlifts • Four fixed-grip quad chairlifts • Two double chairlift • One fixed-grip triple chairlift • One magic carpet

SNOW KING MOUNTAIN

Mountain Characteristics

Base Elevation: 6,237 ft.

Top elevation: 7,808 ft.

Vertical rise: 1,571 ft.

Skiable terrain: 400-plus acres 300 acres of machine-groomed terrain 15% beginner 35% intermediate 50% advanced Longest run: .9 mile

Winter Activities

• Cowboy Coaster • Night Skiing • King Tubes Snow Tubing Park • Terrain Park

Ski Lifts

• One quad chair • One triple chair • One double chair • One surface tow

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Available exclusively in Teton Village at:

PR E CI S I O N T O O LS FO R D E D I CAT E D S K I E R S Cutting edge aerospace carbon engineering and design since 2005.

Nomad (307) 733 6838

dpsskis.com

Mudroom (307) 201 5353

Apply Once • Glide Forever Learn more at: phantomglide.com

GRAND TARGHEE RESORT

Mountain Characteristics

Total Acreage: 2,602 Annual Average Snowfall: 500-plus inches/41-plus feet Vertical Drop: 2,270 Base Area Elevation: 7851 ft.

Summit elevation 9,862 ft.

10% beginner 70% intermediate 20% advanced Longest run: 2.5 miles

Lifts

• Two High-Speed Quad Chair • One- Quad chair • One double chair • One magic carpet

Snowcat Skiing on Peaked Mountain

Skiable acres: 1,000 plus Vertical rise: 2,000 ft.

Longest run: 3.2 miles

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Teton Gravity Research

I

t began with a dream.

In 1995 brothers Steve and Todd Jones and Dirk Collins scraped together money they had earned as heli-ski guides and commercial fishermen in Alaska and purchased some camera equipment

Joined by longtime friend Corey Gavitt, they founded Teton Gravity Research (TGR) and began to make ski movies. By showcasing some of the world’s top athletes TGR soon became instrumental in fueling the progression taking place in action sports.

From its headquarters in Jackson Hole, TGR began producing premier ski, snowboard, and surf films. TGR has moved beyond just filmmaking and emerged as a media force in actionsports culture.

Last year TGR opened a store in downtown Jackson.

JH SKIER: What is the concept?

TGR: This is the flagship brand store that we refer to as the TGR Experience. Our goal has been to create something unique here on the town square. More than just a tchotchke shop, it’s a place where people can come in and touch and feel and interact

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with the TGR brand. There’s all kinds of things here that are historical elements that represent the TGR brand heritage.

The full history and timeline story of TGR is displayed here. From the inception (of TGR) a store was inevitable, so finally opening a custom experience shop was a big deal. We’re stoked.

We have a lot of TGR-branded items now and we launched TGR Optics this winter. Working with the Zeiss Lens company we will have high-end polarized sunglasses and goggles.

They have been developed with help of athletes and tested in the real world through years of filming in adverse environments.

There is a free VR (Virtual Reality) station and a 22-seat theater. The cool thing about VR is that it literally puts you right there. You can literally be inside the helicopter with the TGR athletes, watching them pick out lines and looking at terrain—it is pretty amazing.

JHS: What about the theater?

TGR: People can come in here and watch trailers from over 23 years of making movies. Then, every hour on the hour from noon to 6 p.m., we show Wild Jackson Hole, an 18-minute 4K film. It's a four-season film that’s got everything from powder skiing to mountain biking to surfing the wave on the Snake River. It has wildlife and aeri-

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als of Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks. It’s an epic take-home gift too, all TGR footage of ski, bike, snowboard, and river surf. Just boom! Here’s Jackson Hole.

JHS: Tell us about movie nights.

TGR: Yeah, another cool thing we started is movie nights at 7 p.m. Lots of the guys living out here will come with their friends. They bring beers and pizza in Steve Jones cradles one of TGR’s first Bolex 16mm from Pinky G's and sit down film cameras. and they watch a flick. their own. We’re not a babysitting JHS: Is the theater available for service. private parties?

JHS: Any special events?

TGR: If you call in advance and preTGR: A lot of cool special events book, you can request a screening of where you can meet some of the TGR any of our shows. It’s great for private movie stars and interact with them. parties and things like that, a birthday There is a pretty constant flow of athparty for the kids. Yeah, book the whole letes coming through, so we'll do stuff theater for the evening, even get it in this shop where we have poster signcatered and bring in whatever beverings and serve drinks and apps. Typiages you want. There are tables in the cally we have some type of a promotion theater for that. going where you can sign up to win JHS: Anything for families? something pretty cool. Last summer we TGR: Bring their kids in and while gave away a carbon fiber mountain they watch a 70-to 90-minute movie, bike. This winter we will have ongoing the parents can go shopping, have a promotions where people can win skis, bite to eat or grab a cocktail. The kids snowboards, outwear, and TGR Gear. just have to be independent enough – JHS that they can handle themselves on

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Bob Woodall

Renowned movie company opens Jackson shop

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