The Wisperings of the Wind

It's 4:31 at 10,450Ft
- wind speed 30 mph, gusting to 45 mph
- 16 degrees F
- visibility, poor
- light, flat
It's snowing currently, the sun is setting and I am anticipating a blistery Wyoming night on Rendezvous Mountain.

Radars tell us a storm is churning to the West of us... a foot and a half expected by Monday. RPK 2 tonight and a 7:00 X-car. Mmmm... the smell of sulfur in the morning and the dynamite blasts to bring up the sun.

The wind is telling stories of the past; the stories that dwell in this Hole. Moran to Hoback, with the Snake winding down the center. Teewinot, The Grand, Middle and South, Cloudveil, Fossil, Buck and Owen. My Great Horned Owl peaks are enveloped in weather, but the stories are told through the cracks of the shack. There are stories of persistence and perseverance. Every living creature in this valley fights for survival in this Arctic/Alpine desert. There are stories whispering through the windows of pain and joy, of victory and defeat, along with secrets of those that mill about below the wisdom of the mountains.

As we approach Winter Solstice, I am drawn back to the reality of nearly 200 inches of snow falling upon us during the interim of winter. Christmas is around the corner and the festivities abound, with Santa repelling form Car 2 of the Tram and into the village commons. I now sit quietly at the top of the world and listen to the radio chatter of Ski Patrol, as they sweep the mountain of any overnight guests.

Watching and Waiting

It is officially fall in Jackson Hole and the vibrant colors remind us that winter is just another short spin on our axis. Everyone here is hoping and praying for a better winter than we had last year. And being an El Nino year, hopefully it will produce a season of epic proportions.

As a big mountain snowboarder, being in the midst of gnarly ridges and ranges is what I love most. So this year I have been lucky to score one of the best jobs in the world, as one of Jackson Hole's infamous Tram Operators. (Wade Jefferis and Lynette "Silver Fox" Walden Pictured in the Crow's Nest of the Tram.)

During this past summer season we watched the Grand Teton and Cody Peak on a daily basis as the snow melted and then dusted our mountains once again. We dreamt of lines to ride this winter and mountains to climb in the summer.... and with a little luck and initive we will achieve those dreams of sickness.

So with the fall light dawning the approach of winter, I will wait patiently in the mountains until they are ready for the shred.

That's A Wrap

This past season in Jackson Hole has been one of the most progressive and fun seasons of my life. Here, we ride hard and enjoy the Apres scene more than the gaping tourists with their Bogner one pieces and white Zinc noses. Everyday is an adventure with new lines to be had and more limits to be broken. But sometimes we push the limits too hard and it is ourselves that break... not the mold.

On April 9th, I pushed the limits of my anterior cruciate ligament and that of my pain threshold. The force of my body colliding with a ditch on Teton Pass caused my ACL to snap and sent me into orbit. I couldn't snowboard, I couldn't think and yet we were two miles deep in the back country with no foreseeable way out. Luckily for me I have strong friends. As I lay there in excruciating pain and agony about blowing my knee without health insurance, my friends assured me that it was going to be all right.

Forrest Jillson and Maggie Steward helped me evaluate the situation and we did the best that we could with what we had. Maggie and I used my shirt as a makeshift brace and Forrest gave me his ski poles to trek down the mountain with. We went slowly and tried to make the best of a bad situation by joking and stopping to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. After about a mile of limping along the ski path my knee had swollen immensely and I could barely walk. At this point Forrest convinced me to let him carry me the rest of the way off the Pass. So Maggie took my backpack and snowboard and Forrest took me.

It was amazing to see such incredible individuals work together to help a friend. A special thanks to Forrest for rescuing me on the Pass and skiing me to safety... considering that three years ago he shattered his own femur in a skiing accident in between Corbett's and S and S Coulier. And thanks to Maggie for keeping the spirits high and a level head. Here's too good friends and a speedy recovery in the off season.

Gaper Fools Day

Gaper Fool's Day is one of the holiday's here in Jackson Hole has become a cult classic. Every April 1st Jackson Hole Mountain Resort goes from being a place for hard core's to celebrity's, to being a place filled with gapers and fools.

This year all of the Jackson locals did not disappoint! Everyone in town came out of the woodwork in full costume. There were lumber jacks, hockey players, Mormon Polygamists, big business executives, Prom dresses and more colorful one-pieces than you have ever seen in your life. And luckily for us, there was even fresh snow!

It was a blistery day on the mountain, but well worth the festivities. Our clan went as a group of Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, with one husband and five wives. We dressed Pat Spaniger up and his harem followed him around the mountain. We started with a Tram run to the top and all dispersed throughout the hill. A few of us made it to the party at the top of Thunder Bumps where we participated in the "Noon Moon," where about 20 people mooned the 12 o'clock tram. After that it was on! We all flowed down the mountain, with our skirts trailing in the wind; they would spin when we would spin and they would fly up when we hit jumps, and Spaniger's hat flew off a cliff near Tower 3.

The snow was incredible on Gaper Day and we rode until the mountain closed, being as it was one of the best powder day's of the season. However by the end of it, my skirt was frozen to a bell shape and it was time to change. The harem then relocated to Nick Wilson's where the festivities commenced. We met up with our other "Sister Wives" and our "Husband" Pat where we rocked bouffant hairstyles and conservative dresses. The costumes were so convincing that people honestly thought we were religious people who just happened to show up for the Gaper debauchery.

The fun lasted well into the evening and it was a great farewell for my best friend Kara Hawker. She was leaving us in The Hole to move onto a bigger and brighter future in Texas. Our times in Jackson were incredible and there is no one I would have rather shared them with. Enjoy your journey Sis! And we will be waiting for your return in Jackson.

Teewinot to the Tram

This season I worked in temperatures between -20 and -30 degrees F at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and rode some of the sickest lines of my life. With 4100 vertical feet at my disposal I had plenty of terrain to choose from. Pillow lines, to cliff drops, rock slashes and tree jibs, tree runs, to jump lines, or half pipe or tram line. Soooo many options, sooo little time.

I spent 111 days on the slopes this season and 105 of them were spent at JHMR, where I also worked as a Lift Operator on Teewinot. For those of you who don’t know, Teewinot is the “mother ship” of all Jackson Hole lifts. You scoff because you may think it is the world renown Tram; but no… Teewinot is where it is at. People learning, gapers falling, children crying, babies backpacks, snowboards broken, poles stuck, helmet draggers, riding bullwheels and “Ohhh NO a ski schooler just fell off at tower 2!”

Aside from all of the child chucking and chicken herding we managed to shralp JHMR to a pulp. Each day I was paid to spend two and a half hours riding with my friends and co-workers. We hucked cliffs, poached powder and straight lined groomers, all while on the clock. We worked long days but JHMR rewarded us for our dedication to make Jackson one of the best resorts in the world.

Sadness and Snowbird

This season started off slowly with very little snowfall and an inconsistent snow pack. In early January Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had received a mere eight inches of snow, yet it wind loaded in such a way that it filled Cheyenne Bowl. While doing control work, our beloved Ski Patroler, Mark “Big Wally” Wolling was buried in an avalanche and consequently died.


It started the competition season in a somber way, making you realize how delicate life can be. We all must push our own boundaries and limits and sometimes by testing those we go too far. When I go to various competitions and events I have to realize what I am capable of and push myself to be the best competitor and rider that I can be.

This season The North Face Masters kicked off at Snowbird with riders like Travis Rice, Mark Carter and Shannon Yates; all going big for that coveted Katana Sword. Just days before the event there were rumors that it might be canceled because lack of snow, yet we all made preparations for the trip to the Bird. Like all good events, the weather cooperated and produced seven feet of snow in four days.

The first few days were a series of waiting and postponing events, and subsequently we were all able to shred the fresh powder. There, I met up with some of the most aggressive and talented riders in the world where we all pushed each other to new heights. We poached signature lines, rode to uncharted cliffed out rocky area's and just had to think "light like a butterfly" to get through. Shredding with lady's like Ratty Sheidow, Julie Zell, Halina Boyd, Cristy Deysher and Karen Fisher makes you realize the amazing abilities that exist among female riders and competitors.

After being on weather hold for two days the storm slightly let up and MSI decided to run the entire event in one day. It would consist of one run down the Silver Fox venue, highest score wins. The judging panel consisted of such legends as Tom Burke, Julie Zell, Temple Cummins and Andy Hetzel. They had to be dispersed throughout the course because the visibility from the bottom of the venue was so low.

When it was my turn to go, I was amped. I knew where my line was and I had ridden it successfully a couple times before the actual competition. It was a wide open start, heading skiers left on the upper ridge. The powder was deep and the snow was fresh. I made fast, wide turns down to my first air off a rock drop; landed in the back seat and it wasn't clean. I was disappointed but I still had the majority of my line left to ride. I couldn't allow one bobble to distract me.

I headed fall line down the ridge to my exit into a peppery rock band about the bottom of the venue. I dropped down the chute cautiously, knowing that no mistakes could be made, turned onto my heels and headed through the band, then turned, pointed it, stomped my cliff drop and into the final bowl. I charged through the powder fast and swift but just as I powered into a turn I hit avalanche debris. The debris was from a slide that had happened two days earlier, but it had been covered by several new inches of snow... I never saw it coming. Too, bad, I flipped up-side-down and back onto my feet and charged the rest of the way to the finish line.

I received cheers of enthusiasm from the spectators and other riders about my line because no other lady's went into that area. In fact on of the only other competitors to go into that rock garden was T-Rice. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to ride a clean run, yet I was stoked to have ridden such a technical and creative line.

There was a plethora of talented riders that made their way to the inaugural event but Shannon Yates and Mark Carter were the two riders that took home the Katana Swords, both having charged and stomped every obstacle in their way without hesitation. They; my friends have found the secret. Shannon went on to win five of the six events she entered this season, including Squaw's infamous Tram Face, as part of the World Freeride Tour. Congrats lady, you are killing it!