Ice Cream Anyone???

Sunsets from the top of Rendezvous Mountain are unparalleled. As far as you can see in any direction are mountain tops and the assumption that valley's lie between them. As the sun sinks lower on the horizon, I contemplate the winter that is coming our way.

Supposed civilization carries on thousands of feet below Corbett's Cabin as I anticipate the first flurries of snow fall. Generally here the snow precedes the fall,which reminds us that Mother Nature is in control. In ski towns there is always a bit of excitement when the days start getting shorter, and the air a bit more brisk.

The summer here in Jackson Hole is beautiful, but short. Our Spring began with 200 additional inches of snow, bringing our season total to a record 730. Summer work started and we were still chipping ice and shoveling snow.... but riding too.

Everyday that I have worked the JH Tram this summer we have carted snowboarders and skiers up the mountain to enjoy the remnants of this ridiculous winter. Tourists gape at our local die hards as they watch them carry their boards and planks off the Tram and into the back country.

However, there are others that continue to work harder for their summer lines... and they are the ones climbing the mountains with their ice axe's, crampons, and backpack's full of gear.

The Teton's are a playground that could take a lifetime to explore but luckily I have a good guide. One of our Tram Mechanic's, Chris Onufer (who kills it all year round) offered to take me up The South to snowboard. We started at 500 A.M. in Teton Village with daylight on the brink of the peaks.

It was azure skies on our ascent of the South Teton, with wildflowers like yellow balsamroot and lavender lupin covering the lower mountainsides. The trail was quiet and calm as we climbed up Garnet Canyon. We hiked over immense scree fields with snow runoff raging in creeks underneath us. When we arrived at the Meadows there were a handful of climbers who were barely waking up to start theirs day's journey.

The snowline dipped just below 9000 ft and with The Grand and the Middle Teton towering above us we began our boot pack up to the saddle then onto the Ice Cream Cone Coulier. A storm was brewing to the SW and as we approached the top of the coulier the black skies moved in quick. We strapped on our gear at 12,200 ft, 300 ft shy of the summit. Socked in, but with our line in mind, we dropped in.

3500 vertical ft of snowboarding on perfect summer corn... not bad for July 11 in Wyoming. Muchos gracias La Nina.

Ride Breaks VS. Lunch Breaks

"Umm... Mountain Station, not sure if you care but there are two skiers coming down Casper Bowl right now."

"Oh, we care. Bridger?"

"We're on it."

Radio banter as the evening turns to Blue Bird. With the Tetons blanketed a North Westerly wind pulls the covers over the valley and all those below the headboard of this mountain range pursue their apres ski dreams.

For me, The Clash plays in the background as I watch the bright sun rays set behind the Westerly peaks.

My day began flying Car 1 in a 60 mph NW wind and swinging too close to tower 5 with the TGnaR crew and our savvy Tram Mechanic Josh. However it was a swift recovery from there. I was fortunate to get the 9:00 break... the "Garth" break, 50 minutes during the opening hour of public operations.

1st Tram with my Amer friend from Ogden, straight to South Hoback. A buffed bowl, to Our Trail to my sickest south boundary run of the season. Then halfway back up Union Pass lift I hear over the radio that we had beat our own Tram by a sizable lead. We decided to go for a second lap, but this would require me beating my own Tram again and being ready on the dock in order to relieve Virgil, my fellow operator who had just flown me to the top for my second run. Risky move... I know, but worth it if it can be done right.

And it was. Racing down a milk bottle Bowl, with no visibility and a bit of vertigo I began to question my decision to poach another run. I caught my breath, by slowing my turns and clearing my head. I had told Mike that it was going to be a fast run, but I ended up loosing him before getting to Sublette chair. Apparently Cheyenne Gully was too inviting.

One look back, no signs of my friend... A-line to Lower Tram Line, to sick pow slashes directly underneath Car 2 and the knowledge that I am going to make it in time to relieve Mr. Virgil Swords. What a break!
Who needs lunch when you eat powder for breakfast?

Party on Wayne, this is Garth signing off. Much love from JHMR!

A New Year

1-1-11

The Close of the New Year's first day is painted with lavender of the sunset and hue's of blue as the depth increases to the valley. The Snake now slithers across the frozen valley in negative temperatures.

The Grand, she is cloaked in clouds and a white dress of snow... steadfast, magnificent and strong. Pushed by forces beneath the surface that force her growth and keep her young.


Cody in the background of the Tetons is shadowed in orange with the sunlight illuminating the north westerly wind blowing in at 30 MPH. Straight off the nose and then swirling into the bowl. Recycled lines from the south side fill in Pucker Face.

The sun is nearly set and yet I don't want to go into the cabin. When surrounded in such a wilderness unlimited possibilities abound. The New Year has buffed out the old, just as the wind does to the bowl. It's going to be a good one, I can feel it. The world is there for our taking and we can take any line we choose.

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.