Thursday, February 28, 2013

It doesn't happen very often...

So when it does.....I have to document it!  Ha ha Drew.  Photo documentation that you do, every so often, get stuck!  Drew and I left work a couple of hours early today and headed to the hills.  Mosquito has been on like donkey kong lately.  We rode til it was pitch dark today, and this shot was about the only time we stopped long enough to take a photo.  You know its a bad "stuck" if you have to get a shovel out.  Drew left a trench that the troops in WWI would have been proud of this evening!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Gettin pounded.....

For a winter that is about 85% of average, it sure does seem like the skiing has been anything but average.  I had a couple of high school buds in town last weekend, Jason White and Brian Landers.  I hadn't seen either of them in a few years.  Always awesome to make pow turns with ol friends.  

I really like this shot.  It was a black and white storm day.
 
Jason, crushing in bounds deep.
 
 I can remember skiing in Utah over 10 years ago with Jason who was bumming up at Alta at the time and watching him tele ski was inspiring to me.  I wasnt really tele skiing at the time and after watching Jason rip, I soon thereafter starting to commit to the oldest turn in the mountains.  

We got a post storm blower morn on the pass too.  Probably best run of the winter.  Maybe?


 Brian, in the zone.

 Brian, in the mushroom chutes at the village searching for the goods

So cool!  Point em!

Monday, February 25, 2013

GUEST POST from Anna!

Hello Jackson Family Robinson readers! This week I am guest blogging for Chelsea and Trevor.  They have welcomed me into their home and helped me celebrate my FIRST SPRING BREAK! From skiing til closing at "the Village," amazing apres-ski activities, Chelsea's yoga classes, hiking Teton pass, and endless adventures; this week has been unforgettable and amazing.
But, WE MISS MARCO.
He is busy crushing downhill races.

Otherwise, check it out: here's a little peak into my best spring break ever!  :)
The week began with one of Chelsea's first Yoga classes as a teacher.  She taught about 20 people a restorative yoga class. It was awesome, I was restored in time for a big week of spring breaking.
The next day I had my biggest ski day of the year: skiing all over Jackson, we hit every lift, and closed the hill at 4.  Trevor guided us all over and it was awesome!  Especially telling ridiculous spring break stories on the lifts with Chelsea and Liz!!
 Ladies rockin Jackson!!
 Huge smiles posin with the tram.
After an awesome day of skiing at Teton Village, our next major adventure involved no chairlifts.  Pure muscle and determination to make it to the top of Teton Pass.
The first part of the trek was in darkness at 6:30 in the morning.
 boot packing our way up!
 My friend Megan joined us for the hike.

 The sun finally started to peer out of the clouds.  The snow was pink and the light was magical.
 Almost there!!!! Sun=happy
 Taking in the breathtaking views above the clouds.
 Trekking.
 We finally hiked into the sunshine! yay!
 Once we made it to the top, we had a snow-fort coffee break!
 awesome.
 There was still a cool cloud cover below making the views that much cooler.
 pure nature
 The Teton mountain range in the distance

 TREVOR CRUSHING THE POW.
 Total domination.
 In a powder cloud.
 And it was all topped off with a cool sunbeam thing.
THANK YOU CHELSEA AND TREVOR!! You guys rock.  I've loved living every day to the fullest with both of you!!
We miss you Marco!
SPRING BREAK!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Too good...

 I forgot to post some of these shots from riding last weekend.  I know all you non sled enthusiasts were bummed!  
 Drew sending it up Mosquito Creek.

 Me, up Ditch Creek.

Yet another deep day in the backcountry.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Damn tasty couliors...

 I sometimes forget many moons ago the whole reason I bought a sled was to access ski lines that you wouldn't be able to get to to otherwise.  Somewhere along the line I have seemed to lose sight of this and tend to shrug off sled skiing as a pain in the ass and not as fun as straight sledding.  Well, Presidents Day proved otherwise.  I am getting close to selling the ol Ski Doo here in a couple of weeks, so, no better reason to motivate up to location X on Togwotee to one of my favorite places to ski big, untouched, amazing, and fun couliors.  

It was cold and windy.

 The snow was.....umm, variable.  Ben and I skied two different run and had everything from awesome pow to downright scary, dont want to fall boiler plate.  

 I developed an affinity for skiing couliors back when I was living in Montana.  Growing up at Schweitzer I had never skied one until living in Bozeman and skiing at Bridger all the time.  Once I got a taste, I was addicted.  The beauty, solitude, and aesthetics of them are unbeatable.  I find myself liking the boot up them almost as much as the ski back down.  

Ben, making his way up the first one.

 Ben, above the crux, almost to the top.

 WOW!  My favorite of them all.  Its a big, gnarly, beautiful beast.

You can see the sled way, way, way down at the bottom as a spec in the distance.

 The sun came out just long enough to see what we were doing in this apron of goodness.

 I said it was variable, right?

 I love this place.  It is part of the reason I got a sled in the first place, just to access this!

 A view from the gunsight notch at the top.

Uhh huh...

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Life is really good...

 when this is routinely what your Friday's look like!  Hitting the office at 6 am is rough, but come Friday, it's a very worth it.  Most of the skiers are calling this a "kinda lame" winter, however, the sledders have been in heaven.  It was awesome all last weekend.  For the first time all winter I was able to sneak 4 days of sledding in a row in.  Love it.  

We went for an afternoon mission of the North Fork of Fall Creek on Friay.  I hadn't been up there in a few years and had forgotten how kick ass it is.  

Drew, doing what he does best...going for it.

It doesnt take much to get big air on a sled when you are going into a wind lip at 50 mph!
 
 Me, arcing one on top of the ridge overlooking the Pallisades and the Snake River Range to the south.

 We rode pretty close to dark.

Good buds, fresh snow, aka, heaven.