My Fattening Quiver

Most of the quiver todayAnyone who’s read this blog for a while knows that I favor light gear and little skis for most of my outings. This stuff works best for the long tours and vertical gain I prefer. I’ve pushed the use of thinner, shorter skis and light race bindings onto steep, technical terrain with generally satisfying outcomes.  With like-minded partners encouraging this behavior, my ski quiver has stayed skinny…. until now.

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The Otter Kind

Thought I'd give a shout out to my friend Michelle Smith, a film maker from Jackson Hole who has been steadily upping her game with these fun videos featuring my old stomping grounds. The Grand Teton is getting some love lately from TGR and will be featured on Jeremy Jones' next effort, Higher.

Michelle beats him to the punch here with this tasty nugget. She was preceeded by the Otter Body Experience, a film by David Gonzales but that awesome movie is MIA on the internet now. UPDATE: This great film is now available again here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcsQG3HZkYU 

So, sit back and check out the fun on one of the coolest lines on the biggest peak in the range along with some perspective from Teton skimo pioneer, Mark Newcomb.

The Otter Kind from getungrounded on Vimeo.

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Billy Goat Ascent Plates

I was an alpinist long before I was a ski mountaineer. And, although I love skinning uphill, booting up steep couloirs still has an honored place in my heart. In the right conditions, booting is more efficient. There’s nothing I hate more than zigzagging up a narrow chute on skis doing kick turn after kick turn. On the other hand, conditions can dictate a skis-only approach rather than sink crotch deep and “trench” upwards.

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Finally!

The Jewel Glacier last season on a sunny day.Uncharacteristically, it seems Alaska is not the first place in the States to see it's citizens celebrating the return of our favorite season. I've seen pictures of Jackson Hole recently blessed with plenty of powdered joy in the high country and at least some folks out sliding around on it on skis. Good for them. Last year saw first turns made up here at the end of September. We were close again this season.

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2013 Alyeska Climbathon

Plan, prepare, execute. That was my approach to last week’s Alyeska Climbathon. It went ridiculously to plan and almost went even better than I could’ve hoped…almost.

I apologize for taking so long getting this out. I was pretty crushed after the event, utterly drained and I even caught a nasty cold for my effort. Sucked heavily. With empty legs and a stuffy head I wasn't in mood to write anything. Onward.

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