Beal Adventures 2012 Blog BealAdventures.com

Exploration

2012-02-17T16:18:00.000-08:00

Matt Lloyd looks towards our descent into Wilson, Wyoming

Roxy enjoys tele turns south of JHMR

Clear for takeoff

Skiers prepare to descend Mary's Nipple

East side of Grand Targhee Resort

Working for powder

2012-02-05T13:24:00.001-08:00

About a week has passed since our 80" eight day storm, but powder is still plentiful if you're willing to work for it. . .

Energy

2012-01-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

The energy associated with the current snowstorm brewing outside contains an intangible feeling of excitement from within that I have not found in any other realm of life. At 5:00 am I awoke to a welcoming tree branch repeatedly pounding the side of my cabin. With eyes barely open in the darkness I found the g spot of my coffee pot powering up my second favorite liquid. Stumbling over my Sorel's I open my cabin door to twist the knob to a state of complete exhilaration and awe. One minute into consciousness and within my soul I feel pinkish clouds a top of me, high twenties temperature, and very high gusts of snow to my four day shave. No tangible product of mass consumerism can produce this kind of elation.

Weather and moisture energy has been gaining strength to the far west of Wyoming in the Pacific Ocean. Growing up very close to the Atlantic Ocean I remember waiting for the weatherman to say, “Nor-Eastor” which eventually translated to Noreastah'. When my folks had cable television I would stay glued to The Weather Channel and hope the storm would intensify causing school to cancel, roads to close, snowmobiles gouging pavement on new carbides, and plow trucks in full tilt boogey mode. As a kid I had a lot of energy watching and waiting to see my district number scrolling across the bottom of the television before sunrise to see if school was canceled.

The current storm is comparable to a “Wickahd Noreastah” that will more than likely shut down the airport and every road in and out of Jackson, WY. My inbox has been filling up with electronic newsletters saying that Jackson is forecasted to receive 50” of snow and to fly here before the storm. Online ski forums have been starting new discussions with fervor regarding powder in the Tetons. The daily Bridger-Teton Avalanche and mountain weather Forecast message this morning is very long as the storm is just beginning and the risks of avalanches will be rising by the hour.

The entire town of Jackson, Wyoming is ready to bust at the seams waiting to ski powder. Any serious powder junkee has waxed their long fat skis at least once and are patiently reminiscing skis lines in their head. As I sip on my very strong homemade espresso coffee I begin to imagine what kind of huge breakfast will sustain my storm skiing. Being a tall and slender kind of maple bacon guy, scrambled eggs with pepper jack cheese, a bagel with nutella, bannana, and probably a couple hash browns should hold me over until around noon I hope.

Matt Lloyd "AKA LiveTheDream" waits patiently in the JH tram line
Gliding through untracked powder on my freshly waxed 190cm rockered skis brings a state of complete relaxation. As my favorite twenty minute jam plays on I realize that skiing unadulterated powder is what I live for. Tuned out with day long Dead jams and tuned into sparkling snowflakes not verbalizing in the English language, but by massive smiles illustrating sparkling shiny teeth is what brings joy to my heart.

Folks sometimes ask where I just skied while I can only smile showing years of painful orthodontic work, wrinkles from smiling in high altitude sunshine, and sweat dripping exuberance. I can't explain where I came from, but rather I just blacked out on the last run and let loose of all conventional thought for a few years. I attempt to explain how the snow rolled into a curved wave off my belly and eventually over my head while it was hard to breathe regularly. . .

Matt Lloyd slashing powder mid storm cycle

9hr powder tour!

2012-01-16T14:08:00.001-08:00

9hrtour - Slideshow Creator

The idea is always simple, but the follow through is the proof in the pudding. My friend “LiveTheDream” came up with the idea of touring from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's historic Tram to Teton Pass. Watching the weather for days, waiting for an unsafe snowpack to run its course, and my friends countless hours on google earth we found a break.

Friday the 13th proved to be our day to attempt this tour. LiveTheDream ran into a local woman who gave him beta that it took her group 15 hours to complete the same tour, but in the reverse direction. They had traveled on the high ridge lines having to use ropes, harnesses, and more of a mountaineering approach. We were very grateful of this beta, as we were not inclined to get that rad.

We loaded first tram and headed straight for Cody Peak. Winds gusts were in the mid 40s, sunshine was abundant, and the wind chill was holy guacamole cold! Once we started down climbing the back of Cody Peak we were quite protected from the sandblaster ice pellets to the face. By 11am skins were on and we were headed for the North Shore. It looked so majestic as no ski tracks were on this glorious hunk of rock. We decided to lay some tracks down and were pleased by our choice. By dropping our water at the top skinning back up the North Shore flew by.

Dropping the West side of the North Shore was more of a side stepping process over scree looking for deeper snow. After a short down climb through an unskiable couloir, ski turns were back to the Teton light powder we all love.

After much skinning we were up high on another ridge starring at Mt. Taylor. Another South facing slope provided us with 1200' or so of untouched powder with zero sun crust. I made as many wiggle turns as I could as LiveTheDream ripped the fresh pow with bigger turns.

Watching the sun fall closer to the horizon we both knew we needed to get closer to Coal Creek. Skinning across a massive meadow that looked easy proved to take quite a lot of time. With each progressive step dragging our skis we were closer to our objective. The Great White Hump was within view and as we got closer the views to the East were beautifully sunlit especially the Sleeping Indian and Jackson Peak.

Alas, we arrived at the great white hump with an enormous vibrant orange sunset starting to fall quickly. Puffy on, fresh warm gloves, and frozen Swedish Fish in cheek we dropped into more untouched snow. At the foot of Mt. Taylor it became harder to ski not because of the low light, but because of ski tracks. We made it back to Coal Creek parking lot at roughly 6pm.

Headlamp on I hitched a ride from a fellow Targhee friend back to the Stilson Lot and definitely overstoked him for the entire ride up and down the 10% grade. We guessed the tour to be 12-15 miles in length.

Ski Patrollers of La Grave, France

2012-01-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

"A hill where people take responsibility and have a different ski experience."
English Subtitles. 12min

Motivated by snow in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2012-01-11T16:50:00.001-08:00

The weather gurus predict snow and an entire town, if not region will put down everything for skiing. Today it was obvious by fully loaded lifts that many had to have been "sick." Sick of not having powder as part of their soulful diet. Fortunately, I awoke at 6:30am to my neighbor who is a patroller leaving the driveway fast under clear skies. Although this is a great alarm clock I prefer hearing explosive reverberate off of mountains.

Headwall, hiked this and the steeper bootpack today.

With a 6:30am rise I had plenty of time to get in the Tram line by 8:00am. Fully caffeinated I watched the sun rise over the "sleeping Indian" sippin' on a strong brew to blow the scale of over caffeniation. The 100 person jam packed Tram left at 9am to a rowdy crowd craving for pow turns.

The Hobacks

I had fresh tracks down the entire South Hobacks today. One guy chose to shred skiers left so I gave him a few thousand feet of space so our turns wouldn't be close to each other. Ended up skiing until about 1pm or so when the hill was getting very tracked out.

Easy hike up Mt. Glory, Teton Pass

With perfect blue skies and pristine Teton snow I felt the urge to hike more up to the summit of Mt. Glory. The summit had what felt like to be almost topple you over winds. The summit shack was fully assaulted by snow inside. I do enjoy free acupuncture to the face by hard snow.

Today was my 51st day on snow this season and it felt great to bootpack to fresh powder for a full day of skiing. The pale ale is going to be extra smooth tonight. I have been enjoying passing out on my first beer before 7pm for the last month or so. It's a shocker when it spills all over my snow pants, but it surely is more exciting than a bar full of she-devils and expense. Not to mention the sick brosefs shreddin' the uber gnar with a touch of rad go pro clif huck to rocks bar talk.

Eat, sleep, ski, wax, carve, slarve, caffeinate, &

2012-01-10T17:25:00.001-08:00

...day long Dead Jams.

Needless to say the entire country has been off to a super slow start as far as snow accumulations. I thought the Tetons were in bad shape until I heard the word from friends in New England, Utah, California, and Colorado. It seems as the Tetons are the place to be and our last 30" storm helped us greatly.

I've been very happy to have bought some Rossignol Experience 88's (carving skis) this year. I planned to use them only for work, but after roughly 50 days on snow so far this year they've been the weapon of choice.

Backcountry skiing for me has been scaled back considerably after many slides on all aspects and elevations this season. We are still in a holding pattern with the chance of 3 foot deep hard slab avalanches ready to rip out from a single skier, even on slopes that have been tracked out by many skiers.

Remember, if you ain't havin' any fun skiin' go back to the real world and complain there.

Puckerface Avalanche

2012-01-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

Plenty of red flags were apparent, but some ventured into backcountry terrain. A lot of recent avalanches in the past 48 hours on all aspects and elevations, high winds, heavy wet snow with a rain mixture at the lower elevations, warm temperatures, whoompfing and cracking snow. Also the Bridger Teton National Forest issued an avalanche warning advisory.

This guy is very lucky to be alive.

Puckerface avalanche from Jamie Culp on Vimeo.

Groomers

2011-12-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

I've been skiing groomers for days at JHMR. And yes, I do love them as my East Coast Maineiac soul will never die.

Photos courteous of Steve Thomas

Moosebrush Bowl

2011-12-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

The first day of December turned out to be a great ski day. Temps were much colder than the last few days, but the sun radiated our souls. Met up with Walter, Lindsy, Paul, and Blodg in the Coal Creek parking lot right after 10am. Skinned out East Mail Cabin to Moosebrush Bowl.

I was freezing while we were digging the snowpit mostly because of super gusts blowing through. Once we all had our puffy coats on and were moving uphill again I felt like I was sitting next to a comfy woodstove. We ended up getting two great laps out of the bowl in excellent light density Teton powder. Molly and Jack the Labs were definitely worn out by the time our 4 hour adventure was over.

Blodg & Lindsy filling in the snowpit

Walter, Lindsy, & Blodg snowpit analysis

Walter leading the charge followed by Lindsy, Paul, & Blodg

Great 14F bluebird day in light Teton powder

JHMR Open

2011-11-30T10:19:00.001-08:00

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opened for the 2011/2012 season Saturday November 26. Six lifts were spinning and everyone skiing on the hill had a grin ear to ear. Chairs spinning are Teewinot, Apres Vous, Gondola, Marmot, Thunder, and Casper.

Opening day was a pseudo powder day with untracked lines with lots of sleeper rocks standing by to take a chuck of p-tex away from your skis. Went skiing with Allie, a Vermonster ripper not timid to multiple rock hits.

The last two days we experienced a temperature inversion with the upper parts of the hill in the lower 30's and brilliant sunshine. Yesterday I met up with 'Ol Man Hughes on Apres Vous in the morning. Both of us were on the Rossi Experience 88s, it was an East Coast Alliance groomer extravaganza.

In the afternoon I met up with Matt Stevens and lapped Casper more times that I could count. Ended up skiing about 30,000 vertical feet of groomers in the sunshine.

High pressure is on its way out and NOAA is predicting plummeting temperatures, super high winds, snow heavy at times, and negative wind chills. Carboloading today and gearing up for the storm tomorrow.

Opening day this was untracked with sleeper rocks

Never ending HUGE moguls underneath Thunder Chair

Looking towards The Headwall above Gondola

National Elk Refuge

2011-11-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

From Wikipedia:
The National Elk Refuge is located in the U.S. state of Wyoming and was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for the largest elk (also known as the wapiti) herd on Earth. The refuge borders the town of Jackson, Wyoming on the northeast while Bridger-Teton National Forest is to the east and Grand Teton National Park borders the refuge to the north. It is home to an average of 7,500 elk each winter. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Elk migrate from as far away as southern Yellowstone National Park and historically migrated south of the present location of the refuge into southwestern Wyoming during the fall, wintering on grassy plains that were usually snowfree most of the winter. During the spring, the herd would follow the retreating snows back into the Yellowstone National Park region. The original size of the elk herd has been estimated to have been in excess of 25,000. The expansion of the town of Jackson blocked off the migration route by the end of the 19th century and the elk herd was severely reduced in size due to the hostile climate and lack of food supply.

Winter is here

2011-11-21T13:51:00.000-08:00

Seems as though winter has finally arrived here in the Tetons. Enjoyed two days skinning up at Grand Targhee Resort. First day out with Blodg, Corey, Lindsy, and Kyle poking around on a super thin snowpack. Hit one small rock and didn't hurt the ski at all. The second day at Targhee, Blodg and I climbed 3629' and got in three laps skiing. A much better snowpack with another 15" of creamy wavy gravy.

We then went on to skinning Teton Pass off mail creek. The first day was more or less working out all of the early season kinks. Our friend Heather had some super issues keeping skins glued on to her skis. I ended up Macgeyvoring them on with about a half a roll of duct tape. She was also using a non free pivot binding which is always super hard to tour in.

Yesterday, Blodg and I went on a 4 hour tour and skied West Super Bowl. We dug almost a 1 meter deep pit on a N NE aspect to see what was going on with the snowpack. Winds have been howling out of the S SW the past few nights up to 50-60mph. This wind provided great opportunity for snow transport/loading. The bottom 10cm is very faceted. We were able to get our ECT test to propagate in this faceted area with 13 hits. The N and NE aspects are going to be interesting to watch with added snow.

I didn't eat and drink enough for this 4 hour tour and am taking the day off to rest my calf muscles as I can barely walk.

Dave leads the charge with Jack, Molly, and Blodg

A set skin track is much easier than breaking trail

A beautiful warm and sunny day in the Tetons

Blodg and Corey enjoy Targhee powder

Beal satisfied with knee deep Nov 20, West Super Bowl

Abstinence

2011-11-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not talking about abstaining from the third luscious nectar of life following that of skiing and a deliciously flavored IPA. It may be very difficult, but superseding the kryptonite powers of a beautiful woman and the delicacy of a freshly poured IPA is profound. Abstaining from powder skiing is not considered.

Today marked my own personal abstinence from powder skiing since June 11, 2011. The Tetons are part of my soul and I feel very fortunate that I only had to abstain five months to ski again. Last season I contained the inner drive to ski 165 days and the waiting game for this season was rough.

Down coat, hard shell, goggles, food, water, rope, webbing, first-aid kit, shovel and probe, never felt so good on my back. Dynafit bindings attached to my skis and skins glued on never felt so light. The bluebird sky shined downward as we skinned uphill breathing the crisp Teton air. Fueled by the same priorities to ski and the gravitational pull is what brought us together. Gliding through the mountains is what connects our souls to others feeding their intrinsic happiness via these majestic peaks.

Jack enjoys a warm woodstove

Matt Blodg

Matt Beal

Powder Whore's : Breaking Trail. Trailer

2011-11-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

Crystal Butte

2011-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Went out for a short hike this morning. Hiked about 1800 vert to 8400ft up Crystal Butte just on the outskirts of town. It has some nice steep spots that almost feels like your bootpacking in the winter with ski boots on. Looks like another storm cycle will be making a presence this weekend!

Curtis Canyon

2011-11-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today I went exploring up in Curtis Canyon to look for some animals running around on the fresh snow. Ended up not seeing any animals or any hunters. Super peaceful day.

Planks Clothing: Beanies!

2011-10-31T14:45:00.001-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Planks Clothing has arrived!

2011-10-30T13:41:00.001-07:00

A fresh shipment of Planks Clothing has arrived. I am working on setting up a weekly bar night in Jackson, WY. I have an assortment of beanies, t-shirts, and hoodies. Cost is $25 for beanies, $25 t-shirts, and $60 for hoodies. If you have an idea or contact for a bar night please let me know, looking to start Dec 1.

New Camera

2011-10-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

The past two years or so I've wanted a smaller camera that can fit into my coat pocket instead of my backpack. I have a Kodak that I like a lot, but it doesn't do very well in the elements: rain, snow, sleet and freezing cold. Storing it in my pack inside of a camera bag also slows down the process to get a picture fast.

I just ordered an Olympus Tough TG-610 for $200 bucks on Ebay with free shipping. It is waterproof to 16 feet, shockproof, and freeze proof. Image stabilization, 3D photos, fish eye, and can stitch 10 photos together on its own processor.

Backcountry Coconut/Granola/Peanut Butter Bars

2011-10-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

If you're planning to be in the backcountry these are great to bring along. Yes, there is always the Clif/Power/Luna Bar/Snickers/etc, but I find these to satisfy my hunger for much longer. Squeezing a bunch of honey into the process makes them a bit more zingy. Also, they are much cheaper than any bar you would purchase at retail/grocery store prices. Even if you can get a box at cost, do you really want to eat 12 carrot cake flavored Clif Bars?

Try 'em out and see for yourself:
32 Servings
-1 cup peanut butter
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 cup corn syrup
-1/3 cup butter
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-3 1/3 cups rolled oats
-1/2 cup flaked coconut
-1/2 cup sunflower seeds
-1/2 cup raisins
-1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300F/175C.
1. In a large bowl stir together the peanut butter, the butter or margarine, the brown sugar, the syrup and the vanilla until smooth.
2. Add all the other ingredients. Stir well.
3. Press the mixture into 13 x 9 inch greased pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack before cutting into bars.

Ski Town Stereotypes

2011-10-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

I thought this was pretty fun when I stumbled on it from unofficalnetworks.com

Summertime. The time where the shred community, a generally homogenous gore-tex clad group, diverges into several dozen sub-cultures of mountain dwellers. Sure, on the mountain we have different styles, ideas, and equipment, but we’re all the same species. When summertime rolls around, however, all bets are off. People that you’d happily share a chair with on any powder day might as well be aliens. The cliques, each with their own uniform, badge of honor and M.O., have unspoken rivalries based on their views of the best way to kill time between closing day and the first snowfall. Ski towns are filled with odd characters, and nothing brings them out like hot temperatures. Here’s a quick overview of these enigmas, who behave oddly, dress poorly, and defend their right to do both religiously.

The Fly Fishermen
Outfit: Croakies, Simms hat, Khaki everything.

Between the half dozen flies in the bill of their Simms hat, their Croakies, and moisture wicking collared shirt, the fly fishermen flawlessly (and unnecessarily) pulls off the “I’m-here-for-a-beer-but-if-town-floods-I’m-ready-to-fish” look. Their outfit is a tribute to the versatility of khaki and has technical specifications that would make you think they’re trying to outwit another person on the battlefield, not a fish.

The Road Biker
Outfit: Mandex, Live Strong bracelet, absence of leg hair

Often found riding two and even three wide on crowded streets and highways, the road biker insists on “sharing” the road. The mightier-than-thou cyclist sees the bike path as a sign of weakness, insisting on riding on the road, parallel to the bike path. Be particular weary of the road biker between mid-June and mid-July, when they’re most active and aggressive.

The River Guide
Outfit: Collared Hawaiian shirt (two or more buttons undone/missing), visor, Croakies.

Although the government would like you to think the river belongs to everyone- that’s wrong. The river is the guide’s and you’re just a guest on it. No matter what you do in his or her presence, you’ll somehow do it wrong.

The Climber
Outfit: Chacos, visor, shorts that are hemmed above the knee- by several inches.

No matter what time of day, month or year, the climber just got back from something super gnarly…but they don’t want to talk about the specifics of where. When not getting extreme, the climber can be found slack lining in the park as they unwind with some microbrews.

The Bro
Outfit: T-shirts from sponsors (you’ve probably never heard of), board shorts, GoPro, PBR

The hipster of the ski town, the bro hates on everybody else on this list. Naturally, the bro’s only natural enemy is, err, everybody else on this list. Don’t be fooled by some sort of “bro code,” sheer power in numbers is the real reason they flock together. The bro expresses exuberant enthusiasm upon seeing another bro from the ski season, usually offering a bro hug (one arm hugs as one arm shakes, ensuring no pelvic contact)

The Blogger
Outfit: Sweatpants, lots of sunscreen when venturing outside,

The armchair quarterback of the ski town, the blogger hides behind a keyboard and calls out locals that are actually having human interactions- usually under a pseudonym of a character from a cult-classic ski flick. Getting rad takes a backseat to talking about how rad they got/are going to get, and pissing matches on forum boards are their preferred past-time during the summer…and winter for that matter.

Super Local
Outfit: Ponytail (both sexes), frown, t-shirt of event held before you were born

The super local is lost in better days gone by. Their thousand-yard stare seems like it’s more suited for slowly stirring a glass of whiskey as they gaze off into the distant than speaking with you. Not afraid to talk about the past, their nostalgia is almost overbearing. You usually leave the conversation seriously contemplating if you should move so this guy could be happy.

Snow after 117 days

2011-10-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here in the Tetons we officially did not have snow for 117 days. Here's a short video I put together documenting fall into winter.

WhiteDot Rep

2011-10-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

BealAdventures.com joins WhiteDot Freeride skis. Visit whitedotfreeride.com for more information.

Yellowstone

2011-09-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

On what may have been the last day of warmth here in the Tetons I decided to take a drive to Yellowstone National Park. An 80 degree bluebird day with Aspen trees in brilliant orange Fall colors I had to be outside. I felt like I drove for hours to finally arrive at Old Faithful. Not really knowing what to expect in the world's first national park with over 2.2 million acres I stuck to the tourist route. I was amazed that for most of the drive I didn't encounter any crazy driving tourists. Below are a few pictures I snapped of the day:

Yurts in the Tetons

2011-09-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I fortunate enough to be invited to work alongside Rendezvous Backcountry tours based out of Victor, Idaho. I had never been to any of the yurts on the West side of the Tetons. The access to the Yurt was very hard to get to by truck. A very gnarly road with huge ditches, big rocks, and tree branches hanging low. It was an adventure in four wheel drive low and locking front hubs.

Alas, after about an hour of half of very slow going and the truck bouncing full of gear we had reached our destination. Climbing out of the truck I felt as thought I had just come off a boat. My equilibrium was put through the paces. The Baldy Knoll Yurt is at 8800 feet.

For the remainder of the day we worked on digging a five foot outhouse hole and gathered as much firewood as we could for the winter. The platform the Yurt sits on was also stained.

Here is a short video on Feb 24, 2011 from Powder Magazine:

A ski bench

2011-09-24T19:26:00.001-07:00

This is my fourth ski bench, but to be honest I can't remember how many shitty non-square structures I built before. It seems as the years pass and the places I live the ski bench is left behind as a memento as something to come back to. Last Winter in Driggs, Idaho I made a 4' x 8' bench with a "wax trap." The best feature about the bench was a centrally located turntable, two foot high speakers, and 30 or so vinyl records on the shelf behind the bench. After a day working and roommates doing the night gig it was great to unwind on the loud vinyl and wax the piss out of my skis.

This year I dialed down the tune bench scale as I have a 18' x 24' interior space to work with. Super simple construction plans all cut by hand and very difficult to keep angles square with a hand saw. Dimensions are 40" high, 48" wide, 18" deep with a 1" overlap (for clamps/vises). Top surface is 3/4" plywood. I used Rustoleum glossy white with three coats on the surface. The black blocks are three 2" x 4" cut 8" inches long to scrape skis. This bench is the most square thing I've built. This project made me realize how much I want a chop saw.

Collapsible Titanium Woodstove!

2011-09-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

VersaStove: Titanium Wood Stoves

I'm not sure what I would do with this stove as of yet, but I have some down the road plans. I currently have a collapsible bbq coal grill that is like no other. Packing a 5lb bag of coals, lighter fluid, hamburger, buns, condiments, beer, and that stove was super hard skiing in spring corn. This titanium stove is 39 ounces without the stovepipe.

Our lightweight, collapsible, titanium wood stoves assemble quickly and require no tools to assemble. These stoves collapse down into a very small package. The stoves come with a stuff sack, titanium pipe, damper, spark arrestor and everything needed for operation. After repeated use, our stoves are still airtight, which translates to longer more efficient burns and less heat going up the pipe. Our high efficiency damper allows you to regulate heat output, and increase efficiency. We believe these stoves not only offer the greatest volume to weight ratio of any box stove on the market, but that they are also the easiest to assemble and operate. For more stove information see the Seek Outside VersaStove review on backpackinglight.com. Want a rollup stove ? We also offer a titanium roll up stove in conjunction with ED T’s backcountry, contact for details.

2011-09-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

A gathering of vibes/BBQ

Thursday, September 22 · 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Owen Bircher Park Wilson, WY

From Jackson take the right directly before Stagecoach bar. Drive 1/2 mile or so on the pavement that bends to the right, Owen Birch Park is on the right.

World Premier of TGR's "One for the Road." & Keller Williams Live

2011-09-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

TGR hits the road again this fall, and we want you to be a part of it. One For The Road will be featured at venues throughout the world, complete with prize giveaways, sponsor swag, lift ticket offers and athlete appearances at many locations. Witness one of the most epic winters on record captured on film, and catch the action as it is meant to be seen – on the big screen surrounded by hundreds or thousands of stoked skiers and snowboarders. Check the tour calendar for more details on a show near you.

Don’t see a TGR tour stop in your town? Email us at filmtour@tetongravity.com to get information on hosting your own!

After the TGR premier head to the Pink Garter Theater to check out Keller Williams. Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $27.50
For more information check out his site

L O T O J A

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

LOTOJA, short for LOgan TO JAckson, is a USA Cycling sanctioned, road cycling race held annually on the Saturday after Labor Day in September. The race is believed to be one of the longest single-day road cycling races in North America, if not the world and is the longest one-day race sanctioned by USA Cycling or the United States Cycling Federation.

Lotoja is pronounced "loe-tuh-juh" and starts in Logan, Utah (in the United States), travels into southeastern Idaho and finishes in Teton Village, Wyoming (a few miles northwest of Jackson, Wyoming). The current course covers 206 miles (or 332 kilometers) and includes three mountain passes. The total climbing during the race is nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 m) with the race finishing about 1,800 feet (550 m) higher than it began in Logan (4,550 ft).

The Freedom Chair

2011-09-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

From TetonAT.com:

Josh Dueck was an aspiring Canadian skier and coach until a ski accident in 2004 changed his life for good. After coming to the realization that he would never walk again, Josh made a conscious decision to make the best of a terrible situation. Within 1 year he was back on snow doing what he loved, and shortly after, his determination took him to the top of the podium in the sport of Sit-skiing. Despite his success in the world of competitive skiing, he wasn’t satisfied as a skier. Josh’s dream is to tackle the backcountry, and the steepest and wildest mountains in the world. In ‘The Freedom Chair’, it’s a dream fulfilled.

The Freedom Chair - Official Trailer from Switchback Entertainment on Vimeo.

Prioritize

2011-09-01T11:08:00.001-07:00

This article came from Backcountry Magazine
Volume 17 Issue 80 September 2011 written by: Drew Pogge, Editor

The trailer after the article 'Tres Bonne Equipe!'encapsulates Kaj Zackrisson and Sverre Liliequist.. -A film about two friends on a lifelong adventure-

The backcountry often demands skewed (some might say screwed ) priorities. We chase fleeting and often-private experiences – deep powder, untracked slopes, and aesthetic lines – and ours is a time – and travel – intensive pursuit that also requires a lot of expensive gear. Naturally, there are compromises that must be made, for better or for worse. This became apparent to me recently, when I briefly considered buying a new car.

My current ride – a 1997 Buick Regal – has 183,000 miles on the odometer, increasingly bald tires, faded paint (I call it “patina”) and a muffler that hangs at just the right angle to scrape on every speed bump in town. It has the sex appeal of a Rascal Scooter towing a trailer of Depends and denture cream, and filling the gas tank increases its total value by 15 percent.

In contrast to the pragmatism of driving an aged Buick, my gear collection is verging on absurd. At any given moment in the mountains, the equipment hanging from my body is worth about six times more than the car that drove me the trailhead – I ran the numbers. It's shameful, but strangely exciting, too. Kind of like late – night Cinemax.

The cumulative cost of the plane tickets I bought to travel and ski last year also eclipsed the value of my car four times over and what I spend on health insurance, retirement, clothing and beer. I didn't actually realize this was the case until I began adding the numbers for this story, and I'm shocked. Maybe even a little embarrassed. The worst (or best?) part is that I'm definitely not unique. In fact, I'm comparatively conservative.

Of my friends and partners, one hasn't been to a doctor in seven years; another couch surfs for six months a year in order to dodge rent and ski; another bought a new (used) pair of touring skis rather than fixing a dead tooth, claiming “it'll fall out on its own.” Disgusting? Yes. But it's not about bragging rights or some kind of romanticized dirtbag ideology. There's nothing romantic about homelessness or black molars. These are just the sacrifices that these guys choose to make in order to travel and ski all season long without a trust fund or ponzi scheme. It seems irresponsible, sure, but kinda awesome, too.

Many of use take pride in our skewed sense of priority – or, rather, the experiential payoff made possible by that skew. Quality of life really is a matter of perspective. All of us make sacrifices in order to climb and ski – and they are often completely righteous – but I personally draw the line at oral decay. A junker is one thing: death-breath is another. So would I trade a life-changing trip or my most coveted ski gear for a new car, a retirement plan or a dentist visit?

Nah. I just changed the oil in the ole' Buick; retirement isn't really an option for a writer anyway; and my pearly-whites are still fully functional. Besides, there's an entire world of mountains still waiting to be skied...
- Drew Pogge, Editor
Backcountry Magazine Volume 17 Issue 80 September 2011

Très Bonne Équipe! Teaser from Très Bonne Équipe on Vimeo.

Ski gear is arriving!

2011-08-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'd have to say that I've gone completely nuts ordering gear for this Winter. Usually, in the past I would be contempt with one or two new pieces of gear. After a few years wanting a super fat pair of skis bigger than my recent 188 Rossi S7's, I just got 189 K2 Pon2oons.

McConkey’s vision continues with the all new Pon2oon in 11/12. Designed with the same philosophy of slaying powder easier, faster and with less effort, the all-new Pon2oon is rockered in the tip and tail and features a redesigned Powder tip and a non twin tip Progressive Powder tail. While the ski has similar pivot performance to it’s predecessor, it now comes with more predictable turn initiation and added breaking power in the tail. The dimensions on the Pon2oon increase as the ski gets longer in length, maxing out at a whopping 134mm underfoot in the 189cm size.*A percentage of the Pon2oon ski sales will be given to Shane’s family.

::MORE INFO::

Powder Rocker
ROCKER: Easy initiation, versatility, agility
CAMBER: Control, edge hold, rebound

This tip has the most elevation and longest measurement of Rocker and offers skiers a “surfy” feel with enhanced soft-snow performance. The camber region still exists to ensure edge-hold on firmer conditions.

Simply put, Powder Rocker provides unmatched flotation in deep snow.

Progressive Sidecut
Progressive sidecut is a combination of two different radii, or sidecuts, that enhance the versatility of wider-waist skis. Standard sidecut theory is based on using a single radius. This works well on narrower skis, but becomes overpowering on wider skis, especially in variable conditions. The use of progressive sidecut on wider-waist skis guarantees improved turn initiation and hard-snow performance.

Powder-Specific Tip Design
The widest point of a powder tip is 7cm back from the standard contact point. The design adds stability and predictability while skiing and is less likely to hook or grab in light crusts or variable conditions.

BIO Core Tech
For backcountry skiers conscious of their caloric and environmental output, our Adventure skis use a blended core of aspen, bamboo, and Paulownia, (a reforestation plantation tree similar to bamboo) that has consistent density, great strength-to-weight ratio, and fast-growth carbon-sequestration. The core is just one component of the ski, but the result is 15% weight savings over our traditional fir/aspen cores and a lessened footprint, reducing the impact of the ski on you and the winter world.

Tip and Tail Holes
Holes in the tip and tail are not only the attachments points for K2 skins, but they also fit the functional needs of a backcountry skier including the ability to build a rescue sled or construct various ski anchors. The holes are equipped with removable plugs.

Flat Tails
All Adventure skis come with flat tails, providing backcountry utility by allowing you to plunge the tails easily into firm snow.

The Path Towards Enlightenment

2011-07-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

At an early age I contained the drive as to what I was going “To do.” I possessed a force to execute innate goals implanted in my DNA. I never knew what that drive was for or why I worked so hard, but in the back of my head I have always felt like I could achieve anything.

Although I don't recollect the memory, my Dad told me a story about how I figured out how to plug in a chop saw and turn it on at the age of three. I've seen pictures of myself dragging eight foot 2”x4”s at the age of four. Somewhere in those years I learned how to convince my friends to assist me to climb out of an apartment window, and ride my bigwheel down an urban sidewalk.

At the age of eight, I learned how to operate a snow blower and clear my parents driveway. My Dad was working in another state due to a corporate airline's financial “problem.” Two years later I could take apart an entire bicycle, paint it, and re-assemble/tune it better than it was new. I sold those bikes on the front lawn of my folks yard for cash to purchase specialized bicycle tools. I would dig through the dumpster of my local bike shop gaining valuable pieces to refurbish bicycles for cash. Twenty years later, Scott the local bike shop owner and I still have a great relationship, but we deal over a counter as of late.

In the beginning of my teenage years I received my first European bicycle from my Grandfather. It was an Italian Bianchi with tires that you would glue onto the rims, named “Glue-ons.” or “Sew-ups.” If you got a flat tire you would actually sew up the sidewall with a sewing kit that you would carry with you. I was greatly appreciative to receive that bike. A United States Junior Olympian trained on that bike from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. My Grandfather Bob Beal was a United States Cycling Federation cycling coach that was very fortunate to travel the world via the cycling industry. He even trained the once Junior Olympian American, Lance Armstrong. I rode that bike into the ground until it was utterly worn out from mileage. It was my first twelve speed road bike, steel frame, Campagnolo groupo, and my Dad helped me build our first clincher wheelset.

I went to College for five and a half years after High School. My first year of school I built a personal tower computer from scratch. I would guess it weighed at least twenty pounds. I bought a special strap to carry it home everyday. Plugging in the monitor, keyboard, mouse, power, and modem cable was an everyday ritual. The year after I figured out how to get computers to interact with each other through laser beam schematics. If I typed something on a keyboard into a computer, the computer 25' away would print the letters through a laser switching off and on.

From there I was accepted into a University. A very new experience with over 15,000 students. I joined the Outing Club that changed my life for the better. The University owned a very primitive cabin on state property less than a mile to Sugarloaf located in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. The sign leading into the town reads, “From here on your life will never be the same.” The cabin featured a deep well to drink water out of, a cracked wood stove, no insulation, no electricity, single pane windows, and propane fueled lanterns.

One day in the Fall every year about 50 kids would gather roughly twelve chords of firewood from the Caribou Pond Road. We awoke before the dawn and worked into the night. That wood kept us warm all Winter. Imagine hanging out in your underwear enjoying brews and beautiful women, while in a few hours sleeping in a zero degree down mummy bag with your Nalgene freezing next to you. For roughly three years I drove my Dad's truck 100 miles each way to this cabin every weekend in the Winter.

We drank shitty beers, told stories of grander, met new friends, chased the ever gorgeous New England women, and skied first chair to last chair no matter how shitty the snow was. We couldn't afford the bar scene, restaurants, or night scenes, but man did we all enjoy the company of each other. Most of us didn't have shit, but deep down we all had the innate drive to be in the mountains. A lot of these close folks are still scattered throughout the world via the ski industry in one way or another.

The year later I learned how to sleep in a somewhat insulated A-frame that was above my $8.30/hr means. Relying on expired food to fill my belly and hosers dropping beer I was fueled with the minimum, and skiing hard daily on concrete frozen tilted East Coast shit. Inside the thermostat read 48 degrees Fahrenheit all the time. I slept in a zero degree down mummy bag on a futon for the winter in a 600 down fill puffy.

That Summer I went to New Zealand to visit a cabin friend. I was fortunate to ski The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Cardrona, and Treble Cone. I believe the air travel surpassed 16,000 miles and I spent at least a week in an airplane. The year after I worked for an elite East Coast ski academy for two years. An excellent opportunity to learn how the ski industry, “Works.” I was fortunate to travel again all over the ski world.

Another year later and I've lived in Idaho and now reside in Wilson, Wyoming near Jackson Hole. Through a very strange feeling I've always known that I needed to be in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I have always felt as though my magnetic compass bearing was set to here in my DNA. In the lower 48 states I consider this place to be, “It.”

Some of the best skiers in the world call this place their home. When snow falls the most hardcore skiers are standing in the tram dock waiting to ski. Sometimes they have been standing in line for a couple hours just to beat the rest of the rat packs showing up late. The stories of rowdy skiers and these folks physically outperforming most makes up a core group of individuals. Some call them “Ski bums.” Some also think of this core group of individuals that make up the most hardcore and rowdiest folks in the lower 48, overqualified, over-educated, and following their dreams towards enlightenment. It either comes down to walking the walk, or just talking about it in the bar, and it's fucking obvious who is who.

I know I ain't the best skier in Jackson Hole and I'll never be close to that. I contain the drive to produce, but maybe in a different way to the norm of the ski industry. I still get up everyday before the dawn during the snowy months, I still ski an average of 160 days a year, I still drink shitty beer, I still have the soul to do whatever I must to produce the means to ski every single god-damn day, but I'm not willing to leave these mountains in a helicopter evacuation, or even worse, a body bag. I've put too much money, time, and physical/emotional effort to finally be here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Regarding the path to enlightenment... It ain't an easy to follow yellow brick road path. Many won't continually pursue the never ending sacrifices to reach their true potential and dreams, or the pinnacle of their intrinsic aspirations. Over the years I've had many negative nuances thrown towards me via much of the new mediums of today's technologies as well as face-to-face communications. These negatives that have been thrown at me my entire life seem to hit a force field, never entering my mind, or more importantly injected into my soul. I know deep down that I am pursuing my dreams.

To put it into the simplest of sentences, “I want to be one of the best American ski guides in the world.”

-Matt Beal

Music ! So much music!

2011-07-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

What a week of music! Last Friday started the Summer music off with my good friend Hilary. Forage, a Bistro in Driggs, Idaho held an event called Fun, Fashion, & Flair. Friends from the neighborhood dressed to the nines and blasted urban influenced music throughout the streets of Driggs.

Saturday, Grand Targhee Resort held a free battle of the bands. Another super warm day with a core group of Maineiacs.

Sunday featured an event called Fondango in Victor, Idaho. Located at the quaint and peaceful Lynn Ranch it was very laid back. A few thousand people showed for an entire day of music, free camping, and oh yes, free beer from Grand Teton Brewing!

Thursday Music on Main in Victor also started up! Over 2000 people showed up for array of musical talent.

This past weekend was Widespread Panic at Grand Targhee! Over 5000 people were expected to show every night with 300 kegs ready to quench thirsty patrons. The weekend after next is Targhee Fest and August is Bluegrass fest! Also, the Driggs airport held a great air show!

An AMGA ice climbing guide once told me...

2011-06-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Photo: Dawn Glanc ice climbing near La Grave France. photo by Dylan Taylor

An AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) ice climbing mountain guide once told me, “Once you're used to being uncomfortable, you'll always be comfortable.” She told me this at a glacial base camp a top Mt. Baker, Washington. The conditions were terrible. We had just hiked uphill on a dirt trail in mountaineering boots the better part of a day. The cloud ceiling started where we parked our vans. The temperature was roughly 35 degrees Fahrenheit. It was pouring rain since we stepped foot out of the van and if we weren't wet from the rain, we were perspiring from excitement and packing our gear.

Here we stood at our first base camp in the pouring rain setting up our tents. She asked me if I wanted to help her get some drinking water. I said, “Sure.” We hiked up a few hundred yards to some steep rock faces with snow leading up to them. We scaled the jagged rocks in our mountaineering boots to find a nice spout of fresh glacial mountain water flowing. I took one look at this chick's hands and had never seen a chick with muscle protruding between her joints. We placed our hands in what I thought was freezing cold water to fill miscellaneous bladders and jugs of water for the eight others. My fingers felt like they do in mid-winter conditions, but it was late June.

I'll never forget when she looked at me in the eyes and asked how I was doing. In a somber response I said, “Fine.” She asked me where I was from. In the same tone I responded, “Maine.” I will never forget the look on her face when she smiled and repeated, “Maine.” She had known another very impressive ice and rock climbing guide from Orono, Maine that I also knew of.

The vertical scar on her face was still very fresh from an ice chunk hitting her in the face from an incident in La Grave, France. I felt as though we possessed a special kinship or camaraderie which we could draw upon the entire group dynamic based upon the singular word, “Maine.”

We down-climbed the sketchy jagged vertical wet rocks with frozen fingers to where we had started our climb pursuing fresh water. I had already started filling my pack with many full water bladders and she stopped me. She said, “Matt, once you're used to being uncomfortable, you'll always be comfortable.”

She had an inept conscious of what people were thinking subconsciously. It was as if she possessed an x-ray mind reader. My hands were so cold that I couldn't feel them as I filled bladder after bladder of water for the others. The temperature was roughly 35 degrees Fahrenheit and pouring rain on a glacier in Northern Washington. She was extremely comfortable in such a shitty atmospheric condition.

The gleam in her eye were as if she was on a beach in Fiji laying in a horizontal chair enjoying a frozen drink illustrating an exuberant bikini. We weren’t in Fiji, we were standing in a low ceiling cloud cover, nothing to look at, horizontal pouring rain, almost freezing temperatures, and the shittiest of shit weather conditions.

That night I slept next to my co-worker in a shitty tent. I wore my Gore-Tex pro shell jacket and soft-shell bib snow pants. I lied on my thermarest placed in free flowing water in my zero degree down mummy sleeping bag and thought, “I don't think I could be much more uncomfortable.” The plastic shells of my boots lay outside the tent in the pouring rain. The liners and soaking wet clothes from the day laid on my belly and crotch all night. Trying to sleep with wet gear on my balls and belly I thought of other mountaineers that have tried to sleep with much more serious problems. I had no bodily issues, no broken bones, no compound fractures, no bleeding, or internal disease whatsoever. I was just laying in water with wet gear against my skin that happened to be on top of a glacier, that happened to have sideways pouring rain all day, that just happened to be below freezing at dusk.

When the sun rose I came out of the tent. I don't know if I really slept, but I'm sure I got a couple hours in, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it in my head. I unzipped the tent to find the plastic shells of my mountaineering boots frozen solid. It was similar to trying to put on Lange race ski boots in the parking lot of your favorite ski area. They don't want to ply at all, they are rigid like a mummy in a pyramid of Egypt. After much effort I got my liners in the shells and laced up so I could take my morning piss towards the sunrise.

She was already up, took her morning piss, made breakfast, and had litres of coffee percolating on her international fuel cook stove. She smiled and offered me a cup of boiling hot black, strong, and bitter joe. She asked, “How did you sleep?” I didn't say anything, but smiled at her just as we were collecting water off a steep jagged rock face the day before.

The rest of the glacial mountaineering course went forward, but without the weather. Falling into crevasses on purpose, three man rope teams, waking up at 2am to summit, 12 hour hikes, and ecetera regarding group think dynamics.

That guide taught me everything I needed to know in one sentence, “Once you're used to being uncomfortable, you'll always be comfortable.” As the years pass from this experience she couldn't have been more spot on in saying the least amount of words.

Altimeter watch

2011-06-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

I've been holding off on buying an altimeter watch for a few years now. Thanks to The Clymb and many friends that I referred to the website I ended up pulling the trigger on a $175 dollar watch that I will get for $7.99 shipping. If you would like to get gear that is roughly 60% off retail then click here.

Check out the functions of this thing! It's going to be awesome to track ski and bike vertical!

AltiForce

Altiforce features a sleek black design and a collection of functions essential for avid climbers, skiers or snowboarders.

Altimeter
Range -702 to 9,158 meter / -2305 to 30,045 feet
Resolution 1 meter / 1 foot
Rate of ascent or descent
Altitude alarm
20 Log book files with date, time, vertical ascent and descent distance and rate, laps and total elapsed time

Barometer
Sea level pressure and absolute pressure display (mbar/hPa or inHg reading)
Range: 300 to 1100 mbar/hPa or (8.86 inHg to 32.48 inHg)
Resolution 1 mbar/hPa or .01 inHg
Weather forecast
24 hour graphic pressure or trend display

Digital Compass
360 degree/16 Cardinal point bearings
Digital true North arrow
Digital compass re-call
Digital compass calibration
Adjustable declination

Thermometer
User option for Fahrenheit or Celsius
Range -10 to 50 degrees Celsius / 14 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit
Resolution to .1 Celsius/.1 Fahrenheit

Ski Chromo
Calculates descent time from starting point to base altitude
Calculates rate of descent

Chronograph
Range 24 hours
Resolution .01 second for first hour; 1 second for hours 2-23
50 laps/splits
20 runs/workouts showing lap/split times, best lap, average lap

Time
Time/day/date
Dual time zone, dual daily alarm

Other
EL backlight system
50 meters water resistant (165 feet)
Size: Unisex

Estimated Delivery Between July 11-13

Trip Report: JHole XC: Beal's Bonk ride

2011-06-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

The weather in JHole has been pretty harsh lately with a lot of rain and the constant threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Today was not the case, sunny 70F high, and a day to ride until you bonked your brains out.

I parked my car at the base of Snow King and rode the pavement to the Cache Creek trail-head. From the dirt road heading into the trail-head I went onto the smooth and not very technical Cache Creek sidewalk. The 'sidewalk' runs parallel to the dirt Cache Creek road, above it looking down. I kept following the sidewalk until I got to Hagen's trail. The Hagen's trail heading away from Snow King is some of my favorite singletrack. Some short climbs with nice switch backs to get a bit more vertical. At the pinnacle of Hagen's there is a sweet downhill with very nicely flowing berms. It's pretty easy to let the brakes go and get on your way. There is always the constant threat with uphill riders so be ready to avoid them pretty quickly.

The Hagen's trail eventually brings you in a big loop back towards the Cache Creek trail-head. From there I crossed the dirt road and began my climb on the other end of Hagen's towards Ferrin's trail. I climbed towards Snow King until I met some nice work roads that bring you to the summit of Snow King. There is maybe 100 yards of snow that I had to walk through, but hopefully the sun will wreck havoc upon it this week. (The Summit of Snow King is 7,808ft, base is 6,237ft The spectacular panorama includes five different ranges. The clear mountain air affords a more-than-50-mile-view north to Yellowstone National Park.)

At the summit of Snow King it's time to send it down the work roads back to Hagen's singletrack. Again, super easy to get going scary fast. My 160mm rear rotor fades easily. The hard work to climb Snow King pays off with rewarding downhill all the way back to the Cache Creek trail-head.

From there I crossed the road again and climbed up to the Putt Putt trail. Pretty easy trail with minimal climbing that has a nice downhill back into town towards the Elk Refuge. I was feeling just about out of gas and out of water when I hit the pavement. I decided to use the last bits of energy and sprint all I had down the Elk Refuge road to the Miller house.

When all said and done the ride took me 3 hours with almost all of the ride on dirt. The only pavement is from Snow King to Cache Creek, and then Putt Putt trail back to Snow King. I don't know how many miles it was, but it felt like more of a punishment type of ride. I recommend doing it on your own as listening to someone bitch about the climbing would make me snap into a slim jim.

**Definition of Bonking
“Bonking” is what cyclists call hypoglycemia which is the medical term for abnormally low levels of blood glucose. You bonk when you have exhausted your glycogen stores, haven’t ingested enough carbs to produce more blood glucose, and are still riding the bike. Anyone can bonk if they don’t eat properly on the bike. Lance Armstrong, who probably knows as much about cycling as anyone on the planet, got wrapped up in the race on a stage in the 2000 Tour de France, forgot to eat, and bonked on the climb up the Col de Joux Plane in the French Alps. The only reason he didn’t lose the Tour de France that day is because he had an iron will and an inhuman capacity to suffer. Afterwards he called it the worst day on the bike he’d
ever had.

American Mechanized Ski Guide Course

2011-06-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

While it's mid June here in JHole and I haven't really put away my ski gear, but rather put them in a pile waiting for those nice low 30s overnight lows to happen. I can't stop thinking about how the next winter season is already so close. My rent has now doubled as my girlfriend has moved out stating, "This isn't it." Looking at $875 bucks a month for rent, a $50 dollar phone bill, gas that's $4 a gallon, and rising food prices has shocked me like a cattle prod. It has also brought my soul, intensity, passion, and dreams of pursuing exactly what I want very clear and evident. This is what's on my mind. . .

Level 1 Mechanized Ski Guide Course
Location: Alta, Utah
Dates: January 8th - January 15th, 2011
Cost: $1,995

This seven day, 80 hour course is designed for current and aspiring mechanized mountain guides, ski patrollers, ski instructors, avalanche control specialists and
rescue personnel. In keeping with H2O’s policy of being inclusive rather than exclusive, this course is not only for mountain professionals, but also for any serious mountain enthusiast looking to take their skills to the next level. During this course you will gain hands on experience performing multi burial scenarios, guiding from the top down using a snow cat and helicopter, high angle rescue, and lift extraction. All topics involve a blend of classroom time, scenario-based field
exercises, and hands-on experience with helicopters, snow-cats, snowmobiles and ski lifts. Upon successful completion of this course participants will receive an
American Mechanized Ski Guide I certificate.

By the end of this course participants should be able to:

* Understand the variability and complexity of avalanches in mechanically accessed skiing and riding terrain.

* Identify grain types, the processes leading to their formation, and begin to understand how they relate to group management in avalanche terrain.

* Perform, interpret, and record common stability tests.

* Apply objective decision making methods while traveling through avalanche terrain during lift, snow cat or helicopter accessed ski operations.

* Understand the capabilities and limitations of helicopters, snow cats and lifts for accessing ski terrain.

* Understand all aspects of supporting helicopter or snow-cat activities from a base of operations, including fueling, communications and rescue coordination.

* Understand all aspects of aircraft operations for accessing mountainous terrain including aircraft configurations, landing and pickup zones, and safe loading
and unloading procedures.

* Understand the concept of "guiding from the top down" in big mountain terrain.

* Understand the fundamentals of big mountain rescue including both high angle and avalanche rescue.

* Understand the basic aspects of professional guiding including client care and communication, ethics, appearance, guide well-being and liability.

Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt: Jackson Center for the Arts

2011-06-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Center Presents is pleased to start the 2011-2012 Season at the Center Theater with John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett. These two old friends, who are among the best song writers of their era, will collaborate their talents in this intimate acoustic performance.

I was looking forward to seeing these guys, but their show is sold out.

June 11: skiing is still great!

2011-06-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this winter has been by far the best skiing I have ever imagined. Here in JHole well into the month of June most folks are hiking, fishing, cycling, and getting their boats ready.

This past Thursday morning I woke up to the radio broadcaster saying that Teton Pass was closed. I only heard the tail end of the story so I figured that there was just another car accident. A few minutes later I found that the pass was closed not to just one car accident, but snow. I heard reports that roughly five inches of snow fell which caused many people not used to driving in mountainous snow conditions to crash.

The rest of the week we've had mid sixties for a high, low to mid thirties for overnight lows, and the chance of thunderstorms almost every afternoon. I woke up early this morning figuring that some of the snow at high elevation would hopefully start to corn over and be somewhat frozen.

I started hiking Mt. Glory at 9am and it was nice to feel the ice crunching my toes while I kicked my boots into the bootpack. About 45 minutes into the hike a super dark cloud approached and dropped a bunch of nice sleet to cool me down. I ended up skiing Twin Slides which for mid June was pretty amazing. Near the trees the snow was just like skiing on top of a giant tub of cream cheese.

Yesterday I took my grinder to the tails of my 189 K2 Maid'N AK skis. I bought them this past fall at the Jackson ski swap for $15 bucks. Supposedly, there were the late Doug Cooombs skis as one bro at the swap told me. I was having a hard time getting them to turn as quickly as I wanted them to, so I just made them a little shorter. It's also great now that I can 'anchor' into the snow if I need to.

Looking down Twin Slides towards Rt. 22

Sun during Mt. Glory bootpack

Looking up bootpack towards false summit

K2's with their tails cut off

East face of Mt. Taylor

Unleashed

2011-06-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the warmest day we've had yet this summer in JHole. Mid seventies or so with no clouds and pure skin burning bliss. I drove up to Grand Teton National Park for most of the day. Checked out Colter Bay, Jackson Lake, Jackson Dam, & Jenny Lake. Also, drove up Signal Mountain which was very nice. The road was only about a car and a half wide and very twisty.

Ended up going on a short bike ride on the bike path near the South Jenny Lake entrance. The bike paths are absolutely amazing as they are all off the main highways and would be great on a road bike.

Came home at the end of the day and climbed Teton Pass on my mountain bike around dinner time. I shaved 5 minutes off the last attempt. Made it from my cabin in Wilson, 6 mile 10% hillclimb, in 95 minutes. As the shadows closed in on Mt. Glory the descent down the pass was brutally freezing. I think that my sun burned skin felt the cold even more than normal. I decided to drop into the trail, "Parallel" on the descent. It runs parallel to the pass and is definitely more of a downhill bike trail that has a jump park.

Later that night I stopped in The Stagecoach for the 2200th show of the Stagecoach band. The Sawmill grill just opened in the bar and the hot chicken sandwich with fries was awesome.

Met Crystal Wright last night and she gave me some insight into a job in the Hole. To say she's a sick skier is a super understatement. Check out her site.

Singletrack called Putt Putt and roaming Bison

2011-06-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

A lot of the singletrack was shot in the Cache Creek area of Jackson, Wyoming. This trail called, "Putt Putt" is a pretty easy fast flowing non technical ride. The Bison were near Antelope Flats in Grand Teton National Park.

Mountain Bike short vid off Teton Pass

2011-05-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

May 20, Skiing off Teton Pass

2011-05-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Premier of LifeCycles movie @ Sidewinders

2011-05-19T12:14:00.001-07:00

Come join us for the Life Cycles movie premier and help raise money for the Teton Freedom Riders. Event sponsored by Hoback Sports and they are raffling a cruiser bike!

Located at Sidewinders Bar & Grill on Broadway in Jackson, WY. Doors open at 7 and movie is at 8:30PM. Tickets are $10 dollars at the door.

Hwy 89 Won’t Open This Week

2011-05-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

From Jacksonholeradio.com
Wyoming Department of Transportation officials have decided to monitor the movement of the mudslide over Highway 89 for the next few days and aggressively begin clearing the road as soon as the mountainside stabilizes enough to do so. WYDOT District 3 District Engineer John Eddins says as recently as yesterday, slide measuring 300 feet by 2000 feet by 40 feet deep was still moving at a rate of about one foot per minute. Eddins says not yet having a firm estimate of the volume of material on the road, it is unknown how long it will take to remove it. Eddins also says the condition of the road underneath the slide is unknown, but it appeared in tack Sunday before it was completely covered. Highway officials are considering issuing permits so that bear hunters can access their traps in the canyon and kayakers can take out at Taco Hole east of the slide and return from there to Jackson. However, commuters from the Alpine area will still have to make their trip via Teton Pass into next week.

Elk Refuge

2011-05-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

I drove through the Elk Refuge today and snapped some shots of the wildlife.

May 12 Birthday

2011-05-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

To celebrate my 27th Birthday Matt Blodg and Erin joined me in a morning ski tour off of Teton Pass. Followed by our tour we rode our bikes probably 20 miles in Jackson stopping for some beers and pizza. It was a super warm day and we made it back to Wilson for the sunset.

Maine Dept. of Tourism photoshoot @ Saddleback, Maine

2011-05-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Last winter Erin and I were invited by the Maine Department of Tourism to do a photo and film shoot at Saddleback Mountain in Maine. Here is the link to the Visitmaine.com site The pictures are also printed in the free guide book.

Grand Project

2011-05-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is a time-lapse of August 2010 thru April 2011, shot in Teton Valley Idaho. Made by Kevin Cass. If you click the HD button in the lower left corner of the video it loads much faster.

The Grand Project from Kevin Cass on Vimeo.

Got on the bike finally!

2011-05-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

We broke out the mountain bikes for the first time this year finally! Here are some shots in Wilson, Wyoming

Snow King skiing

2011-05-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago my friend Blodg and I attempted to ski off of Teton Pass. I arrived at the top with both sides of the pass closed to what we think was an accident on the Idaho side. Blodg stranded on the Idaho side and me at the top we decided to call off our tour. Being packed for skiing I decided to skin up the local hill in town called Snow King.

The weather was reminiscent of a classic terrible day in Maine. Rain pouring at the lower elevations, huge snowflakes a few hundred feet up in elevation, some fog, and then the change back and forth between rain and huge snowflakes. It was nice to ski Snow King for the first time this year in Maine.

Here are the pictures from the day.

Calvert's Ridge off Teton Pass

2011-05-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

To say that it's been raining cats and dogs the last few days in Wilson, Wyoming would be an understatement. Since Saturday it has been raining so hard I didn't even want to put the trash out. The cloud cover was very low and I couldn't even see the beginning of the hills out the windows of our cabin. My friend Blodg gave me a ring and told me to check out the webcam at the top of Teton Pass. Predictions were up to a foot of new snow and man they were right.

Today I braved the pouring rain in full ski gear and drove my Jeep six miles to the top of Teton Pass to arrive into full on mid winter blizzard conditions. Blodg, Jamie, and I bootpacked 1600 feet to the top of Mt. Glory which took us about an hour or so. At the 10,000 foot summit of Mt. Glory there was very little wind, snow falling, and very little visibility of the valley below.

We set off towards the West along Calvert's Ridge. To my surprise the snow was roughly boot deep and kind of sugary on the top surface. We dropped off of the ridge into some nice dense trees with a descent angle of around 25-35 degrees. It was pretty obvious to see the new snow slab surface breaking upon a bed surface. All in all a great day considering it's May 10. I didn't take any pictures as to the bad visibility, but here is an outline below of the area.

New lift to top out at gondola @ JHMR

2011-05-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

(Pulled from Jackson Hole News & Guide)

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort crews have begun work to relocate a chairlift from Rendezvous Bowl to where it will better serve skiers, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The East Ridge chairlift will be moved so it runs from the bottom of Thunder chairlift to the summit of the Bridger Gondola, where a mid-mountain restaurant building is located. It will be renamed the Trapper Lift.

The 3,263-foot-long lift will rise 1,197 feet to an area just south of the top of the gondola. The lift will have 11 towers and will be capable of moving 800 people an hour.

The new chair will help move people from the south side of the mountain to the north side without having to ski all the way down to the base, said Zahan Billimoria, communications manager for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

“We’re excited about it,” he said. “I think that the new lift is going to ... be a significant improvement in the skier experience.”

A route from the bottom of Thunder back up to the top of the gondola is “a missing link,” Billimoria said. Skiers will be able to use it to reach services at the gondola restaurant building with greater ease.

The location of the chair was roughly outlined in the resort’s 1996 master development plan, said Ray Spencer, Teton division winter sports administrator for the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Spencer said the current configuration of the chair was analyzed through a “categorical exclusion,” the least stringent level of analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Spencer acknowledged the public wasn’t informed about the project. Environmental documents were sent to various government agencies for review, but newspapers — including the Jackson Hole News&Guide — and other potentially interested parties were accidentally excluded from the mailing list, he said.

“We received one comment,” Spencer said.

The Forest Service will still accept public comments even though Forest Supervisor Jacque Buchanan has already signed the decision, Spencer said.

“Even though the decision is signed, we can incorporate [comments] into best management practices,” he said.

“We’ve spent all this spring going over the locations,” Spencer continued. “We’re comfortable where it is.”

One possible configuration would have started at the bottom of Amphitheater for the chair to run to the top of the Headwall.

Forest Service officials nixed that location due to avalanche danger and the large number of trees that would have to be cut down to make a path for the chair.

Further, “we knew the park would not support having the top terminal adjacent to their boundary,” Spencer said, referring to Grand Teton National Park.

With the current configuration, Forest Service officials estimate that between 75 and 80 live Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, whitebark pine and subalpine fir trees will be cut down.

Whitebark pine trees, a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act, were given special consideration, Spencer said.

The resort has three whitebark pines in the area that appear resistant to blister rust, an invasive fungus that can kill or weaken native plant life. Researchers are harvesting cones from those trees for future replanting projects.

One resistant tree was in the alignment of the chair.

“The alignment was actually moved to protect that tree,” Spencer said. “We’ve invested a lot of time in that tree. It’s part of the research project, and we wanted to make sure that it is protected.”

The resort “worked closely with the Forest Service ... to protect the trees of the highest value,” Billimoria said.

The chairlift was also designed to blend into the landscape, he said.

Owl surveys were conducted in the path of the lift alignment.

“There was no evidence of nesting owls,” Spencer said. “We were given clearance to remove trees at this time.”

Once crews finish removing the trees, the resort will use helicopters and spider excavators — a special kind of earth mover designed to work on steep slopes with little impact to the surrounding terrain — to place the towers. The project is expected to be complete by in the coming ski season.

Billimoria couldn’t say whether the resort would opt to extend its season with the new lift, an option Forest Service officials said is possible under their current permit. One option could be to run upper mountain lifts when snow is lacking near the base and take skiers back to the base via the gondola. Such a scenario could happen at either end of the season, and a chairlift to the gondola’s upper terminal would be a boon for such an operation.

“It’s going to open up more opportunities,” Billimoria said. “Exactly what those are, I couldn’t say.”

The East Ridge Chairlift was installed in the summer of 2006 to provide access to the top of Rendezvous Mountain from the bottom of Rendezvous Bowl during the construction of the new Aerial Tram. Now that the tram is finished, the resort is obligated to relocate the lift, which has five towers and a vertical rise of 850 feet.

People can still send comments on the lift to Ray Spencer, Project Coordinator, Bridger-Teton National Forest, P.O. Box 1689, Jackson, WY 83001 or rspencer01@fs.fed.us.

6400 miles of driving...back in the Tetons for awhile

2011-05-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

To make an extremely long blog much shorter I'll highlight what we've been up to for the last couple of weeks. We worked our last days at Grand Targhee the beginning of April. The day after we moved all of our stuff over Teton Pass to Wilson, Wyoming. We cleaned our 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in Driggs, Idaho and unpacked/repacked for a 2700 mile drive to Maine.

Three and a half days of driving later we arrived at my parents house in Maine. Erin flew to North Carolina to visit her brother, recently back from his tour in Afghanistan, his wife, and their new kiddo. Due to delayed flights as well as canceled flights left Erin doing the airport norm of "hurry up and wait." Eventually she made it back up to Maine with much of North Carolina recovering from major Tornadoes.

We managed to ski 5 awesome days at Sugarloaf, Maine. It was awesome to catch up with many of our good Maine friends. The skiing was the best spring skiing we've seen yet this season and we really enjoyed the company!

2700 miles back to Wyoming didn't go as fast as the way out, but we're back. We had some radiator trouble in Laramie, Wyoming (about 500 miles from Jackson). We were loosing coolant and I couldn't seem to find a leak. Worried about blowing the head gasket we made a 4 hour stop. The thermostat kicked out, a compression check of the engine, and new coolant and we were on the road. The last hour of the trip was painstakingly slow because of so many Elk crossing the road near Pinedale, Wyoming. By the time we made it through the hills near Hoback Junction, Wyoming I was starting to hallucinate moving Elk. Turns out I wasn't hallucinating they really were there.

Thanks again to every in Maine for hooking us up with ski vouchers, cold beer, food, fireworks, familiar happy faces, and especially our parents for putting up with our incessant adventures.

Sluice & Flume

Cabin in Wilson, Wyoming

Boston, Massachusetts seen from Hingham

Day 2

2011-04-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

Gothenberg, Nebraska -- > Howe, Indiana

We didn't quite make it to the Omaha, Nebraska but awoke in Gothenberg and put in about 700 something miles to Howe, Indiana. The winds that day were pretty ferocious and pulled the car around on the interstate for a good twelve hours or so.

In a Russian owned motel in the unincorporated township of Howe we watched the weather channel only to find out that we were in front of a major storm pushing its way across the country. Parts of Southern Nebraska had tornado watches as well as small amounts of snow predicted on I-80.

Jackson, Wyoming to Maine Day 1

2011-04-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Day 1

After a few days of moving all of our belongings from Driggs, Idaho to Wilson, Wyoming we were ready to get on the road back to Maine. I forgot how many times we drove over Teton Pass. Teton Pass has 10% grade inclines and declines with many switchbacks that is very hard on a vehicles engine and brakes. It is a very popular backcountry skiing destination because of the many open bowls, steep chutes, and large mountains near a paved access road. It takes about 45 minutes to drive each way and is about 30ish miles from Driggs to Wilson.

Today we awoke at 6:00am in Wilson and started our very long drive back to Maine. We are planning to stay in Vacationland for two weeks or so. Erin and I are both very excited to see our families and ski a few days at our home ski mountain, Sugarloaf.

So far we've driven about 500 miles and we are now in Nebraska. The highlight of the day was seeing a couple Moose drinking out of a creek near our new cabin in Wilson. Also, we stopped at a Sierra Trading Post outlet in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Our mission is to make it to Omaha, Nebraska. The GPS unit says we have 427 miles to go!

Until tomorrow,
Matt & Erin

A tiny day in the Jackson Hole backcountry

2011-04-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

A Tiny Day in the Jackson Hole Backcountry from Tristan Greszko on Vimeo.

Solitude Mountain Resort Snow Safety

2011-03-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

Come along with Solitude Mountain Resort Snow Safety as they hike, bomb, and control the avalanche terrain of Fantasy Ridge above Honeycomb Canyon. What many don't realize is that before you can shred The Greatest Snow on Earth ® patrol is up there working hard making it safe for us to ski. Solitude Ski Patrol uses explosives to knock down avalanches in exposed and steep terrain to make conditions on Fantasy Ridge and Honeycomb Canyon safe for skiers and snowboarders.

March powdah' day!

2011-03-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

This glorious day started with a 745am meet and an 800am early chair load. The powder was so light and smooth that I managed to put in 8 straight hours of powder skiing without stopping!

Excellent mountain bike video to get you excited for Spring!

2011-03-18T08:29:00.001-07:00

Life Cycles OFFICIAL Trailer from Life Cycles on Vimeo.

Grand Targhee Kid Fun Zones

2011-03-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Built for Fun, Designed to Learn. The PSIA Ski & Snowboard School youth programs at Grand Targhee, Powder Scouts & Mini Moose, have a new inventive & creative skiing zone to keep everyone on the slopes entertained and having fun. For kids we have built THE KIDS ZONE. This is an inventive way to teach children how to not only how to learn to ski but how to have fun while they're at it.

A Maineiac visits BealAdventures!

2011-02-27T10:15:00.001-08:00

bealadventures_january.mp4

2011-02-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

January 2011 BealAdventures E-Newsletter

2011-01-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

BealAdventures January 2011 E-Newsletter has been released. Click this link to read our latest updates!

BealAdventures has joined Backcountry.com

2011-01-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

BealAdventures has joined the likes of Backcountry.com. We have been working alongside Tramdock.com for awhile, but now Tramdock has joined SteepandCheap.com. In the very near future I will be updating the website links to all be directed to Backcountry.com I am trying to rid my computer of a nasty virus and reload the operating system.

Here is a snippet of what Backcountry.com represents:
High end gear for hard core outdoor enthusiasts
This is where it all started. Our roots were simple but our vision was and still is clear; Backcountry.com is dedicated to being the best online retailer of the best built outdoor and backcountry gear on the planet. From the start our founders were intent on selling quality gear over the Web and what they found was that if the content is good and the products of the finest quality that people will come. If you’re as intense about your gear as you are about your adventures then you’re in the right store.

Our buyers have been intense about scouring the planet for the top gear you demand. In our store, you’ll find the best gear from top brands like The North Face, Black Diamond, Petzl, Mountain Hardwear, Arc'teryx, Salomon, and more. With over 250 brands and nearly 50,000 products, Backcountry.com offers a wide array of the absolute best-made gear including backpacking, camping, skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, mountaineering gear and more, all at competitive prices. If you can’t find a piece of gear on Backcountry.com, it’s likely not a piece of gear you really need.

The type of gear found on Backcountry.com is indicative of the types of employees we have and attract. This passion for climbing, skiing, snowboarding, trail running, and a list of other outdoor sports crosses over to our desire to excel and succeed as a company team. It’s evident in all we do and has translated to our continued success.

Please visit our newest supporter!

Avalanche Level 1 course

2011-01-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I finished up taking an Avi course from American Avalanche Institute. (2) three hour night sessions, (2) days on Teton Pass. I'm still catching up from burning all of my calories out of my body on Saturday.

AVALANCHE FUNDAMENTALS

The Level 1 will cover the basics of avalanche hazard awareness and stability assessment. Forty percent of the course is classroom based and the other sixty percent is field based. We will travel in the backcountry, in and around avalanche terrain.

This course focuses on the following:
• Recognizing avalanche terrain
• Travel procedures in avalanche terrain
• Avalanche transceiver use and rescue skills
• Reading and interpreting the avalanche hazard forecast bulletin
• Understanding the basics of mountain snowpack formation
• Field observations of snowpack, weather, and terrain
• Use and interpretation of snowpack stability tests
• Using the avalanche forecast and pertinent observations in an effective
decision-making framework.
• Learning how human factors, or biases, can influence decision-making

TIME COMMITMENT
3 days or 24 hours (2 evenings + 2 days)

COST
$275 ($325 for the Helena course)

RECOMMENDED READING
Snow Sense, Jill Fredston & Doug Fesler
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, Bruce Tremper

JHMR Returns Defective BCA Tracker 2 and Pulls From Retail Shelves

2011-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

From tetonat.com

This story has been developing over the past few days, though I first heard hints of problems with certain Backcountry Access Tracker 2s in the ShoutBox in the right sidebar of this blog nearly 2 month ago. (To see the comment, in the ShoutBox, scroll down, hit “Next”, scroll down and hit “Next” again.) At first, I brushed it off as user error, or as a comment from someone who makes mountains out of mole hills, (much like the stuff you may have read about the Ortovox 3+), but when I heard about Jackson Hole Ski Patrol having problems with their Tracker 2s and that JHMR had sent back nearly 100 Tracker2s and pulled all BCA Tracker 2 units off their retail shelves, I began wonder if it was more than just unsubstantiated comments.

“Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) has recently been made aware of potential problems with Backcountry Access’ (BCA) Tracker 2 avalanche beacons. As a result, and effective Saturday January 8th2011, JHMR has ceased sale and rental of the original Tracker 2 beacons, until we are confident that BCA has resolved the problems affecting these units.”, stated Zahan Billamoria, Communications Manager of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

It’s hard to say what is really going on with the Tracker 2, since I’m sure many people out there are probably happily using their beacons every day. But, since I learned about all this situation, I’ve heard people (mainly patrollers) have had their beacon make beeping sounds when the Tracker 2 was in the “OFF” position, randomly show decimal points in the display screen and just stop working all together in the middle of the day.

In an email to BCA VP Bruce Edgerly, he responds, “We’re still trying to determine why this issue is so concentrated on the Jackson fleet and basically nowhere else. We replaced their fleet as a precautionary measure, not as part of an overall recall. However, if we find that there’s reason to believe the issue is more widespread, then we’ll move forward with one.”

It is yet to be seen if BCA will institute a full product recall of the Tracker2, but I’m sure more will come of this after they do some testing on the 100 or so returned beacons from JHMR. In the meantime, if you are concerned with your Tracker 2, you can send it back to BCA for a free software update, or just visit the BCA Blog for more information.

POV Video of Mary's Nipple to Peaked

2011-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

US Ski Mountaineering Championships This Weekend @ JHMR

2011-01-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ditching telemark skiing

2011-01-07T11:01:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the season I was very excited about the new NTN releasable bindings and boots. After some time touring in them and skiing backcountry terrain I have realized that having my heel locked into my binding is the only way to ski. I can only imagine the way I felt when I was in Germany and hitting a rock, stump, laid over tree, etc. Also, the NTN system will not release out of the binding in a forward falling release, only laterally. Although a great step in telemark history I'm ditching NTN, 75mm telemark, and the boots. I have switched to the new Marker F12 for short tours and slackcountry. The F12 is much lighter than the Marker Duke, but has some striking similarities. Next season I will acquire Dynafit bindings for longer tours. Check out the below video.

2010 Black Diamond Avalung PRODUCT RECALL

2011-01-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Salt Lake City, Utah (December 14, 2010) - Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd. has recently discovered that the intake tubing on certain 2010 AvaLung Packs may crack under extremely cold temperatures. We are working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, and are in the process of obtaining final approval for a recall.
Click here for Black Diamond's website for more information regarding the Avalung recall

VIO POV 1.5 camera

2011-01-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Erin and I finally made it through the Christmas break period working many days in a row, but we are now through the busy peak period and back into our normal schedules. For Christmas I bought myself a VIO Point of View video camera with the mount kit. The POV.1.5 is a fully integrated point-of-view (POV) video system that's waterproof, dustproof, and shock-resistant. The system includes a mountable camera head, built-in video recorder, wireless remote and software for managing your point-of-view videos.

I have used the system once and bootpacked on Mary's Nipple and Peaked Ridge and skied the cat skiing area of Grand Targhee on a sunny day. When I returned home I noticed a blur spot in all of my video. I checked out the head unit and noticed a small bubble/deformity in the lens so I had to return the head unit. Hopefully it won't take very long to get it replaced. I am editing some footage and I hope to get it on the blog and site very soon.

Here is a link to the VIO POV 1.5 if you're interested

December 2010 Newsletter!

2010-12-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

Click here for the December 2010 Newsletter!

9" light inches on top of a sun crust

2010-11-11T11:37:00.001-08:00

Another 9" or so of light snow fell across the Grand Targhee area Sunday night. Erin and I awoke at 7:30am Wednesday morning amped to ski some light snow. We made whole wheat pancakes covered in strawberries and blueberry syrup, oatmeal, and cups and cups of coffee.

The night before we received a text from the Deuce, AKA K2Trav that he was local. That morning Matt Stevens and Trav arrived ready to ski. Matt, Trav, and I bootpacked to the summit of Fred's Mountain and Erin skinned. The visibility was pretty low with partial clearings here and there. A pack of three snowboarders were behind us making the slog uphill.

We aimed for North facing slopes hoping that they would be less sun baked and have more snow. The layer underneath the snow had been baked and frozen for the past week or so. We all made turns and Trav took some exceptional pictures with his new camera.

I hope my new telemark bindings (Scarpa NTN) arrive this week from Colorado so I won't have to boot pack as much. Erin is also interested in a free pivot touring binding with less spring resistance. We have been discussion contacting 22 Designs to see if we can work for them building some telemark bindings.

This weekend is the Driggs ski swap and although I have three pairs of skis ready to go this season, there is something magical about ski swaps. The energy surrounding ski swaps is almost as fun as the first day your favorite resort starts spinning their chairlifts. Thinking about, researching, and finding exactly what you have been pondering for days at a ski swap is the closest thing to a powder day I can imagine..

Jackson ski swap was a success

2010-11-07T10:57:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we went to the Jackson Ski Swap. The early bird deal was $10 dollars and you could get in at 7:30am instead of 8:15am. Erin, Hilary, and I were on the road at 6:00am to beat the rush. We made it to Jackson super early at dark thirty in the morning to be greeted by at least 50ish people waiting in line. The doors opened up and it was a super gauntlet to the 180-190cm ski area. Rubbing shoulders and elbows to grab a few pairs of skis you wanted was the norm. Folks grabbed many skis, looked them over, and then put them back.

I chilled in the background waiting for people to put skis back on the rack. I ended up with a pair of 178cm Nordica Helldivers with integrated bindings for $95. Also, I scored a pair of 188 K2 Made N' AK's for $15 dollars. A bro came up to me when I was walking off with them and told me the K2's used to be his skis. He was stoked that I wanted them and told me that they used to be Doug Coombs old skis. Doug and his wife Emily pioneered big mountain skiing throughout the states and Europe. Needless to say, I spent the afternoon tuning, mounting, and waxing them.

First day of skiing 11.01.10

2010-11-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

November 1, 2010 was our first day of skiing. Not having my alpine touring setup ready for the season I have been talking myself out of skiing. Some of my friends skied off Teton Pass and couldn't believe how awesome it was. I saw a picture of local Andrew Whiteford absolutely annihilation fluffy pow off of the pass. I couldn't handle looking out our kitchen window at the Grand Teton covered in snow anymore. I asked Erin and Hilary if they wanted to ski off the top of Grand Targhee. Getting our gear kinks out of the way we decided to boot pack to the top. It took us about two and half hours to get up there. TGR was pulling snowboarders up to top most of the time we were hiking. They had two massive booters set up for some filming segment.

Once near the top of the Dreamcatcher lift we were ready to ski whatever snow we could find in the brilliant sunshine. Much to our surprise the snow was deep and awesome. It felt like the snow we left in Maine on May 1st. I was very excited only to have to wait for 6 months this season to ski fresh untouched snow. We drove home awestruck and totally stoked for the upcoming season. We dropped Hilary off at her house and we could still see our tracks frozen in time. The sun set upon our painted turns adjacent to the majestic Grand Teton.

That night Erin and I fell asleep next to our propane stove on the floor. We were completely worn out from such a terrific day.

Carrying my new 181 Icelantic Nomads

Erin and Hilary stoked on an awesome untouched powder run!

Stainless steel binding inserts

2010-11-01T18:26:00.001-07:00

If your bindings have already been mounted you are off to a great start. It is possible to mount your binding’s telemark/alpine touring/ alpine without a jig, but you must know what you’re doing with a paper template. If you are not comfortable adjusting your AFD, forward pressure, and DIN yourself I would recommend someone else mounting your bindings. If you don’t know what chord center, boot center, +3 or -1, etc means it’s worth the $30 dollars most shops charge for a mount. If they are already mounted pull them off with a posidrive screwdriver.

In my example I am mounting a pair of Icelantic Nomads with Look PX14 XXL alpine bindings for the first time. I used a paper template to locate where to drill my holes. After checking my measurements at least fourteen times I “punched” my holes with a sharpened screw driver (image 1).

From there I used a 3.5 x 9 Wintersteiger bit to drill my binding holes at boot center (image 2). I then drilled my binding holes using a ¼” bit for my inserts. I recommend a ¼” drill bit stop collar, but duct/masking tape can work to mark how deep you want to drill your holes for inserts. You want to drill your holes as deep as the stainless steel inserts (image 3).

Next, I used a 5/16” 18 threads per inch tap to thread my holes for the pitch of my inserts. You will want to use a t-handle tap threader and make sure you’re threading as straight as possible. Clean the wood, glass, and cured epoxy out of your holes. Use a toothpick and put a slow curing epoxy in the holes and thread your inserts into the holes. To thread your inserts into the holes I used a machine screw with two small nuts on it. Make sure you don’t thread the insert too deep as there is no way to back it out.

Make sure you have all of your machined screws the right length before you begin this project. Install your bindings on the ski with the new machine screws and let it sit overnight. The next morning make sure you can remove and replace your bindings with ease. Make sure you use a loc-tite to secure your bindings, the blue strength will work fine.

If you plan on installing inserts for two different bindings make sure they are not installed closer than 1cm. Finally, shredicate and predicate.

October's Newsletter has been released!

2010-10-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

New php/javascript driven web portfolio

2010-10-29T14:20:00.001-07:00

After a couple days of falling into php code I finally built what we think a pretty sweet web portfolio beginning! Check it out by clicking here.

Grease Bus

2010-10-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

An alternative to driving your own car for $10 dollars round trip

It's feeling a lot like winter in the Tetons!

2010-10-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

This week we had a full transition into winter starting Sunday night. The Jackson airport had delays of up to 5 hours for de-icing. Teton Pass closed for a brief amount of time. Jackson Hole Mountain Report reported 16" inches of snow, while Grand Targhee reported two feet in their e-newsletter.

Today we went to pick up our friend Dave at the airport. On our way through Teton Pass Erin and I couldn't believe how many ski tracks there were. There were no parking spaces at the top of the pass and there were many smiling faces.

The picture to the right is of JHMR on 10.27.10

I have also embedded a youtube video via Todd Jones of TGR driving over Teton Pass this morning.

First snow reports of the year!

2010-10-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

First snow report of the year! Click for TGR breakdown

The creator's project

2010-10-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

Curt Morgan: Brain Farm

Hike up Grand Targhee

2010-10-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hike up Grand Targhee

After a two hour ride off Teton Pass I returned home to hike up Grand Targhee with Erin and Matty. We walked up an access road to the summit which was really awesome. It's a great way to get a feel for the singletrack that the 'Ghee has. It took us about three hours to make it to the summit and back to the car. The combination of the sunset, moon, and orange Aspen leaves was brilliant.

On the drive down the access road Erin was just pudding along through the s-turns. She slowed down as an animal appeared out of the darkness running full blast down a 30 or so degree pitch. My first thought was, "Wow that's a really big dog running really fast." Except it wasn't a dog, it was a black bear. It ran a good 50' feet in front of us across the pavement and did a superman streched out leap over the guard rail and disappeared. After the initial shock passed, we were amazed that this bear just launched his body over a guard rail in complete darkness into a massive unknowingly steep pitch. I wondered if we were going to see this bear laying in the next s-turn below us.

We returned home to our place ready to eat anything and everything. I had 5 hours of exercise and wanted to eat pounds of food. We went to a local restaurant named O'Rourke's. The dessert was like nothing we've ever seen. A boiling cookie dough cooked in a cast iron skillet that just came out of the oven. On top of the cookie dough was a massive amount of vanilla ice cream covered in warm chocolate. After exercising at 8000'-10000' for five hours the schnookie cookie was exactly what I needed!

Teton Pass: Arrow & Sno-Tel

2010-10-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Teton Pass: Arrow & Sno-Tel

I drove my Jeep to the top of Teton Pass and descended towards Jackson. About two miles or so downhill there is a trail head and parking on both sides of the pass. On the left side is the trail head Phillips Pass with uphill parking and more parking across the pass.

I started climbing up a two track road and pretty soon there is the start of the Arrow trail. I rode the arrow trail for a couple of miles through uphill switchbacks. The switchbacks are buffed out to perfection and it is pretty obvious the Teton Freedom Riders put a lot of time into this area. Eventually I met the Sno-Tel trail, while the arrow trail goes on for another 5 miles into the Phillips Canyon Trail. Phillips Canyon is one of the most technical trails in the Jackson area and is a classic JH downhill singletrack with lots of rocks, logs, and creek crossings. Being by myself I took the Sno-Tel Trail towards Phillips ridge. After some more climbing I made it to the top of the ridge featuring a large wind socket and a clearing. I met up with a local and he told me it's a paragliding spot into the town of Wilson. I took some pictures and started the awesome decsent from Phillips Ridge back to my Jeep. Some of the decent was fairly rocky, but nothing as technical as Maine. The trail stayed pretty close to the ridge offering some amazing views of the valley below. There were a few really nice benches that would be great to eat lunch and stare off into the distant valley.

Jackson Wyoming Ski Swap

2010-10-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

Saturday, November 6:
Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club Ski Swap, 7:30a.m. to 1p.m. at the Teton Heritage Arena (at the Rodeo Grounds) at 305 West Snow King Avenue, Jackson, Wyoming. It’s a bit west of Snow King Ski Area – and yeah, they take the horses out and put skis and other gear on temporary racks and such. Get down there early; the line starts forming a good amount of time before the doors open! Virtually all winter gear is available at this swap – downhill racing, chairlift serviced groomer, powder skis and boards, randonee racing, telemark, snowboards, alpine touring, cross country, and all manner of backcountry gear is on hand. Winter clothing, helmets, base layers, gloves, and goggles are all available – actually, if you name it, it’s likely you can find it! Drop-offs happen the day before, 12-7p.m., and there is a $1 fee per item listed for sale, to a maximum of $7. Yes, you can drop off 18 items for the same maximum fee. Admission is $10 or $5 if you buy a Ski Club membership, which entitles you to awesome discounts across the valley. Memberships are available at the door prior to the opening.

Broken Saddle

2010-10-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Erin and I have been exploring quite a bit in Teton Valley this past week. I spent the day yesterday building a ski tuning bench in our "play" room. I picked up (3) 16' 2x4's from the local lumber yard and cut them in half. The bench came out great: 31" deep, 81.5" long, and 44" high. The materials cost me $16 and about a half day of labor. I built a trap to catch all of the wax shavings, and put our record player with huge speakers in place!

Today we're off to Jackson to find a new saddle for my mountain bike. The below picture of my saddle is the second one I have broken in the past couple of years. We need to find a bike shop that caters towards more of the cross country racing rather than big mountain freeride 65 pound bikes.

We're also going to do some recon on some singletrack off of Teton Pass!

Aspen Trail, Teton Valley

2010-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Aspen Trail

The classic moderate single-track of Teton Valley and deservedly popular. The ride contours along the lower Teton foothills offering great views. This can be ridden as a loop in either direction, using the county road (state line road) as a warm-up, or as an out-and-back entirely on the Aspen Trail. Riding the loop south to north is more difficult both aerobically and technically.

Erin and I ran the loop north to south in the late afternoon. The three creek crossings were the most technical sections of the route and we both walked our bikes through the sketchy crossings. The Aspen Trail had a lot more rocks compared to Horseshoe Canyon which slowed our pace quite a bit. Once we reached the pinnacle of climbing our favorite part was the 1.2 miles of downhill fast flowing curvy singletrack. The turns did not have burms, but it was a lot of fun to lock up the rear wheel and swing the bike around 180 degree turns. The trail was super dry and very dusty. We were suprised to see controlled burns in the area were still smoking three days after their onset via the U.S. Forest Service.

During the ride home on the town line road my seat rail on my saddle broke in half. I was happy to only ride a couple of miles without a seat. We saw many horses on the last stretch of the ride and I managed to
avoid running over a ferocious miniature dachshund bounding from a pasture full of horses. He was a little brown guy who was seriously considering reeking havoc on me. His shadow like brethren encouraged him back to the farm.

Aerobic Difficulty: Moderate, with a number of steep climbs and descents.

Technical Difficulty: Moderate, with a few difficult sections namely three very technical creek crossings. The first creek crossing heading southbound could definitely ruin your day. Today the water was about a foot deep with massively jagged rocks. A very technically minded bloke moved a pile of logs that ran parallel with the creek. A jab on this quickly built bridge would definitely pop a femur, tib/fib, or ankle.
Elevation change: 430'
Total Elevation Gain: 1060'

Mountain Biking in Teton Valley

2010-10-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

Mountain Biking in Teton Valley

The Big Holes, on the west side of Teton Valley, are a rugged, small mountain range with a steep east face. Be prepared as riding here requires a reliable bike, solid fitness, and an adventurous spirit. Don't leave the trailhead without plenty of water, food, extra clothing and a good repair hit. Hike-a-bike sections are not uncommon, but are usually relatively short and almost always followed by miles of flowing single track earn your turns, the rewards are commensurate with the challenges!

Trails in the mountains around Teton Valley were mostly created by shepherds and horse riders long ago and often do not follow modern trail design and erosion control guidelines. Although most of our bike trails follow Forest Service system
trails, the local USFS trail crew has their hands full trying to repair, rebuild and reroute trails, to protect natural resources and deal with increasing local use.

Horseshoe Canyon Trail

We started at the Horshoe Canyon Trailhead 11 miles from the center of Driggs. We studied our topo map not knowing really what to expect in this mountain range. We climbed a nicely packed dirt road for a few miles until meeting a grassy meadow. Across the grassy meadow we crossed a stream and started our climb up a double track that was pretty steep. The packed clay was awesome for climbing and I barely made it up in my little ring while Erin pushed her rig. At mile 4 of the loop were were at 7000' and breathing hard with a harsh wind and darker clouds blowing towards the Teton Range. We didn't stop long as we didn't want to get stuck in a major storm that high in the air. As we pushed on we made it to a trail named Channel Lock.

Channel Lock featured amazingly plush downhill fast flowing singletrack with not one rock or root in the trail. Erin said, "This is the best singletrack I've ever ridden." I learned to ride singletrack on my full suspension Jamis mountain bike in Maine and traveled most of the state through races. I must say I had never ridden anything like what we saw today. On the drive home we saw two Bald Eagles on a telephone pole which ended the day quite nicely. After all of the climbing using our sea level lungs we're done for the day and going to rest when the rain pulls in tomorrow.

This 8.4 mile loop has recently served as the beginners' loop for the Big Hole Challenge Mountain Bike Race. The trail traverses the north end of the Big Hole Range, offering excellent views of the Tetons. Idaho Ridge provides the best early and late season riding in Teton Valley, due to southern exposure and dry microclimate.
Elevation Change 810'
Total Elevation Gain 1,210'

September 2010 Newsletter

2010-09-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Click here to check out our September 2010 Newsletter

Slideshow

2010-09-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a slideshow from Logan Spence shot in the German & Austrian ALPS. It is a rather large .mov file so it will take a couple minutes to load.
Click here to view the slideshow.

Jason, from Backcountry.com talks about some of this years Big Mountain Freeride planks

2010-09-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

2010-09-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

The leaves have started to change quite a bit at Beal Adventures headquarters. The temperatures have started to drop and the coldest it has been for a low was 28 degrees F last week. Reports from the west is snow in the higher elevations. The time is close approaching for the nomads to travel.

Erin is stoked on her new trucker hat and BealAdventures shirt!

2010-09-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Historic Black & White photos from Sugarloaf

2010-09-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Club

Our online store is open!

2010-09-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Please visit our online store by clicking this link

Our online store is up and we currently have: Trucker Hats, Men's fit dark and light t-shirts, Women's Tank top, Women's Cap Sleeve, Women's Organic fitted t-shirts, Coffee Mugs, Beer steins! Rectangle and Oval stickers, and our personal favorite Women's underwear!

We have tried to suit the needs of our ski aficionados without the trustafarian income and keep our prices on par with the $8.00/hr USD ski industry standard. We are very happy to accept: Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, & Paypal!

As always, we can customize any color/design on our end via Photoshop. Would you like prices lower or free? PM me your gripe and we'll think it over.

NOT JUST A SKI: A Tribute to Shane McConkey and his K2 Pontoons

2010-09-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

As published in the September 2010 issue of Mountain Gazette magazine. By Robert Couzzo.

Mom used to say, “It’s not what you have, it’s what you do with what you have.” The philosophy stemmed from her childhood as one of eight, and was made legendary by my uncles who dominated an inner-city hockey league wearing a pair of grandma’s old figure skates- toe picks and all!

So it was for me growing up, skiing New Hampshire’s White Mountains in archaic, orthopedic gray boots, and wax-less, secondhand rentals. Though I must have been a pitiful sight, gear never equated for much in my adolescent love for skiing.

Only when moving to Jackson Hole did equipment become a matter of research, debate, and utter importance. The resort transforms into a ski showcase on snow days. With the howitzer blasts echoing off the Tetons like an epic heart beat, Jackson’s devoted scuttle around the base with long, fat powder skis in tow.

A deep sense of inadequacy festered within me during my first delayed opening, powder mornings. Totting around my dainty 167 K2 relics produced the same self-loathing as a freshman hitting the showers with the varsity squad. I kept my eyes downcast, and my loins guarded.

See a ski is not just a ski in Jackson. It is a portal to your innermost intentions with the sport; a sort of standard you wave that defines you as either a “gaper” or a “powderhound.”

Much is assumed from the centimeters of a ski. Someone with two fat powder skis slung over a shoulder projects a serious mystique even before clipping in. Throw an Avalung across their chest, and a shovel on their back and you’ve got a hard-charging Jacksonite.

The mentality reeks of local machismo bullshit, but it’s nearly impossible not to subscribe to in time.

Retiring my outdated east skis, I purchased Shane McConkey’s signature powder skis, The K2 Pontoons. Few have influenced skiing more profoundly than Shane McConkey. At a time when many face-shot-seeking skiers scoffed at the idea of fat skis, McConkey was floating on Alaskan spines on a pair of water skis.

The Pontoons were the catalyst to today’s ski technology. Their head-turning girth, and extreme rockered tip, smacks of McConkey’s style. With a tapered, tear drop design, the Pontoon’s rear tips sink, and enable their 160 mm shovel to conquer any depth of snow. More importantly, The Pontoons became an indelible footprint of skiing’s beloved fallen son.

I just hoped I could do them justice.

As fate would have it, Jackson entered into one of the worst snow draughts just after the acquisition. For weeks, the two powder planks stood before my bed, taunting me. It took every shred of patience I could muster not to rip groomers on them. It’s gutta be right, I pleaded with myself.

In the meantime, the skis became props in the more intimate moments of my life. Once while romancing one of Jackson’s fairer sex, I pulled the McConkey fatties into the sultry mix. Clenching them like Poseidon does his trident, I channeled the spirit of “Saucer Boy”, and achieved a menage a trois only possible in a ski town.

The day finally came mid-January. “24 inches over night, and still dumping,” the morning report read. I sped to the Village in an over-caffeinated trance, constantly shooting glances at the Pontoons sprawled across the trunk as I imagine a father does driving his newborn home for the first time.

The hours of delayed opening crawled by painfully. Consumed by the stoke of a powder day, I fidgeted through the morning like an addict through detox. Finally amidst a hail of snowballs, and punctuated by a ferocious roar of cheers, the gondola began to spin. I shoved my fatties into separate slots at the gondola door, grabbed a window seat, and waited with Christmas-morning anticipation.

A lot of skiers talk about floating. Yet no matter how much you hear about it, no matter how many ski movies you watch, nothing can provide even the slightest inkling of the sensation. It is like trying to describe purple to the blind.

Descending from the gondola, I veered skier’s left into a deep trough where the snow lay untouched. Those first weightless turns instantaneously reconfigured my life’s priorities. It was like the moment when the Wizard of Oz turns to color. The sensation was so enthralling, so utterly enjoyable, that it beckoned a sense of guilt. I knew that moment that I would give up anything for this. Nothing before (or thereafter) delivered the equivalent ecstasy of floating on snow.

The Pontoons led me into the trees where virgin powder awaited. In the quiet seclusion of Moran Forest, turns were effortless and sublime. Not wanting to eat up the powder too quickly, I forced myself to stop mid-run. Big falling flakes intensified the scene’s silence, and I passed into a fantasy world where I expected a fawn to creep out from behind the line of conifers. Allowing my imagination to further ferment, I decided that the day deserved an apparition more epic than a fawn. Perhaps a majestic centaur trotting out with a gorgeous nude blond riding him bareback would be more appropriate. Yes, far more appropriate.

Stumbling back to my car at the end of the day, absolutely delirious, I cradled the Pontoons lovingly. For a person not easily seduced by materialism, it is striking to admit that the Pontoons changed my life. Over the season they turned the dials of my perspective, and refined the scope of my daily objectives in the mountains. Though the experience can likely be had on a myriad of powder skis, the Pontoons were my vehicle to enlightenment, and thus ascended as the skiing’s preeminent tool in my mind.

Today, the Pontoons stand in my bedroom waiting for the snow to fall again. I often gaze at them, appreciating them on the same level as I do fine art. They remind me that just as a writer lives on in his words, and a painter in his portraits, McConkey lives on in these skis. I vow to summon that truth, and pay rightful tribute to him each time I clip in.