Tag Archive for 'Tetons'

The Parallel Trail

Published on May 9, 2012 by a ok.

The text read something like, ‘You just skied the Middle so I’m not too worried about pushing your limits (on the Parallel Trail).’ Despite the prior day’s skiing, I was a bit apprehensive about taking up Michelle Good’s offer to join in on getting my blazing downhill on. I barely rode a mountain bike last ‘season,’ partly because I was skiing into August, partly for other reasons.

Still, a Spring visit to Jackson offers outdoor opportunity aplenty in every mountain discipline, so who am I to turn down a downhilling invite? As we’d discussed the wee possibility that I might possibly maybe consider almost thinking about joining in before I left SLC, I’d packed a box full of beetle style armor.

What could I be thinking? There's snow in the mountains. Right there. At this point, I was probably thinking about the incredible mix of bikes on the truck. It's not often that one sees a freestyle bike, a hard tail 29'er, and a full-on DH bike on the same rack.

As we nailed down the final plans, I looked at the diminutive Continue reading ‘The Parallel Trail’

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Southwest Couloir Middle Teton

Published on May 8, 2012 by a ok.

Yogg on the Middle Teton summit, with a view of Disappointment Peak below and the Large Teton behind.

After going zero for four on interesting ski descent attempts in the Wasatch in recent weeks, going somewhere else seemed like a no-brainer. Deciding to head to the Tetons took about .5 seconds. Deciding what to ski took longer; any ski mountaineer who has visited the Teton Range knows that there is a lifetime of interesting, challenging, and engaging ski descents to choose from in this single range.

As it’s late in the season in a lackluster snow year, going up high made the most sense. Topping out at 12,804 feet, the Middle Teton offers altitude. I hoped it also offered decent snow. With light snow having fallen in recent days, Continue reading ‘Southwest Couloir Middle Teton’

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Double Marathon Attempt / Sheep among Wolves

Published on October 15, 2010 by a ok.

Familiar sights in GTNP, different angle.. (l-r) The Enclosure, The Grand and Middle Tetons.

John Maxey made it out to SLC and we once more headed to Jackson, Wyoming to try a one day, double marathon length route in Grand Teton National Park. The course contains numerous mountain passes good for nearly 10,000 feet of vertical gain, good water access, a decent amount of loose rock coupled with plenty of stationary rocks, and more stunning views than a Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Fortunately, this time around, the route wasn’t covered in snow as it was the month before. The weather was perfect – cool, not much breeze, no clouds except in the evening. We ran where we could and tried to speed walk most of the uphills.

All that going for us, I felt lackluster for days afterwards, and it was Wednesday before Continue reading ‘Double Marathon Attempt / Sheep among Wolves’

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Teton Snow Wreaks Havoc on Double Marathon Attempt

Published on September 15, 2010 by a ok.

Sometimes, when you plot out an adventure, everything goes right except for one item. This time around, that one item was snow – lots and lots of snow. Here at tetonsandwasatch, snow is rarely moaned about, but there have been exceptions besides the following! A storm on September 9th blanketed Grand Teton National Park in 2-14 inches of snow, wreaking havoc on Light and Fast plans to pull off a double marathon length route on foot with the day’s partner, John Maxey, on September 11th.

As we departed the car, the best news was that it wasn't really, really cold at 26 degrees.

At this point - a few miles in - I actually believed the snow would burn off somewhat during the day. Huh. Photo by John Maxey.

Continue reading ‘Teton Snow Wreaks Havoc on Double Marathon Attempt’

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User Review and Pictorial – Hydro Flask in Action

Published on September 2, 2010 by a ok.

Since picking up my ingeniously designed Hydro Flask several weeks ago, I’ve taken it on more outings than I can easily recount. Not only that, I’ve subjected it to all the customary conditions and treatment my outdoor gear usually receives in the Wasatch Mountain Range. The Hydro Flask has been shaken inside my hand or backpack for long distances while running, hiking, and mountain biking, and it hasn’t leaked so much as a drop. The disclaimer here is that I’ve only been using a narrow mouth loop cap, not the sports cap. For further details, I’m regularly using the 24 ounce size – in Everest Blue, if you’re curious.

I have dropped my flask (accidentally, of course), added flavored powders, performed iodine water treatments, jogged with it in hand, camped with it in freezing temperatures (it’s already snowed in the Wasatch), taken it on bike rides, and used it to transport hot chocolate & brandy, as well as using it indoors. It performs as the company states, with Continue reading ‘User Review and Pictorial – Hydro Flask in Action’

Located in 04 Gear I Use, 06 Energy Sources, 13 Gear Testing, 14 Pictorials, Tetons and Wasatch 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Salvaging a Ski Outing

Published on July 8, 2010 by a ok.

Beginning to pack within half an hour of arriving home from my favorite July 4th tradition – skiing – I headed the auto to Jackson to partake of the perfect weather slated for the next day. Aiming for this to be the final ski descent of a long and decent season, I was happy that Jim LaRue could partake. For one accident, illness, or additional random event or the other, we only managed to ski together a handful of times this season. Hoping to make the skiing count, we roped in Continue reading ‘Salvaging a Ski Outing’

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