Too Cold

backcountry snowboarding in Wyoming

backcountry snowboarding in Wyoming

Rider: Jason King. Today we repeated the nice route that we did on Saturday. The two north-facing descents were perfect mid-winter-esque powder goodness; however, hiking up along the ridgeline involved some suffering in perhaps the coldest temperatures I’ve ever experienced. Dangerously cold. Too cold for human beings in their right minds, I think. But we persevered and scored some sweet pow lines… along with a bit of frostbite.

Training

Snowy Ridge

Brutally cold today up on a high ridgeline, with frigid winds and sketchy frozen windslabs. We hiked a long ways for not that great of a descent – at least compared to the sweet lines we’ve been getting lately. But as always the hiking and adventure were fun enough… at the least, chalk it up to training.

backcountry snowboarding

Dropping in to the line.

backcountry snowboarding

The lower runout.

To Jackson Hole!

Cowboy Death Gap

In a couple days I’m moving up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the winter! I’m looking forward to LOTS of snowboarding, as well as some winter photography in and around the mighty Teton range. And while I will surely miss my friends in the Ouray area, hopefully they will come up and visit me! And hopefully the San Juans won’t have a bigger winter than the Tetons, or I’ll never hear the end of it.

If you’re wondering about the photo above, that is yours truly hucking myself over the infamous “Cowboy Death Gap” on the old Teton Pass road back in my college days. Not sure that I would attempt this sort of thing nowadays… probably not. I want to still be riding powder when I’m an old man!

I’ll probably be out of computer contact for the rest of the week until I get internet hooked up at my pad in Teton Village. See you in Wyoming!

A Week of Snowboarding in the Tetons

I’m back home in Colorado after an epic week of snowboarding in the high peaks of the Tetons in Wyoming. What a great time… I really dug the town of Jackson almost as much as the mountains themselves. I was sad to leave, but I am thinking that I will be back there for sure sooner than later.

This trip was more about the snowboarding than the shooting, but I did come away with a few good riding shots. I’ve posted a few of my favorites below.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL MY TETONS SNOWBOARDING PHOTOS!

Snowboarding the Middle Teton
Jason King snowboarding down the steep northeast face of the Middle Teton, with the Grand towering behind.

Snowboarding Mt. Moran
Darrell Miller drops in to a steep southwestern couloir on Mt. Moran.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL MY TETONS SNOWBOARDING PHOTOS!

Spring in the Tetons

I am currently in Jackson, Wyoming, where I have been hiking and riding some epic lines in the Tetons. The Tetons provide massive vertical relief, and the snow this season extends all the way to the base of the mountains. The weather has been perfect so far, with warm sunny days and cold nights, making for some nice smooth spring corn snow conditions.

My friend Jason and I have been riding big mountains for the last three days in a row. The first two days were 4,000+ vertical foot descents with quick access from the truck. Yesterday, despite being pretty worked from the first two days, we made a big expedition to Mt. Moran, where we rode down an obscure 5,000 foot couloir.

We’ll rest for today and tomorrow while the weather is a bit unsettled, then the forecast looks good for more adventures later in the week. Once I get back home later in the month I’ll post a bunch of photos from the hikes and descents in these burly peaks.