JHSC Backcountry Program January Newsletter
January has been a great month for the Backcountry Program. There has been a lot of great learning and progression at our Tuesday and Thursday practices including everyone making it to the top of Snow King before it got dark this week! We had a great first weekend of touring on Teton Pass and a second in Grand Teton National Park, and a successful trip to Downing Mountain Lodge in the Bitterroot Mountains in Montana.
Update from Weekly Practices:
Tuesday practices have been a fun way to have kids working on their aerobic fitness, core strength, and speed. We have already seen huge improvements from the start of the season and have had a great time picking up the tempo. Additionally, we have been working on transition times which will help anyone interested in the Shedhorn race at Big Sky in March, but also with efficiency transitioning in the backcountry. More efficient transitions help us stay warm and do more skiing!
Thursday practices have included great community building, skinning to the top of the King, and some really good sunsets. We have been seeing many new friendships form and great teamwork amongst the whole group. It has been fun to watch more experienced kids help younger kids as well as some of the younger kids taking the lead. In general, I’ve just been so impressed with how kind and helpful all the kids are to each other.
Update from our first touring days:
We began our first weekend of touring by skiing out of Mail Cabin drainage on the west side of Teton Pass. It was a great place for kids who had their first ever tour as well as for the more seasoned backcountry travelers who were able to work on their navigation, tour planning, and leading the groups to good snow.
Our second weekend of touring, we had groups out in Grand Teton National Park skiing runs like Mavericks, Pesticide Ridge, and Shadow Peak. The temperatures made for some cold starts (-20˚F in the parking lot), but everyone did an excellent job managing their layers and staying warm until we climbed out of the cold temps and into the inversion. All in all, it was great learning and lots of good skiing was found.
Update from Downing Mountain Lodge hut trip:
The skiing and snowpack at Downing Mountain Lodge this year was as good as we have ever seen in January. Due to better coverage and stable avalanche conditions, we were able to ski a lot of terrain and enjoy some great skiing. We were also able to have great discussions about route planning, backcountry travel and mitigating hazards in new terrain and a new snowpack. Additionally, everyone contributed to doing dishes and helping to put chains on the van.
We look forward to more adventures in February including a visit to Teton County Search and Rescue next week for a tour of the facilities (including the new helicopter) and some first aid training as well as the start of the avalanche Level 1 course on February 8. Thanks for a great month of backcountry skiing!
-Morgan
