January 11th Grooming Report
Ositos at Trail Creek Today!
For the first time this year the Ositos (Spanish for teddy bears) will be skiing at Trail Creek. The Ositos are a new program for us, and the inspiration of the Coombs Foundation which is driven by the following vision and Mission:
Vision: We envision a community in which youth feel supported, connected, and inspired.
Mission: Coombs Outdoors empowers local youth to grow and thrive by reducing barriers to outdoor recreation through programs, mentorship, and community building.
People come from around the world to experience Jackson Hole’s iconic public lands and recreation opportunities. Visitors and residents alike go outdoors to challenge themselves, relieve stress, and find inspiration. But not all locals have that same access - many Teton County families experience barriers to our outdoor recreation culture.
We believe that all local youth deserve to experience the outdoors and feel like they belong in our community. Coombs Outdoors seeks to break down these cultural, financial, and knowledge barriers by providing year-round outdoor programming for youth from Kindergarten to high school.
For our youngest participants, programs are a chance to play, try new activities, and get comfortable in outdoor spaces. For older kids, programs provide an outlet from challenges at school or at home, time away from screens, a chance to develop new skills, and even an opportunity to work an internship in the outdoor industry. Experiences spill over into the wider community as well as kids begin to recreate with friends or family outside of Coombs programs.
For more information about this great program and its connection to legendary Valley skier Doug Coombs, you can check out much more at the Coombs Outdoors website. The Ositos practice after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are lead by coach Miles Yazzolino.
If you are thinking about skiing at Trail Creek today, you will many kilometers of firm trails, just waiting for your skis. Calm and cool conditions continue, combined with the weak mid-winter sun, allowing ski conditions to remain pristine through our current dry period. The Husky did venture out throughout the fields and on some of the woods trails, mainly touching up skate lanes.
If you want a new challenge today you could check out the double classic tracks on the 1K sprint course in the Close Field. It starts in the stadium, goes to the Aspen Bump where it goes clockwise around (we usually ski counter clockwise), straight up the hill a bit, loops back down, up Fenceline to the tippy top of the hill then quickly down and back to the stadium. This course will be heavily used in next month’s junior national qualifier.
Groomer’s choice for today is to welcome the Ositos!
