We have a wonderful start to the season. Our team is bigger than ever this year, with 32 kids! The 4 Month Backcountry program has been training weekly at Snow King, and has done one backcountry touring weekend so far through Exum Guides. Our ski tour last weekend was in Mail Cabin on Teton Pass. Teams split up into groups of 4 kids per one guide. With a large portion of our team this year being first time backcountry skiers, it was great to have some extra help from our seniors to help mentor the up and coming kids. We enjoyed incredible and untracked snow on classic runs like: Windy Ridge, Moose Brush, the Do Its, and INL Bowls. Needless to say, the team can not wait for their next outing!
Looking forward - This weekend 8 of our team members will head out on a 4 day, 3 night hut trip in the remote Bitterroot Mountains of Western Montana. This is our 4th annual trip visiting Downing Mountain Lodge in Hamilton, MT, and it is looking like we should have great snow conditions. This trip is a great opportunity for kids to get out of their comfort zone and practice skills like route finding, tour planning, and avalanche forecasting in terrain that is completely new to them. It is also great team building, spending a couple nights together in a remote mountain hut. Stay tuned for the next newsletter to hear how this trip goes!
At the end of the month the Mini Mountaineers begin. We are excited to have a team of 16 minis, and 2 of our senior coaches will be helping with the team this year in addition to 3 coaches.
Check out some photos from Mail Cabin last weekend with the team....
