The mountain walls grew steeper and taller as we approached the canyon’s narrows. We navigated through a series of massive avalanche paths as several sections of the mountains were stripped clean of timber. Some of these destructive paths began in the alpine traveling down to the bottom of the slope, across the valley and even slightly up the opposing face. No place to be in questionable hazard. Our next obstacle was a really steep narrow chute at the end of a shallow box canyon, which looked discouraging, appearing to be a frozen waterfall completely buried in snow. Travis did a lap partway up to check it out then circled back and put the first track to the top. We followed him up one at a time without incident. From there the valley opened up again and we weaved through trees climbing higher. The clouds began to swirl with light flurries of snow. We arrived at a bowl just below the high peaks and caught a glimpse of some fun terrain. We took a break and ate lunch watching the sun come and go, obscured by the increasing clouds.

Travis wasted no time shuttling Pat and I to the top. Pat had just come off filming in the streets and was stoked to be riding pow. Mark found a nice spot to build a fire with Willie, and the rest of the crew was eager to warm up after the cold ride. Joe and Bungee shot a couple lines then took a few laps. Everyone got a few runs in before finding a spot around the warmth of the fire. It was a good camp vibe feeling hanging by the fire as Travis cooked up a pack of sausages, sharing the hot meal with the crew. A decent window of light opened up so Travis and I jumped on our sleds to scope out some more of the surrounding terrain while we had a chance. On our ride we spotted a few promising features. It was now late in the afternoon and darkness comes quick this time of the year. We put out the fire, packed up our gear and started heading to the lodge. We combed through as much of the terrain as possible on our way back, but unfortunately (possibly due to the limited visibility) nothing impressed us enough to repeat the mission in the near future.

The next day we woke up early and ate a large breakfast, paid our tab then hit the road after the standard gas, oil, and radio beacon check protocol. We were heading back to Jackson that night and wanted to make the most of the day.

Shortly into our ride out Mark spotted a frozen elk carcass off the side of the trail, a blatant reminder that mistakes aren’t easily forgiven during Wyoming winters. Most of it has been ravaged by wolves, possibly a large cat or wolverine. With the morning’s crystal clear skies the hoar frost had grown into large iridescent flakes rising off the surface of the trampled snow surrounding the dead animal. This kind of cold weakens the snow-pack, and as we approached the elk the snow collapsed under each step. I thought to myself, I’ll be watching this layer closely as new snow comes, as this could prove to be a problem in the future, and it did. * (The next significant snowfall Mark and I got caught in a slide.) It’s almost impossible to make out what creature made the kill as scavengers trampled the perimeter, hiding any clear tracks of the predator. There are many lessons to be learned out here, and you have to respect and obey the natural laws that govern the mountains as they are enforced swiftly by the reaper without remorse. I’ve had the best days of my life riding with friends and also suffered the worst, as the mountains have claimed the lives of a few good people I’ve known over the years.

The steep single track climbing out of the dense forest proved to be tricky, the last three sleds got stuck as icy exposed rocks provided no traction in the chest deep trench it had become. We pulled each sled over the slick rocks and pinned it up the steep winding trail. Once back on track, we came to a high bench and the towering peaks came into view. Before us lay a massive expanse, a series of bowls with caked spines as far as the eye could see. It looked amazing glowing in morning sunshine against the dark blue sky. We stopped for a minute, pointing out potential lines then hit the trail again. The sun was getting higher and we were now racing the clock to get some riding in – hopefully we could get a couple shots. After an hour or so of recon we found a zone with fun features to get started. It was a good call, and we got the session going quickly. Everything seemed to come together for us at this moment, as if our efforts had been rewarded. With the easy shuttle we tracked up the face quickly before losing light as the shadows advanced. After the session we spent the rest of the day sledding around exploring as much as possible. We knew we would return here the next time conditions permitted.

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