Off Adventure Skiing

I’m heading out for some adventure skiing tonight and a bit of a drive before for a Monday morning departure, with 3-4 days scheduled in the backcountry. This is the second time I’m going for this peak and line…sorta. The first time, my partner and I departed Jackson, did most of the drive, only to turn around and drive all the way home due to poor weather. It sucked. I’m crossing my fingers this attempt is a bit more successful.

The main objective is the east facing couloir slightly below the center of the image.

I call it adventure skiing becasue there is so much more to these types of trips than ski mountaineering or backcountry skiing. For one thing, there is all the research one does prior to going for it. The organizing and packing and lining up of partners also takes time and effort and is all part of the program. Then there’s the orienteering part, since no doubt most trail markers will be buried under snow. There’s also the endurance part. Lugging 50+ pound packs through some of Wyoming’s most wild country for 10 or so miles ain’t always that easy this time of year…trust me. The survival part is easy, since we have so much high tech gear that works to a tee. And finally, there is the skiing part…the reason we do all the others. In the end though, it’s the sum of the whole adventure that the memories are made of…and not just the skiing. Though it’s fun to remember that part too!!!