Huge Powder on Treasure Mountain
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
I worked the snowboard instructor training seminar for NOLS again this year, spending 11 days out in the Tetons riding amazing powder with a crew of super strong riders. Now that I’m back, sitting at home with a cup of coffee, I’ve been reflecting on our experience out there as I recover from the trip. We had a smaller group this time round; it was just me with 5 aspiring snowboard instructors, which felt like a pretty nice group size for a trip into the wilds. The scene was certainly enhanced by the 140cm of snowfall that we received in our time out. We’d go to bed after a day of huge powder turns and wake up to find yesterday’s tracks totally filled-in! All of that new snow load required that we be careful about our terrain selection, but Treasure Mountain offers a myriad of steep tree shots with pillow lines mixed-in so we certainly didn’t feel limited by our stability. And when we had breaks in the storm that allowed for riding the open bowls, well they were unbelievable.
Enjoy the photos!
My tools for the trip. I am continually impressed with the approach skis and snowboards that I've received from Wagner Custom. Durability and quality construction make them the ultimate backcountry tools. After watching the rest of the crew work with their splitboards--long transition times, endless problems with skins and hardware--I was super appreciative of the low maintenance and efficiency of my approach skis. And the Winterstick Swallowtail? Holy crap--awesome.
AJ riding with the sled behind. Not often done, but way more fun than dragging it uphill! Check out the Swallowtail float!
Camp life. Hot food, snow shelters, and warm clothing...living the dream.
Our tracks on Chicken Knob. Soft and fast.
Kyle rides wind-etched powder on Treasure Mountain.
Josie flies down "The Graveyard".
Now that I’m home, the guiding work seems to be rolling in and there’s a Level 2 Avalanche Course to teach this weekend. And my new board just arrived from the crew at Wagner Custom–so stoked to take it up Mt. Taylor today for its first backcountry turns.
