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I arrived home last week to a ton of new snow. It’s always a great thing to come home right when the mountain turns on. I’ve been out riding & hiking off the tram, finding good turns while the sun shined for three days straight. We got another 18 inches starting yesterday, most of which fell last night. Today I found pockets of armpit deep snow until late in the day while Lily and I took turns watching Mylo.

Family Day at the Village

Willie, Mark & Makens

High Lines Getting Ripe

Tim Ramirez Slashing in the park

Inbounds Treasure

this is what i like to see… except for the fact I’ll probably get stuck in Denver after 20+ hours of travel.

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
314 PM MST SAT DEC 12 2009

…A WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON THROUGH SUNDAY
EVENING FOR THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS OF WYOMING…

.A PACIFIC WINTER STORM THAT HAS BROUGHT 3 TO 9 INCHES OF SNOW TO
THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WITH LOCAL REPORTS OF UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW
TODAY…WILL INTENSIFY THROUGH THIS EVENING…BRINGING PERIODS OF
MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW ALONG WITH STRONG WINDS OVER THE MOUNTAIN
PASSES AND OPEN AREAS ACROSS THE VALLEY FLOORS. PERIODS OF
MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WIND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
NIGHT AND SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING BEFORE TAPERING OFF AROUND
MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 FEET IS EXPECTED IN THE
MOUNTAINS…WITH LOCAL AREAS NEAR 3 FEET IN THE TETONS. THE LOWER
ELEVATIONS WILL SEE 6 TO 12 INCHES WITH HIGHER DRIFTS. ACROSS
SOUTHWEST WYOMING SNOWFALL OF 2 TO 6 INCHES WITH STRONG WINDS IS
EXPECTED WITH POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT DRIFTING ALONG INTERSTATE
80 AND US HIGHWAYS 189 AND 191.

Last Friday John Makens and Scott Lenheardt joined me on a splitboarding tour. John had just got back from California and Scott was in town to sign prints of his artwork for Asymbol. It was the first time I’d met Scott but I felt like I’ve known of him for years through his artwork and mutual friends. We haven’t had much snow up here lately but regardless it turned out to be a fine day in the mountains. With a little effort we got some great views, found some good snow and fun turns.

high plains drifting

Leaves are now falling steady as the nights grow cold. The slow decent into winter has begun. I sense the season approaching, you can smell it in the air, see it in the sky as the light fades a little earlier everyday. I enjoy watching these events and my curiosity goes to northern pacific to see whats spinning. Who knows, we might get a blast of snow in a week or two. A cruel tease for the real snowpack is far off and dry cold days are eminent. Regardless of when it’s coming, it is coming! and I’m always hopeful it comes early with consistent big dumps. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opens November 28th just under 3 months away.

I put up a Tram in my sons room today and thought about how great the icon of the Valley is and what it means to so many people. I hope it brings him as much inspiration and happiness as it does for me.

The months of May and June turns Jackson Hole into a ghost town. It’s a sort of a purgatory of seasons, the grip of winter is loose but summer is far from taking hold. The weather is a roller coaster riding through the four seasons in a single day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put away my winter gear, pulled out my bikes only to unpack my board and hang the bikes back up to ride late season pow. Many people leave, tourists are non existing and the true locals can have their home to themselves. The coffee shops are full of amateur weather forecasters sipping from their cups anticipating summer and reveling over winter. I’ve learned to look past the gloomy rainy days and head up high. I’ve had good luck finding powder well into June.

On one of those days I hooked up with Adam Dowel for a trip up north to shred some late season goods…