The ramp flipped up and smashed the side of my hand as the smoke from the stale gas and oil billowing from my idle sled obstructed my view. My hand was bleeding as I reload the sled, getting it right this time. It’s 11:30 pm Thursday the 12th of June and Mike and I had just got home from work. We decided to hit the road and drive to a lodge close to the trailhead in hopes of getting in another day of the most relentless winter I’ve experienced in Jackson Hole. Warm weather was forecasted for tomorrow so we’d have to get on it early to get it good. It was a panic decision but based on the weather being unseasonably cold with lot’s of precipitation I had a gut feeling new snow has been pilling up high.
I could see the sky clearing as the moon lit up the mountains. My hand was throbbing as I drove with caution, it was a kinda of sketchy drive, dodging herds of deer and elk scattered through valley. We arrived at the lodge at around 2:00 am exhausted, had a beer and went to bed.
We hit the trail at sunrise breaking trail in deep winter snow. The snow shimmered in the morning light and the cold plumes of snow froze our smiling faces.We were in disbelief at how good the conditions were and it was getting better the higher we climbed!
I dropped Mike off on top a high northfacing bowl. He slashed a windlip and made deep turns down the face. The snow from his first turn was still lingering in the air as he stopped at the bottom, yelling back to me with stoke, IT’S ON!!!
As the session progressed on we hit rollers, windlips and kickers alone in the vast high Absaroka range. We rode for hours but by noon the snow became heavy and sloppy so until next winter?
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