The Hazard Chronicles

Sorry, little mountains, we love you, but a small hill just can't generate the energy field of a peak that rises over 3,000 feet. Big mountains are wilder, more primal, more unlike our everyday world. Sometimes they are scary...more Tim Burton than Walt Disney. That's why big mountains are different: they are less predictable, more demanding, and therefore so much more rewarding.   

            -"Guru" Dave Powers

Of all the "big mountain" resorts out there, Jackson Hole definitely makes the short list for having some of the wildest and most untamed terrain that remains in-bounds. When you are up there, facing down some steep chute or big drop-in, it somehow makes everything else fade away. Sure, the mind might drift back for a second to the live band that was playing at the base, the cozy gondola ride up, or the gourmet snack you recently finished at the boujee mid-mountain lodge. But then you look down again, and you realize that in spite of all these luxurious trappings you still happen to be on the side of a mountain, and a gnarly one at that, and you suddenly feel very, very small.

This past weekend was one of the best ski vacations we have had as a family.

As I write this, I am laughing a little bit at myself. I mean, I'm pretty sure I say that after every vacation. In a way I am reminded of my 12-year-old self going to movie theaters. "That was the BEST MOVIE EVER!"...after every movie. There was just something about the theater experience though- something we didn't do very often- that was just unique and cool and transported you, for a while, into a different world. 

Like skiing.

This feels different though. It feels more "real." It could be that the Tetons have meant a lot of things to me over the years, and I carry a sense of nostalgia with me to the mountain. It could be that I am watching our kids grow up and I realize deep down that the special moments we are having as a family are just moments and can't last forever. A part of it might be that my skiing has progressed to the point of self expression, and the diversity of these big mountains creates an especially enticing canvass. 

I don't know. It could be a lot of things. And maybe with time I will become a snob. And yet, even the snobbiest of snobs have to admit that the Tetons have something special.

It was good.

In terms of the actual skiing, we are always breaking into smaller groups depending on people's interest so I can only speak for myself. I know that Jack and I spent the majority of the first day exploring some of the steepest terrain on offer. Another whole morning was spent cruising groomed runs with Maren, and was maybe the most fun I had on the whole trip. Maren is quirky in a very fun-to-talk-to sort of way. Good company. I also lapped the park for almost two hours with Jackson and Lindsey, trying to get my body to do things in the air that I'm sure felt much more stylish than any observer would give me credit for.

Besides the two days we spent at Jackson, we also spent a fabulous day at Grand Targhee- a smaller resort on the other side of the range. As luck would have it, we hit Targhee on a "unicorn day," as one of the locals put it. Ten inches of fresh snow overnight into a crystal clear bluebird day made for smiles all the way down every run. Seriously, I felt like a little kid and would often catch myself audibly laughing or whooping as we "floated" more than "slid" down the mountain.

What a weekend!

Life. Is. Good.

Evelyn has pushed herself this year, and has definitely earned the "most improved" award in regards to skiing performance. She is confident on pretty much everything, but prefers steep bumps over everything else. She did her first double blacks on this trip, making the important turns with confidence.

The hot tub is always welcome at the end of the day

So, Rach had kind-of a frustrating trip. She skied every day, but wasn't able to do all that she wanted on account of her still-healing knee. It's pretty swollen and will require some good rest and PT before it's a hundred percent again.

Top of the tram

These two know how to have fun.

Lindsey earned her poles! (To get poles, they have to ski fluidly on all black diamond runs). Lindsey also did her first doubles on this trip, even if she side-slipped most of the hard sections.