There's many ways to celebrate skiing

It's not even Christmas, and many of the Rocky Mountain ski resorts are 100 percent open and skiing is fantastic. We've gotten more snow in Sheridan than we received practically all last winter, but the Big Horns are still just getting into shape to ski. Yesterday, Neve and I headed up into the mountains to fulfill my need for some turns.

Powder River Pass off of U.S. 16 west of Buffalo had received about six inches of new snow, but the rocky cirque that's easily accessible from the road was still a little thin for skiing. This area is almost always blasted by the wind, so terrain selection is important if you're going to avoid the rocks. Of course,  I was a little too eager and the snowpack a touch too shallow.

The terrain is reminiscent of shots like Chivars Ridge on the south side of Teton Pass. After a lap of boot-top powder turns, I headed further north for my second lap where it appeared the wind had deposited more snow. Five turns in, my left ski smacked a rock buried just below the surface (that's what happens when you're skiing a 25-inch base) causing me to eject out of my ski, and land face-down on my left thumb. Of course it didn't hurt enough to keep me from taking several more runs, but today, I can't bend the thing, let alone hold a ski pole.When I got back to the car, I discovered that my ski didn't fare much better than my thumb and now needs some attention. Yup, should have used the rock skis.

While the turns weren't anything spectacular, I did enjoy having the entire area to myself and the silence was deafening. This particular area is closed to snowmobiles and the snowpack in the Bighorns is still a little thin for off-trail riding anyway.

While I sometimes long for the terrain, accessibility and deep powder of my old stomping grounds, the enjoyment of just being out in the mountains was a refreshing reminder of the powerful pull of skiing and its role in my life. There's something about the sport that elicits joy from people around the world, whether they're doing it on a 400-foot hill on man-made snow in Minnesota or a 4,000 vertical foot Alaskan face. No matter where you live, how many days a year you spend on skis, or how skilled you are, if you're a part of worldwide tribe of skiers, that passion never leaves you.

In this great future, you can't forget your past

After returning from an afternoon of skiing at Red Lodge, Montana on Sunday, I sat down for a phone interview yesterday with a guy who's got a pop culture podcast called Just My Show. He sent me an email asking to chat about my experiences on Charles in Charge, and after checking his website I agreed. He has a "most wanted interviews" list that includes a few people I was acquainted with during my brief stint working in Hollywood.

After so many years as a journalist, it was strange being an interview subject again. I still get sporadic emails from people of varying ages who enjoyed the first season of Charles in Charge, which is always nice to hear. When Lindsay's eight-year-old nephew visited last August, we pulled out the DVD and he thought the show was hilarious.

Anyway, he was nice to speak to and did his research and I expect the podcast should be up eventually. Beyond that, I'm just making it through the end of a winter season. Aside from some skiing-related withdrawal, I think I handled the transition to a new town pretty well. I'm more excited for the approaching summer, because there's still plenty of new places in the Bighorn mountains to explore.

New blog location

I haven't posted on here for some time because Generation Recreation has found a new home. All of my more recent posts can be found here at New West, an online outlet that is now hosting my blog. This site will be reserved for occasional personal musings and trip reports.

Ski town real estate projects face reality

There isn't much that I have in common with a 72-year-old Republican candidate for president, but there is one common trait we share.

Economic policy isn't a strength for either of us.

With the current economic crisis the only subject on people's lips these days, my insight into the problem is centered on what I've read about locally and seen out my front door. For resort communities, the writing is on the wall that the real estate development gold rush is grinding to a halt. Developers who relied on a steady supply of wealthy transplants and vacationers with super-deep pockets eager to buy trophy homes and snap up condo-hotel rooms are finding these people a tougher sell.

In Jackson Hole, the Snake River Sporting Club owes money all over the place and appears to be teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. A poor idea from the moment it was announced, this project drew protests from the moment it began the planning process back in 2002. The golf course and home sites are located along channels of the Snake River and amidst a nesting area for bald eagles. What may have doomed the project ultimately, however, is its location. Any real estate agent in Jackson would tell you that trophy-home purchasers want to have views of the Tetons, and this development well south of town offers neither Teton Views nor in-town convenience. 

Over in Colorado, the Vail Plaza Hotel is rumored to be facing foreclosure proceedings and I previously posted about Tamarack Resort, which is facing a bankruptcy hearing as well. How would you like to own a house at a resort where the company CEO feels compelled to send out a letter assuring homeowners it's safe to book their ski vacation?

"C'mon out and stay at our ski house this winter Bob, I'm pretty sure the ski area will be open!"

Of course, to be negative is to be poisonous in an industry that requires everyone to put a smile on their face and repeat a mantra that everything is fine, even as the credit crisis deepens. Take Ketchum, Idaho, developer Jack Bariteau, who's confident, despite the see-saw stock market and lending crisis, that everything will work out for his hotel development. In real estate, the glass is always half-full I guess.

I've wondered aloud for years how there could possibly be enough potential guests to support the ever-growing bed base of $400 hotel rooms in Teton Village. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has to be a little concerned about the economic crisis, having taken out major loans to construct a new aerial tram. It will be interesting to monitor occupancy rates in the resort towns this winter if the economy remains in a recession. Though resort CEOs say that snow is the biggest factor in determining  ski area visitation, they may wind up being as overconfident as the Wall Street honchos that denied the sky was falling even as they were ducking the debris.

When does the trickle down hit the ski town service industry, and at what point do hotels and restaurants start laying off their hourly workers? 

Is protecting the Snake River controversial?

Adding environmental protections to the upper Snake River sounds like a no-brainer. A majestic waterway that draws anglers and boaters and fuels tourism, the Snake is an ideal candidate for Wild and Scenic River status.
It's great to hear that a bill that would help protect the Snake and Wyoming Range may actually get to the Senate floor in November, a last ditch hope for a wide ranging public-lands bill that's received no support from Wyoming's elected officials.
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act — S. 3213 includes the Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act, which would protect 387 miles of rivers and streams in the Snake River drainage under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Of equal importance, it would protect further energy development in the Wyoming Range south of Jackson Hole and allow existing energy leases to be bought back.
Of course, in the current "Drill baby Drill" atmosphere being endorsed by the Republican party, environmental protection is secondary to making certain areas with the potential for energy development are preserved. In July, all 3 Wyoming legislators signed a letter opposing S. 3213. In addition, Idaho's representatives are concerned about their water rights, despite written guarantees that the bill wouldn't threaten Idaho farmers right to Wyoming's water.
The general problem with any legislation of course, is that it's practically impossible to get protections like this one passed without having it be accompanied by a bunch of other items that may or may not please the masses. The financial rescue package passed on Friday includes a whole host of earmarks guaranteed to piss off people already opposed to the rescue of the same industry that got us into this mess in the first place.
Of course this is how government works and despite McCain and Palin's blustering to the contrary, earmarks aren't going away any time soon. Let's hope that we can find a way to get this one through before Craig Thomas' legacy disappears and the process has to start from scratch.

Uneasy truce at Jackson Hole Airport

"It's OK," urged the collective Jackson Hole tourism/real estate/business community on Tuesday. "We won't let anyone close the airport down."
Elected officials, no doubt prodded by the potential financial impact of a shuttered airport, immediately sprung to action to help mediate a long-festering power struggle between Teton County Sheriff Bob Zimmer and the Jackson Hole Airport Board. The parties worked out a temporary solution so that eager tram riders can still fly into the valley this winter.

The real question is why couldn't this whole mess been settled before Zimmer was forced to write a threatening letter? From reporter Cory Hatch's story, it sounds like the Sheriff had a bunch of airport cops working under his authority that he never saw and who didn't bother with the unnecessary "training" part of the job. In Wyoming, like the rest of the country, the sheriff likes to have control of the people under his badge. From the article:

Last week, Zimmer said the primary reason for his decision to terminate the arrangement was liability.
“It’s a situation that puts all the liability on the county and all the liability on the sheriff,” he said.
Zimmer had no authority over the officers in terms of demanding training or participation in other programs.
“We’ve got to fix this thing,” Zimmer said. “It’s been broken for the nine and a half years I’ve been in office. Ray Bishop and the airport board have done absolutely nothing to solve this problem.”

Just say no to rogue airport cops!

Seriously, the three officers who do work the airport may be out of jobs when this whole process shakes out. The over-policed town of Jackson certainly doesn't need any more officers, and it sounds like Zimmer is less than enthusiastic about this trio joining his team.

Bishop says the solution is to have airports certify their own officers, which isn't currently allowed by Wyoming state law. We'll see how effective Jackson state senator Grant Larsen is in changing that law in the next legislative session. In the meantime, don't worry, illegal parkers will still be ticketed at the airport this winter.

Trip Report: Coffeen Park to Geneva Pass

Robin Lake

The final three miles of access road to the Coffeen Park trailhead is described as a "harrowing journey", in my guidebook. On Saturday, Lindsay and I discovered the book's author wasn't exaggerating. My Subaru was no match for the rocks and ruts we encountered on Forest Service Road 293, so. I finally gave up rather than sacrifice my humble vehicle. We hiked the final mile and a quarter to the Geneva Pass trailhead.
Though the route we chose into the Cloud Peak Wilderness is described as receiving "heavy" visitation, we encountered two backpackers at the trailhead and no one else for the rest of the day. Day hiking just doesn't match hunting as a popular recreation activity on fall weekends around here.

The first three miles of our route followed a wooded valley along the East Fork of Big Goose Creek and didn't offer any views. We passed the ruins of three log cabins that dated back to the gold prospecting days of the 1920s before climbing about 1,000 feet and reaching idyllic Lake Geneva.


The lake's setting is spectacular, surrounded by massive peaks of rounded granite, including Spear Peak which tops out at 11, 540 feet. Once again, I spotted three enticing couloirs that dropped steeply off the north side of the peak, easily more than 1,000 vertical feet long. Given the amount of snow they were holding, I'd bet they are skiable year-round. Attempting ski descents of these routes would require an arduous ascent from the lake and would involve bushwhacking up a densely wooded canyon. A project for next spring, perhaps.
We continued gaining elevation, passing through a high mountain meadow surrounded by steep cliffs, with the trail passing through a narrow gap before topping out at around 10,400 feet. A small amount of snow clung to the upper reaches of the trail, but temperatures were mild. A brisk wind kept us cool as we made the ascent to the summit of the pass.
To the east, we enjoyed views of Black Tooth Mountain while the wilderness stretched out for miles in every direction. The high meadows in this area are dotted with isolated groves of subalpine fir, some ponds and giant glacial boulders.

13,000 foot Black Tooth Mountain in the distance

An unnamed 11,000-foot ridgeline in the distance

The return trip down the valley went quickly, though we both could have done without the extra mile of dirt road hiking to reach the car. Here's a look at Geneva Lake from above.

Our hike totaled a little over 13 miles and took us seven hours, with a nice break at the top of the pass. While not as spectacular as the Medicine Park hike, this route offers much more direct access to high-elevation areas. An extremely motivated trail runner could probably add an additional loop around the Cliff Lake trail, which would make for a 20-mile day. Just make sure you have a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle to reach the trailhead or you're going to do some extra hiking. The Subaru appears to have made it through unscathed, ready for another assault of a different route later this week.