My Retirement Year: An Ongoing Skiing TR

[powbmps]

Yikes! Seems like the perfect description.

After 3 runs, the layers all joined and it was like skiing inside a ping pong ball.
Attachment 408413

[babybear]

there’s a sticker in the Trap Bar that says
“if you can see, it’s not the Ghee” [emoji1]

[uglymoney]

You have to be instrument rated to ski Foghee properly. Those soft days skiing when the VFR crowd has to go inside and Dreamcatcher serves unlimited refills through the clouds are something special.

I have a friend who has been to Targhee several times, but has yet to actually see it.

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[snapt]

4 Chairs is actually pretty good viz for storm riding the ghee.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Day 61: Grand Targhee (Targhee Pass)

Hey now, what a difference a day makes.....

Stick of truth said only 2" fell overnight but everything that was falling yesterday seemed to melt at the base.

Visibility was quite good with filtered sun and clouds but nothing like yesterday. Goniff and I were in line by 8:30 thinking there might be some soft turns available. As we headed up Dreamcatcher, the face from the summit to the gully was untracked and we could tell that way more than 2" fell.

Soft turns and nobody followed us. We did at least 8 laps with untracked turns available. Not many pictures because...





Took in night 2 of the Kris Lager Band at the Trap Bar...good tunes and high energy in the crowd.

Today was my longest day of the season and my knee is barking about that but a little Vitamin I and a gummie before bed and I should be good to go in the AM.

[kokomas]

You gotta be in it to win it!

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[skinipenem]

Glorious

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[Marshall Tucker]

What a great read! August you're a brave man. I'm a bit younger (but not much) thinking hard abourt the retirement. Unfortunately the last three times to the mountain resulted in two full anterior dislocations and 100% ACL tear. so now I head to the beach :-/

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Sorry to hear about the injuries. I keep telling myself to slow down but I ski with people that are 10-20 years younger than me and I try to keep up. Pretty sure my knee is going to need some cutting but that will have to wait until after Day 100.


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[Peruvian]

Sorry to hear about the injuries. I keep telling myself to slow down but I ski with people that are 10-20 years younger than me and I try to keep up. Pretty sure my knee is going to need some cutting but that will have to wait until after Day 100.


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You should ski with more telemarkers. [emoji38]

[kokomas]

You shouldn't ski with telemarkers. [emoji38]

FIFY

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[Djongo Unchained]

Damn, that snow looks fine. Maybe shoulda gone to the 'ghee yesterday.

Way to get after it fellas. It's amazing how much better the skiing is with a few inches. And some wind...

[jackstraw]

giddeeup!

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Day 62: Grand Targhee (Targhee Pass)

DJ, thought you were headed to Yurp today. Have the time of your life mang. It's a whole different world over there.

When I woke up today, my phone said -3* in Driggs. I rolled over and went back to sleep. I had really planned to take today off with plans to ski the next 8 days in a row with my neighbor from Vermont coming to stay with us for a week.

Goniff said, we gotta ski today...it's bluebird and we may not see the sun again for days. He had to work this afternoon so we planned to ski from 9:00 to noon.

Bluebird? Oh yeah it was. The sun warmed things nicely and almost no breeze except for the self-generated wind on the runouts back to the lift.



Took the opportunity to take the Teton Vista traverse to get the photo op that everyone that skis here wants.



The snow was way colder than yesterday and neither of us had waxed properly so it was grabby. The overnight breezes had moved the snow around and there were pockets of blown in snow but it wasn't effortless like yesterday. We skied pretty much all the lines we skied yesterday, just fewer reps of each.

Glad I decided to go out today but it may mean I don't ski tomorrow. Was planning on hitting Snow King for the morning as I have to pick up our guest at the Jackson Airport at 1:17, but the weather is definitely going to be sporty and I could use a day off my knee.

[snapt]

Will likely ski Weds morning. Will keep an eye out for ya.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Will definitely be out early on Wednesday. Red helmet, blue Freeride Systems jacket, orange-red pants. Ask for change.


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[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Day 63: Grand Targhee (Targhee Pass)

Sorry we didn't link up with snapt but no friends on a powder day, especially a bluebird powder day.

Kinda sad that it took until day 63 of this season to get to my first real powder day but now that I've popped that cherry, I want more. It snowed a total of around 15" from yesterday through last night. It was cold this morning (-7* in Driggs) but the sun was out and we were psyched.

We left the condo before 8:00 this morning but we weren't the only ones jonesing for good snow and clear skies. Goniff took this amazing shot of the Grand as I was driving up the hill:


We arrived just short of the resort by 8:15 but cars were already backed up trying to park. We got a pretty good spot in lot 2 and headed for the lifts. Lots of people in line but we knew where we wanted to go and figured there was enough untracked for everybody. We found untracked turns for most of 3 runs before the mountain was schralped. A few pics from run #1.
My VT neighbor BH


Goniff


And a couple of me



Pow day selfie


JHMR tomorrow. Linking up with Kokomas at 11:45 at the Casper Lodge if anyone else is around.

[kokomas]

I've been waiting for this post. Awesome! Glad you guys got the goods. They were kind to leave me some extras over the hill at lunchtime

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[snapt]

Nice, sorry I never spotted you. Yesterday didn't suck!

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Day 64: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (IKON Pass)

We awoke to temps of -15* in Driggs this morning but the sun was out and it felt warmer. We headed over Teton Pass and parked in the Ranch Lot. No line at the Tram once we got to the base area so we headed all the way up.


Rendezvous Bowl had a surprising amount of scraped off spots and Bivouac wasn't much better. We headed over to Teton and AV chairs and lapped those chairs finding lots of soft snow in the trees bordering the trails.

We linked up with Kokomas and skied with him until about 1:30. My knee was howling so I convinced my VT neighbor BH to grab a quick bite at the Mangy Moose.

Goniff was finding sweet lines on the Moran Face and joined us shortly and we decided that we had skied enough for the day.


We went into Jackson to do the mandatory tourist stuff; got a beer at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and snapped a picture in front of the elk antlers across the street.

[jackstraw]

Sorry I missed you today. We were super lazy with that temp. Ended up going to the bell once we got our asses up there. Found a lot of soft turns still. The locals go ob I think, so stashes hang around.

[UCMERIP]

Damn,
Sorry I didn’t see this thread earlier.

I was at the Ghee on the 7th. Also day 63 for me. My second season in retirement! I would have taken a few laps with you!

Home now and just knocked out #65. If you are coming further west PM if you like. I’d be happy to show you around my two home Indy hills.

Hope you enjoy every turn during your 100 day quest!

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Damn,
Sorry I didn’t see this thread earlier.

I was at the Ghee on the 7th. Also day 63 for me. My second season in retirement! I would have taken a few laps with you!

Home now and just knocked out #65. If you are coming further west PM if you like. I’d be happy to show you around my two home Indy hills.

Hope you enjoy every turn during your 100 day quest!

Hey, thanks for the offer to guide. I'm trying to get ahold of an Army buddy that lives in Boise. I may head west to visit but don't have any plans yet. Unfortunately, the horrible winter back east pretty much nullified my plan to maximize Indy Pass redemptions but wouldn't mind hitting some new spots while I'm out this way. Will PM if things align.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Day 65: Grand Targhee (Targhee Pass)

My crush on Grand Targhee continues to grow. BH and I headed up in time to start skiing by 10am and we continued to find great conditions all over the mountain. We skied of the Sacajawea chair for a bit as BH hadn't been over there yet. We headed to Dreamcatcher for a couple of laps and then had lunch.

Goniff joined us (he had to work this morning) and we continued to find good conditions.


Great duo playing in the Trap Bar for apres. Another great day to be in Wydaho.

[kokomas]

Two thumbs up

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