good weekend

Yesterday was a beautiful bluebird day after a day or two of snow.  I was itching for some exercise...annnd I saw that the headwall was beautifully untracked after being closed for a few days, so I bee-lined for Sublette and hiked the headwall.

It was a slow hike, as lots of other people saw the opportunity for fresh tracks...and one group was slowing a bunch of folks down, including a few instructors, and wouldnt move over (despite encouragement from the held-up crew).  If you want to get a bunch of ski bums/addicts worked up then slowing the hike for everyone is the way to do it.

I got three hikes in from 9:30 to 2, when the hike closes.  Had I got there on time I could have gone for four, but I was pretty satisfied with three.  Two runs in Casper and one in the Crags.  The Crag run was amazing.  1000 vertical feet of great, deep snow followed by another 2000 of more tracked but still awesome riding.  Here are some pictures from the top of the Crags.

You can barely see the top of the Tram peaking out above these trees.  The hike starts further down this ridge (towards the Tram).

Yours truly with the tetons in the background.

The first spot to drop in on the Crags.  It's more tracked at the top but opens up after that cliff.  I haven't made it past this point on the traverse.

I tried to keep riding in the afternoon, but my legs gave out and I had a nasty blister.  Came back, had a $5 burger special, and passed out.

I slept in today, lost an hour to daylight savings, and had a leisurely breakfast.  Little did I know it was snowing.  Once I realized this I hurried over to the mountain and rode from noon to close.  all this snow makes some of the steeper, more interesting terrain accessible, and I was lucky to hook up with Steel's boss, Steve.  We rode the alta chutes off of Sublette and then the mushroom chutes off of thunder.  Great steeps, good snow, and tight chutes.  What more could I ask for except another four hours to ride.  A long traverse to Apres Vous for a shot down Saratoga bowl and that was the day.  

Fortunately it's still snowing!  Sadly I have work to do tomorrow.  I may try to get out a couple hours early to go ride Snow King if the snow keeps falling in town.

Oh sad news...My board's heelside edge is coming apart in a few spots and it appears that some wood on the inside of the board is wet.  Mark at the board room recommended letting it dry for a couple of days (!!!) to see if it closes up, then lathering it with some epoxy if it does.