Shredding fresh pow-pow

Avalanche bombs blasting in the background was the music to our first snowboarding experience. 

We headed to Teton Village, or the "Ville," as our friends call the ski resort. The Teton range, of which the resort is connected, has received more than 50 inches of powder in five days. Avalanche warnings are at extreme levels with locals saying it's the most dangerous conditions in 20 years. A 31-year-old skier from nearby Wilson died in a "slide" of snow higher in the mountain yesterday.

We were safe on the smaller slopes with other ski school students. We had a terrific instructor, who managed to balance our different learning styles. Jason was methodical and perfected the toe-heel turns. I enjoyed the speed and openness of some of the runs when I could try turns. We both are popping aspirin and giving thanks for helmets. 

It was a gorgeous day amid heavy snowfall and we're scheming to try the town "hill,"  less-crowded Snow King, soon.

Merry Christmas!

Warmest greetings from our white Christmas! A large storm moved in early Christmas morning and has already dropped 7-8 inches in the Valley. The snow is supposed to continue all day and into the night; at least a foot is expected in town with more falling on the mountains. In fact the ski resort has closed about half of the mountain to skiers and stopped the tram completely; a rarity during the busy ski season.

 

Here's a shot of Flat Creek out our back door. Ice has narrowed the running water significantly, but water fowl still feed and play there.

Traci stands in the fallen snow on the lawn. We had a fun time playing on the local playground equipment in 18 inches of powder.

Frozen beards are fun, but pulling the ice out is not advised!

Trumpeter swans have established themselves on the creek and seem unphased by the cold temperatures.

Wonderland

After taunting the snow for the last couple weeks, it is seeking its revenge. Every day we wake up to about six inches of new powder shrouding the car and sidewalks. The streets around town are completely white and packed without asphalt in sight. This will last until April or perhaps May. Our hike today was closer to town at Cache Creek. Wintry pellets sprinkled Jason's evergrowing beard. Hiking in the drifts adds a new challenge to the walks. 

Temperatures regularly plummet to between 0 and -10 at night. 

Next weekend we try snowboarding.

Merry Christmas.

Snow Angels

Go ahead and roll your eyes at the title of this entry. 

Mom and Dad came for a visit last weekend and we tried our best to test them with hikes at higher elevations.
My idea of incline has become warped after weekends of taking hikes that include up, up, up and then down. So I thought the ups and downs around Taggart Lake might make a nice, easy stroll. I forgot about some of the hills. I think their faith in my words and judgment decreased as we climbed higher. But they did great with the 4-mile stretch. We celebrated with drinks at Dornan's with the Tetons just yards from the windows.

The above photo is Mom and her snow shoes. We all took turns using them. There's more physical labor involved with snow shoes because of their bulky design.