JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

The Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board has decided which community groups will receive lodging tax funds for promoting their events this year. The distribution is somewhat puzzling.

The chamber of commerce — well represented on the board — is the biggest recipient, netting $46,500 for Old West Days, Jackson Hole Marathon, Destination Wellness and WinterFest, the News&Guide reported.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will receive the maximum $20,000 for its Mountain Fest, the centerpiece of which is a free concert March 31. The resort has not yet booked a band, but the additional funding gives promoters a stronger hand, said Andy Calder, who produces the event for the resort with Dom Gagliardi of Poppa Presents.

“Let’s shoot for the stars here,” Calder said.

The Stage Stop sled dog race, which starts Friday on the Town Square, will receive $10,000, as will the Jackson Hole Figure Skating Invitational and Vista 360 Fire Festival. Despite being one of the biggest draws of the winter, the World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb also will get $10,000.

It’s disappointing the Jackson Hole Ski Club receives only $5,000 each for Town Downhill and Pole Pedal Paddle. The ski club brings hundreds of athletes and their families to town each winter and has been putting on these sporting events for more than 30 years — on a shoestring budget, with parents and volunteers staffing races for a free lift ticket.

Read More…

Posted under County Government, Economy, Entertainment, Music, Politics, Sports, Town Government

Tags: hill climb, jackson hole mountain resort, pole pedal paddle, ski racing, skiing, sled dogs, snowmobiles, tourists

That collective “aaah” heard ’round Jackson Hole this week hasn’t just been about snowfall. Music fans are relieved that the Pink Garter Theater finally has a slate of shows for the winter. The shredding continues, on and off the slopes.

Expect hoots and hollers tonight when the Garter gets rolling with The Infamous Stringdusters, the bluegrass troupe from Nashville, Tenn., who generated a bigger buzz than the beer garden at last summer’s Targhee Bluegrass Festival. Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, alt-country and soul rockers from San Francisco, will share the bill.

The show is the first in what should be a quality series at the Pink Garter combining old favorites (Leftover Salmon, Young Dubs) with fresh talent (Monophonics, He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister). Construction crews have been busy building the adjacent bar, The Rose, grand opening of which is set for Presidents’ Weekend, Feb. 17-19. The theater also has gotten a makeover.

Read More…

Posted under Business, Music

Tags: bluegrass, pink garter, rock

Just repost to Facebook and tell your friends it’s from Yellowstone park or Granite Hot Springs or Togwotee Pass.

Already popping up in news feeds locally, this image appears to have originated on Facebook from an entity calling itself Love Mountains, where it has drawn comments from around the world.

Have fun with creative captions. One of the better ones I’ve seen involved moose joining with mountain lions for Occupy Cache Creek.

And if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, this article about snowmobilers clashing with moose in Colorado has some useful advice.

(Photo via Nezz Dog)

Posted under Environment, Humor, Media, Sports

Tags: moose, photography, snowmobiles, wildlife

The photo of a massive pile of avalanche debris widely circulated this weekend turns out not to have been taken on Teton Pass.

Showing a plow’s width cut through a 20-foot-high wall of snow, the image served as a powerful dissuasion to skiing the backcountry, as well as a commendation to WyDOT staff on a job well done opening the highway.

The image was posted Saturday by Matthias Hans Joachim Richter, a pilot who lives at Devil’s Tower, according to his Facebook profile. He attributed the photo to the pass and advised, “Please be careful out there folks!”

By Sunday morning, the photo was everywhere, as friends shared it on their Facebook pages, inviting discussion and oohs and aahs from their circles. Victor, Idaho, residents were some of the first to share. Among those who reposted it were media figures such as Jackson Hole Radio, Mary Cernicek, Bridger-Teton National Forest spokeswoman, and Teton AT.

A true journalist, Sam Petri wanted to see for himself and perhaps post his own photo on Instagram. Petri phoned friend Tony Birkholz and said, “Let’s go admire this big pile of snow like a couple of rednecks.”

Read More…

Posted under Environment, Humor, Media, Sports

Tags: avalanches, backcountry, idaho, phonies, photography, rednecks, sam petri, skiing, snowboarding, teton pass

After more than four feet of snow in four days, Highway 22 over Teton Pass has reopened. Despite high danger and an avalanche warning from Bridger-Teton forecasters, the parking lot was full of skiers and snowboarders by 10 a.m.

In the Hoback Canyon, an avalanche apparently ran early this morning to Highway 191, hitting a car. For photos of that slide as well as impressive debris from Glory Bowl, see Teton AT.

More details have emerged about the amount of slide activity on the pass in recent days. In addition to gas-powered exploders, the Wyoming Department of Transportation has been using its 105mm howitzer and bombs dropped from a helicopter to provoke avalanches, said Teton Pass Ambassador Jay Pistono.

An avalanche that occurred in a seemingly innocuous location — the power line road on the south side of the pass — has experts worried about the danger prevalent throughout the backcountry.

Read More…

Posted under Environment, Sports

Tags: avalanches, backcountry, grand teton national park, skiing, snowboarding, teton pass

We all know the King rules, as evidenced by Thursday’s joyous powder frenzy in which hikers joined lift riders in shredding the best snow of the season.

But in return for the privilege of uphill access, the King is asking for a modicum of cooperation from its loyal subjects. The resort asks those skinning up the mountain in the early morning to respect closures for avalanche blasting, and all skiers to avoid winch cats during grooming.

On days when ski patrol is bombing to reduce avalanche danger, usually after 4 or more inches of snow or fierce winds, hikers should not go above Slow Trail (roughly top of Cougar). Patrollers tend to mark closures with signs or ropes.

Read More…

Posted under Deaths, Environment, Ski Resorts, Sports

Tags: avalanches, hiking, skiing, snow king, snowboarding