Jackson Hole Underground

Just when we thought the skiing couldn’t get any better, it did.

Fourteen inches of the lightest, feathery powder greeted skiers today in the Tetons. The water content of the snow was just 3.5 percent, meaning riders were floating nearly totally on air.

The storms have come in a steady stream. Jackson Hole has been averaging nearly four inches of snow per day for six weeks. It has snowed at least one inch in the mountains 37 out of the last 43 days.

From Wednesday, November 28, to Wednesday, January 9, the Tetons have received 165 inches of snow — not counting the six or eight or 10 that fell during the day today.

It has been an extraordinary, and exhausting, stretch, one that has skiers and snowboarders recalling the Jackson Hole winters of yore.

Check out the videos of the week that Darrell Miller has been making for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. They are short, about a minute long. Notice the number of face shots in every one, week after week. Pretty much tells the story of the winter so far.

Armchair alpinists, lest ye despair, the forecast is calling for another 18 to 20 inches by this weekend. A brief spell of high pressure is expected Sunday.

Most remarkable about this six-week span isn’t just the quantity of snow, but the quality. Temperatures lately have stayed in the low teens to single digits, keeping the powder fresh. There have been a handful of bluebird days, even a powder frenzy on Snow King on Saturday.

Coming after last season’s persistent rain and epic drought, the powder bounty has brought euphoria to this rabid ski community. With all the worries about global weirding, it’s reassuring to see trails of cold smoke streaking down the Tetons.

Of course, it could shut off at any time. Get it while you can.

source for statistics: Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center report, Rendezvous Bowl site (elev. 9,580 feet)
skier: Mike Varilone (roll cursor over photos for captions)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 11:29 am and is filed under sports, skiing, backcountry. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.