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

Authorities have identified the hiker who died yesterday on Mount Glory as Wilson resident A.A. Zvegintzov, better known by his nickname, Sandy Z.

Zvegintzov appears to have died of natural causes related to a medical condition, according to the News&Guide. He was 73 years old.

Sandy Z was a river guide, ski instructor, sailor and painter. He likely was one of the first to use the phrase “downward mobility,” explaining his move from a career in law to guiding on the Snake for Barker-Ewing in the 1980s.

He notched more than 11,000 miles as a boatman and more than 3 million vertical feet as a ski instructor at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. In recent years he focused on painting at his home studio on Fish Creek, accessed by the small wooden bridge behind Pearl Street Bagels.

His full name was Alexander Alexandrovich (Russian for Alex Jr.). A Philadelphia native, he moved to Jackson Hole in 1972. His tall, bony frame was hard to miss.

I wrote a profile of him for the JH News in 1999, after he returned from a four- year, solo sailing voyage around the Caribbean. “It was a fabulous adventure,” he told me. “Not many people on the face of the Earth are going to do that.”

(Photo by John Slaughter)

Posted under Art, Deaths, Sports

Tags: river running, skiing, teton pass

With the arrival today of wintry weather, the Little Horsethief Fire is becoming a distant memory (except for those left footing the bill).

After preparing to evacuate his home in the heat of the fight last month, photographer Taylor Glenn decided to document some of the crews working to protect Jackson. Like he has done in the past with end-of-ski-season antics, Glenn shot portraits of the firefighters. He captured about 90 in all and has posted a gallery on his blog, It’s What We Do Here.

In the men and women who made up the firefighter teams, some 700 in all from Teton County and around the West, he found “real life heroes.” He writes:

These folks are extremely dedicated and very humble. … It was a great experience to meet them and learn about their occupations. It takes a tremendous amount of team work across many organizations to manage an incident.

Also, as Glenn’s photos attest, firefighters have great facial hair.

For anyone looking to support Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, there will be two events in the coming weeks to help replace the engine lost in the Horsethief blaze: a BBQ dinner Oct. 13 at the Elks Lodge and the annual Fireman’s Ball on Nov. 17.

And Friends of Pathways and Teton Freedom Riders have organized a volunteer day Saturday to repair Snow King-area trails affected by the fire.

Posted under Art, Media

Tags: horsethief fire, national forest, photography

After several weeks open only to archery, elk hunters are set to stalk the forests around Jackson Hole armed with rifles. Hunt area 71, Pacific Creek, opens today, while many more areas open Sept. 26.

Elk are ready to duck and cover, as the above photo suggests.

The grassy area in front of Pearl Street Bagels in Wilson occasionally serves as a stage to make a statement, at least forcing drivers on Highway 22 to do a double-take while returning from Teton Pass or breakfast at Nora’s. Last winter, for instance, “flowers” began blooming suspiciously early on the island.

Either the spot is curated by someone with a good sense of humor, or this adornment of the elk is part of Suzanne Morlock’s latest “Yarn Art” project, in which senior citizens are knitting accessories for statues around the valley.

Update: Artist Morlock did have a hand in bedecking the statue but credits Lisa Ridgway for the idea and doing most of the knitting. Morlock writes about the project on her blog and will discuss the artist’s role as instigator at the next Culture Front forum Sept. 27.

Posted under Art, Humor, Sports

Tags: elk, hunting, wildlife

In a summer loaded with great music, Jackson got yet another treat Saturday with the outdoor Caldera Festival.

Andrew Bird wowed the crowd on the lawn outside Center for the Arts with his singing, guitar playing, fiddling and whistling. The show — part of a two-day event built around art — was an indie-lover’s dream. And with Bird wide-eyed at the beauty of Jackson Hole, the feeling appeared to be mutual.

“No one had to coerce me to come here,” he said, in a nod to the surroundings. “There was no twisting of arms.”

Bird shuffled between instruments, often looping the sound of one as he began playing another. He and opening artist Sharon Van Etten also used a rotating device called a “warbler” for distortion and other effects.

The festival, which began with a fashion show by Abbie Miller, marked a small triumph for Teton Artlab, which has hosted art-themed gatherings in recent years but had been seeking to put on a larger public event. If the enthusiastic response was any indication, there will be more like this to come.

Posted under Art, Music

Tags: center for the arts, hipsters

Better than the rockets’ red glare.

Posted under Art, Environment, Holidays

Tags: grand teton national park, photography, river running, snake river