Backcountry Skiing, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
January 2020

By James Severance

Two AAC(UK) members — Peter Scott and Dan Morgan — joined me this past Jan 2020, for a week of backcountry skiing in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming area. Organized as a MENOC event, (a member event not organized by the AAC(UK), but advertised in the Club bulletin), it was open to any qualified AAC(UK) member.

After meeting at the Jackson Hole airport, we settled in at the modest Antler Inn in downtown Jackson, WY, which would be our home-away-from-home for the next seven days. It snowed just about every day the previous week (700cm total, year-to-date), and more was in the forecast for the next five days, so the excitement level was running kinda high.

The following morning (Sunday), after a leisurely breakfast, we started the week by driving 18km to the top of Teton Pass (2570m) for a few afternoon shake-down runs in the Olympic Bowl area. Afterwards, we adjourned to the Stagecoach Bar, located at the base of Teton Pass, for après-ski beers followed by their Sunday evening church service. This weekly “church service” is actually the country-western Stagecoach Band, which has performed at the ‘Coach every Sunday evening for 44yr — and counting! It’s a valley institution for local old-timers, and a mandatory stop for all aspiring backcountry hardmen. One of the founding, and still performing, members of the band is 88 year-old Bill Briggs, who is considered the father of North American extreme skiing, following his 15 June 1971 solo first ski descent of the Grand Teton (4198m).

Although we just scratched the surface, over the next six days we were able to explore and ski many of the classic ridges, faces, and bowls in the Snake River Range, Absaroka Range (Togwotee Pass area), Grand Teton National Park, Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area, and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It snowed every day, the powder got deeper and deeper, the trail breaking more and more strenuous, and the grins bigger and bigger. Only one storm day forced us to turn back. It was on our third day, all alone in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area, where we were smacked with a very windy, snowy, near- zero visibility, winter storm. No excuses — the avy (avalanche) report had warned us — so, retreat we did!

I want to thank both Peter Scott and Dan Morgan for their enthusiastic participation. And a special thank you to Diana Penny Sherpani at the AAC(UK) headquarters, who patiently guided me through the ins and outs of putting together a MENOC outing.

All and all, it doesn’t get any better.

Dan Morgan on Snow Devil Ridge, Grand Teton National Park
All photos by James Severance

Peter Scott, Bill Briggs, Dan Morgan (l to r)

Getting out of It in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness

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