GRIPPED ON CODY As we met the first pitch of the boot pack to Cody, a torrent of wind poured over the ridgeline with ruthless indifference. “It’s blowing about 50 mph on Rendezvous Bowl,” said the Tram operator as we exited a few minutes earlier. Now on this unprotected ridge in the back country, I ... Read More

Cody Peak  The distance from the top of the tram to Cody Peak is 1.5 miles. Conditions a top the towering peak to the south of Rendezvous Bowl can change in a heart beat. Marching against blustering winds along the exposed ridge lines is a humbling experience. The habitat of the high altitude ... Read More

Pass Lap  By noon, the parking lot at the Pass was at capacity. Drivers stalked spots of departing vehicles with as much graciousness as their powder itch would allow. Once parked, the Mountain Pulse crew hit the Glory Bowl bootpack. As happens to the overzealous, we punched out the first half vigorously, paying little mind to ... Read More

Wardrobe Malfunction Some days you’re just on it. Confidence pours into your boots and your skis become scalpels dissecting the gnarliest gnar with precision and ease. As far as I know there is no time-proven recipe for producing these days of prowess. The one time-proven lesson, however, is stay humble. Once you sense your helmet getting ... Read More

Note to self: Rubber-necking to memorize lines on Four Pines while driving The Village Road is prohibited. As the morning light poured upon the Tetons, the irresistible allure of the mountainside beckoned my attention. "Lines on the Pyramid!"— Eyes back on the road— "Is that couloir totally filled in?" –Eyes back on the road –"I've got ... Read More

Our normal is not so normal…thankfully. Someone cracks a beer in the Start bus leaving the Village. Judging from the click of the aluminum seal, it’s likely a 24 oz can, a PBR at that. Sure enough, a head cocks back and confirms my deduction. Anywhere else, someone sipping an enormous can of beer at ... Read More

A Spoonful of Powder Makes the Medicine Go Down… “So what’s on your docket for you this week?” a buddy asks. “Man, the list is endless: deadlines, phone calls, meetings. I’m like Andy Dufresne chipping away at the walls of Shawshank …I haven’t even made it to the tunnel of crap yet.” “Well, you could ski less,” he ... Read More

Back to the Pack…the Bootpack that it is. Many mounted the snowy staircases inbounds and in the sidecountry today, accessing the six inches that fell over recent days. A personal favorite, Shot II from Apres Vous was an untouched candyland, complete with marshmallow booters and fluffernutter faceshots. With the unknowing masses running up Pepi’s Bench to ... Read More

Strapping on my beacon in the predawn reminded me of a morning a month ago when I hit the snooze button on an eight inch report. Whata schmuck. Today’s four inches had me dressed, fed, and ready three hours before the first Tram would load and take off. If there was any good that came ... Read More

Snowflakes dance in the street lights like swarms of fireflies, sending the imagination to the top of the Tram where it’s RPK2 tonight. If the snowfall was proportional to the penance we’ve paid in precipitation-less days, tomorrow would be record breaking. Of course, tis not the way of the weather. To this end, I ... Read More