Booters and First World Problems

Well here goes nothing. My first post. It’s January 8th - that’s a week right? If you expect these posts to drop on a routine basis think again. My schedule is all over the place. Half the time I don’t even know what day of the week it is.

That’s pretty normal for Jackson though. I like it. My life is determined by people booking tours, the weather choosing my outdoor plans, and my hangover’s strength each morning. My free time comes randomly and no week is the same. This website’s posting schedule will reflect that chaos. But it’s chaos I absolutely love. It keeps each week unique. 

Front of our house after this recent puking of snow

The end of 2021 was characterized by a detonation of snow in Teton Valley. Santa came early!! Must have been all the ULLR my friends and I pounded in December. Think of it as our “rain dance” for snow here in Wyoming. ULLR is a peppermint/cinnamon liquor named after the Norse god of winter and skiing.

I sent off 2021 with my annual 10k vertical Christmas skiing on Teton Pass and rang in 2022 with good friends, great food, and of course more ULLR. January 1st I woke up with a solid headache and a 3 day wildlife tour. Luckily the -16 degree temperatures and excitement of looking for critters woke me right up. 

And the snow only kept coming. So much snow actually that the avalanche danger rose considerably. This brings me to the first of two “first world problems” I experienced this last week.

When Avy danger is high, those of us that like to survive are restricted to mellow ski terrain. Mellower than the exciting backcountry lines offered by gnarlier peaks in the park. We get frustrated the high alpine becomes essentially “closed off” by nature.

“Oh you poor thing! You have to ski endless, untouched, 30-degree slopes with waist deep powder and face shots for days. I feel so bad for you.” (Sub-30 degree slopes experience almost no avalanches) Truly we can’t complain. Jackson has plenty of backcountry lines that are relatively safe during these high Avy periods. 

This past week buddies and I skied 6 glory laps, 2 snow king runs (1 booter, 1 skin), and had a couple rowdy days at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR).

Yes, I worked too. We’ll get to that. Now, how do we access a lot of these lines? SETTIN’ BOOTERS! Most are probably thinking “what the F*CK is a booter?” It’s my second favorite way of ascending snow and ice. Only beat by ice climbing of course.

It’s when we put skis on our backs and kick our steps in up the snow. It’s amazing. If you’re the lucky one to ascend first you get to “set” the steps in. Those coming after follow the line. Setting the booter is way more tiring but also the most fun (remember with momentary highs - higher the pain, higher the reward). Following is pretty great too. It’s all great. If I don’t mention a booter in each winter post I have failed you. 

Below is a slide show of memorable booters

Did I work? Yeah. I guided several amazing guests from around the country and saw hella wildlife - bighorn sheep, moose, bison, elk, etc.

But here’s the thing about my job. I only get paid when I work. And I only work when people book tours. I am on call 4 days a week but certain times of year I may only have tours on 2-3 of those days. This is typical Jackson. Our income is seasonal and fluctuating.

Sure it’s stressful. Especially when we have Teton Valley rental prices to meet (don’t get us locals started on that). Also stressful when I am trying to save up for 8 months of no work. 

But this brings me to the second “first world problem”. Today was one of my work days. No one booked a tour. So what do I do? Rather than sulk over the loss of income, I go ski my brains out. 

“Oh we feel so bad for you! You don’t get called into work so you have to spend all day skiing with friends, getting shot in the face by powder, and laughing/screaming so much your throat hurts. Your life sucks.”

Again, we can’t complain. This morning a good friend, Kelsey Wellington, and I skied two glory laps. The first we had the good fortune to SET the booter with several other early-to-rise skiers. Then in the afternoon I went for one more lap. Adding in the booter on Snow King Resort under the stars last night, I got to hike and ski close to 8,000 ft in the last 24 hours. Man, not getting work really blows. 

For those unfamiliar, Glory is a mountain near Jackson. 15 minutes from my house I can park at the top of Teton pass at roughly 8,500ft and boot up to about 10,000ft. It’s a backcountry staple for us.

Since it first received enough snow in mid-December, I have booted Glory 19 times. Do I sound like a broken record? Probably. But that record has 5-10 different tracks (ski lines) on it. Each track will serenade you with 1500-3000 vertical feet of powder turns, sunrises and sunsets that will leave you speechless, and a community of friends you’ll make every time you see them up there. It’s a record I am fine listening to over and over. 

Ok, that’s it for now. Pretty solid start to 2022. But this upcoming week things change. The snow has stopped for now. Blue sky and sun are on their way. Avy danger should drop. Get EXCITED! This week’s adventures may diversify as ski opportunities open up. If the sun lasts too long, however, it’s back to the ULLR.