On Saturday I started the day taking part in the JH Ski Mountaineering Race. The continual snowfall for the previous 10 days or so had put the organizers in a skittish mood: marking out the route the previous day had been essentially pointless. We were told to expect some trailbreaking! Arriving early at the resort, there was not a cloud in the sky and the control work had not pulled out any significant slides.
I had high hopes for the race as I was taking part in the recreational division. The course was a quick circle from the base, to AV, to Casper, back to the base. Everything went great from the gun: I went charging up the field as we navigated the flats. Then we started going up AV. We didn't just go up, we went straight up. At this point I started going backwards and all hopes of a podium finish were dashed. Still I came in 6th with 3,150' in 78 minutes, and 8 minutes behind the winner.
YC turned up eventually, and with some refitting of the board done, we worked our way up the mountain to the Lower Rock Springs gate.
Despite the considerable warning, Cody Bowl was the usual mess of tracks.
In the afternoon heat, the enthusiasm wasn't quite there.
Still, the view dropping into Rock Springs seemed worth it.
And there would be plenty of tracks to follow.
The snow was a bit stick and quite tracked up: still better than the resort next door.
Navigating the boulder field: its not called Rock Springs for nothing!
The lower part of the descent was really well filled in making for an easy return to S-Hoback.
Some friends turned up mid-afternoon, so we took them up to Dornans in the park to take a look at the Grand....
....and the rest of the range.
