Them on Us: Snow gods smile; antler mania; not mine

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

By Planet User

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-While competitors of the Subaru Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open wowed the crowds with their mad steeze, the skiers were mackin’ on the conditions at JHMR.

“Today was just awesome,” said event-winner Emily Teague from Aspen, Colorado. “These conditions were just amazing, the best I could imagine.”

The event was held up for two days when a late winter squall freshened the course. Even the judges were impressed. “These are just simply the best big mountain competition skiing conditions you could ask for,” said competition judge Dion Newport. “The level of skiing at Jackson Hole this weekend has been phenomenal. I can’t even recall the numbers of huge laid-out back flips I saw … I lost count after a while!”

Further proof that the snow gods are shining (or snowing) on JHMR is word out of Casper’s Star-Tribune that the resort is set to break their all-time season attendance record. Resort spokeswoman Anna Olson told the state paper she attributed the big numbers to improved air service to the valley and the wider appeal of JHMR to skiers.
“We are definitely on track for being either our best or our second best season ever,” Olson said. “We are having, I’m glad to say, an incredible season.”

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Outdoor editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Paul Smith, penned a 12-point piece on the growing hobby of shed-hunting. In his neck of the woods, it’s deer antlers that have woodsmen walking hunched over, scooping up the former headwear shed by large ungulates.

Perhaps no community has embraced the tradition of antler collection as enthusiastically as Jackson Hole. Every spring, hundreds of collectors barrel through the Elk Refuge when the winter closure lifts, seeking the monster rack that could fetch big money.

ElkFest is a weekend of activities built around the annual world famous Jackson Hole Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction. This year, the 41st annual event will include a Chili Cook-Off, live music, and Mountain Man Rendezvous. Proceeds from the auction support the winter feeding program on the National Elk Refuge. The event will be held May 17 and 18.

Smith’s story made mention of the most famous use of discarded wapiti wear on the planet: The elk antler arches on Jackson’s town square. “One of the most well-known examples of sheds is the giant arch in Jackson, Wyo., large enough to drive a vehicle through,” Smith wrote.

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Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) is setting the record straight on her arrest we mentioned last week in TOU. She chose some celebrity rag called “OK!” to clear the air with. Yes, we felt slighted. She told the gossip glossy that the pot in her car was not hers nor did it belong to some hikers she picked up as previously reported.

“I’ve never given a ride to hitchhikers in my life,” Wells said. “I don’t know where that came from.” Wells added that the marijuana found in her car belonged to an unnamed third party who has since come forth to clear her. Wells also flunked a field sobriety test but was not charged with a DUI.

Our favorite part was the swipe at the much-maligned deputy, Joseph Gutierrez, who pulled her over for swerving. Wells said she believes she failed the drunk test due to the inexperience of the arresting officer, who had only been out of school for a few months. “He is currently under investigation,” she let slip on purpose to the mag. Locals know that was for the alleged dog-shooting incident.

The Girl Scouts of the Palm Glades Council in Jupiter, Fla., must not have been reading OK! They cancelled Wells’ scheduled appearance at an annual Girl Scout luncheon. “We canceled her contract because we didn’t feel it would be appropriate for her to speak under the circumstances,” spokeswoman Holly Policy told the TC Palm.

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KFYR-TV is already excited about the two Jackson Hole cougar kittens that will be making their way to the Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton, N.D. Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials found the mother malnourished and in bad shape near Wilson earlier this month. After she died, G&F managed to save two of the three kittens who will make a stop at Tom Thorne/Beth Williams Wildlife Research Center at Sybille in southeast Wyoming before shipping to the zoo in North Dakota.

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Wells Fargo is still on a shopping spree. After snatching up United Bancorp of Wyoming (Jackson State Bank & Trust), the San Francisco bank is expected to bail Cleveland-based National City out of their financial woes.
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Them on Us: Snow gods smile; antler mania; not mine | Planet JH News Article: General News

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