The Vill: Mud season hits JHMR

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

By Brigid Mander

Jackson Hole, Wyo--With a week and a half to go, the end of the ski season is in full force in the mountains as the sun cooks the remaining snow at a distinctly alarming rate.

As skiers stand, enjoying après amongst the mud outside places like the VC and the Moose, they slowly sink into the weird turf-like substance, they must depend on friends to warn them to move before they sink into the mud altogether.

Such is the scene at the base area, for all you people who are not skiing. Fun with mud is only part of it, though.

Over the last week, Union Pass Chair and Moose Creek have closed for the season, as have various other places like the Bridger Bean. Both snow conditions and the labor force heading back to South America are putting a dent in the show at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

The hill is still pretty much empty every day, and it is hard to believe people are so over skiing. Some skiers still love the sun, the slush (powder is better), the nonexistent lift lines, though once earlier this week, there were about 15 people in front of us for Thunder Chair. I was astonished.

Where did they all come from? But, like everyone who is still skiing, they were all smiling – it is good up there!

Some things are frightening, like surveying places such as Laramie Bowl. “Bumporama!” proclaimed a fellow lift rider as we rode Sublette. “It looks like a bunch of Coloradans were up here!” This is a true statement, but you must remember, they are slush bumps: they explode when you hit them. Admittedly, this is a rather extended spring skiing period, but there is still much of interest.

Some I won’t divulge, but some are obvious: the ten sleep roller, the half pipe, the wiggle ... let’s talk a bit about the wiggle, shall we?

The Workers’ Wiggle is the new Corbet’s Couloir. The gawking, pole leaning scene has moved over to the giant trench in the middle of Rendezvous Bowl. Tourists line the sides of the wiggle, lean on their poles and stare as riders blow by them, fly up on the sides of the banks, and rip the best line down the bowl.

Sometimes the gawkers drop in, only to be spit out again, and stand back on the sides to watch. As lame as it is to be without a tram, the East Ridge Chair makes many, many wiggle laps possible. I’ll give it that, at least.

Last but not least, props to the wiggle maintenance crew. Do you get a special above and beyond JHMR employee recognition for bringing so much joy to so many?

What else is new at the Village? More dirt! Cat tracks and groomers at the lower elevations are quickly morphing into creeks, mud puddles, and gravel pits. The gravel pits are not limited to the lower areas, though, as Grand is in serious contention for the most rocks in the middle of a groomer, with some grass to boot.

However, the most amusing dirt patches, by far, are at Casper. The slopes below the Casper chair are at least 50 percent mud and rapidly expanding. Poling over to the half pipe in sticky goo on Monday, I saw these two tourists flopping around in the middle of a giant mud patch.

They were completely covered in mud (literally caked from head to toe!) and were being assisted by a ski patroller. I think they had lost some gear in the mud, which was so deep they needed help to find it.

So far upper management has not issued the call to close the area. But, I guess, if you think about it, if a tourist goes splat in the huge mud patches, they can ski down to Casper Restaurant, get cleaned up in the restroom, and maybe they will be tempted to buy something while in the building.

They will probably have to take their skis in for a tune, too, after the mud and rocks have their way. It is like a little economic chain reaction. Who knew mud was so profitable?

Coming up this weekend, Sunday is April Fool’s Day, and Gaper Fool’s Day at the Village. Recently, an upset JH native pointed out how disturbing it is that Gaper Fool’s Day is on the official Jackson Hole Mountain Festival calendar. I had to concur: This is wrong. This should really not be an official event.

Let me digress for a minute: I used to live in Fernie, BC, where Hot Dog Day is a similar event, but every year the date changes, and someone (maybe the bar that builds an ice bar at a hidden spot on the mountain and hands out free shots all day) decreed which day it was, and it spread by word of mouth. It is never sanctioned by the Fernie Alpine Resort. I am quite sure, in fact, they prefer to stay far, far away from the event. It is always an enormous success, made so much more ridiculous by its underground vibe.

We will all still dress up here and have a great time, I am sure, but the day seems to lose a little something by being on the official calendar. They are just trying to be festive, but they should sanction something else. Another event could be created pretty easily, I think. You can’t just appropriate a tradition, after all.

We may get some respite from the mud, if the weather predicted for midweek comes to fruition. Hopefully it will snow a fair amount up high, and hopefully the rain line will remain low. So optimistically, we will have a day with new snow, during the week.

Then, Saturday afternoon Mandatory Air will open for the Wreckers concert at the base at 4 p.m. The concert is free, but you should wear big shoes, so you don’t sink in the mud, and maybe a really dark-colored outfit. 

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The Vill: Mud season hits JHMR | Planet JH News Article: Sports & Recreation

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