Your Guide to Cody Peak

I have a photo of Cody Peak framed on the wall of my office. Whenever I need some inspiration I take a moment and ponder the mountain. It is so iconically Jackson and the terrain on it will challenge every fiber of your being. If you have ever skied off of the tram or Sublette chair at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort you have most likely notice the jagged peak to the South. Cody Peak is an extreme skier’s dream. With access just outside of the ski area boundary and a short boot pack, average joes can access terrain that is seen in extreme skiing movies. The peak is not for the faint of heart and I would recommend only for expert skier with extensive backcountry experience. There have been countless avalanches on Cody Peak as well as avalanche-related deaths on the peak. It is out of bounds, therefore you will need to have appropriate avalanche training and gear in order to ski the peak.

Cody Peak has numerous aesthetically pleasing lines. From the open powder field known as the Powder 8s to the extremely steep Pucker Face and narrow couloirs and chutes with names like “Once is Enough”, Cody has tons of skiable terrain. To reach Cody you leave the resort through the upper gate in Rendezvous Bowl and follow a mellow trail along the ridge to the bottom of the boot pack.

The Hike

The Cody Peak boot pack is the scariest boot pack in the Jackson Hole sidecountry area. Depending on how much snow there is the first part of the boot pack can be more like a rock scramble.. with ski boots on. It’s a heart pounding experience. Plastic soles with no tread on icy rock is not a good combination. This, coupled with the fact that the peak is avalanches-prone means that it isn’t a good choice for early season skiing. The peak is best skied with a lot of snow, when the boot pack is more than likely to be filled in – with the exception of a few spots where you will need to scramble over rock outcroppings. Additionally, the peak is very susceptible to wind. If it is blowing more than 15MPH you most likely will not want to hike Cody, where you will be pummeled by wind during your entire hike.

Once you are above the scramble the hike becomes very mellow. You will hike down the ridge and around the back side of Cody Peak. Once you get to the top of the ridge you will have to make your decision on what you want to ski.

The Lines

There are 6 lines that you can ski off of the bootpack on Cody Peak. The first line that you will approach is called Pucker Face. It is an extremely steep face with a cliff ban in the middle. From the top all you can see is a roll over, right where the cliff ban is. It’s rather nerve wracking, not particularly knowing where the cliffs are. This face is also very prone to avalanches, so if you are the first one to ski it make sure you do a proper risk assessment.

The next line that you will reach is a bowl called No Shadows. It’s popular entrance is on the skier’s right of the bowl. Next up the ridge is Four Shadows, another steep bowl which is typically plagued by a large cornice on the top. The best way to enter Four Shadows is at the highest part of the bowl on the right hand side. Four Shadows and No Shadows are north facing, which means that they are good options during a drought when all of the southern aspects are baked or frozen. Up past Four Shadows is a north facing chute. Central is a hair raising, narrow no-fall chute with a mandatory air at the bottom. If you can ski it you most likely are a pro skier or should consider changing your career.

From the top of Four Shadows there is a bootpack traverse over to the south side of the peak. The first couloir that you reach is called “Once Is Enough.” With a sketchy entrance, this steep no-fall couloir is one of the most well known lines in the Tetons. You can see the line from the road, it’s the line in the notch of Cody Peak when viewed from the South. It’s a popular line to ski in the spring when the sun warms the snow and creates edgeable corn. If you look into Once and decide that it’s a little much for you, head up the peak further (to the East) and take a look at “Twice Is Nice.” As you can gather from the name of the line, it’s a more mellow option to Once with a nice hanging powder field that narrows into a choke. This steep line is equally fun during the springtime. These lines drop you into No Name Canyon. If you are looking to extend your day, keep right at the exit of both of the couloirs and take the traverse over to No Name.

Last, but not least, are the Powder 8s. This open powder field can be access by either skiing the North facing lines on Cody (Pucker Face, No Shadows, Four Shadows or Central), and then traversing over to the bottom of the bootpack, or by hiking the bottom of the bowl at the base of Cody Peak. The Powder 8 bootpack is relatively short and steep.. I mean, sweet. From the top of the Powder 8s you can ski the powder field or traverse over to No Name Peak or drop into No Name Canyon. The Powder 8’s are popular to lap.

So there you have it. I have skied all of the lines on Cody Peak except for Central and Once. The terrain is heart pumping and exhilarating. It is really amazing to have such challenging terrain just steps outside of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort boundary. If you are a serious backcountry skier I definitely recommend fitting a hike up Cody Peak into your trip!

Backcountry Skiing in Grand Teton National Park – The Delta Lake Shots

We have the luxury of having a breathtakingly beautiful National Park in our backyard. Thousands of people explore Grand Teton National Park during the summer    months, but during the winter the park becomes rather inaccessible due to the fact that they don’t plow the majority of the park road and you need to have skis or snowshoes to explore it. The road from the South Entrance in Moose is plowed until the Bradley and Taggart Lake trail head. On the north end it is plowed until Signal Mountain Lodge and Flagg Ranch (see A Trip to Polecat Hot Springs for a fun excursion in the north end of the Park). The South end of Grand Teton National Park is a haven for the winter enthusiast – there are lots of backcountry ski objectives, miles of trails for snowshoers and the Park grooms the road for cross country skiers.

I have done a number of different backcountry ski objectives in Grand Teton National Park, but last weekend’s objective was by far the prettiest. My friend Katie and I decided that we were going to sacrifice a long, consistent ski run for breathtaking views on a blue bird day. She suggested that we ski the Delta Lake shots. Delta Lake is one of my favorite lakes in Grand Teton National Park and I’ve hiked to it numerous times during the summer, but I’d never been to it in the winter, let alone ski down to it so we packed up the car and headed to the trail head. The one thing that I don’t like about skinning and skiing in Grand Teton National Park is that there are a bunch of small foothills that you must negotiate between the trail head and the beginning of the mountains. This means that there is some up and down on the skin track, which is one of my pet peeves – I hate having to go down just to go up again.

After the foothills we reached Bradley Lake. The lake, which is frozen for the majority of the winter, provides a gorgeous up and close view of the Teton Range. After the lake, we finally reached the base of the mountains. We skirted around face of the mountains for a little bit and then began our ascent. Thankfully, someone had already put in a skin track. It took us 4 hours of zigging and zagging up the mountain side until we got our first view of the Grand Teton. It was absolutely gorgeous. Until we realized that we were on the wrong ridge. Thankfully there wasn’t a huge depression in the mountain to get to the ridge that we needed to be on. I did protest a little bit as we started downhill towards the correct ridge. After a short uphill we were standing on top of one of the Delta Lake Shots, staring down on Delta Lake. The mountains were silhouetted by a brilliant blue sky. I took about a million photos and then started to take off my skins and prepare for the descent.

After a quick assessment of the snow pack and discussion of where our safe zones were, Katie dropped. I watched as she skied the smooth powder down to the agreed upon safe zone. I dropped after her and met her at the safe zone and then she skied down to the lake and watched from afar as I took my turns in the wide chute. The view from the lake was equally stunning. All I kept thinking was “this is heaven on earth.” I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place! After taking more photos on the lake we skied out of Glacier Gulch and traversed across until we got closer to Bradley Lake. The snow had warmed up under the sun to soft corn. We both laughed giddily as we skied down to Bradley Lake. Once on the lake we put our skins back on and trekked back to the car.

We both agreed that a celebratory beer was in order so we drove to Dornan’s and cheers-ed to our ski tour while admiring the peaks that we were just skiing in. Dornan’s was packed with fellow skiers, all sharing the tales of their ski objectives and trading high fives. It’s a really cool atmosphere and it’s a must if it’s your first time touring in the Park. In fact, I took my Avalanche 1 test at Dornan’s after skiing in the Park for the first time for my avalanche course.

Please note – Backcountry skiing is inherently dangerous and I do not suggest that you try to go for a ski tour in Grand Teton National Park unless you have proper training, gear (beacon, shovel, and probe), are in excellent physical shape and have a good awareness of the area and your objective. With that being said, touring in the Park is an unbelievable experience and I highly recommend it to any serious backcountry enthusiast.

Dawn Patrol on Teton Pass

I wake up to Passenger’s “Let Her Go” playing on my alarm clock. For a moment I think about just staying in bed. The song is like a lullaby, coaxing me to just lie back down and close my eyes. Then I think about my friend, Julie, who I promised to meet at the end of Old Pass Road in Wilson at 6:30AM. I can’t let her down. And then I think about how skiing soft, blower powder makes me feel. Okay, I’m up.

Like the majority of other Jackson Hole residents, I have to be at work by 9AM so if I have a prayer of skiing powder it means getting up before the sun and heading to Teton Pass. On powder days us 9 to 5ers are up early, hiking the Glory boot pack in search of our powder fix before heading in to work. We like to call these type of backcountry missions “dawn patrols.”

The issue with dawn patrols is that you typically don’t have a substantial amount of time. The most common early morning run is to park at the top of Teton Pass, hike Glory, on the north side of the pass, and then ski Twin Slides, Shovel Slide or First Turn. I am always impressed by the sheer amount of people on the Glory boot pack at 7AM. Doesn’t anyone sleep around here?

This morning Julie and I decided to park a car at the bottom of the pass (at the end of Old Pass Road) and drive another car to the top. We determined that we would rather hike a shorter distance and get a longer run down to the bottom of the pass instead of just back to our car at the top of the pass. We hiked Chiver’s Ridge, which is on the south side of Teton Pass. Most dawn patrolers go for Glory and so we got the first tracks down Chiver’s. Of course this required breaking the boot pack but the hike is a quarter of the length of the Glory boot pack.

As we suspected, the snow was soft and deep. We floated between the trees with huge grins on our faces. When we got to the bottom we contemplated a second run. And then we looked at the time. Drats! Sometimes work can really be a burden.

When I got home I complained to my husband that I had to go to work. He looked at me like I had two heads. He said “You should be ecstatic right now! You just skied powder. Most of our friends back East won’t get to do what you did today all year.” He was right. I have become the jaded local. Lift lines are always too long, there isn’t enough powder, the run isn’t ever long enough, all of these complaints are totally ridiculous in comparison to what my eastern friends are (or more accurately, aren’t) experiencing. After all, there is always tomorrow. That’s the only draw back to early morning Teton Pass runs. You get a nice taste of skiing powder, but then you have to go to work. I guess that I will just have to put the memory of this morning on repeat until I get to do it again tomorrow.

Out of Bounds at Jackson Hole – Four Pines

Today was forecasted to be a beautiful bluebird powder day. So after putting in a few hours at work I gathered up all of my gear and headed to the bus stop. Managing to look as disheveled as I possibly could (poles at an outward 90 degree angle, jacket unzipped, backpack on one shoulder, skis flopping around) I managed to find a seat on the bus. The next 20 minutes were torture.. why aren’t we there yet? Finally, the doors opened and a sea of skis, snowboards and brightly clad skiers emerged from the bus.

I headed straight for the tram line where I rendezvoused with two of my friends. The line was unbearably long for a Friday (don’t people ever work around here?). After 40 minutes we were finally crammed into the red box flying uphill at an amazing clip. As we got higher the wind outside became more audible. That’s the only downside of crystal clear skies: lots of wind. When we reached the top it took every ounce of my body to walk across the wind scoured tram dock.

*Note – Please do not decide to venture out into the backcountry unless you have the right equipment (shovel, probe, beacon), training and an awareness of the snow pack and terrain. Always visit jhavalanche.org and read the avalanche report before venturing into backcountry terrain. It is not controlled for avalanches and can be extremely dangerous.*

Finally, making it to the snow I dropped my skis on the snow, tighten my boots and traversed across the top of Rendezvous Bowl. We decided to go out the upper gate and ski the bowl just out of bounds. We avoided getting cliffed out by sticking to the left hand side, close to the boundary line. There are some gnarly cliffs in the area, and if you don’t know where you are going you can easily find yourself on top of one.

After doing some sidestepping across the Rock Springs Bench we made it to the base of the first boot pack. The first boot pack is short and steep (not to be confused with sweet). We opted to save time by shouldering our skis. I got into the rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other and hoping that I wouldn’t post hole through the soft new snow. After much grunting and heavy breathing I make it to the top, only to strap on my skis and traverse over to the next boot pack.

While we were traversing we happened to see some avalanche activity on Four Pines – where we were heading. It was a north facing aspect and had let go naturally yesterday afternoon. Seeing the avalanche evidence naturally led to us discussing our plan. We wanted to ski safely and avoid triggering an avalanche – no amount of powder is worth dying for. After a brief discussion of whether to ski Green River (more mellow with an east facing aspect), we decided to press on and make conservative decisions once atop Four Pines.

After another boot pack we found ourselves at the top of Four Pines. And what a gorgeous day it was! Clear blue skies, a sea of fresh white powder waiting to be skied. The skiing was great! A little heavy, but still, nothing beats untouched powder. We followed proper protocol: skiing one at a time, waiting in safe zones. What a great day in the office! Days like today seal my fate: it’s impossible to leave such a beautiful, wonderful place! High fives were given all around and we headed back to the lift (and back to the office..).

If you are looking to venture into the backcountry and have a similar experience there are ways to do it without putting yourself in danger. Jackson Hole has a variety of experienced guides that are more than happy to take a newbie or advanced backcountry skier into the backcountry. The only requirement is that you are a Intermediate/Advanced skier and that you are in good physical shape. They don’t call it earning your turns for nothing! Here are some backcountry guides that I would recommend:

Jackson Hole Backcountry Guides – If you are looking to ski the sidecountry – the backcountry off of Jackson Hole, these guys are your best bet.

If you are looking to ski the backcountry in Grand Teton National Park or go on a longer ski tour and summit some of the peaks in the area these are the two guiding companies that I would recommend using:

Exum Guides

Jackson Hole Mountain Guides

Now be safe and go enjoy all the fresh snow that we have been getting!

Spring Off Season in Jackson Hole

With over 660 inches total snowfall in the mountains so far this season, which is equivelant to 55 feet of snow, or as tall as a 5 story building, the snow will be here for quite some time. About this time of year the locals start getting antsy, I mean, 6 months of snow can get to you after awhile. As I walked home from work in a snow flurry yesterday I noticed some kids playing basketball, one had shorts on. We are a tough breed in Jackson, but after days of cloudy snow flurries we get really excited when the sun comes out. This past weekend was full of gorgeous sunshine. So how did I spend it? Outside of course!

I had heard that the roads in Yellowstone were clear from Flag Ranch to West Thumb and open to bike traffic only, so on Saturday I loaded my mountain bike in the car and took off for Flag Ranch. However, 2 miles into my ride I hit a little bit of a road block. The road was clear only to the entrance of Yellowstone. Past the entrance the road was covered by at least 5 feet of snow. Disappointed, I turned around and packed up the bike and headed down to Signal Mountain in Grand Teton National Park. I knew that the road in Grand Teton National Park was closed exclusively to bike traffic until May 1. I hopped on the bike and set out for String Lake, located at the end of Jenny Lake. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on this gorgeous day. Families were out biking with their kids, road bikers were out with their buddies for group rides, and I moseyed along on my mountain bike, wishing that I had a road bike instead of a full suspension mountain bike with knobby tires. As I approached the String Lake Junction bodies were strewn across the street: people laying on the pavement soaking up the sun. I stretched out on the pavement and enjoyed a snack, meanwhile another biker road by and commented “Great, more road kill.” It was a great way to spend a Saturday and it made me look forward to the summer months.

On Sunday I returned back to the winter months. A buddy of mine has a snowmobile that he wanted to exercise in the pass. He told me to bring along my skis, so who am I to argue? I spent the day getting dropped off on the top of ridges and skiing down in the bright sunshine. I even tried carving some powder on the sled. Unfortunately, I am still learning so I got bucked a few times. It is amazing how much terrain there is in the mountains on the pass. The only place to snowmobile on the pass is on Philips Pass, about half way up the pass if you are coming from Jackson. Trailers aren’t allowed on the pass so you have to have the snowmobile in the back of your truck. The trail up to Ski Lake from Philips Pass is pretty straight forward. Once you reach Ski Lake there are plenty of hill climb options and ridges to drop off the back of. I have never skied off of a snowmobile before, and I have to say that I am completely spoiled now. Totally untouched powder, no competition, and no need to hike or skin to ski. It was awesome. The off season is not so bad in Jackson. Even though the snow will be covering some hiking and biking trails for another month, there are still plenty of things to do outside. So get out there and start enjoying the nice weather we are having!

After the Lifts Close

For most people, the ski season is over once the lifts stop turning, but here in Jackson, the season is far from over. Grand Targhee is open for another 4 days but after that, there is no lift access skiing to be had within an hour of Jackson, Wyoming. What to do when we keep getting hit by snow storm after snow storm? There is still plenty of snow in the mountains and fortunately you don’t have to have any back country knowledge to earn your turns at Snow King Resort.

Snow King, located in downtown Jackson, has 1,571 feet of vertical and is widely used by skiers and hikers alike. One option is to skin up Snow King. The skin track can take you straight up the elk trail to the last switchback before the summit of the mountain, or you may skin the switchbacks. For those who do not have skins, a boot pack up to the summit is set on the Exhibition trail. This trail is steep and the most direct way to the summit. The ski conditions at Snow King are spring-like right now. It is a popular spot with the locals who want to extend their ski season.

For those who do have a knowledge of  back country skiing, I would suggest hiking Glory, which is located on Teton Pass. Always read the avalanche report before heading out into the back country, and make sure that you have the proper equipment. The avalanche report will only be available until this coming Sunday (April 17), and after that measurements will still be posted but there will no longer be a general avalanche advisory posted. I only recommend skiing glory if you are an experienced back country skier. The boot pack is located across from the parking lot at the top of the pass. At this time I would recommend skiing first turn or shovel slide so that you end up back at your car instead of having to ride share on the pass. I highly suggest that you watch this video by the mountain pulse before attempting to hike and ski glory.

The boot pack takes about an hour for a reasonably fast hiker, so make sure you give yourself plenty of daylight to hike and ski down in. There is a small lean-to at the top that you may seek shelter in while waiting for the rest of your party to reach the summit. The vertical rise on the boot pack is about 1,600 feet. There are two trails that I would suggest that you try skiing. The first is called shovel slide and it is off of the false summit. You may ski that ridge down to the highway and then hike up 10 minutes against traffic to your car. The second is called first turn and it is off of the summit of glory. Head towards the Idaho side of the pass and then drop in left to ski back to the highway and hike 5 minutes back up to your car on the road. Both routes are relatively mellow and are open slopes.  The photo on the right was taken this past weekend. There is plenty of snow still up there, so get after it!