Wildcat Ridge Mountains, WY

“The Outdoor Educator Course began at the NOLS Teton Valley Branch in Idaho. The first couple of days were divided between telemark skiing lessons, at the Grand Targhee Resort, and the class room, where we learned the basics of winter outdoor skills, winter hazards, cold related injuries and, most importantly, avalanche skills. Right from the beginning I struggle with the telemark style. I am very impressed though how easy it is to go steep uphill with those skis with the skins on.
I think I make a pretty reasonable alpine skier, although I haven’t been doing it for many years, and I make a so-so snowboarder, which I have been practicing the last couple of years. Turns out telemark skiing isn’t my cup of tea. I keep falling until I don’t want anymore. I keep hurting myself and feel as if I were on skis for the first time in my life and keep cursing my stupid self. This is getting ridiculous. I just can’t handle those sh*ty skis. I need skis where my heels can be klicked down so to make alpine turns. How am I supposed to follow the group 15 days into the backcountry, when I can’t handle the skis?!
Most of the others in the group are much younger and stronger. Some are as many as 20 years younger and the oldest is still four years younger than me. Some have been on Denali. Some want to go on Denali and take this course as preparation for it. Some are excellent, super strong skiers.

Finally the last evening in the centre comes. We organize camp groups, get the rations done, pack our sleds and packs. Sleds and packs together weight between 75lbs and 100lbs per person. My load will be 86lbs.
The next morning we get driven to the trailhead near Jackson Lake and off we go into the wilderness of the Wildcat Ridge mountains.
The first days are rather stressful and chaotic. Everything is more difficult and takes so much longer, compared to camping in the summer. We haven’t been able to develop a routine yet, that would help us to speed up the processes. We get constantly pushed. Even going crapping takes planning and preparation and is a frosty experience no matter what you do. Snowballs as toilet paper…!?! Oh dear…oh dear….!
Eventually, after some days, we get accustomed to living in the winter environment and develop routine and confidence. Rather than moving every day we set up camps with more permanent shelters, where we stay for a couple of days and do more lessons, training and powder skiing. We built quinzhees and these are a lot more comfortable than the tents.
As excited and thrilled I am about the whole winter camping experience I am dreading every moment we move on the skis and the worse, when we have to haul the sleds and packs. No matter how hard I try, that I keep running as fast as I possibly can, I just can’t keep up with the group. Even with my best effort I fall further and further behind. I only catch up with the group when they stop, but soon after I get there, the groups starts out again. Leaving me with hardly any time to rest, drink and eat. If I don’t want to fall behind again I have to keep going, no matter what. This isn’t helped by the fact that everything, even the simplest task such as taking off layers, is so much clumsier and takes so much longer when on skis. So usually I simply keep on what I have, however unpleasant, and sweat through it. Which I would never do, particular in winter, if I could move with my own speed. One particular cold day, when I have to open my jacket to get something from an inside pocket, I find that the sweat is frozen ‘inside’ of my goretex jacket.
Not much else one can do, but keep pressing on, if one is the damn slowest in the whole troupe. One day, when we move to our second base camp on the ridge, we are hauling all our gear and rations over 1000ft, steep uphill. I get sent out with the first group, but eventually start falling behind and one by one have to step aside, to let the others pass, until eventually I fall at the end of the ‘second’ group. I am waay behind. The first and second group are already on the ridge, staking out campsites and I am still struggeling below them. Someone comes down to offer me to take my sled. I decline. If there is just one damn thing I want to be able to say at the end of all this, than that I have been pulling my weight like everybody else. I think they really think I won’t make it, because shortly before the camp someone else comes down to take my sled off me. I tell him, if he touches my sled I will run the ski pole straight through him. He may not have my sled unless I have been vomiting or spitting blood. I make it to the ridge and even help digging the shelter. I shovel until I really can’t no more and they tell me to get out of the way and sit down.
Over the next days the weather takes a turn to the worse. Driving snows blows across the ridge and temperatures plummet. Monday 26th the decision is made that one of us gets evacuated: his wife, back home, is about to go in labour. Tuesday morning it’s -17°F. The evac team of four sets out to bring one of us to the road head and return the next day. Farewell. The head instructor follows the team down the first slope, to show them the way. The rest of us returns to our shelters with some somber feelings. One of us is gone. We talk about the situation and make hot beverages. Suddenly the head instructor returns – with a frost bitten thumb. No kidding. That thing is really frozen. I mean, look at it. Confusion. Discussions with the headquater, whether he stays or must leave. Than the decision is made, he will be evacuated too. The two strongest skiers of our group are selected to accompany him. The three of them will try to catch up with the first evac team, which is already on its way. Suddenly we have two evac teams heading down the mountain. Less than half of the group, including the last remaining instructor (of originally 3 instructors), will have to sit out the storm and cold on the ridge.
The storm keeps coming and we are worried the evac teams might not be able to get back to us the following day. We keep waiting for them. Then, late in the afternoon, they are coming back, including one additional instructor.
They hardly get a day rest, as the next day we already break our ridge camp and move down. We are on our way back home. Another two more days traveling along Arizona Creek Trail and we are back at the trailhead, where the trucks pick us up and bring us back to the NOLS Teton Valley Branch.”

“Wow!!! Great Report!!! Wish I coulda been there!!!LOL!”

“Euro, great report--thanks for your honesty and humor. Would have loved to have been there when they offered to take your sled!”

“Dang! You did something most of the 'strong' true backpackers of TT couldn't do. My hat's off to you!

Great TR. Thanks for writing it up for us.”

“Holy crap!!! Great report...


(Note to self.. Stay away from any trips led by eurohike.. you will end up killing yourself...)



"Some are as many as 20 years younger and the oldest is still four years younger than me. Some have been on Denali. Some want to go on Denali and take this course as preparation for it. Some are excellent, super strong skiers."


Wait a minute... Is this Eurohike from Latta.. Rhetorical question, but HOW old are you.. I though that you were in your 20's...


'32oz
last edited: 2/06/09 4:38:54 AM”

“Thanks '32oz. Sweet from you.
:-)

By the way, by Tuesday 27th most of us had sustained some minor frost nips on the fingers. Nothing serious, only superfical damage. There is a numbness in the finger tips, just like having got anesthetic, but the feeling won't go away, even when the fingers are warm again, and on pressure it hurts, but deeper inside the tissue, not on the surface.
My finger tips are still numb and the skin is presently peeling away. Other than that everything is okay. Really.”

“Great TR, Euro. Remeber I told you yuo'd have a great time.

BTW, I'm surprised they didn't have AT (alpine touring: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_touring) gear available (www.movementskis.com and www.silvretta.de). I can't telemark because of my knees and AT gear can do everything that touring telemark can do and you can lock down your heels.”

“WOW, nice report!!

Watch out for this girl and her ski poles!
She might cut you a new one.”

“I thought she was in her 20's, too - even after I met her.

Nice Report euro. You're stronger than you think.”

“...but surely not after you saw my drivers liscence for clarification on that matter.
:-)”

“Cool TR. Challenging wasn't it!

I'm like Gremlin, I'm surprised they didn't offer a choice between AT and Tele gear. Tele gear is tricky to use - but most 'old school' mountaineering types think it's the only way to go.”

“
1000ft uphill


Jackson Lake




Snow shelter”

“They had you livin' in a cave?”

“They had us building the cave in which they had us living!...






For this camp Dan had the great idea to set up the tent fly right at the iglo entrance and then dig the kitchen underneath it. Therefore we had the only 'sheltered' kitchen in the camp and on Tuesday 27th, when we had to sit out the storm, while the evac teams where gone, the remaining crew would take shifts, to sit in our kitchen, for some warmth. It was a cozy -10°F inside and without the windchill it was bliss.

Those up there are quinzhees. Here is an example of building an iglo.

last edited: 2/07/09 7:03:18 AM”

“That's awesome, Euro! I can't see paying for frostbite myself, but that looks like a great experience.”

“@ Gremlin and Roam - I wish they had offered AT gear. I would have much prefered this. I found Tele gear tricky to use.
I guess you may be right about 'old school' mountaineers using tele gear. One of the students had his own AT gear he used on this trip.”

“Tele who?”

“Anybody interested to be guineapig for my Winter Outdoor Educator? I am certified now. I need someone to trust their life into my hands for a weekend trip into the mountains, winter camping and avalanche training and so.

Anybody interested? Please.”

“Best trip report I ever read; it gave me the sense of being there. Although it's fairly colder where I live, sleeping out in it has never occured to me no matter how much beer I drink. I guess that means I will NOT be volunteering to place my life in your hands:)”

“Come on up to The Adirondacks in New York and you can train the lot of us next weekend.”

“You may survive, but your liver won't.”

“I'd love to, but I guess I'll have to stay for a while on this side of the pond...sigh.”

“Perhaps another time?

>8^b”

“...another time.”

“come back over next winter and we can easily get a group of 3 or 4 together for a fun weekend in deep snow. Some buds of mine were just out last weekend - i was gonna go, but had issues with children that kept me home.”

“Dang kids.....”

“Wow.   Glad you didn't freeze your butt off ---- !”

“Word has it that nearly happened.”

“...butt is doing fine, but am wondering if I have done something to my heart? Maybe I put too much strain on it during those long uphill runs? When I lie awake, I hear it beating loud. Kind of irritating. It's not a thuding sound though, rather a long swishing sound. Never had that before.

Someone tell me the truth...how bad is it?”

“You had better visit Olympic National Park this summer..............time is winding up.”

“Doktor MarkO says that you must visit the Pacific Northwest in August and perhaps the healing qualities of that pure rain forest air can save you.”

“I'd be less concerned about frostbite and a little more about that weird orange thing that grew out of your forehead.

If 2 little bumps start sprouting from your forehead, go right to a doctor (or entomologist).
last edited: 2/09/09 6:52:51 AM”

“
What you get and what you see
Things that don't come easily
Feeling happy in my pain
Icicles within my brain

Something blowing in my head
Winds of ice that soon will spread
Down to freeze my very soul
Makes me happy, makes me cold

My eyes are blind but I can see
The snowflakes glisten on the trees
The sun no longer sets me free
I feel the snowflakes freezing me

Let the winter sunshine on
Let me feel the frost of dawn
Fill my dreams of flakes of snow
Soon I'll feel the chilling glow

Right

Don't you think I know what I'm doing?
Don't tell me that it's doing me wrong
You're the one that's really the loser
This is where I feel I belong

Blind

Crystal world with winter flowers
Turn my days to frozen hours
Lying snowblind in the sun
Will my ice age ever come?






“Snowblind”
 Iommi, Ward, Butler and Osbourne
 Black Sabbath Vol 4 (1972)

”

“@ Nimble - These are my 'snow eyes'.”

“Your heart capacity has grown, Euro (ignore the pervs who will surely post on that) and if you keep training your heartbeat willo probably drop a few beats.

Great pics, but practise avy rescue with a beacon in a backpack (not that I don't trust you).

Doug”

“My heart has grown!?! ...uhm, I hope that is not dangerous? I am not a teenager anymore. The racket it makes at night is kind of annoying. I wish it would be quiet.”

“Your heart is eagerly awaiting your legs to get moving...........uphill with a rucksack............maybe some mountains in the Pacific Northwest.”

“Okay,...yes, yes, got the hint - Pacific Nothwest is the direction to head...”

“
> > >   Please note:   heart being quiet is not desirable.   < < <

”

““...but surely not after you saw my drivers liscence for clarification on that matter.
:-)”
~Euro hike

What'chu talkin' bout, Willis? No body looks like their drivers license pic - who's that ugly?*


come back over next winter and we can easily get a group of 3 or 4 together for a fun weekend in deep snow.
~Roam

TT will hold you to that. I'm half packed.

"My heart has grown!?! ...uhm,..."
~Euro hike

Of course it did. And so have ours - thanks.


*It should be noted that my ex-wife was actually uglier than her drivers license picture on account that the DMV sent her to Glamour Shots, compliments of the State, before they would risk a picture.”

“Great pictures, Euro!

Thanks for posting them.”

“Searched this thread and read what I had written about a year ago. It was January last year that I was on this trip. Built and sleept in an igloo just at this precise time of the year.

It was the toughest thing I have ever done to myself. When I read what I had written about a year ago, I realized, to my surprise that, although I was glad to have made it and knew what an incredible experience it had been, I was everything but proud of myself.

I forgot all about the frost nip on my fingers. I am glad to say it has completly healed off and that the feeling has returned to the tips of my fingers and that they don't hurt anymore.”

“I was proud enough for the both of us :)”

“I was proud enough for the both of us :)”

“You can say that again.”

“So proud, in fact, that it beared repeating.”

“Yeah, that numbness in the fingers and toes usually goes away after a few months for me.
This after the FYAO trip every February.

It depends on how freakin' cold it gets.
In 2003 we had lows of -19 F and -17 F and in 2004 it was -26 F just before sun up on the Sunday morning that we bugged out.
It warmed up to ZERO F after the sun broke over the trees that morning.”

“Thanks gojo :-)I don't know what would have been if you hadn't picked me up.”

“You don't know what "could have been", either :). j/k...”