Teton Snow Geek
Snowpack Observations & Backcountry Techniques from the Resident Geek,
JACOB URBAN, and the JHOLI Staff
Teton Snow Geek
Snowpack Observations & Backcountry Techniques from the Resident Geek JACOB URBAN, and the JHOLI Staff
Teton Snow Geek
Snowpack Observations & Backcountry Techniques from the Resident Geek, JACOB URBAN, and the JHOLI Staff
What is Your Recipe to Do More?
When I think of how to Do More I’m really thinking, how do I keep doing what I do? Having made a career in the out of doors, these are the questions I have asked myself over the years: How do I keep things fresh? How do I make this all sustainable? As a guide, athlete, classroom and outdoor educator I need my body and brain to be working at or near 100%, nearly 100% of the time. And no one cares that I am getting older or need more time to recover. Therefore, my down time or “me time” needs to be focused and holistic in an effort to be balanced. It is often simply stated, “take care of yourself and you can take care of others”. Being “regular” is what I strive for in what I call my...
What are you running from?
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. - - H. P. Lovecraft - - Early in my climbing career I was faced with fear…the fear of falling. It was unknown to me as I had never taken a fall or a “whipper” as climbers affectionately coin it. - - As a lead climber we take the rope up with us and clip it through protection as we climb. Thus if we fall, we fall the double the distance we are above the protection. This is the psychological weight, with difficult enough moves, that make gravity nearly unnecessary. - - I succinctly remember the moment when that fear vanished. I fell on a move I perceived to be beyond my...
A few backcountry basics I think we can all agree on!
"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do." -Potter Stewart- The fact of the reality is that our backcountry trailheads are getting busier...and no amount of complaining is going to change it. Backcountry Skiing is a “thing”. As user numbers increase so do user conflicts. The most common user conflicts occur between new and more experienced users and motorized vs. non-motorized users in the same areas. Appropriate use and acceptance of cultural norms by all parties is the pathway to a better shared experience as backcountry areas become more crowded. This is not a list of technical skill set these necessary for backcountry travel....