Witches Caldron While Skiing Jackson Peak

Went for a ski on Jackson Peak this morning. Mostly to see what’s been going on
with the precipitation we’ve been getting the past few days. Weather looked okay
as we drove out on the ultra-green Elk Refuge.

It seemed as though the clouds were lifting as we got views of
the North Face and nearly drove to the summer trailhead.

The clouds quickly began to roll in though and it made for
an eerie feeling as we followed an old road into the forest.

The visibility was marginal as we arrived at the summit.
Bringing doubt as to what route we would take on the descent.

Things seemed to be going our way with lifting clouds
and views of the Gros Ventre Mountains beginning to show through.

Still a brewing caldron on the north side though,
we opted to head east where we could see where we were going.

The snow was cream cheese, but rather skiable and it’s nice to get
a fresh coating of the white stuff in the hills. This snow seemed to stick to everything
and I bet it packed into some lines higher up in the Tetons.

Reed skis into the Upper Sheep Creek drainage.

It was predictable and easy to get things moving. The skiing
on the bed surface was just as good as the new snow…maybe better.

We passed lots of debris piles on the way out and the mountains were
definitely doing their own snow control today. Transition time for sure!