Jackson Hole is not for Pu*****s

Jackson hole played a very important role in my development as a skier and with it good growth as a human being, here is how...

First, let me explain why it was important for this to happen in Jhole. We all know that Jackson hole, WY is one of the most beautiful places in the world and a mecca for nature lovers. Jackson hole ski resort, located in the Teton range is one of the gnarliest “resort” skiing in the US (without heli skiing or going to the wilderness its considered top notch). Jhole is also home to Corbets Colair, a sick double diamond (vids below). While on our snowmobile trip, talking to the guide, he was telling stories how he takes people into the back country to ride snowmobiles and how its common for people to be buried under avalanches. We also casually discussed that people hike the Grand Teton and then ski down the mountain, see videos below. That’s why in the van on the way back, I coined the phrase “Jackson hole is not for pussies” (we discussed having Tshirts made, patent pending). I have come across outdoorsy people that do crazy shit, but this was another level.

One of my friends, Brian, is a good skier and he joined us for days 2 and 3 of our trip, being a good skier, and an intense dude, Brian pushed me and my cousin further and further up the mountain, further and further into trees and pushed our boundaries. While I was scared to end my ski trip early or worse, my brain function, my confidence slowly grew more and more with each run. My first time skiing through trees would not be considered skiing by most standards; it was more like skipping down a 90 degree snow wall in between trees avoiding a collision. But with every run, more and more “skiing” was happening. The moment of truth came when we took the Tram to the top, at this point I had been skiing black diamonds on the mountain, but this was the Tram! There is something very real about going in a Tram with 30-40 people standing and slowly creeping to the top, while the Tram rocks in the wind. Before getting out, the loud speaker confirms that you are not there by mistake and the only way down is single and double diamonds. Stepping out on the metal platform is a moment of truth; signs everywhere that this is an expert area, signs for Corbets, the whole thing is intimidating. The wind blowing over the peak and the 360 views were breathtaking, there is nothing like it. Standing there with the ski tips pointing forward, the push off…

A month later I found myself in Utah and decided to take a solo weekend trip to Park City (the resort where I cut my teeth). While shooting the shit with the ski patrol guy (Brian Jr.), he told me, if you skied black diamonds in Jhole, there is nothing here you cant ski. The weekend served as validation that I am able, I skied mostly black and double black diamonds for two days, making my way up to Junipers bowl a few times. An interesting take away is that “most of the mountain” has been inaccessible to me before, I unlocked the door to 50% more area, more adventures, more challenges, it was like eating the cherry on top, but not the ice cream (poor analogy). Looking at double diamonds that I cant see the end of is no longer scary, the key thing is to push off and let you do what you do!

What can one take away from this lesson? I have been skiing for 5-10 years (with varying levels of skill). In the last 5 years or so, I had viewed black diamonds as something I stayed away from. Now, black diamonds is what I ski. You never know what you are capable of, until you trust yourself and put yourself out there, if you do it right you will embarrass yourself and maybe even injure yourself, but with time you will grow and evolve. The trick in life is to balance the two, but make sure you don’t make the same mistake I did and get stuck at a level and not push yourself. Of course, while a true story, this is not just about skiing, its about everything in life, its about not sitting on the sidelines and watching, its about getting into the game. Same as skiing black diamond’s opens up more mountains to ski, pushing past your limitations in life opens up more life to live. Doing better work in your career, being a better partner to your significant other, knowledge or any other dimension of life, growth = satisfaction.

My takeaway is that sometimes its ok to play it safe and sometimes its ok for your friends to call you a pussy!

Corbets Colair videos

Grand Teton videos

Nature Lover

Personal pics