Almost Spring in Jackson Hole

Teton Pass, May 27, 2011, elevation 10,000 ft:
Teton Pass, May 27, 2011, elevation approx 7,000 ft:

I chose to live in Jackson Hole to ski, so with over 700" of snow this winter, I should be incredibly stoked. All the snow, however, has kept the mountain bike trails around Jackson buried deep under a white blanket, and it's high time to play on some real dirt!

Since early April I've been traveling around- Santa Cruz, Grand Junction, Fruita, Green River, Vernal- to get my riding in. Fast forward to the end of May, and I'm back in Jackson and bored trying to live vicariously through everyone else's riding on Pinkbike. I decided to go for a hike to see for myself how long it might be before I could ride Parallel Trail, which is on a south facing slope and generally the first downhill trail to melt out.

I was surprised to see that not only was the trail already melting out, but people had been shoveling snow off the trail, building up new jumps, and everything but the top 10% was completely shred-ready. I busted back home, grabbed my gear, hauled it back to the trail and immediately went about testing my new Mojo HD on a familiar trail. Since no one else was out riding and the weather was still more conducive to skiing, I took the opportunity to use my GoPro to self film the trail. Through the winter I made a couple POV ski vids and it was fun to mix up the filming style. I ran out of time my first afternoon but was having a blast, so went back to film the bottom section the following day- but not before a nice ski run on Mount Glory, just another mile up Teton Pass from where the Parallel Trail starts.

Anyone looking for more info on the freeride trails around Jackson Hole should look up the Teton Freedom Riders and check for trail updates. Unfortunately, it'll probably be July before the higher elevation trails are clear. So if you come to visit, bring your bike...and your skis!

Enjoy the vid:


In case anyone was curious on my new bike's build, here it is, kind of a heavy duty super D build:

Ibis Mojo HD
Fox DHX RC4
Fox 36 Talas 180 FIT RC2
Crank Brothers Iodine wheels, tubeless
Maxxis Minion 2.5 Exo front tire
Specialized Escar 2.3 2bliss rear tire
Crank Brothers Iodine3 stem, 65mm
Crank Brothers Sage handlebar, 780mm
Crank Brothers Iodine grips
Formula The One FR brakes
WTB Rocket V saddle
Crank Brothers Joplin remote seatpost
Shimano XT 10 speed r. shifter
Shimano XT r. der
Shimano XT 11-36 cassette
Shimano XT cranks, BB
MRP G2 guide
MRP 36 tooth chainring
Cranks Brothers 5050 pedals

Cheers!