Generation Recreation with Michael Pearlman

October Skiing Offers Rewards

By Michael Pearlman, 10-27-08

A couple of early season snowstorms in the Bighorn Mountains was all it took to launch my ski season.

Even my friends who ride their bicycles in January can’t understand why I’m committed to skiing in less-than-ideal October conditions. Even I have trouble explaining it to those who lack my devotion, except to say that it’s become a rite of passage. The quest for early season turns, no matter how involved the effort or limited the reward, has become an established fall tradition.

An opportunity for roadside skiing was the reason I found myself in a snow-covered pullout along US 14A last week, slipping on my boots next to pickup trucks and a hunting camp. Three horses tied to a trailer stared at me as I pulled apart my climbing skins, but when a middle-aged woman emerged from a tent, she continued smoking her cigarette and didn’t seem interested in conversation.

It was a tip from my girlfriend that led me to this road that’s hardly a typical skiers destination. It was Lindsay who noticed several inches of new snow had fallen as she drove the route from Sheridan to Cody for work, and who suggested that the snow cover might be sufficient for touring. But if I’m going to pull out the skis and make the drive, then I’m going to find a way to make turns. To me, skiing is about the turn.

The day began with the usual early-season glitches. Since we’d recently moved, it took longer than I expected to locate all my ski gear. Ten minutes outside of town, I realized I’d neglected to pack a jacket, a 30 minute delay on a day when mountain temperatures were forecast to reach 50 degrees. I briefly debated going without it, but better judgement prevailed and I turned around.

Neve and I passed through Dayton and Ranchester and up US 14, mingling with trucks driven by men clad in blaze orange who towed trailers loaded with four-wheelers. Soon, patches of snow and ice began appearing on the road and at Burgess Junction I merged onto US 14A, which usually closes for the season in early November, preventing intrepid skiers from exploring the terrain. I scoured both sides of the highway, searching for a snow-covered, north-facing slope with decent access. My options were limited, since the pullout I chose was the only place suitable for parking the car off the highway.

By pushing my poles into the snow repeatedly as I skinned uphill, I pegged snow depths anywhere from 4 to 14 inches. Small bushes and large rocks protruded in places, and I raced rising temperatures while climbing to a spot that would serve my purposes of a few simple linked turns.

It took about half an hour of skinning before I reached the top of a slope that’s steep enough and well-covered enough to ski. The pitch is gentle, no more than a 20 degrees, but a southwest wind has deposited additional snow here. The four or five inches that fell a day earlier sit on a sold crust left over from a more significant storm earlier in October. This prevents me from punching through to bare ground.

I pause briefly before starting my descent and think about the last time I skied. It was July 5 and I was balanced an exposed ridge high on the Middle Teton glacier. This is an entirely different mountain experience, and much less risky, but the same eagerness to begin skiing courses through me.

I point my skis downhill and lean into the slope, lightly carving my first turn, and then another, a huge grin emerging within seconds. By the time the terrain flattened out, the snow had grown thick and heavy from the sun, but I had managed about 24 short-radius turns and hadn’t struck any rocks. Conditions weren’t ideal for a second lap, and I was pleased with what I had accomplished, so I opted to climb back uphill and return to the car. I managed to eke out a few more turns on the final pitch to the car.

I’d driven over an hour to make 35 turns in shallow snow during hunting season. It was my first skiing adventure in the Bighorns and I considered it a complete success. My winter season had officially begun.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.