Grand Tetons in February

[Dave Langendonk]

Anyone have experience shooting the Tetons in Winter? I've been there other times of the year but not winter. Besides it being cold with lots of snow (that's why we're going ;) ) any advice on accessability with 4WD (I know the NP road is closed), must see views, etc? Also, any sled like devices you've used for hauling LF gear over the snow? We'll be staying in Jackson Hole.

[paulr]

If you plan on going into the backcountry (which would mean skis or snowshoes) be sure you understand the avalanche risks. Paying attention to the daily avalanche forecast is the bare minimum ... probably a lot less than the minimum.

I've been climbing for over 15 years but from what I know of the eastern slope of the tetons, i would not venture there in winter without taking a full avy course.

Not too many years ago a slide coming down glacier gulch took out the entire lupine meadows parking lot ... so you could have been offed before even putting on your coat.

Teton mountaineering is a great shop and might have sleds for hauling gear, but I don't think they're a popular option in the tetons. slopes are steep, there's a lot timber, etc.. i'm not sure, but i think most people carry winter loads on their backs.

[Dave Langendonk]

Paul, I should probably clarify my post a bit. We won't be doing any mountaineering. I have no experience in that, especially in the winter. We do plan to venture a bit on foot/snowshoe from the parking lot areas off Route 26/191 but not far. Thanks for the tip on Teton Moutaineering and the Lupine Meadows avalanche. Can you even get to that trailhead in the winter by car? I understand the Park road is closed all winter.

[BruceN]

Teton Park Rd. and Moose-Wilson Rd. closed around the end of October. Unless you plan to do some serious snowshoeing I'd take a long lens and be at one of the plowed highway 191 turnouts for sunrise, then back at the lodge for hot cocoa an hour later. ;) Or you could rent a snowmobile. Here is one place, I'm sure there are lots of others: http://www.yellowstonerv.com/

Bruce

[paulr]

I figured you weren't talking about mountaineering ... just mentioning all that because you can be in avy terrain in all kinds of un-serious looking places.

there are lots of places you could safely venture far from the road on skis and snowshoes, in a lot of cases without it being too strenuous a slog. ... the trick is to have some sense of where not to go. aside from the grim warnings, i think you could have a great time in stunning surroundings.

i hope you choose skis or shoes over a snow machine. those things are so obnoxious out there. ruins the vibe for people and wildlife for miles around.

[Bruce Watson]

...you can be in avy terrain in all kinds of un-serious looking places.

OK, ya got me. What the heck does "avy" mean? Wikipedia doesn't have an entry. Ten minutes searchine with Google didn't get me a definition. So...

[Jess Lee]

I don't know how flexible your plans are but during December, January and February the Mountains can be cloud covered for weeks at a time. While storms are my favorite time in the Teton range the constant cloud cover is not real conducive to the big scene.
If you don't have to plan far in advance watch the weather then go when it is right.
Good Luck

[QT Luong]

Paul has been buried in so many avalanches that he has his own personal nickname for them.

[Kirk Keyes]

What the heck does "avy" mean?

Perhaps he meant "any"...

[Kirk Keyes]

The Mrs. and I went for Valentines Day several years ago. We were there for 5 days. Cloudy and snowy the entire time. Even a little drizzle. But the last night, it cleared out. Our plane left at 10 AM, so I got up before 6AM, and headed out to the Snake River Overlook. I got there half an hour before sunrise, and there were already about 8 other photographers there. There were a coulpe of 8x10s, and several 4x5, and a few medium formats. I put my Technika at the end of the line... It wasn't a great sunrise, but a bit after I got this:
http://keyesphoto.com/PrintExchange/2005JanPrintExchange-Keyes.html

It actually got better and the clouds build up around the mountains more after the moon set.

We stayed in some cabins in town, and brought our cross-country skis with us an skiied up the road from the visitors center a couple of times.

Definitely watch the news to see what the weather forcast is!

[riooso]

I have friends that grew up in Jackson Hole and I can tell you that it gets cold there, dangerously cold. Like -30F without wind chill. Be careful out there, that area was one of the only places Indians would not be caught in the winter, and teepees rock for warmth!


Richard Adams

[Dave Langendonk]

Thanks for the feedback. This is the kind of info I'm looking for. The cloudy weather situation is always a dice roll on these trips. It comes with the territory when you only have a few days and can't take off on a moments notice. A few days there in cloudy weather is still better than a bunch of days in the office!

Kirk: Now that's what I'm talking about! Looks like your trip was worth it. That shot is great. Any trouble getting to the overlook with the snow?

Richard: Thanks for the concern. I know about cold and have all the appropriate cold weather gear. That said, -30F is too cold for me to be out shooting (their record low for Feb is -42F!). Thankfully those days are the exception, not the rule. It's +32F there right now and their average low is +3F for Feb.

[paulr]

Paul has been buried in so many avalanches that he has his own personal nickname for them.

haha. nice.

[paulr]

Good point about clouds. It snows almost every day in the winter in j.h., and that means precious little sun. you can go days without seeing any mountains. or getting any mail. if it's a short trip, there's a bit of a gamble involved.

[BruceN]

Good point about clouds. It snows almost every day in the winter in j.h., and that means precious little sun. you can go days without seeing any mountains. or getting any mail. if it's a short trip, there's a bit of a gamble involved.

Not entirely accurate. It's certainly true that you can go days without seeing any mountains (or sun for that matter), but you have just as good a chance of having beautiful clear sunny weather for the entire trip. What you actually get will likely be somewhere in between. Since you have only a few days to spend out here it will definitely be a gamble, but I'll wager that you'll enjoy it anyway. Just remember our worn out old quip - If you don't like the weather in Wyoming just wait five minutes, it'll change. Also, since you'll be short on time, don't dismiss the snowmobiles out of hand. They will most likely be your best bet to cover more ground and get safely to many more places than you would ever be able to on shoes or skis, even if you're an athelete. Besides, they're fun. ;)

Bruce

[Dave Langendonk]

Not entirely accurate. It's certainly true that you can go days without seeing any mountains (or sun for that matter), but you have just as good a chance of having beautiful clear sunny weather for the entire trip... Also, since you'll be short on time, don't dismiss the snowmobiles out of hand...
Bruce

Bruce: Thanks for the perspective. It's always great to get info from someone who lives there. I'm not dismissing the snowmobiles either. I've already done a little checking on rental companies and pricing.

[Kirk Keyes]

Kirk: Now that's what I'm talking about! Looks like your trip was worth it. That shot is great. Any trouble getting to the overlook with the snow?

Thanks for the comment on my shot!

No trouble getting to the overlook - it's right on the side of the highway and the parking lot was plowed. I tried to save a little time as the sun was coming up by walking directly from the parking space to the walkway along the bluff, and it didn;t save any time as the snow was about 18 inches deep and it would have been faster to just walk down the lot to the sidewalk...

Definitely go - it's a great place in the winter. We plan on going back someday. Just make sure you find other things to do, like visit galleries in town, and the park HQ is open, and then had nature walks - one on snowshoes (that they provided) that we did while waiting for the clouds to break/get interesting.

[Jay W]

By "avy" I assumed he meant "AV" as audio visual course on getting cemented in 10 feet of snow. Of course you know what happens when you assume...

Jay