Targhee Backcountry Ski Atlas
February 24th, 2009Posted in Skiing in the Tetons
After picking up some bagels at Pearl Street Bagels in Wilson yesterday, I left the bagel shop by way of Wilson Backcountry Sports and my eye was caught by a new book on the book rack: Targhee Backcountry Ski Atlas, by Brady Johnston.
It is not so much a book as a collection of aerial photos showing the locations of popular, and not so well know, backcountry destinations on the mountains next to Grand Targhee Resort. Wisely, Brady offers only a minimalist description of the skiing to be found at the various locations. On the very clear photomaps he indicates the relative difficulty of the skiing at each location, but he starts his atlas off with a hefty disclaimer warning skiers not to depend on his descriptions; if someone goes to any place in the atlas, they are on their own and responsible entirely, for their safety and preparedness.
It will surprise many to learn of the diversity and richness of the backcountry skiing opportunities just outside Targhee’s boundaries. Whether your taste is for big mellow slopes like Targhee’s, aesthetic tree lines, steep avalanche chutes, or cliff jumpng opportunities, Brady will point you toward many options for any of these.
Like all publications of this type, some backcountry practitioners may feel that Brady is going to help ruin their favorite playground by heading more people to it. Compared to the numbers of skiers enjoying the skiing up on Teton Pass, I’ve seen so few people heading to the places Brady highlights, that I think even with this atlas, the Targhee backcountry will remain pretty empty and enjoyable for a long time.
Nice job Brady.
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