Hey Newschoolers,

I wanted to update you on my trip to Jackson and thanks Spyder for the

clothes they gave me shortly before heading up there.

There are a few pictures attached, so I'll let you look at those, but I

thought I'd tell you that it was a very successful and educational trip.

The scholarship I won in April was for this course in June, allowing me,

along with nine other kids, to head out into the Tetons with experinced ski

mountaineers that would serve as our guides.  This scholarship program is

called the Hans Saari Memorial Fund, educating kids about how to travely

safely through the mountains.

The first couple of days were spent up on Jackson Hole Resort, learning the

basics for using ice axes, crampons and harnesses, and doing some skiing as

well.  It was a fun two days, doings things like reppeling into chutes and

skiing couliors while roped in.  With great snow conditions and good

weather, the first two days were great fun, and good preperation for the

camping trip.

The next day we headed up Garnet Canyon for a three-day, two night camping

trip.  It was a four hour hike up to our camp site, and by the time we got

up there it was snowing really hard.  With 10 inches of new snow and no

signs of it letting up, it made for some great skiing later that day.

The next day brought another foot of snow and the skiing was unreal.

Despite a small avalanche that occurred while hiking a chest deep,

wind-blown coulior, leaving us cold and wet, it was the best day of skiing

I'd ever had mid-June.

The last day was bright and sunny, and we made our way near the top of the

Middle teton before having a four-thousand vertical foot run to camp.  We

then packed up camp and headed down, concluding a great week.

Thanks again for the clothes, they worked perfectly! I'm super, super stoked
on them.
Talk to you soon,

Duncan