Ski and Tee

Troy boarding in his short-shorts down Pioneer

The thought was to ski and golf in the same day, same outing.

Ok, I’m not old enough to ski… I snowboard… so, it was a “Ride and Tee” for me… I’ll probably take up skiing when I’m too old and worn out to snowboard, but, for now… Gotta take advantage of my youth… (although, I do occasionally strap on a pair of planks to get in touch with my feminine side…)

O.K., All joking aside… On July 1st, they opened the chair lifts at the Yellowstone Club. Grant it, most of the mountain was un-skiable, but, the top of Pioneer had, what I heard, a 60-inch base.

It was warm, and mostly sunny, although the morning veiled the peaks in fog.

The premise of the day was to ski and golf the same day. The golf course is open, and playing great. (Ya, I’m too young to be a golfer too, so, I just try to shoot par. In my game, if the number of lost balls equals the number of Bloody Mary’s consumed, it’s a par game…).

The Chairs opened at 8am. I wasn’t in a hurry to be first chair (for once), so, I grabbed a coffee and some breakfast in the Warren Miller Lodge, hung out for 5 minutes, strapped on my snowboard boots (that looked great with the combination of my DeFeet Nut Socks, a pair of Khaki short-shorts, and a golf shirt…).

Looking up the Mountain Lift at Pioneer

Riding up the chair lift, over green, grassy ski runs, while holding my board in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other was interesting… Once you got mid-mountain, the snow got thicker and thicker and it got a bit cooler. Not so cold that my short-shorts were a problem, but, it was noticeably cooler.

At the top of the Lodge Lift, I strapped on my board, rode the mountain lift up to the top of Pioneer and peered into the Ennis Valley. It was remarkably green down there which contrasted with the remarkably white snow on the Sphinx, Cedar, Lone, and Pioneer mountains.

Troy launching biodegradible Golf Balls

In the semi-slushy snow atop Pioneer, there were bio-degradable golf balls and clubs waiting for me… Launched a few balls toward the Sphinx and started what I really came up for… Snowboarding the Shoulder and Pioneer bowl.

The snow was heavy, but, reasonably consistent… I slid over the edge, and cut far right. Feels good… I laid it over for some classic, Troy-Carves… The icy slushiness scrapes my knee a bit, but, the minor discomfort is worth the exhilaration…

In snowboard pants, you don’t realize how much snow you’re throwing, or, where it’s going… In golf shorts, I quickly encased my more-or-less exposed nether-regions to icy coldness… Nothing like a crotch full of wet snow to wake you up in the morning.

I took a few more runs, video-taped an easy glide down with my helmet-cam (minus the helmet, so, I had to hand-hold it), and headed back down to the golf course. I didn’t really have time to play, so, I just hung out on a warm, bluebird day, launching balls on the driving range straight toward Lone Peak while teasing Len about his swing. (it’s my job…).

Hititng Balls at the YC Golf Course

In any case, it was the best July snowboarding I’ve done. Fun year.. Thanks Mr. Gore!

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