Blake Paul takes his pals on a whirlwind snowboard tour of Jackson Hole
At the turn of the century my parents packed up our family’s comfortable life in Vermont and took the dusty trail out west to the Tetons. The reasons behind our move were simple: better snow, steeper mountains, vast beauty, and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle as much as possible. At the naive age of seven I had no idea the impact this cross-country escapade would have on my life. During the first decade I spent in the valley, I joined the snowboard team, learned how to ride powder, competed in local and regional contests, got mentored by my snowboarding heroes, signed sponsorships, started to travel the world, and created friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
I will be forever grateful that I got to grow up in Jackson Hole, and I consider the mountains and the people of Teton County responsible for molding me into the snowboarder and human I am today.
I don’t let a winter go by without returning home to catch a storm cycle. I lap my favorite runs at JHMR, sled in the backcountry, hike the Pass[b][c], see all the old familiar faces, and experience the taste of nostalgia. I fell in love with snowboarding here, and coming home brings me back to that feeling. I’m more excited about sharing this area with my friends than ever.
I checked the Jackson Hole weather forecast one day back in January, and I saw a report from an eccentric forecaster claiming that “Winter Storm Olive will be one to remember, blanketing several feet of snow across the Tetons. If you’re thinking about coming—start driving now, as the airport will probably be shut down for days.” I knew we had to act fast. I called up fellow ‘boarders Parker Szumowski, Mike Rav, Sam Taxwood, and Mike Bogs, cinematographer Harry Hagen, and photographer Oli Gagnon and I said the same thing to each of them: It’s time to head back to Wyoming.
We got in the lift line at 7 a.m. for the first few mornings of the storm, and we participated in the rat-race like powder-hungry mongrels. We rode Dicks Ditch, Rock Springs, Four Pines, and topped each day off with a few laps through the mini park. We stopped at Overview Coffee, ate at Teton Thai and Teton Tiger, dodged moose on dark back roads, scored some night pow at Snow King, and spent a down day in Bryan Iguchi’s garage skating his mini ramp.
During a break in the storm, we built the classic Old Pass Road gap, one of the first bigger jumps (and shots) I ever had in a movie, roughly a decade ago. I was elated every time someone on the crew got hyped about our day-to-day routine. It’s a rewarding and special feeling to share places and spaces that meant a lot to you throughout your youth.
When the storm cleared and the avalanche danger settled down, we headed into the hills to film for the latest Vans video Bless the Ledge / Secret Tape. We stayed south of town in a rustic cabin with no hot water, but with a gracious host who came over every day to dutifully try and fix it. We relied on gas station burritos and Bryan Iguchi and Mark Carter to lead the way. Some of the crew were new to backcountry sledding and rented neon-yellow 850 Polaris sleds, complete with bright orange helmets and full face shields. We weren’t exactly dialed or experienced, but we were motivated, and definitely had a ton of fun.
The snowboarding and filming that ensued was productive every day. The snow was just deep enough to get after it but not too deep, allowing us to cover the entire zone over the course of a week. We weren’t the only ones out there either: one day we picked up Austen Sweetin and Travis Rice on a radio channel from a completely different drainage in the range.
Blake’s world! Party time! Excellent!
We rode wind-lips and step-downs, built kickers, ripped pow surfers, got stuck in creeks a few times, lost a backpack, launched a few fireworks, and capped every day with sips from a Chivas Regal bottle in the parking lot at sunset. The most memorable shot we got was Parker’s 50-50 on a gigantic hanging rainbow log, with a twenty-foot drop onto the pillow face below. He laced it on his third try, blowing everyone’s mind! It’s a feature that other film crews have probably driven by for years but never actually dared to step to.
Winter Storm Olive had provided. That zany forecaster was correct: it was one to remember. We drove home in a convoy of trucks with the sun setting over the mountains to the west, blasting a Best of Stevie Nicks playlist from the speakers. Another Jackson mission accomplished. I can’t wait to see what this year provides.
– BP
Low-key, continually evolving, and always one for words: Blake’s got layers.