(Cross-country skiing in Grand Teton National Park.)

February was a month with a shallow snowpack, a mix of weather and increased light as the rays of the sun track back to the Northern Hemisphere. About 300 inches of snow have fallen in the mountains, and water content remains at about 60 percent of average.

As days lengthen and winter begins to wane, I reflect on past years and compare them to this one. Last year, we had numerous robins that remained in the valley. This season, I have not seen one.

A herd of about 20 pronghorns has remained in the Jackson Hole valley instead of migrating south and east in the state. Pronghorn have never adapted to a deeper snowpack, so as the valley becomes white, they can’t find food. This year, with little snow cover, some might survive. Why didn’t they leave?

(Photo by Harry Engels, The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers)

We have a herd of about 100 bighorn sheep that live on the Teton peaks. Due to loss of winter habitat, they remain on the high peaks, surviving this harsh season by limiting their movements and possibly eating lichen. What an existence. Limit your movements, lose calories and wait for spring. Biologists are concerned for this herd. Habitat loss from human encroachment confines them to the high country.

The talk around town is definitely spring. The snow is heavier with our warmer temperatures, but Old Man Winter hasn’t quite let go. During the last week of February, overnight temperatures were below zero.

Light penetrating the snow will become stronger, causing bears to rise, rodents to mate, and the start of the growing season with the first spring blooms. I am awaiting the change and have enjoyed the longer days, lighter gloves and thinner long underwear.

I recently read in our daily paper that bear sign has been spotted. They are up earlier than usual but not uncommon for a milder season.

What’s in the woods:

2/2 — Shadow Mountain: herd of about 50 bison
2/3 — Gros Ventre River: elk feeding in river bottom
2/6 — cold
2/9 — Gros Ventre River: female moose
2/14 — backyard bird count: magpies, ravens, northern flickers, downy woodpecker, goldfinch
2/16 — Moose Creek: wolf tracks and howling wolves!
2/17 — Fox Creek: mature bald eagle
2/18 — Snake River: female moose
2/19 — Teton Canyon: Townsend solitaire
2/19 — Alta, WY: mature bald eagle
2/23 — Darby Canyon: horned larks, three rough-legged hawks
2/25 — Driggs, Idaho: mature bald eagle
2/25 — backyard: gold finches, chickadees, downy woodpecker, magpies

Tour Suggestion

A monthly highlight was a cross-country ski tour up Moose Creek in Teton Valley, Idaho. I was the only one in the canyon with my three canine companions. As I skied along, I noticed canine tracks in front of me that were a lot larger than my friend the black Lab. Wolf tracks? Well, yes they were. I stopped and listened. I was near the creek but could clearly hear a wolf or two howling above me. What a feeling! It was awesome. I turned around because wolves are territorial, but I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. Moose Creek is fun to explore at any time of the year. It is an easier ski, but you have to take your skis off to cross some small creeks.

To access the trailhead, you will see a sign for Moose Creek Ranch off Highway 33. It is on the east side of the road and 3.5 miles from Victor (heading east) or a quarter-mile past the Mike Harris Campground turn-off if coming from Jackson. Turn onto the paved road and turn immediately left, then right. Follow the signs to the ranch. In the winter, the road will dead end at the ranch. Have fun! Look for large canine tracks and listen.

Working as a school counselor I get some awesome breaks. Flying from Rochester, N.Y., to Denver last month to meet up with friends, I dreamed of my first telemark powder turns. In my mind I tried to experience the up-and-down bouncing I see in the Powder Whore videos.

My friends Dave and Jenn, both experienced backcountry skiers, set up a four-day, three-night hut skiing trip in the Aspen backcountry. Fortunately for us, Aspen received a lot of snow in late February and we were in for what was shaping up to be a great hut trip.

As I reflect on this trip, I feel my body beginning to shake with excitement. The first day we drove four hours to Aspen and skinned three hours to the Markley hut. This was my first time skinning, the air was crisp, the snow was deep, and the views were expansive. Arriving at the hut, we started the wood-burning stove, put snow in the pot to melt for cooking and drinking water, and prepared for our first run before sunset.

Dave set me up with skins and skis the width of water skis to float in the powder. The skins were half the width of the skis, so a lot of ski base was exposed and on the steep skin track up I could not gain traction and kept sliding backward. In the interest of safety, as it was going to get dark soon and I didn’t want to put anyone in danger, I decided to return to the hut. Although I told myself not to be disappointed, I was. I committed to charge hard the next days and I was happy that I made a responsible decision, as safety is always number one in the mountains.

The next day Dave was awesome and sacrificed his skins for me, cutting them into split skins with a knife on a cutting board. We skinned six hours to the Goodwin Greene hut, and we were all tuckered. Jenn (culinary excellence incarnate) put together a snack and we gorged on fruit, nuts, and chocolate before dinners of pasta with shrimp; turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy; and bean, chicken, guacamole, cheese and salsa double-decker hard/soft shell tacos. I ate better on the hut trip carrying the food on my back than at home with the convenience of a refrigerator.

Earning turns was the greatest experience. The Goodwin Greene hut was surrounded by 360 degrees of skiable, wide-open powder gardens. The snowpack was well bonded, and we did a lot of low-angle spanking (Dan’s name for low-angle-slope skiing) as well as 35-degree steep and deep runs. I got my first face shots — from crashing. As I continued to do laps, I was excited to link turns, bounce up and down in the powder, learn the kick turn while skinning up the hill, and experience the peace and joy that comes from being in the mountains and sharing the experience with good friends and new friends. On the final day I did some low-angle spanking before we skinned out, socked in by an incoming snowstorm.

Later on the trip I earned my first real face shots skiing the ridge at Loveland, as I floated over the gunpowder residue from the avalanche control explosives, kicking out my back leg to spray powder. Where will the skin track lead next?

Andy Fleming is a Cloudveil Inspired Mountain Ambassador.

Last night I walked into Teton Thai, a popular restaurant in Jackson, and found the place completely empty. Sam, the proprietor, postulated that his entire customer base had been wiped out by the afternoon’s Gelande Quaffing World Championships at Teton Village.

This was the third annual acrobatic chugging competition, sponsored by Cloudveil, which helped revive a tradition from the old Bear Claw Cafe.

Congratulations to the team from Storm Show Studios on winning the 2010 title. Maybe a plate of Teton Thai will help ease your hangover.

Photo by Rachel Shaver. For her video of the event, click here.

“Backcountry” and “ski mountaineering” races don’t often go into the backcountry and rarely include real mountaineering, but they are great test pieces for your fitness, your gear and your partners. It’s for this reason that I have competed in several randonnée races over the past few years.

Feb. 7 was the annual Mad River Valley Race, which crosses three mountains in a little over 11 miles and less than 5,000 feet of skinning. I’ve done this race three times now, and every time has been an amazing experience. This year I opted to photograph the event instead of racing, just for a new challenge. I still managed to get a killer workout (even cheating and using some lifts), but I also got to see more of the nearly 100 competitors who turned up, and that was really cool.

The great thing about any of these races is they let you push yourself as hard as you want in a “simulated backcountry” experience, without most of the risk of really pushing yourself while far from help and safety. Before my first race I never thought I was capable of covering this type of distance and vert in such short times. I was able to break down mental barriers that had been keeping my backcountry touring (real backcountry skiing) mellow, short, and slow.

There’s also the fun of competition and the camaraderie of meeting other skiers who like to go uphill under their own power.

There are several upcoming events, of varying styles, in New England. I urge you to check one out, and push your own limits on backcountry ski gear.  You never know how good you can be when tested.

• Feb. 27: Saddleback, Maine — This is a short race held at a downhill resort. Only 1,800 vertical feet; you’ll still have plenty of juice to ski “for fun” the rest of the day. Try it.

• March 6: Magic Mountain, VT — Multiple laps at a little gem of a resort in southern Vermont. This one’s for real, with actually difficult black diamond descents and more than 5,000 vertical feet of climbing for the full course!

• Also on March 6: Bolton to the Barns — A fund-raiser for the Vermont Youth Conservation Core, this race is actually in the backcountry! But it’s designed for lighter, XCD-style nordic gear. Get out in the woods and race … or just cruise along some awesome terrain; it’s a net downhill race, bonus.

• March 14: Catamount Trail Challenge — A backcountry nordic race put on by my favorite nonprofit ski group, the Catamount Trail Association, and along some of the most beautiful backcountry trails in New England, the Bolton-Trapp Trail.  Some real ringers show up to this race, so come ready to push it on the 17-k course with 2,300 feet of climbing.

And, don’t forget out West:

• March 20: USSMA National Championships at Jackson Hole, Wyo. — The Big One puts skiers to the test uphill and downhill. Climb up through the infamous Corbet’s Couloir!

See you out there.

Peter Wadsworth is one of Cloudveil’s Inspired Mountain Ambassadors. In his words: I’m a backcountry skier earning my turns among the weather-worn mountains of New England. I also trail run, climb, race bikes and even show up fairly regularly to a day job. But really, these other things are just enablers for backcountry skiing adventures away from the lifts and crowds.

An avalanche on the South Teton in Grand Teton National Park yesterday claimed the life of skier Wray Landon.

Landon and two friends had climbed to the 12,514-foot summit and begun a descent of the Southeast Face when the slide occurred. Landon was caught and swept over a 1,500-foot cliff, according to park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs. The other two members of the party were above the slide and unhurt.

Landon was an experienced mountaineer from Idaho who had been living in Driggs and Jackson. He was 30 years old.

More details on the avalanche can be found here. Landon is the second skier to die in the Tetons from avalanches this winter. In January, a slide in bounds at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort killed patroller Mark “Big Wally” Wolling.

(Photo of South Teton by Conor Miller)

The ABS Nationals were held last weekend in Washington, D.C. I know what you’re asking yourself … What are the ABS Nationals and why would I care?

I’ve actually asked myself those same questions, and until now I had a hard time understanding how climbing plastic mountains really pertained to or made our sport any better.

I’m not a comp climber; I don’t travel the comp circuit and even avoid the local comps in my area. I pretty much rock climb.

Don’t mistake what I’m saying; I use plastic to train and stay fit for climbing, but it’s a means to an end for me. The comp scene, on the other hand, is the end for some. They love it.

I got my first taste about four years ago competing in the Extremity Games. It’s the X Games for disabled folks. With the crowd watching, we sent route after route in a hot, humid Florida gym. I sweated off about 15 gallons and went through 50 blocks of chalk.

But, man, it was fun!

I ended up winning gold medals in both routes and bouldering that year, and really got into the cheering crowd, loud music, rock star kinda feeling.

In our sport, we don’t have real celebrities. Comp climbers are pretty close, with the cool gyms, prize money, and the swag. You start to think that there could really be a future in climbing. Then you find out they’re all like 12, and they live at home or in their car, and it seems like less of a good idea.

I compete in two comps a year, the Teva Mountain Games and the Extremity Games. I always compete against able-bodied athletes; why wouldn’t I? And I really do love the whole game that it makes climbing into.

This comp was different because I was there to raise awareness of disabled climbers and research a way to add an Adaptive Climber category to the competitions happening around the country. I got the chance to meet with the head of USA Climbing, and in the months ahead we hope to lay the groundwork for disabled climbers to compete on a local and national level.

The comp was great. I even won the division I entered, which is always a surprise, but the two I climbed with — both missing a large part of their legs — were awe inspiring.

McKayla is missing her leg from the hip down, which means to even get to the climb, she has to crawl or hop. She usually crawls, and then pulls herself up onto the start holds. There is no good foot beta for a person missing that much leg. I use a modified prosthetic foot when I climb, and it does really well for me. I can climb pretty much where I was before I lost my leg; it just has to be done differently. For her, though, there is no leg to play with, or to balance on while she adjusts her real leg. There is only air, and she is still able to climb.

Though she gets frustrated by the problems, all I can say is how much she inspires me to try that much harder. Even when she is down, she never complains. She just rests and tries again. By the end of the day she is tired, but her smile is huge, and she really impresses anyone who sees her climb.

In the end, I get what these comps can do for people. Yes, it’s fun and a challenge, but it also shows us that sometimes it’s not the means to an end, it’s just a place climbers can get together and play. Legs or no, it’s a place to get better, support each other, and learn a new way to climb.

In the end, it’s exactly what I love about climbing.

Craig DeMartino is one of Cloudveil’s Inspired Mountain Ambassadors.

“Hope I get a (warm) bluebird day!” wrote Sarah from Jackson Hole, on finding out she won our Winter 2011 jacket contest. A 23-year-old Milwaukee native, she is spending more time on Nordic skis these days, training for the upcoming Birkebeiner 50-k cross-country race in Wisconsin.

Between preparing for the marathon and work at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, she saw the photo of the Women’s Hooded Inversion Jacket and jumped at the chance. “It looked like a really pretty jacket, and I wanted it,” she said.

She has skied in a bikini before, when she was a freshman in high school on vacation in Telluride. She and a friend were inspired by a men’s thong contest to be held the next day.

This time, Sarah’s roommate may accompany her on what she hopes will be a sunny run from the 10,450-foot summit of Rendezvous Mountain all the way to the base. “If the conditions are right, she’ll do it,” she said.

Our runner-up, Ashley from Aspen, is a great sport and has volunteered to don the Sasquatch suit on the dance floor at The Regal and film it, anyway. We have prizes for her and third-place finisher Tina from Wisconsin, and we’ll have video for you of Sarah’s ski run and the furry boogie night in the weeks to come. Again, thanks to everyone who participated.

OK, readers, now it’s up to you to decide: What would you rather see someone do to win a Winter 2011 jacket from Cloudveil?

The judges have narrowed the nearly two dozen worthy entries to three finalists:

1) Sarah from Jackson Hole, who is promising to do a tram lap in her bikini;
2) Ashley from Aspen, who will don a custom-made Mongolian Sasquatch suit and the jacket on the dance floor at The Regal and bust some serious moves despite sweating profusely; and
3) Tina from Wisconsin, who would travel to Sedona with her fiance and get married wearing the jacket atop Bell Rock, where they were engaged last fall.

Vote in the poll at right. Voting will close at noon MST Wednesday, Feb. 17. The winner will receive a 2011 Women’s Hooded Inversion Jacket, which ought to make that Sasquatch suit extra-toasty. Runners-up may receive consolation prizes as well.

Finalists, remember, you are going to have to film the activities in question to prove to readers you deserved to be styling in plush downy comfort.

Thank you again to everyone who entered. For those who pledged death-defying feats like rappelling over a waterfall or swimming the icy James River, we salute your spirit — but concern for your welfare outweighed our desire to see you suffer. For those who offered to take their clothes off, do so anyway!

Most of all, thanks for sharing your stories of how much Cloudveil gear helps you enjoy the outdoors and pursue an adventurous lifestyle. That’s what keeps inspiring us.

(Caption: This is part of an entry from “No Pants Rachel” that rated high for artistic merit, but narrowly missed the cut. She offered to get breakfast at Pearl Street Bagels in Jackson sans pants.)

Thank you to everyone who entered the 2011 Winter Jackets contest. The judges are sorting through the dozens of entries and will pick three finalists soon.

We’ve received some really funny — and dangerous — propositions.

Check back later to begin voting in the readers’ poll!

(Photo by Paramount Pictures, via AllMoviePhoto)

It’s not really a question of whether you want next winter’s jackets from Cloudveil. We know you do. You’ve told us. You’ve practically begged us. The question isn’t do you want them, it’s HOW BADLY do you want them?

Just because we are sharing the LOVE, from now through Valentine’s Day show us WHAT YOU WOULD DO for these jackets by posting photos, videos, written submissions, haikus, soliloquies — anything you think it takes to convince us and your fellow Cloudveil fans that you should be the lucky winner. We will pick three finalists on Monday and have readers vote to pick our winner.

The Women’s Hooded Inversion and Men’s Stettner jackets (size medium) are part of Cloudveil’s Winter 2011 line, which features warmer and even more breathable fabrics. New colors and designs make this your chance to stand out and sizzle on the slopes.

Submit your written entries right here in the comments; post links to videos on YouTube, Vimeo or other sharing services; or e-mail photos to jstanford@cloudveil.com.

Anything goes (please use your brains on appropriateness here, folks). You can elicit the help of anyone you’d like and can submit as many ideas as you can think of. Just BE ADVISED: If you are chosen as the winner you will be asked to do whatever you promised and document it for us, so all of the other participants who won’t be styling will know you really earned it. Get to thinkin’, get creative and GOOD LUCK.

For example, sometimes here at Cloudveil’s p.r. firm, Backbone Media, to get yourself a piece of one-of-a-kind schwag from our incredible clients, you have to put your dignity on the line:

(Naked photo by Christoph Bangert for The New York Times.)