High winds, good snow but wrong route to Waldron Bowl

The spectacular view from Teton Pass Ski Area is almost without snow

Ear Mountain on the Front also suffers from little snow

The high winds created great cloud formations

Gordon Whirry plows up the trail

 I had been aching to get to the Front for some skiing, but my trips to California, high winds and ultra frigid temperatures have kept me away.

The winds were blowing Sunday, but we decided to give it a go anyway, encouraged by 6 inches of new powder, some 40 inches in the base and sunny skies.

Teton Pass Ski Resort has had problems with a generator and even closed temporarily, but it was working fine.

We climbed the most southerly run to the cutacross trail to North Fork Waldron Creek, following tracks of what must have been a mountain lion. It felt great to be away from the noise of the ski area and in the quiet forest in deep snow.

Upon reaching the North Fork trail we encountered snowshoe tracks, which we followed to the trail junction that leads to the Snotel measuring site.  We had a visit and turned back to the trail, this time skiing in untracked powder.

The next major junction is where the trail drops to the stream bottom.  In years past we've ascended above the stream on either side. This time we went to the right, or north side, and worked our way up a ridge line.

To get to the scenic open "Waldron Creek Bowl," below Mount Lockart, there's a crucial turn to the left at one point.

I missed it and stayed on the ridge, which turned out to be a steep, interesting route, but one that cut us off from reaching the bowl.

Coming down offered some nice telemark opportunities in the trees, and after reaching the stream bottom, a fast ski out on our tracks.

When we finished the cutoff back to the ski area we had a nice hill of powder to turn on back to the parking lot.

A few thoughts:  the wind has blown most of the snow off the high country, leaving bald, but scenic tops.  The road to the ski hill was solid ice much of the way, particularly from the North Fork Waldron crossing to the ski hill.  The plowing of the road in that area was much too narrow.  I sweated that we might meet a car going in the opposite direction.  That stretch would not accommodate two cars.  Thank goodness this didn't happen.

We need more snow, the temperatures need to fall again, and the wind needs to stop blowing!