"Digging This Idaho Thing..." Alex Taran

This year in September if you asked me what my winter plans where you would've heard a plethora of uncertainties: SLC, Canada, or Europe... Idaho was never on my radar. But on Nov 3rd the majority of my possessions were loaded into my 1999 Toyota Tacoma heading north. I got a job avalanche forecasting for the Idaho Transportation Department. Needless to say Idaho is nothing like Salt Lake City (my previous abode). There is one store/restaurant/gas station for 25 miles in any direction. The other day I became the most intimate I have ever been with my food by harvesting my first roadkill (an elk hit by a logging truck, legal in Idaho). There is limited cell reception, an abundance of hot springs, and the Sawtooths which harbor some rugged unreal terrain! While many places were quite dry early season we saw storm after storm, the snowpack has been unusually stable (relatively), and hiking for every turn makes every turn fresh. Chutes, bowls, and some old fashioned tree skiing have been incredible.   My mogul skiing skills may be faltering slightly but my love of earning every powdery steep turn just continues to grow. The change has certainly been 180 degrees, but at the end of the day, I really think I'm digging this Idaho thing. -Alex Taran