Snovember amps up ski season

Rachael Horne TVN Staff

It seems almost everyone’s in agreement that this November was one of the best on record for snow sport enthusiasts. With stoke for the winter at an all time high this early in the season, Mother Nature has given skiers and riders plenty to rejoice about. The 2010-11 winter season is already one for the record books.

For the first time ever, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opened all lifts and the tram to the public in November. The Mountain opened with 130 inches at the top of Rendezvous Mountain Saturday, a resort record for opening day.

Grand Targhee opened a week ahead of the planned opening and had 100 percent of their terrain open Friday with the Sacagawea lift spinning. Targhee is reporting a season total of 124 inches and a snow depth of 48 inches as of Tuesday and more snow is forecasted for the week.

“This has been one of our best openings on record and our guests have been happily enjoying mid-season conditions during our opening week,” said communications director Shannon Brooks Hamby last week.

At Jackson, one man was so excited for the early opening he showed up on the tram dock at 11:30 Friday night with a bivouac sleeping bag and camp stove to be the first in line for the historic opening. The tram line grew quickly Saturday morning, but by late morning there was hardly a wait. Conditions may have looked and felt like mid-winter, but crowds did not. Whoops and hollers could be heard across both sides of the Tetons, as skiers found powder stashes usually reserved for later in the season.

"This is the beginning of a season without equal in Jackson Hole history," JHMR President Jerry Blann said in a release.

At Monday night's Avalanche Awareness night in Driggs, presenter Don Carpenter said Exum Mountain guide Rod Newcomb has dug a pit every Thanksgiving Day in Avalanche Bowl on Teton Pass since the 80s. At 136 centimeters that day, it was the deepest he's ever measured.

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Services stations, Jackson Hole's snow pack was 32 percent above normal on Monday. Phillips Bench on Teton Pass measured 53 percent above normal.

JHMR spokesperson Zahan Billimoria calculated that Rendezvous Bowl has received 47 percent more snow during La Niña years.

Last year's thin early season snow pack left unfavorable conditions for the first few months of the season and hazardous avalanche conditions for much of the year.

Snow King Mountain is also opening early this year. The Cougar chairlift will be running starting Saturday, with the Summit chair scheduled for Wednesday and Rafters open Dec. 18. Night skiing begins on Dec. 22.

All the early season snow was not without its drawbacks for some, however. The days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday saw roads in and out of the Valley closed. Produce and milk were running out at Broulim's in Driggs as the grocery store hadn't had a delivery truck show up for three days.

More snow is forecasted for the rest of the week, and some hope, for the rest of the winter.

To contact Rachael Horne e-mail reporter2@tetonvalleynews.net.

Targhee to open this weekend - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

Targhee to open this weekend - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

November 17, 2010
By Hope Strong

A week full of storms allows resort to offer lift service early.

Accumulation.

That’s five syllables sure to put a smile on the face of any valley resident who has been anxiously awaiting opening of the local ski hill.

After a series of storms blanketed the region over the past week, the valley floor was scoured by winds, but snowpack was bolstered up at Grand Targhee Resort to the point that early opening became a reality Wednesday after mountain operations gave their thumb’s up.

Reporting a mere inch Thursday and Friday of last week, accumulation increased over the weekend, adding another six inches to the already decent snowpack. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week saw an average of six inches a day fall, enough to fl ip the switch on both the Shoshone and Dreamcatcher lifts by Saturday. A total of 72 inches of snow has fallen at Grand Targhee Resort this season, with a base depth of 38 inches reported as of Wednesday.

In order to accommodate those in search of a first chair, the Teewinot Lodge will be available Friday night prior to the opening of Fred’s Mountain. That’s 46 rooms with a pair of queen-sized beds apiece. Do the math, and there are around one hundred folks who won’t have to play cat and mouse on the road up to Targhee for their spot in the lift line.

In addition to Shoshone and Dreamcatcher, Ricks Basin will be open and groomed for cross-country skiing. Rental and retail shops will also be open, as well as limited food and beverage options, though the Trap Bar will be open throughout the weekend.

All skiers and riders are advised that early season conditions still exist on the north face of Fred’s Mountain.

This is the first time Grand Targhee Resort has opened early in the memory of most on the mountain.

Jackson Hole Daily | Park logs another record

Jackson Hole Daily | Park logs another record

By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

November 9, 2010

Yellowstone National Park broke yet another visitation record last month, probably thanks in part to unseasonably mild and sunny weather, officials announced Monday.

The park saw 189,072 recreation visitors in October, up nearly 53 percent from the same month last year, which saw 123,867 visitors.

October marks the fifth month in a row of record visitation numbers.

In September, Yellowstone broke its all-time annual visitation record. The number continued to increase through October to 3,605,977 recreation visits to date this year, an increase of more than 10 percent over 2009.

The previous October record came after the fires of 1988, Yellowstone public affairs assistant Linda Miller said. Miller said that year’s bump in visitation was likely due to people’s curiosity in the aftermath of the huge blazes.

This year’s October was probably bolstered by the good weather, she said.

“We’ve had a few little squalls blow through, but overall it has been incredibly mild and beautiful,” Miller said. “I’ve lived here 30-some years, and I don’t remember ever having a fall this long with the temperatures we’ve been having. I’ve still got tomatoes in my little greenhouse that haven’t frosted.

“I think a lot of people who came were regional folks who were watching the weather,” Miller said.

Another possible factor in the substantial jump in October visitation over last year could be road construction.

“Last year, the road between Madison and Norris was closed. That affected things pretty significantly,” Miller said, adding that last year it was cold in early October.

This year’s mild fall lasted right up until many of the park’s roads closed for the season Monday, Miller said.

“It just happened that the weather stayed nice through the weekend,” she said.

Yellowstone’s roads are closed for the season at the South, West and East entrances. The road from Gardiner, Montana, through the North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction, the Lamar Valley and Cooke City, Montana, is open to wheeled vehicles through the winter.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, the Yellowstone General Store, post office, medical clinic and Albright Visitor Center remain open all year.

Fuel is available 24 hours a day all year at the Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower Junction service stations.

On Dec. 15, most unplowed roads in the park open to oversnow travel.

The park’s East Entrance road opens to oversnow travel Dec. 22.

Resort adds backcountry gate

Grand Targhee Resort is installing a new backcountry gate this season, allowing skiers to access Forest Service land whenever they want. The access is being called the Scotty's Gate, named after a couloir on the backside of the resort. The new gate will be located at the bottom of the Mary's Nipple bootpack, in front of the Mary's Nipple gate. The Mary's Nipple gate will move farther south to allow for the backcountry access gate.

The backcountry gate has never been done at Targhee. The concept is like that at Jackson. In 2000 Jackson introduced its open-gate policy allowing riders to access the backcountry via gates located at various places on the mountain.

Targhee has had the Mary's Nipple access, but that was not always open because it lies within the resort's permit boundary, and avalanche control was done by the resort's ski patrol. That's the big difference people don't often understand, said Kurt Kluegel, the Forest Service liaison with Targhee in the Teton Basin Ranger District.

"In the past, access to the backside of the resort was dependent on whether Mary's Nipple was open - skiers and riders exited the resort boundary into the backcountry from an area beyond the resort boundary into the backcountry from an area beyond the Mary's Nipple gate," said Ski Patrol Director Joe Calder in a press release. "The new gate location provides consistent access to the backcountry, allowing experienced guests to exit our boundary at any time, independent of patrol operation on Mary's Nipple."

The Scotty's Gate will be out of the way of avalanche control and open to riders at all times, regardless of whether the Mary's access is open or not. Now the decision to stay in or out of bounds rests squarely on the shoulders of its customers.

An incident near the end of the ski season last year led to debate about whether the resort could control public access to a national forest. Two skiers ducked the resort boundary past Mary's Nipple when a closure was in effect. Both had their passes pulled by the resort and were issued citations by the Teton County, Wyo. Sheriff's Department. One of the skiers was slapped with a no trespass order at Targhee until the resort sees it fit to lift the ban.

Kluegel said he's been pushing for the resort to install a gate for the past six years and that the Forest Service fully supports the gate. His job, he said, is to ensure that people have access to Forest Service land and this gate helps accomplish that.

The north end of the resort won't have an access gate. Kluegel said resort officials felt like it wasn't a safe backcountry skiing option. The access to the South Leigh drainage is also difficult to access if people get stuck out there. A man died last season after skiing past the northern resort boundary after becoming disoriented on the mountain.

To help sharpen backcountry skills, Targhee has added a new Beacon Park this year, thanks to a donation from Christian Santelices and efforts from GTR Ski Patrol. In the park, guests are able to practice finding buried avalanche transceivers at the base of the resort. GTR ski patrol will activate three different beacons each day for practice. Guests must wear their own beacons, and patrol-led clinics will be scheduled throughout the winter.

Grand Targhee will begin winter operations on Nov. 26.

Posted: Thursday, October 14, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 3:21 pm, Wed Oct 13, 2010.

Rachael Horne TVN Staff

Creamery begins making raw-milk cheeseshare

Creamery begins making raw-milk cheese

Posted: Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 3:53 pm, Wed Sep 22, 2010.

Ken Levy TVN Staff |

Teton Valley Creamery has begun making raw-milk cheese. But plan on waiting awhile before you get to taste it.

With a new aging room featuring computer-controlled temperature and humidity, and a 175-gallon Holland-made cheese vat, cheese maker Kristopher Malling made his first wheels of washed-rind and mold-ripened raw-milk cheeses Sept. 17.

The washed-rind variety, which ages 3-4 months, has a brevi bacteria growing on the outside. With its orange-red color, the bacteria add a strong pungency to the cheese.

"I'm going to try to keep it so it's not too pungent," Malling said. "You can control that by the way you age it. I'm looking at the milder end, but the inside is going to be nice, semi-firm and creamy, and the outside will have some earthiness and pungency to it."

Malling is also making mold-ripened cheese. A white mold will grow on the he said.

“You get an earthy, mushroomy flavor right around the outside,” said Malling. On the inside, the blue mold will add a sharper flavor.

Although both styles are aging in the same room, accommodations had to be made for the second variety.

“We create a microclimate by closing those cheeses off to raise the humidity,” which allows mold-ripened and washed-rind cheeses to age in the same room, he said.

Look for whole mold-ripened cheeses to be ready in two months. By law, raw-milk cheeses must age a minimum of 60 days, he said.

Although aging ultimately helps determine a cheese’s flavor, the process starts with the freshest raw milk available. Malling gets his milk from Holsteins at the Wright Dairy on Stateline Road just hours before he begins the cheese-making process.

“This milk was still in the cow this morning,” he said. “It’s really good for the startup.”

Malling hauls the milk in 10-gallon milk cans. Once the milk is added to the cheese vat, rennet — an enzyme — is added to the milk and coagulates it into a custard-like consistency. Cutting blades separate the curds from the whey, and the curds are stirred and cooked, and drained of the whey. The curds are then packed into cheese wheel molds and pressed for three hours.

The whey is not discarded. TVC pumps the whey into a tank, which goes back to the Wright ranch for use as pig feed. Whey can be used in any number of ways, he said, including whey powder, sparkling beverages and ricotta.

“Within a few hours of going into the vat, the milk is converted into cheese curds, compressed and left overnight. Then it goes into the brine, and into the aging room for the rest of its life,” he said.

Temperature, airflow and humidity are carefully controlled in the aging room. All of these factors determine how the cheese ages.

“It depends on what kind of cheese you’re making,” he said.

TVC continues to make cheese curds from fresh milk pasteurized minimally at 145 degrees for 30 minutes. The creamery’s gelato pasteurizes at higher temperatures. Curds are made from fresh milk and lactic cultures, which create lactic acid and allow the milk to ripen. Rennet is added to coagulate the milk very quickly and firm up the curd while helping to expel whey.

Malling said cheese curds come in a cheddaring variety and Dutch-style or Gouda-style curds. Garden herb, spicy and plain flavorings are added to these textures.

Eventually, TVC will make a pasteurized cheese for local distribution, from which it will draw its curds.

“They’ll be a byproduct of a natural process and a natural cheese,” he said.

TVC plans to market its artisan cheeses nationally, but local markets are also a priority.

TVC has room for yet another aging room, Malling said, and the goal is to build it to accommodate Alpine-style hard cheese that will age for 8-12 months.

The creamery opened on July 4. The building, a former 1930s gas station, was also a city of Driggs building until the Hokin family invested in the building.

Dutch cheese maker Fons Smits, who is married to TVC owner Lauren Hokin’s cousin Eileen, helped convince the family to start the creamery. Malling worked in Indiana with Smits, who is a dairy technologist.

“This is a typical alpine dairy area,” said Smits.

Smits has served as an advisor during the creamery’s cheese-making startup.

“We’re still fine-tuning the process,” he said.

To contact Ken Levy e-mail reporter3@tetonvalleynews.net.

Jackson Hole Daily | Yellowstone visits soar

Jackson Hole Daily | Yellowstone visits soar

By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

September 9, 2010

Yellowstone National Park smashed yet another monthly visitation record in August, putting the park on track to break the all-time visitation record in 2010.

Park officials say 854,837 recreation visitors entered Yellowstone last month, compared to the previous record of 773,307 set in 1995, an increase of 9.5 percent. Compared to August, 2009, which saw 752,983 recreation visits, the park saw a 13 percent jump.

The park also set records in June and July, and has hosted 2.8 million people so far this year, an increase of 8 percent over 2009’s year-to-date total. Last year was an all-time record for the park, and Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said he thinks that record will be broken again.

“If we have an average September we’ll break our all-time visitation record,” he said. “It certainly has been a big summer any way you look at the numbers.”

The South Entrance, which serves people going into Yellowstone from Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole area, was up 11 percent for August, and is up nearly 6 percent year-to-date compared to last year.

While the visitors are welcome, Nash said the crowds have taken a toll on park and concession workers.

“Our staff, to an individual, will tell you that this has been a challenging summer,” he said. “More visitors do mean more demand on services.

“Our visitor centers are busier; our law enforcement rangers have responded to more traffic accidents,” Nash continued. “Visitors are likely to have found longer lines at entrance stations. We’re certainly doing our best to respond, but everybody has been very busy.”

Visitors this summer needed to plan earlier to find campsites and hotel rooms, Nash said.

Several factors have likely contributed to the increase in visitation, including the troubled economy.

“You can be more flexible and stretch your money further planning a trip to this area focused on Yellowstone and Grand Teton than you can by taking many other vacation trips,” Nash said.

Marketing efforts by the states and by the park’s gateway communities have also probably helped, along with the Ken Burns documentary on parks featured on public television, Nash said.

“We know we’re a draw,” Nash said, but gateway communities are key partners.

Stimulus funds could bring regional transportation to and from Teton Valley

Posted: Thursday, August 5, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 8:22 pm, Wed Aug 4, 2010.

Ken Levy TVN Staff |

A major regional transportation initiative that would link the Teton Valley with Idaho Falls, Jackson and the national parks, Grand Targhee Resort and beyond depends on a TIGER.

Teton County is the project sponsor, along with the cities of Driggs and Victor, seeking to garner about $10 million in TIGER II funding for the project.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) is a competitive grant program for "projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or a region," according to the DOT.

The funds would be used for pathway projects, park-and-ride facilities, bus service and bus facilities, according to Driggs Mayor Dan Powers.

"The idea is to establish a real public transportation system here in Teton Valley," he said, "and going out to the bigger communities, such as Rexburg and Idaho Falls."

The project would provide fixed-route bus service between Idaho Falls Airport, the Idaho National Laboratory and Jackson, along with Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, according to Kathy Rinaldi, Teton County commissioner. It would also "complete the 300-mile ‘Grand Bikeway' with approximately 50 miles of pathway and bike lane improvements between West Yellowstone, Mont. and Jackson Hole, via Driggs. The goal for the project is to promote economic stimulus through seamless mobility for residents and visitors," she said.

The program, according to Rinaldi, would enhance public transportation by providing needed infrastructure to expand and improve scheduled service. This would include a bus storage and maintenance facility in Driggs; five park-and-ride areas; seven buses with "real-time locator(s) and onboard Wifi," and multiple pathway connections.

The Pioneer Park Transit Center in Victor would tie into the regional transportation program by providing needed infrastructure to the overall system, according to Rinaldi. Funded by nearly $360,000 in stimulus funds through the Idaho Transportation Department, the project is being built by MD Nursery and Landscaping.

The multimodal transportation center's roughly 1.5-acre parking lot will accommodate 114 vehicles for commuters and carpoolers, according to Bill Knight, planning director for the City of Victor. Commuters can catch the START bus from the center. It should be operational by the third week in August, he said.

Separate grant funding is being sought for the second phase of the Victor center, which would include a 1,500 square-foot all-weather shelter, designed by Megan Powers and Rick Baldwin, that would reflect the city's architectural and transportation history, said Knight.

The facility would be the regional system's transit anchor point for the southern end of the Valley, he said.

The regional system would tie into Grand Targhee as well, and having bus service up to Targhee is a key element of the proposal, according to Powers. It would allow visitors to stay in Driggs and take the bus up to Targhee.

"Targhee would likely enter into an agreement with TRPTA (Targhee Regional Public Transportation Authority) to provide shuttle service from Driggs to the resort for both our guests and our employees," said Christina Thomure, sustainability director for Grand Targhee. "Having a local fixed-route system in Teton County, Idaho would help to improve mobility between Idaho Falls, Jackson, Salt Lake, and beyond with Driggs, which helps to bring more people to the area."

A preliminary application for the grant was filed July 26, according to Rinaldi. A full application detailing where the money would go, the economic development and environmental benefits and other components is due by Aug. 23.

"The county would be the administrator of the project, with the costs of administering included in the grant," Rinaldi said. "Because we are considered a rural community, no match is required. The minimum grant size is $1 million."

Results of the grant application won't be known until at least Sept. 15.

"We see this as a regional transportation effort," Powers said."We look at it from the greater Yellowstone-Teton perspective, making it part of this transportation scheme for the whole area. "

To contact Ken Levy e-mail reporter3@tetonvalleynews.net.

Jackson Hole Daily | Yellowstone records busiest month ever

Jackson Hole Daily | Yellowstone records busiest month ever

By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

August 5, 2010

More people visited Yellowstone National Park in July than in any other month since the park was established in 1872, National Park Service officials announced Wednesday.

The total of 957,000 recreation visitors entered the park’s gates, breaking last July’s record by 60,000 people, or 6.4 percent. June was also a record for that month in the park with 694,841 people.

“We set all kinds of records,” Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said. “This is the second record month in a row that we’ve had a visitation record, the second year in a row that we’ve had a record July. It’s the all-time-high visitation for any month, and it’s the first time that our visitation for the first seven months of the year has topped the 2 million mark.”

The record number of visitors is attributed, in part, to the slow economy, Nash said.

“It may be a bit counter-intuitive, but I believe national park visitation benefits from our current national economic situation,” he said. “Visiting national parks is a great value, and you can plan a trip to places like Yellowstone and Grand Teton more easily reflecting your time and your wallet than you can many other vacation destinations.”

The South Entrance, the park’s gateway from Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, recorded more than 210,000 visitors last month, up from 195,000 for July 2009, an increase of 7.9 percent.

“That continues to be the second-busiest entrance to Yellowstone,” Nash said.

Park employees have noticed the increase in visitors, Nash said.

“Everyone I’ve spoken with, no matter their job in the park, has talked about how busy they are in their respective job and how busy the park is,” he said.

Visitors are likely to notice a shortage of hotel rooms and campsites, as well as traffic congestion.

“If you’re looking for a room [or a campsite] in the park, we’re full in the early morning,” he said.

The chances of visitors experiencing a wildlife jam are also much greater than in years past, Nash said.

“This has been an extraordinarily good year for wildlife viewing,” he said.

So far this year, Yellowstone has shown increases in visitation compared with 2009 every month except May. Last year was a record year with more than 3.3 million visitors.

Driggs Drive-In Goes Digital - Local News Story - KIFI Idaho Falls

Driggs Drive-In Goes Digital - Local News Story - KIFI Idaho Falls

By Brett Crandall, Local News 8 Reporter

POSTED: 5:12 pm MDT July 9, 2010

UPDATED: 10:06 pm MDT July 9, 2010

DRIGGS, Idaho -- While most drive-in movie theaters across the country are going under, the Spud Drive-In in Driggs is getting an upgrade. The 50's-themed theater is finally entering the 21st century.When you go to the movies it’s not just for the popcorn, the candy or the drinks, but to see the picture on the larger than life screen.That’s why the Spud Drive-In has invested in becoming America’s first digital drive-in."It’s just unbelievable,” said drive-in manager Keith Zednik. “I mean if you've ever watched a Blu-ray player at home on your plasma or high definition television, you now get to see that on this 34 foot high, 76 foot wide screen. It’s just amazing."For 57 years, the drive-in has become a big part of the small community and Zednik wants it to last for 50 more."It’s definitely an expense we didn't even think twice about,” said Zednik. "It’s definitely worthwhile."The new digital system not only gives a more crisp and clear picture but also allows you to arrange the videos and trailers in any sequence you want, unlike a roll of 35 mm film.While three weeks ago, "Toy Story 3" came on five reels of film, this week, "Despicable Me" came on a computer hard drive.Zednik said 20 years down the road when someone Googles first digital drive-ins, the Spud Drive-In in Driggs, Idaho, will be the one to remember."Just being the first, just being on the frontier, we don't want to be the guys left behind,” said Zednik. "You don't want to be the guys who has the 100th digital drive-in, there's really no nostalgia to that."But despite now being the first to go digital, Zednik said its the nostalgic atmosphere that sets his drive-in apart."It brings you back to the 1950s but yet everything we've done is 21st century," said Zednik.The drive-in will also be the first outdoor theater to show movies in 3-D when its new projector arrives next month.Zednik also hopes to eventually open a museum featuring the drive-in's history."Despicable Me" and "Robin Hood" will be on tonight’s first showing in digital format.For more information on the country’s first outdoor digital theater go to http://spuddrivein.com/

I scream, you scream - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

I scream, you scream - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

Teton Valley Creamery keeps it real.

LEFT: Grace Lowe and Kris Malling will continue to run the show at the new Teton Valley Creamery in Driggs as the operation adds cheese to the menu. CITIZEN PHOTO / HOPE STRONG

Many have marveled with mounting curiosity as the site of the old Driggs City Hall has been transformed over the past weeks. The iconic art deco building in downtown Driggs received a green racing stripe last week, punctuating an impressive remodel for a business that will capitalize on local flavors to develop dessert and cheeses worth waiting for.

Open the door to Teton Valley Creamery and find quickly that what’s happening inside the building is even more impressive than what has happened to the outside. A quick tour of the facility by Dairy Technologist Fons Smits reveals that the first of three huge walk-ins is used to store local milk from Steve Wright’s dairy, the sole source of the Creamery’s main ingredient.

The second walk-in is cold enough to make even a valley winter night blush. Kept at -25 degrees, the flash freezer is used to keep the Creamery’s primary product crystallized. Different than regular ice cream, Smits has worked with Creamery manager Kris Malling to develop gelato, Italian-style ice cream that is made exclusively with whole milk rather than cream, reducing butterfat content of the finished product from around 14 percent to just under 3 percent.

“This is just the first start,” Smits said with a hint of his native Netherlands. “We are still in the stage of testing flavors, but it all about getting the best ingredients together with the right equipment.”

Smits, who is married to a cousin of the Hoken family that owns the Creamery, runs his own show at Traders Point Creamery in Indiana. He has produced award-winning cheeses and received international acclaim in the industry, and that will translate into a sweet reward for local residents. Under the tutelage of Smits, Malling with keep Teton Valley in gelato and cheeses long after Smits returns east.

The small team of milk processors anxiously awaits cheese-making equipment from Europe, at which time the new operation will be fully transformed, producing not only gelato but also a variety of cheeses.

“We now have cheese curds or sweet cheese, but that is just the start of it,” Smits said. “Our cheeses will all be based on raw milk, with a variety of products aged from two or three months to longer-aged cheeses that will need eight months before they are ready.”

The third walk-in in the Creamery awaits a specific piece of equipment that will control the temperature, humidity and every other element important to aging cheese. Much more involved than just letting it sit, Malling will handle the cheeses throughout the aging process to ensure a consistent product of the highest quality.

While cheese is somewhat in the future for the new Creamery in Driggs, their frozen confections are creating quite a buzz in the community that has translated into a booming little business. Mallings’ girlfriend, Grace Lowe, has watched lines form out the door as people satisfy their curiosity and their sweet tooth as she waits for them to figure out that a pick-up window was installed on the south wall for quick access.

Sold out of huckleberry this week, Malling and Smits are working to establish a steady supplier of the elusive berry. One flavor down, the Creamery is flush with Deep, Dark Chocolate that hovers somewhere between pudding and brownies. Also on the board is Brown Sugar Vanilla, Strawberry, Dulce de Leche and Cappuccino Dream that is made with coffee from neighboring Pendl’s Bakery.

“It is the local part that is taking over the food sector,” Smits said. “We are finding out what kind of stuff we can get locally here in the valley to incorporate into our products. Local honey, red raspberries and cherries are on the list, but it’s impossible to think of everything yourself. We are open to suggestions.”

As a small operation, Teton Valley Creamery is open to creating small batches custom flavors for specific events or creating flavors people may want with ingredients they provide. Teton Thai, for example, will provide the green tea used in a gelato of the same name featured at the popular restaurant in Driggs.

“We are looking forward to thinking outside the box,” Smits said. “We want to be creative with seasonal flavors. Maybe we will do a batch using pumpkin in October.”

Whatever comes out of Teton Valley Creamery is sure to be the icing on the cake for a block in Driggs that keeps growing with businesses fine-tuned to specific tastes.

Music on Main - Starts Tonight! Get down to Victor ID

Teton Valley and Jackson Hole residents and visitors - get out and dance tonight!

Music on Main kicks off tonight at Victor City Park.

The concert series is free and runs from 6.30pm to 9.30pm all summer long. Tonight's concert will be opened by Rotating Superstructure, a local Jackson indie rock band. Calle Mambo are the feature act of the night and are renowned as the Premier Afro-Cuban, Latin, Salsa band in the Rocky Mountain Region. Calle Mambo has blended several musical styles, Dance, Latin, Rhythm, Jazz, Salsa. Get out there and enjoy some great, free music!

For info on upcoming bands and dates, go to http://www.tetonvalleyfoundation.org/music-on-main.php

Stump branches out - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

Stump branches out - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

July 07, 2010
By Mike Polhamus

Local extreme ski cinematographer produces historical documentary.

LEFT: Gregory Stump in his Victor studio, where for the past three years he has labored to create his magnum opus. COURTESY PHOTO

After spending his early years on the world cup freestyle ski circuit before traveling the world to document what was then the sport’s most extreme limits, legendary filmmaker Greg Stump has settled down in Victor, where he is currently working deep into the night on his first new ski film in over a decade. Stump’s later work runs the Hollywood gamut, from music productions for Willie Nelson to Superbowl commercials for Disney, but he said he needed to make one final ski film before he can move on.

Legend of Aahhhs (the name comes from the most widely hailed work in his oeuvre, Blizzard of Aahhhs), slated for release this fall, is Stump’s parting tribute to the ski film genre, he said. Reputed to have introduced extreme skiing to the American lexicon, Stump is once again attempting to redefine ski cinematography, this time with a historical documentary of the ski film itself.

“I’m trying to create a piece of entertainment,” he said. “Something enjoyable to watch. Something you want to watch. That’s goal number one. The second thing is to tell the history of this particular story – the story of ski movies. For the most part, it’s true.”

As if to clarify the point, he explained that the movie’s byline is “A true fable.” The film is largely historical footage (particularly if you consider the 1980’s to be ‘historical’), from the 1930’s to the present. Stump said he shot little new action footage, in part because skiers sent him footage of their own, and in part because Stump has lost his zeal for the genre he helped invent.

“I have no desire to go out and shoot extreme stuff,” he said. “One of the reasons I got out of it was because it was just a matter of time before someone got seriously injured or died through my lens.”

“The only reason no one got hurt on my shoots was because we were lucky,” he said.

Stump said he decided to stop filming dangerous stunts after an incident involving ski legend Scot Schmidt and snowboard icon Craig Kelly.

“I’ve only been really, truly afraid three times while filming,” he said. “Those have been when I hear Scot Schmidt on the radio, and he’s afraid.”

Stump said he was filming Schmidt and Kelly (who was killed in an avalanche five years later) in British Columbia in 1995, when the skiers were trapped beneath a cliff by persistent rockfall.

“I made a pact with God,” Stump said. “I said, ‘If you get these two off this cliff safely, I will never film another ski or snowboard movie where somebody’s life is in danger’… They got down safely, and I was like, ‘That’s it, I’m done.’”

Though ski cinematography today sometimes depends on footage of risky behavior, Stump said he doesn’t need it to make a compelling ski film.

“The action, the cinematography today, it’s incredible – it’s far superior to anything I was shooting,” he said. “But the presentation, the music, the narration, the structure, as a piece of entertainment, I think has been really stagnant. The stunts are incredible, but I don’t care about the people in the movie – it’s just vapid bro-speak.”

In contrast, Stump said, The Legend of Aahhhs “is really about the story.”

Stump said he hopes the story in Legend of Aahhhs will transcend the ski movie category and gain respect as a film on its own merits, similar to the surf movie Riding Giants and the skateboard movie Dogtown and Z-Boys.

“I’m not even sure what this is, it’s so far off from a typical ski movie,” he said. “It’s sort of like sitting and having a conversation… but with the way the music is, the thing’s almost like a rock album.”

Edited from 150 hours of interviews with such historical figures as Warren Miller, Otto Lang, Dick Barrymore, Dick Durrance and John Jay, the film’s musical score showcases modern musical talent like Lukas Nelson, Hall and Oates, and Death Cab for Cutie.

“I’m old enough now that I’m not working for any other reason than to make it perfect,” Stump said.

To make it perfect, Stump has been producing the film out of his home studio in Victor for the last three years (originally slated for release last year, Stump said it’s “one of those things where you open one door and there’s ten more doors, then you open one of the ten and there’s ten more doors”); and he plans to release it this fall.

“I’ve been thinking how fortunate I am to be in a work situation like this,” he said. “I’m sitting in beautiful, pristine Victor, I don’t bother the neighbors, I go to the store, take a run, ride my bike and work here. Most projects don’t have that luxury.”

15th Annual WYDAHO Bike Race

15th Annual WYDAHO Bike Race

Saturday, July 03, 2010

The Wydaho cross country mountain bike race will start at 1:00pm on Saturday July 3rd. The race will have a expert, intermediate and beginner class races. The experts will race 3 laps of the 7 mile loop of Rick’s Basin trail, the intermediates will race 2 laps- 14 mile total and the beginners will race one 7 mile lap. The after race party will be held on the main plaza, with each racer getting a free BBQ lunch and entry into a raffle. As the adults kick back after the race it’s time for the kids to let er rip as we hold our kids race around the base area. The kids race will start at 3:30pm. We also are holding a “Huffy Bike” toss and hill climb for bikes for fun. Registration for the bike race will be the day of on the main plaza (9:00 am- 12:30 pm) the entry fee for the bike race and BBQ is $35.

General Description: Cross country (mostly single track and double track) circuit race; expert: 21 miles, intermediate: 14 miles, beginner: 7 miles. Starting elevation is 8000 feet. Helmets must be worn at all times when riding at Grand Targhee Resort.

Categories: Expert, Intermediate, Beginner and Kids 6-12

Registration: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm morning of race; $35

Lisa Smith-Batchen breaks the mold - ValleyCitizen - Teton Valley's Local News Source

LEFT: Lisa Smith-Batchen, center, is joined by friends and supporters as she walks a 2.5 mile loop around Teton Village’s Shooting Star in Jackson on Friday. Smith-Batchen is the first person to run 50 miles in each of the 50 states to raise $1 million for orphaned children in America and abroad. PHOTO COURTESY PRICE CHAMBERS

Driggs resident and famed ultra-marathoner Lisa Smith-Batchen finished her record-setting 2,500-mile run Saturday at The Spud, welcomed back by a crowd of well-wishers after a 62-day effort to run 50 miles in all 50 states and raise $1 million for orphans in the U.S. and abroad.

In addition to breaking an endurance running record, Smith-Batchen broke her foot and a toe as well, injuries she described as “a blessing in disguise, because it will let me move forward more gracefully.”

“Sunday night was my first night home, and I woke up at 5 a.m., soaked in sweat, running in my sleep,” Smith- Batchen said. “I did the same thing today. You cannot turn it on and off that quick.”

Smith-Batchen is not the type to sit still for long. She’ll be back at Dreamchasers next week, teaching classes to local fitness enthusiasts. She said she also looks forward to writing a book, and possibly doing speaking events.

“I want to help others realize their dreams, to help others use their gifts,” she said.

“I know what my passions are, I know my purpose – that’s why I could do this,” she said. “You owe it to yourself to find out what your passions are, and organize it – and you can’t do it all at one time, because then you’ll never finish – or you’ll never figure out what in your heart is truly yours to do.”

Smith-Batchen said that although she still plans to raise money for needy children, she’s now retired from racing.

“I have no desire to beat anybody, I have no desire to set any record,” she said. “What’s the point? A race is to challenge yourself – I’m never going to go any faster, I’m never going to go any further.”

“I can’t wait to be on the other side of the race,” Smith-Batchen said. “So many people have given me so much in this sport. It’s my turn to give back to those people.”

One of those people is her husband, Jay Batchen, who is leaving soon to run a race in California.

“He’s been so supportive – it’s his turn now,” said Smith-Batchen. “I told him, ‘When I get home, you’ve got to give me a few days.’ He leaves Thursday.”

Smith-Batchen also said she intends to spend some time with her two daughters.

“I’m so excited to wake up on Saturday mornings, when you’re supposed to do a long training run, and sit eating chocolate chip pancakes with my kids and watching a movie,” she said.

Smith-Batchen will also spend the next several weeks recuperating a broken foot and broken toe, injuries she suspects she sustained while on the Texas leg of her run. Undeterred by the fractures, she ran the remaining 1300 miles in constant pain.

“When I knew my foot was pretty bad, I wanted to continue,” she said. “It wasn’t pretty – I was a disaster – but I knew in the end it would be able to heal.”

“I definitely got a sense of what suffering is, but I always knew I’d be able to get out of it at the end of the day,” she said.

“It drives me crazy when people say, ‘She’s crazy to run on a broken foot,’” Smith-Batchen said. “If that was my only hold-up, why would I stop, when I know it will heal?”

“I had Badwater [an ultra-marathon in California, from Death Valley to Mount Whitney] in three weeks, and I was looking forward to that being my real retirement from racing,” she said. “I’ve never been fitter than I am now. I’m fi t, I’m lean – if this foot wasn’t hurt right now, watch out, man.”

Smith-Batchen said Teton Valley Health Care orthopedist Mo Brown called her Monday morning to talk with her about her injury and the upcoming race.

“I said, whatever Mo Brown tells me, that’s what it is, and he said, ‘Lisa, there’s no Badwater, and I’m going to put a hard cast on you if you don’t listen.” Smith-Batchen cancelled her plans to run the Badwater race, and Brown is allowing her to recover in a soft brace.

“It’s hard to think you’re the fittest you’ve ever been in your life, and you can’t do something with it,” she said. “But I did do something with it.”

Source: Valley Citizen, 6/24/10. Author: Mike Polhamus

TARGHEE OPENS FOR THE SUMMER NEXT WEEKEND!

The folks at Grand Targhee announced their Summer Opening next weekend. Here's clip from their press release;

"Looks like the weather tides are turning this week, perfect timing for the opening of the summer season next weekend. The Dreamcatcher Chairlift will run from 10 am to 4 pm daily starting Saturday, June 26. Accessibility to trails will depend on snowmelt - we will let you know how it's looking next week. Downhill trails won't be open, but XC riding could be good in Rick's Basin."

For more information on activities and events at Grand Targhee, go to their online magazine.

Glenn Beck to headline July 4th Celebrations in Teton Valley

re-posted from the Valley Citizen article dated May 26, 2010, by Jeannette Boner

David Huntsman, one of three partners in the Huntsman Springs development, confirmed Tuesday that nationally-acclaimed radio and television political pundit Glenn Beck will be headlining the July Fourth weekend celebrations in Teton Valley.

“We’re excited to have him and he’s excited to be here,” Huntsman said.

Beck’s “The Glenn Beck Program,” three-hour radio program is currently America’s third highest-rated national talk show. As the newest member of the Fox News Channel, he recently launched his television program aptly titled “Glenn Beck.”

see the full article at http://valleycitizen.com/stories_news_detail.php?pkStories=196

Targhee expansion deadline extended

Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2010 9:35 am | Updated: 11:28 am, Thu May 13, 2010.

Lisa Nyren, Teton Valley News

Teton County Wyo. Commissioners last week granted Grand Targhee Resort an extension on its proposed expansion.

Commissioners voted to extend the expiration of the resort's master plan until Feb. 4, 2013, a year sooner than applicant and resort owner Geordie Gillett had requested.

The board originally approved the expansion project in 2008, with a set master plan expiration date of Feb. 4, 2011.

The George Gillett family proposed expansion plans more than five years ago. On the western slope of the Tetons, the ski area sits at about 8,000 feet and is surrounded by national forest and wildlands that are home to grizzlies, wolverines and other rare species.

The resort now contains 96 lodging units that are rented to guests and it has limited commercial space.

With the 2008 approval, the Gilletts can have as many as 450 units, including employee housing, on site. Most of those units, 360, must be designed as short-term lodging. Grand Targhee may also build 150,000 square feet of space for commercial and resort services, amenities and support uses.

Thirty-six conditions were put upon the 2008 approval.

To contact Lisa Nyren e-mail editor@tetonvalleynews.net.

Victor gets Music on Main

Teton Valley News
Posted: Thursday, April 15, 2010 10:49 am | Updated: 11:52 am, Thu Apr 15, 2010.

On Tuesday, April 13, the Teton Valley Foundation Board of Directors voted unanimously to present the 2010 Music on Main concert series at Victor City Park in downtown Victor, pending Victor's approval of the necessary city ordinances.

According to a press release issued Thursday morning, "this decision was made following a thorough review of the proposals and subsequent clarification of details of each proposal. This decision was not taken lightly; therefore additional time was needed for the board to make a fully informed decision."

For the past few months, the Teton Valley Foundation has been considering sites in Driggs and Victor, and last month suggested the possibility of having the concert series split between the two cities, with three weeks in Driggs and three weeks in Victor.

Music on Main began in Driggs at the site where the Colter building now stands. Last year, Driggs officials dug up the parking lot in front of the city building, put grass down and hosted the concerts on city property.

"We want to thank Mayor Dan Powers, Mayor Scott Fitzgerald, the Driggs and Victor City Councils, and all the staff and committee members for the time and effort they put in to creating several excellent proposals for Music on Main venues," said TVF Executive Director, Jeff Potter. "We also thank everyone involved for their patience and understanding throughout this process. A final decision was delayed until now because we felt we owed it to the City of Driggs, our gracious host for the first four seasons of Music on Main, additional time to seek clarity on some critical issues."

"Victor City Park is a beautiful, grassy park with ample space to accommodate the growing crowds at Music on Main," Potter said. "Victor City Park is centrally located near businesses, has adequate on-site facilities for producing the concerts, requires no capital improvements, and is a long-term location that is not subject to development or potential changes in use. Based on the proposals submitted and the details that were identified throughout the process, we are confident that this is the best decision for the continued growth and success of the Music on Main Concert Series."

"We look forward to seeing all the same familiar faces every Thursday, and hopefully many new ones, at the 2010 Music on Main Concert Series in Victor City Park beginning July 15."