Thursday was yet another incredible day to be in Ogden Valley.  Today we headed up to Powder Mountain for interesting mix of 4-6" fresh powder, windblown in some areas, a little crusty in some spots - but cold, fun and beautiful nonetheless.  We were told to keep an eye out for Jeremy Jones and the Rossignol crew who were there testing gear and meeting fans at the end of the day for a poster signing event.

The day started off with a healthy hike off of Sundown lift that dropped us into a completely untracked bowl back to the road for a pickup from the Pow Mow shuttle.  After that we made our way back up to Sundown and hopped onto the snow cat up to Lightning Ridge and then started a fresh boot pack to the top of James Peak.  If you haven't hiked James the first thing you need to do is quit smoking cigarets, get on the stairmaster and start building up your determination.  Today was no different as our crew trudged up, step by step, to what seems like the top of the world when you get there.  The view was beautiful, with intermittent clouds giving us peaks of Snowbasin, Wolf Mountain, Ben Lomand Peak and even parts of Logan.  Did I mention it was cold?  Hiking to the top brings up your body temperature so that you're ready to shed layers when you arrive at the summit, but quickly we could feel the sting of -0F on our fingertips and noses.

 
We sat at the top for a few more and then we started to encounter the beginings of the Jones crew as they were climing up behind us.  After some discussion, some of our crew, Dave and Rosie, decided to drop straight down while the rest of us and some of the Rossi folks decided to push on to some of the other drops further along the ridge.  The view was amazing, beautiful untouched drifts as we hiked past what seemed like endless untracked bowls of creamy white powder.  Finally we arrived at the Y chute and began assessing our line.  At first it appeared to be a gently sloping bowl with a fairly basic run out.  It wasn't though as we soon realized that the just below our line of site was a huge rock band with a variety of skinny paths that we would somehow need to navigate.

Once we made it to the bottom we turned back up to watch the man, Jeremy Jones, come blasting off that rocky shoulder that we all chose to avoid.  I saw a red flash, an explosion of powder and then Jeremy comes maching past us onto the next ridge.  We caught up with the Rossi crew once again at the top of Paradise and then again in the Powder Keg.

I had the opportunity to ask Jeremy a few questions and this is what he had to say.

Q:  How was it today at Powder Mountain

A:  Today was a wonderful day to be a snowboarder.  Sunny, lots of pow, cold and perfect.

Q:  What runs did you hit.

A:  Today we hit a little bit of everything.  The highlight of our day was a hike up James Peak.

Q:  What do you think of the area here.

A:  The people are great here, a real special place, feels like you're going back in time, really peacful... An incredible experience.

Q:  What kind of board and gear are you riding.

A:  Today I was on a 162 Rossignol Jeremy Jones. This year I have a new line of boards, boots and bindings with Rossignole called the Jones Experience.  I basically designed it similar to my surfboard quiver with Small boards for early season and low snow and smaller mountains.  When things start to fill I start riding bigger lines in I'm riding bigger lines on the mountain.  So today was a '62 day.

Q:  Where are you based out of, where do you live.

A:  Lake Tahoe, California.

Q:  Did you have a guide today?

A:  Yeah, a guy named Greg.  He did a great job.  Everyone here is awesome.  It's refreshing to go to a resort like this, get away from the hustle and bustle and crowds that we have in California. 

We'll we already knew that.  That's why we're here!!  Thanks again for visit Jeremy, make sure you give us a shout next time you're coming to the Ogden Valley.

Check out Backcountry.com for the best deals and review on Jeremy Jones new line of Rossi gear.  You can even pick up your order in SLC if you're really in a hurry!!