A crash from last February left me with a tear in my labrum in my right shoulder. I was able to finish out the season, skiing well into August but I new I would have to get surgery before the winter. I scheduled surgery for September 25th which put my estimated two month recovery at opening day at Jackson Hole. During surgery the doctor found my rotator cuff was also torn, so the recovery time doubled from two months to four.
I was still able to hike, but was unable to do anything with my right shoulder. I was in a sling for 6 weeks, but still got outside hiking all around Jackson.
Skier: Owen Leeper Photo: Sasha Motivala
Early Christmas Present
My doctor originally told me that skiing by Christmas was going to be a push and would still depend on my physical therapy and range of motion. Luckily for me, everything went well during PT and he cleared me to ski almost two weeks early! It was a good thing, I got two days of groomers to warm up the legs before the snow started falling. It took some time to get my legs back but the snow was great up high, but still grassy down low.
Starting on December 17th we got to ski powder everyday. We made it up Cody peak a couple times and got fresh tracks on Pucker and No Name face. Christmas eve it snowed again and we woke up to 9 inches of more snow. By December 26th the storm had dropped 37 inches!
The snow is skiing great and it feels amazing to be back. I still have to take it easy though, 4 months is about the minimum time for the shoulder to be able to take a bad fall. So until then, I will have to keep my feet on the ground. I think I can handle just skiing powder for a few more weeks!
Last season was one for the books, the snow was late in November and Jackson had to delay their opening. Once the snow did start to fall though, it didn't stop! We ended the season with the deepest recorded snowpack on closing day in Jackson History with over 600 inches of snow for the season.
I was going through all my footage and three quarters of it was powder days. Powder days are great for skiing, but not so much for filming. We skied a lot of deep snow, but in grey conditions. There were a couple of lucky days with fresh snow and blue skies. One of those days was shooting with Jackson Hole for the Real Mountain X-Games. My first hit of the day was airing into Corbet's Couloir, so naturally I tossed a backflip. Afterwards we headed to Alta 0 which had been closed to the public so the snow was piled up right under the Sublette chair. I took one of my favorite lines right through a cliff band with an nice banked left turn to cliff air right under the chair. Definitely one of the best days of the season.
Another epic day last season was when i got to tag along with Warren Miller while they were shooting video from the ground and with a drone. All my bluebird cliff shots and drone clips were from that day. We had the chance to get on the early tram and head up Cody peak before everyone else. I was first down Central couloir and then we headed over to No Name bowl where we sessioned the big open face and cliffs.
After Jackson Hole Mountain Resort closed, I headed to California for late springs conditions. I spent almost two weeks ticking off big mountain couloirs around Mammoth. Check out my writeup in Freeskier about the trip. I later returned to California to ski Squaw before they closed for the summer and travelled up through Oregon and Washington skiing's a couple volcanoes with my sister Janelle Smiley.
After returning to Jackson, I ticked off a few more lines in the Tetons, skiing my last day in Wyoming on August 2nd. Unfortunately a crash from February left me with shoulder pain 5 months later, and after getting an MRI I found out I needed surgery. I scheduled it for September 25th so after my two month recovery I would be ready for opening day at Jackson. During surgery they found my rotator cuff was also torn which almost doubled the recovery time. I hope to be back skiing before Christmas, but taking it easy for the first month.
Check out my edit "Point 'Em Straight" from the season at Jackson Hole! Also don't forget to follow me on instagram for more great photos and videos this year @o_leeps.
Last week Sasha Motivala and I drove up to Canada from Jackson, with goals to ski Kicking Horse, Revelstoke and a little backcountry with sleds. It was amazing. We got good snow the day we drove in and refills all week.
Our first day was in Kicking Horse with 37cm overnight. The marketing manager met us for a couple laps and showed us around.
The many pillow lines. PC: Sasha Motivala
There are so many pillows and airs right in bounds without having to hike!
Not always a steep landing PC: Sasha Motivala
Tons of steep chutes and airs
Owen Leeper airing at Kicking Horse PC: Sasha Motivala
One of my favorite zones at Kicking horse of pillows stacked everywhere. Unfortunately only had a couple chances to ski them before we headed to Revelstoke the next day.
Revelstoke
We found great snow and tons of things to jump off at Revelstoke too! The North bowl offers some really fun big mountain lines and mini golf airs down in the trees.
After a huge week of snow in early October, it dried up in Jackson. The resort was forced to delay opening for a week and finally opened with a few grassy runs last thursday. Then the weather changed and the big dump we needed dropped 59 inches over the course of 9 days!
Teton Pass PC: Janelle Smiley
Owen on Teton Pass PC: Sasha Motivala
I went skinning up the pass for my sister Janelle Smiley's birthday
and her husband Mark. We did 3 laps the snow was so good.
Owen Leeper in deep. PC: Janelle Smiley
Both the resort and Teton pass got tons of light powder and made for an amazing couple of days at the resort and the backcountry. Can't wait for the next one!
Meredith and I headed into the tetons after some fresh snow up high on July 14th. We found 2,500 vert of fun skiing on the Middle Teton Glacier. Always worth it, always go! #notoverit
Check out my video from skiing this spring after Jackson Hole closed the lifts. I skied the Grand Teton, Middle, South, Buck, Teewinot, Mt. Owen and more!
Last weekend Meredith and I headed up to Beartooth Pass to get some late may skiing, the 11,000 foot pass between Wyoming and Montana opens every year the friday before Memorial day. The pass offers couloir and big bowl skiing right from the summit.
Beartooth Pass Skiing
We drove up thursday night and friday morning for the opening i went up and skied some road accessed couloirs. I dropped into one and booted up the second to ski back down. It was a great change of pace from the long approaches in the Tetons.
The second day Meredith and I hiked up to the Chamonix Couloir, a 5,000 vertical gain couloir. We made it to the base after a couple miles on the trail. There was not much snow at the bottom but we could see the couloir wind up between the towering granite walls. We made our way up to the snowline.
We finally got to the top after 4 hours and got to ski down. Powder up top, chunky in the middle and wetslide debris at the bottom. It's still skiing though and a great adventure.
Long way back to the trail, but still skied 3,500 vert in one of the longest couloirs we've ever booted up. Follow me on instagram @o_leeps for more skiing photos this summer as I chase snow.
