Happy Buck'ing New Year

I've been itching to get up high in the Park recently, so Z and I spent the last day of 2012 up on Buck with his brother Nash.  They say a picture's worth 1000 words, and with my New Year-ly fatigued brain that sounds great.  It was a pretty spectacular day.

Dark and COLD skinning through the wee hours.

Our first good look at Buck.

The sun was making cool spectres with the valley fog as we came out of Stewart's Draw.

Photo: Zahan Billimoria

Things were pretty wind-hammered up around Timberline Lake.  Would've been good skate-skiing.  I remain fully sold on the approach-skis for snowboarding in the alpine, and Wagner makes the best. Photo: Zahan Billimoria

Busting the track up from the lake.

Z was gracious enough to let me break trail up the East Ridge.  Usually he just lets me try to keep up. Photo: Zahan Billimoria

It's exposed up there!  Just enough to keep up focused.

The Brothers Billimoria work through a rocky crux.  (Granite slabs under a couple of inches of snow.) 

On the summit!  Z realized that this was 10 years to the day from the first time he climbed/skied Buck, his first Teton peak.

Nash finishing up to the top.

The glory shot.  Photo: Zahan Billimoria

Lunch on the summit.  Warm sun, zero wind--unbelievable.

Nash opens up down the East Face.

Z.

Slightly wind-effected snow made for heads-up skiing down the East Face.  Z made it look easy.

AJ.  Photo: Zahan Billimoria

Way better snow in the bonus-shots down into Stewart's Draw. 

Nash.

Z.

Buck Mountain from the valley floor.  We climbed the right-hand skyline, and if you squint you can make out our tracks down the big East Face.

Happy New Year!  May it be healthy and powder-ful.