About

I started this blog to keep track of my adventure wish-list and log recent treks. Trip reports are always helpful when I'm planning for objectives, so I'm hoping to pass my trial-and-error experience forward for the benefit of future groups.

In that spirit, on this site you'll find a mix of trip reports and primers related to adventures in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and backcountry in general.

Why "Grizzlies & Avalanches"

Exploring the backcountry is uniquely rewarding and risky. In northwest Wyoming, grizzly encounters and avalanche burials are at the top of my list, along with plenty of other risk factors. In each trip report, I'll get into my education and preparation for risks, in addition to writing some topic-specific primers like bear safety, avalanche awareness, backcountry first aid, etc.

On top of self-directed education, I've taken Avalanche Level 1 (Avy 1), Avalanche Rescue (Avy Rescue) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR or /wo͝ofər/) courses, since moving out west. I highly recommend at least a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course, even for short excursions into the backcountry.

My Story

I moved to Jackson Hole, WY, from New York City in September 2020 to pursue a hospitality business concept focused on the future of work: Out Here. Like many, I found myself with newfound flexibility following the COVID-19 lockdowns, and inspired by the possibilities of remote work, left investment banking to help companies offer work from incredible locations as a perk for employees.

While in Jackson, I also cooked up a passion project for Yellowstone National Park: the Firepit Crew. Prints hit gift stores, galleries and venues around the Park in summer 2022 with at least 20% of gross profits donated to nonprofits supporting Yellowstone. The plan is to create similar generative collections for other national parks in partnership with local artists.

Ventures aside, I spent much of my time based in Jackson adventuring in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosytem, which I grew to love from childhood family roadtrips and a college summer working at Canyon Village.

My skis, trail runners and fishing rods collected dust over the seven years leading up to 2020, while I sat behind a desk in Boston and then New York. After a case of hiker's knee during the first summer, I realized my body needed a dust-off too.

After rehabbing through fall 2021, I doubled down on backcountry skiing, taking a run at two summits in the Tetons: Table Mountain and Mt. Moran's Skillet. (We fell short on Mt. Moran by about 1,000' due to weather/daylight; check out Part I and Part II trip reports.)

As I continue to check-off and add adventures to my wish list, I'll plan to post timely trip reports and primers. There's a big world beyond your office—hopefully these reports inspire you to grab your gear and start (safely) exploring.