The late skier and mountaineer Steve Romeo coined the phrase “Live to Ski.” He was consumed with the experience of human powered skiing. That passion was expressed in the Tetons—a range that provided Romeo with endless inspiration.
Jackson Hole’s Exum Mountain Guides’ new ski mountaineering camp captures Romeo’s “Live to Ski” spirit and offers ski mountaineering progression for a younger generation of skiers who aspire to ride big lines in the great ranges of the world.
“It’s our top of the line, super high-end camp for people who are looking to go on and independently accomplish great things in the mountains,” says Exum guide Zahan Billimoria. This camp is about turning people into ski mountaineers who can take leadership roles and ski big lines off peaks around the world.”
Jackson local David Sokol, an avid backcountry skier, and his wife Peggy met Steve and were inspired to carry on the legacy. They created a fund that’s part of the Steve Romeo Memorial Fund to offer one full-ride scholarship for the camp every year for the next 15 years.
“We are looking for a person who can demonstrate that they have invested a part of their lives to becoming a proficient ski mountaineer,” says Billimoria.
The camp isn’t for everyone. It’s designed for someone who has been developing his or her own skills—someone who has steep skiing experience, has used ice axes and crampons and who is ready to take it to the next level. The camp will teach aspiring ski mountaineers how to assess terrain and use modern tools to mitigate risk in big terrain.
The four-day preparatory course will begin with two days of skills development and high angle ski techniques, anchor construction, belayed skiing and rappelling—all held high in the Tetons. The second portion of the course will entail skiing a major Teton objective such as the Skillet Glacier on Mt. Moran, or another route off of a major Teton summit.
Details:
Dates: May 8-11, 2013
Price: $995 per person
To reserve your place, call Exum at 307.733.2297
To apply for a scholarship, email: [email protected]
If you are new to backcountry skiing, Exum is leading the new Jackson Summit Camp in conjunction with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The three-day camp, March 14-16, includes two days of tram accessed skiing and one day of backcountry touring in Grand Teton National Park. ($1,200 with lifts tickets).
