Tuesday was the SES day off. Time to relax, nurse the shin-bang, and get one of Fin's Bomber Butter massages. Or, as Bob Jenney demonstrates, go totally OT. For the rest of the day, we will document the gripping outdoor adventure drama of The Bob Jenney Tiehack Mountaineering Expedition.

First, the context: we had flat light today at Buttermilk, so carvers who turned out had to go by feel.
Dave Morgan demonstrates carving by Braille.

Matt is stoked to ride on the day off. He also rides with ski boots,
since regular snowboard hardboots didn't come in any of the color combinations he wanted.

The Bob Jenney Tiehack Mountaineering Expedition began at the Tiehack parking lot at buttermilk, with ambitious plans to summit the mountain by late afternoon.

Over in carving land, Paul can decamber the board, on or off the slope.

Paul reaches the "carving event horizon," an inflection point that lasts for 0.0001 seconds,
but which determines the shape of the next turn.

The remainder of the turn is destiny.

Note the "Purecarve" topsheet on top of the Coiler.

Mid day, the Bob Jenney Tiehack Mountaineering Expedition is sighted about 1/3 of the way up Tiehack mountain. A constant danger: The unpredictable weather conditions could change at any moment - from flat light, to really flat light.

Meanwhile, the rest of us carve in flattering flat light.

At these high altitudes, disorientation can set in. The worst mistake:
following trenches in the snow and going in circles.

Speaking of carving circles, the SES women were totally ripping it up.

We check on the progress of Team Jenney. The further up the mountain they get, the slower they go.

Back on the carving slopes, Eric shreds on the Madd, his favorite weapon of choice.
An informal poll shows that Eric is responsible for 20% of all Madd snowboard photos on the internet.

Make that 24% of all Madd snowboard photos on the internet.

By Tuesday, I adopted strict ethical guidelines for carving photos:
A photo only goes up if the carver could have transitioned into another consecutive turn.

This photo would not qualify.

But this one does!! woohoo!

Meanwhile, Team Jenney is working on borrowed time. In half an hour, the lifts close, the runs get "roped off",
and Team Jenney could be trapped on the mountain with weather coming in. Will they triumph over adversity?
Will they beat the mountain at its own game? And if this is the only Valentine's event Bob has planned,
will they still be on speaking terms at the end of the week?

On a lighter note, Dr. Scott shows off his x-ray specs.

This shot is begging to be Photoshopped.

And so it is.


More of that fast-changing, unpredictable weather that could forestall the progress of Team Jenney.

Success! Team Jenney strategically splits up, with Bob reaching the top and taking a glory lap down the front side of Buttermilk. They meet up at the bottom and savor the day's adventure. But the saga continues: at the ECES, Team Jenney will tackle the treacherous Khumbu East Coast Icefall at Sugarloaf.