Spencer Morton spent his life pursuing unattainable perfection.
That poetic turn of phrase â unattainable perfection â would be at home in a Norman Maclean novel. Instead, it was Mortonâs description of fly-fishing, the sport he built his life around. At the helm of Jackson Hole Fly Fishing School, Morton shared his love of fishing with everyone around him, from guides to clients.
At his âschoolhouse on the Snake,â hundreds assembled Sunday to commemorate the man whose impact in Jackson stretched from the outfitting community to the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club, Moose hockey and beyond. The gathering was a fitting tribute to a man whose purest skill was connecting with people.
Mail Staff Writer
FIBArk is a little more than a month away, and although it may look a little different from previous years, the focus on the river this year is running on schedule.
This yearâs whitewater festival is scheduled for June 17-20 and will be scaled back from former years as organizers, an all-volunteer board, try to bring the weekend back to its roots as an event geared for locals.
New this year will be ticketed access to the music venue at Riverside Park, to generate funds and to allow for complying with whatever COVID-19 precautions are in place at the time.
FIBArkâs Pole, Pedal, Paddle race will take place on April 18, featuring a multi-sport event that includes skiing, biking and kayaking.
Competitors have followed the path of spring runoff since 1999, skiing from the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass for 6 miles, then mountain biking in the shadow of Mount Shavano for a 17 mile ride to the banks of the Arkansas River where whitewater kayaks take paddlers into downtown Salida.
Participants compete as teams or individually.
Registration is open now until April 13 and is open to the public.
FIBArk board is looking for volunteers for the event. Log on to www.3PSalida.com for full details and call Alli at 719-221-3937 to volunteer.
Warm temperatures over the past two weeks have melted much of the snowpack from the valley floor, forcing organizers of the annual Pole Pedal Paddle race to cancel the Nordic ski leg in favor of a longer run.
There is not enough snow to use the Nordic track at Shooting Star, said Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club Director Ali Sehnert. The club looked at a host of other options, including setting a course near the base area of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, as has been done in the past, but those options werenât feasible, either â mostly due to widespread melting.
The most popular event at the annual Snow King Serendipity was the first
Snow King Hill Climb, sponsored by the Jackson Hole Snow Devils. Thirty racers entered the snowmobile race up Snow King Mountain. John McLaughlin, the only one to make it all the way to the road at the top of the mountain, emerged as King of the Hill.
After finding no suitable alternatives the
Jackson Hole Airport board ended its search for another location for the airport and instructed its master plan consultants to focus their study on the effects of keeping the airport in Grand Teton National Park. The board also asked the firm to consider the effects of closing the airport if the present site could not be retained after the park lease expired in 1995.