Todd Ligare: Storm Skiing in the Tetons
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Todd Ligare might be one of the world's best big mountain chargers, but it wasn't always that way. Back in college, Ligare was a successful ski racer, going so far as to forerun the slalom and GS courses at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. However, when his college racing career was coming to a close, he decided to switch his focus to skiing big lines in bigger mountains. It must have been a good decision, because he hasn't looked back since. Last season, Todd spent nearly a month skiing neck-deep powder during Jackson's deepest February on record, stacking shots alongside a star-studded crew of TGR athletes. We caught up with Ligare to hear more about his time in Jackson, and what he's excited about going forward.
Todd lays one in on a rare bluebird day. Austin Hopkins photo.
TGR: Where did you ski with TGR last year? How was it?
Todd: I had the opportunity to shoot in Jackson Hole with TGR last year and we got really lucky with such a huge winter. I was there for most of February, which was a record breaking month in Jackson. I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years and I’ve never seen the town as buried as it was. Needless to say we skied a lot of pow!
TGR: Did you have any goals for the season? Did you achieve them?
Todd: When I first rolled into town I had hopes of skiing some of the bigger classic lines around the resort. However, with so many storm days rolling through, stability and visibility were hard to come by for awhile. As a result I felt a bit of a shift in the mission and was happy to spend the majority of the time just storm skiing deep pow. Thankfully, we did eventually get some days to push out but I still have a lot of my tick list from last year unchecked. I guess it’s kind of a rolling list so maybe I’ll get some more chances down the line.
Those are some snazzy goggles! Nic Alegre photo.
TGR: You were using TGR Optics for part of the season, right? How did you like them?
Todd: I’m really hyped on the new TGR optics. I really appreciate the easy interchangeable lenses because I find they are super easy to manage in the backcountry. However, I’m also just really down with the aesthetics. I think they are good looking frames. I’ve had a lot of people asking me about them and I can wholeheartedly recommend them to friends.
TGR: Any other new stuff from last season that you'd like to plug?
Todd: Being part of the Sierra Nevada team this season has been really fun. Everyone I’ve had the chance to interact with there has been really welcoming and I really appreciate the way they run their business. After getting the chance to go the brewery in Chico it seems they are really doing everything they can to manage their footprint and also treat their employees well. Perhaps it goes without saying, but it’s also been awesome to just have so many great beers on hand!
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Last February was deep, apparently. Nic Alegre photo.
TGR: Were there any particularly funny/scary/otherwise noteworthy moments?
Todd: It’s a bit of a lengthy story but the very short version is…I got myself pickled after dropping into a pretty exposed line with a mandatory air. I was already feeling like it was a questionable choice given the conditions, but once I started skiing and was getting a view of where I had to land the first air, I didn’t feel comfortable with the snow texture. It looked a little too cooked and given the critical-ness of sticking it I decided to pull up. However, backtracking in this particular instance was pretty complicated because I had to drop a cornice to get into the line and didn’t have a good option to climb back out. I was really lucky to have Griffin in the crew that day because he had a rope with him. He wasn’t immediately available so I had to build myself an anchor and post up for awhile. Eventually he was able to get a rope down to me and I was able to get back out, tied in. I don’t really know what the lesson is here, bring a rope or bring friends with ropes? Thanks Griff!
TGR: There was a big ensemble crew skiing Jackson with you last season. How was that?
Todd: One of many great things about coming through Jackson is that almost everybody in the TGR family rolls through at one point or another. At one point this season we had a super crew rolling with Colter, Durtschi, Griffin, Kai, Smoothy and myself all in town at the same time. It’s so nice to have a bit of a hub where anyone in the family can come get some days in. I think everyone in that crew brings something different to the table, so the more the merrier.
TGR: Any other cool projects you're working on that you'd like to mention?
Todd: Look for an edit from my spring trip to AK coming up soon - it's called For Good Measure. I got the chance to show it on the big screen a handful of times this fall but look for the wide release on the web right after the holidays. Also, I have a lot of TGR footage from this year that hasn’t seen the light of day yet and although I don’t have a timeframe on will that will come out yet, I’m definitely going to make a piece from that epic Jackson February.
