Amy David, Emilé Zynobia and Tatum Monod start their journey into the Wyoming Range saddled up with their skis loaded onto pack mules. The trip started at the David Ranch in Merna, WY, and ended on the other side of the snowy peaks in the distance. Photo: Sky Garnick

Adventure

A Little Western

Horse Packing in the Wyoming Range

“Yeehaw cowgirl!” Tre bellowed from the front of the pack string as Tatum rode her horse across a half-melted avalanche path. Butterflies filled my stomach looking down the slope as Emilé gathered her reins to cross the snow. A swirl of anticipation filled my body as I watched the mules with skis strapped to their backs crest the saddle of the mountain. The smell of spring was potent as we sat atop our horses next to the ski lines we had scouted the day prior. Riding horses opened up a new world of accessing ski terrain this time of year.

In June of 2024, one of my lifetime dreams became a reality. Tatum Monod, Emilé Zynobia and I set out on a wild west adventure combining the two things I find the most joy in: riding horses and skiing. We traveled through the Wyoming Range in the western side of the state, following the footsteps of my family heritage through a week-long horse packing ski trip, riding from camp to camp with our skis on the backs of mules.

Everyone has a story. As a young girl, I remember listening to the stories my grandparents would tell from horse packing trips in the mountains. My family taught me to ski as a two-year-old behind our house in the foothills of the Wind River Range, WY. My career as a big mountain skier, snowmobiler, ski guide and avalanche instructor has taken me to wild landscapes around the world, but this trip was about diving deeper into the past.


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