Wyoming SnowFest
Written and Photos By Laurel Thompson
In early February, outdoor recreationists gathered in the Bighorn Mountains for the second annual Sweet Sixteen SnowFest to enjoy some of our favorite winter pastimes!
Sweet Sixteen SnowFest!
This exciting 2-day winter event features a variety of winter activities and sports hosted by Tensleep Nowood Trailbreakers, a local non-profit organization out of Ten Sleep, Wyoming that develops, enhances and maintains trails for resident and visitor use in Washakie County.
Tensleep Nowood Trailbreaks (TNT) is made up of several local volunteers who love the outdoors and want to create exciting recreational opportunities for hikers, bikers and skiers throughout the year by maintaining and grooming trails in every season!
While TNT hosts several events and local happenings throughout the year to raise awareness of their mission and to positively impact local communities, the Sweet Sixteen SnowFest is quickly gaining popularity, with participants joining in from across the state.
This year’s event kicked off on Friday, February 4th with the Gettin’ Chili in the Snow event at Willow Park! Willow Park is located in Bighorn National Forest about 16 miles northeast of Ten Sleep, Wyoming on the west side of scenic Cloud Peak Skyway, just outside of the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
During the winter months, Willow Park offers recreationists miles of groomed cross country and snowshoeing trails through scenic meadows and pine forests courtesy of the TNT folks!
Event attendees enjoyed an afternoon of snow activities on the freshly groomed trails, raffle giveaways, free hot chili, and guitar serenades by a warm campfire! Some even braved the cold evening temps with a moonlit ski or hike after sunset!
*Please note, Willow Park Campground is closed during the winter months and sites are not reservable at this time. Picnic and campfire ring areas also do not receive snow removal during the winter months; this was completed by volunteers for the event.
On the second day of the event, attendees headed over to Meadowlark Ski Lodge, just a few minutes from Willow Park, for a fun-filled day on the slopes in the Vertical Challenge!
Split into four winning categories, adult and children participants were able to choose to earn their turns by skinning up the premarked trail or catching a ride on the chairlift.
Before the 9AM start time, registered participants hit up the rental shop downstairs, geared up in the main lodge, and downloaded their tracking apps where they would see who could rack up the most vertical feet gained by the end of the day!
It was a beautiful snowy day to be out on the mountain, and participants enjoyed great skiing and boarding conditions in the recently fallen snow.
Throughout the day, participants and other lodge guests were able to take breaks near the grand fireplace and purchase raffle tickets for the evening drawing! The Wyoming Outdoor Recreation team, proud event sponsors, were even there to interact with guests, sell TNT merchandise, and to keep participants’ eyes on the prizes!
After hours on the slopes and only minutes left of the Vertical Challenge event, participants started slowly gathering in the lodge to see who the lucky winners would be.
With the final participant numbers in hand, TNT President CJ G. and Treasurer Justin S. announced the 2022 Vertical Challenge Winners! Cody C. of Casper won the adult lift category with 32,969 vertical feet skied. Cody’s fastest recorded speed was also 67.1 miles per hour! Jack C. of Casper won the youth lift category with 32,405 feet. Ten Sleep native Emmi B. earned her turns winning the youth hiking category with 1,318 vert. gained, and Aaron K. was tops in the adult hiking category with 8,112 total!
With the 2022 Sweet Sixteen SnowFest in the books, over $425 in cash prizes were given away to the Vertical Challenge winners, and grand prize raffle winner, Lisa S. of Hyattville, went home with a new XC Ski package from The Sports Lure out of Buffalo, Wyoming!
This event was made possible by Tensleep Nowod Trailbreakers and their event sponsors the Bighorn Basin Outdoor Recreation Collaborative, Powder Pass Nordic Club, The Sports Lure, Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, and Meadowlark Ski Lodge.
It was an amazing winter weekend in the Bighorn Mountains, and if you weren’t able to make it to this year’s event, be sure to mark your calendars for the third annual Sweet Sixteen SnowFest in 2023!
Follow Live WYld Magazine to keep up with more seasonal events and happenings across the state at LiveWYldMag.com or by liking and following us on social media at @LiveWYldMag. Happy Trails!