Mad Pow Disease

It's been nearly two months since an update.  The only two planking i've done typically involves a #8d nail and a two-buh-fower.  The best news that I have is that the cabin is complete.  We had an absolute epic New Years Eve bash with about 16 of our closest friends splayed out across the loft.  We partied until 0430, something I haven't done since college - Cla$$ick!  Complete with tons of food, more than $500 worth of fireworks and stack cup.  My Dad's Bloody Mary recipe was crucial the next morning.

So now I can ski.  Too bad I have to work this weekend.  So next weekend will be my first time on the snow this season.  Its great that we have tons of snow in Turnagain Pass - nearly 10 feet of snow since December 22nd.  Too bad its sitting on ball bearings.  There have been some pretty substantial and scary avalanches as of late - one on Tincan and the other on the uptrack to what I call the Avalanche Laboratory (motorized side of TPass).

Not much to speak of in the South Fork.  The pack resembles what you'd find in early October.  Even the Telemark Tips forum was renamed the "Facet Epicness Thread".  There's a time to go big, but not this year.  And it might not get much better for SCAK.  The National Weather Service is forecasting an "atmospheric river" this weekend.  Thanks Hawaii, but we'd rather visit you - the Pineapple Express is getting a little old.

Speaking of going big, what contributed to all of these facets also contributed to some amazing mountain views.  Like this one:  Sunset on the Great One.

And the weather geeks may know the above clould to be a Lenticular.  Very commonly seen on Denali.

I know this blog needs a stoke bump, but it just wouldn't be right without some pics of the finished product.  All were taken with my GoPro to appreciate the big picture of our small cabin.

Just like The Shrink said today, we are thankful for all of the hard work by friends, family and co-workers - we couldn't have done it without you!  To think that we went from here:

To here in just 6 months is amazing.  Every weekend and lots of time off.

Special thanks to Lee Snowberger of North Ridge Rustics for his fantastic log work, attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship.

And now I promise to bring back the stoke.  The title track to "Superheroes of Stoke" will get the blood flowing:


Superheroes of Stoke Trailer from MSP Films on Vimeo.

Soft...Buttery...Corn

A few years ago, we all rallied at the Bear Tooth for the CNFAIC Fundraiser to listen to Kristoffer Erickson talk about his Alaskan spring skiing adventures.  It was a sweet presentation and this cat really got after it, but all he talked about was skiing some "Soft Buttery Corn."

Long days and warm temps rewarded us with some nice spring skiing last night in the South Fork valley. B-real and I hammered up Harp Mountain after work.  We arrived at the top wiping the sweat off our brows, dehydrated and looking for a Coors Light.

When the Mountains turn blue, It's as Cold as the Chugach!

I think Eddie said it right... "if you know someone who’s still looking rather pasty, tell em to get off their ass and get into the hills."  And if you haven't check his latest footie from his seggie, do so; it's pretty tight.

Its the time of year when all of the season ending parties take place like the Champagne Brunch and this years inaugural "Corn Harvest" sponsored by the CNFAIC.  And we all have those good "farmers" tans.

B-real harvests his own crops...

As this epic record-breaking winter winds down we all have to answer the question, 

"Whoa, where have you been, vacation?  

"Nope, ... Alaska!"

Dusk Patrol

WOW!  That's all I can say.  I've been neglecting North Bowl this year, either due to bad visibility or weather.  This was not the case last night.  B-real and I rallied for an after work powder mission...with Dogface in close pursuit on the Uptrack.  I've got to say that this is my favorite time of year - longer days and good snow!

Anchorage-ites were encased in a fog sarcophagus, while we were climbing in the warm setting sun.  There was no wind, but 'ol man wind had its way with the South Fork on Saturday.  I observed several small natural slab avalanches and cornice breaks through the terrain.  We skied some nice 2-3" dust on a supportable base back to the trailhead.

Here is a quick video edit that I put together of my initial descent.  Some day i'll call this LB's run....my favorite!


I have a feeling that with these conditions Gordon Lyon will be slayed in a subsequent after work hammer fest.  I haven't been around here as long as some of the "graybeards", but the skiing and stability has been phenomenal - no PWL's (persistent weak layers) and a deep snowpack = LOW danger!

Ski safe and enjoy!

SoFo Powder, Blizzard Warnings and CrossFit

From the looks of it, everyone enjoyed the sun while it lasted.  Saturday started with perfect bluebird skies and no wind until the high clouds moved in signaling a strong low pressure front moving in from the Bering Sea.

We'll see what this storm brings... this is what the forecasters have to say, "STEADY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE BOWL AND MATANUSKA VALLEY. STILL EXPECTING TO SEESEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION OVER A 12 TO 18 HOUR PERIOD..." Snowfall totals are expected to be around 5-9".

But this storm didn't change the fantastic skiing on tap in the Chugach front. We headed to my all time favorite powder stash. The wind had picked up and was actively transporting snow. But the bowl held perfect boot-top powder. The powder hound even made an appearance!  And it was the best day of the year in the South Fork by my count!

I ran into a skiing/packrafting friend on Friday night and he put this season into great perspective, "each day I go out I keep saying it was the best day of the year." Not a bad way to ski the finest snow in the world!

I was plagued with camera issues as my GoPro card was full, and the above photo doesn't do the SoFo tree shot any justice (shhhhh...). Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug!

In other news, i'm competing in the CrossFit Games Open.  WOD 12.1 was As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) for 7 minutes: Burpees!  I was at Arctic CrossFit early yesterday morning to get my workout judged.  My goal was to break 100, but I only managed to bust out 94.  We've got 4 more weeks of workouts, with one workout per week.

94 burpees and then a couple of hours of skiing!  Made for a perfect apres ski of Brewhouse Blonde and Cheese Fries at the Eagle River Ale House!

South Fork Conditions Update

This November has been off to a good start, with over a foot of fresh snow in the past week.  Not to mention the decent start in October; but I've already got 3 1/2 foot snow banks in my driveway.

I headed out to the South Fork tonight for a quick after work "one run and done" conditions check.  I really didn't pay attention to the weather gauge, but there must have been some wind that came in with the recent storm.  By my calibrated eye, there was about 4" of new low density snow in the parking lot at the trailhead.  I could see the wind was transporting snow on the ridge tops, specifically Harp and some of the ridges deeper up valley.

I observed a small natural slide on the top of Lynx that had been obviously wind loaded.  There was a large party that had skied the main gut of Harp proper and it "looked" really good.  I would be leery and untrusting of ridgetops and gullies that had been scoured - play it safe!

Here are some GoPro pics.  They really don't do any type of justice, but better than nothing.

 And of course LB getting hers...

In celebration of Veteran's Day, i'll be out getting some turns.  Hopefully i'll have an update of how things flushed out after the "mega storm".

In other news, Matt Hage is getting stoked.

May Day!

The first day of May skied surprisingly well.  I thought that the forecast called for mostly cloudy and rain for the next week, but we got a nice sucker hole.  I headed solo up to Hatcher Pass and had my mind set on either a couloir I scoped a couple months back near Gold Cord, or the north facing chutes on the Rae-Wallace Headwall.

LB and I slugged it out and made it as far as I could before I started booting.  I hate boot packing.  It must've been really warm last week, because there were a lot of rollerballs that made the skiing.....um.....interesting.

The pass also got about an inch of snow during that small front that moved through late in the week. The entire chute skied very well, requiring you to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge the occasional "death cookie". Lobita was loving the slope angle, but had it rough post-holing through the isothermal snowpack in the south facing flats.

I'll take it for the first day of May.  I have to work both of the weekends in mid-May, so next weekend I have to get after it.  It may be time to bring it back closer to home.  I've got my eye on Raina's north couloir, and the chutes in Hanging Valley.

Powder Baskets

The easter bunny greeted the day with baskets filled with powder, a whippet, and Utica Club.

Not to mention an early morning run to Hatcher Pass before brunch.  B-real and I toured up into the Rae-Wallace bowl, looking left and right, debating on what to ski.  To the right was a nice north-facing chute from atop Fish Peak (or Marmot or the Rae-Wallace Headwall depending on nomenclature).  To the left was my all-time favorite run off the north side of Microdot - Nosebleed.  This is a top contender for always holding good snow.  We decided to ski Nosebleed and were pleasantly rewarded with soft powder in April!

B-real makes his way out of the Rock Garden.  Sorry I don't have any good ski pics - we were doomed by flat light.

 Lobita shakes it off....aint' nuthin' but a thang.

In other news, some folks have been getting after it - skiing Mount Bold.  It seems that this is the time of year when people start slaying big Western Chugach peaks.  I've heard that Mount Rumble and Yukla also got tagged.  Others have slogged it out to ski Bench Peak in the Kenai's....very nice and worth the powder preservation. 

And you can tell its that time of year.  Roman and Timmy J made the first run down Six Mile.  This always happens....the skiing is so good that I dont want to give it up; but boating season is upon us!

The Girl...

Meg and I in a recent trip to Hawaii.  She's the better looking one...

Yep, the two most important girls in my life....Meg and Lobita.  But recently, it seems that La Nina (or The Girl in spanish) has been at the forefront of conversations in South Central Alaska.  The forecast for the next week is clear, sun and cold.  Not very favorable if you're planning a ski trip to Prince William Sound.

I checked out the anti-tracks with locals Matt and Agnes from Hagephoto.  We headed up Tincan for a "one run and done" - and to see what the wind left us with.  Not much...

 Matt and Agnes survey the landscape and try to find a place to ski.  It actually wasn't that bad, we found some decent carveable turns in the protected trees.  Define Powder?  As Rick Vance (February 2011, Backcountry) states, "skiing today was like pornography: great to look at, but a poor substitute for the real thing."

 Me and one of my favorite girls.

Matt Hage took this photo.  It's pretty sweet, and you can find it on his Facebook page.  I heart Utica Club.  Fun facts about "UC" (or Uncle Charlie's as we call it):

1. First beer sold in the United States after prohibition.

2. Only sold and distributed within 90 miles of Utica, New York.

You know you're an Alaskan powder enthusiast when... a Backcountry Ski Magazine is on your dashboard at the trailhead, and your windshield is splattered with State Parks passes.

Tincan Trees

I headed to Turnagain today with local ER skier Eric.  There was about 2-3" in my driveway, but CNFAIC reports boasted only about 1" down south.

The tour was pleasantly surprising.  Based on my previous observations from Eddie's and Magnum, I knew the higher elevation terrain was wind scoured.  We decided on some mellow tree shots to the lookers left of the main Tincan drainage.

We made a total of 4 shorter laps and found fresh untracked snow on each run.  The dogs enjoyed themselves, and LB got back on the saddle.

Eric tries to sieze what he can Sees.

I must say that there were some nice lines in the evening alpenglow on the Sunnyside.  Lobita surveys the way back to the truck.

This was a pic from Tuesday's tour to ski PMS Bowl.  I met Jon and Jenna, with Kijik, Chili and Hannah in close proximity.

I depart Los Anchorage tonight for Hawaii to meet Meg.  I hope we get mad snow when I return.

Gone With the Wind...

Reports for this weekend were epic.  We got the goods on Friday, but made a poor terrain choice on Sunday.  I heard that the "Two Bowls Path" skied great with "at least 10 face shots."

So Tyler and I headed out with Eric and Storm.  Eric calls the lookers left bowl off of the main Harp drainage "Lynx".  I think this is just an extension of the main area known as "Harp", and Lynx is actually the bowl to the lookers left ridge of all that stuff, which terminates on Lynx Lane.

As expected we found boilerplate wind slab in places, and the TRC ("Thanksgiving Rain Crust") everywhere else.

I did a hellacious Crossfit workout the day before, and was in the rear with the gear.

The high pressure was great, but made the turns extremely difficult - early rise tip, or not.

For about half of the run we found some decent blower pow.  Tyler enjoying said blower pow.

With the visibility still 100%, I took LB out to Arctic Valley for a quick skin.  It was hella cold in the flats, -2F by my count on the "Delta Tango."

I found pretty much the same conditions.  Decent (said tongue in cheek...) blower pow, intermixed with 4-6" windslab.  I skinned for about 45 minutes up into Center Bowl until I couldn't take the subzero windchill.

Alpenglow was pretty much wind f'd.

LB is back on the injured reserve.  She won't keep her booties on, and the breakable crust tears up her nails-skin.  Anyone have any ideas?  I am worried about the booties being too tight and cutting off her circulation - i've done that before.

Notice the Coombacks, lower right.  They are all fixed and race ready.  Lobita....not race ready :-(

Oh yeah, she got a new collar too - its pink.  Guess who bought that for her???

Front Range Adventures

After the "Thanksgiving Hurricane", we finally got some fresh snow in the Anchorage Bowl.  By the snotel counts, about 11 inches fell on the Hillside, and about 6 inches up our way in Eagle River.

We got a late start after the feast on Thursday, and headed local up to Hiland Road.  I had thoughts of hitting up the standard run to North Bowl, but it was nice to get some turns in the sunlight.  We headed up Harp just in time for sunset.

Marc laboring away at the essence of this blog.....The Uptrack.

Gayle was nice enough to be the "Pro-Pho" and graciously took some pictures of our descent.  This is one of my favorite runs on this side of the road.  Not too steep, but protected from the wind and usually holds good cold smoke.

Both Marc and I had our virgin run with our new ski setup's.  Here is Marc cashing in his hard work with the Icelantic Nomad's. 

I got a killer deal on the K2 Coomback's (thanks Luc and www.telemarkdown.com).  And I loved every turn...

After a resort day on Saturday with Meg, where I skied with every snowboarder from Anchorage on the "East Coast Ice", Tyler (AKA. B-real) and I headed out for some turns on the front side.

Big mistake.

I thought the 11 inches of snow, and the recent 5 inches of snow would have helped.  We found some windswept snow up high on Peak 3, and nothing but rocks underneath.  Needless to say, we trashed our new boards.  Now the brand new Coomback's are in desperate need of some shop time with the base welder.

We linked about 10 turns, and then lots o' rocks.  Not to include the frustrating climb and descent through the Alders.  I don't recall Peak 3 being so hard to get in/out of.....

Tyler making his way through the shooting gallery on his new setup of Icelantic Nomad's.  Copy Cat...

The skiers reward.  Specially imported Utica Club brewski's.  Nothing goes better with skiing than an "Uncle Charlie's".

LB is on the injured reserve today.  She got pretty scraped up on the breakable rain crust, as did all the dogs I saw out skiing on Friday.

Where's my Dad?

The Reward

On a solo patrol today, I was slogging up to North Bowl and was thinking about why I like backcountry skiing.  Its a lot of work, its windy, snowy, bad visibility, changing variable snow conditions, and on and on.  And i'm thinking...what's not to like?!?!

But then I rationalized the good.  Exercise - burning about 600 calories per hour on the Uptrack.  Personal time with man's best friend - Lobita.  Being outside in our wonderful state.  And not having to wait in lift lines for tracked up snow and moguls.

My favorite backcountry experience is that moment when you are at the top of your run after a long and ardous hike, and you scope out your turns in the untracked blanket of powder that lies below you.

In other news, in my first two outings i've had two people ask me about updates to the blog.  Sorry, i'm back.  I'll keep posting relevant ski conditions, outings, and other cool stuff.

Looking towards the bowl proper with Mount Gordon Lyon in the distance, and The Great One in the far distance.  The mountains on the right in basked in Alpenglow are the Talkeetna's.

I saw a total of 7 skiers today, and I knew 5 of them.  Its a small backcountry world out there.

Packrafting season is officially done.  Me and LB are friends now.

Denali Road Lottery

Every year, on the second Friday after labor day, the National Park Service opens the Denali Road to privately owned vehicles.  You can drive your own rig all the way back to Kantishna.  There's one hitch - you need to win the lottery.  A $10 entry gives you a chance at 1 of 4 days to drive the otherwise "tour bus only" road into the park.

Both myself and ma dukes won the lottery.  Too bad is wasn't for $15 Million!  So they made the trek once again to the "Upper 1" (vice the Lower 48), so they could make the trek along the Denali Park Road.

Armed only with a Toyota Tundra, Springdale Camper, lots of Summer Ale, and a -40F Mountain Hardware Ghost Sleeping Bag, we headed north to take advantage of the nearly 7 straight days of bluebird weather.  Especially sobering after 31 days of straight rain in SCAK.

On Friday, we drove out to Eielson Visitor Center and did some hiking.  We took our time and left camp at the early hour of 1100 and got our tickets and hit the road.  We had some pretty epic views of the Mountain on the way in.

We grabbed some lunch, and took in the sights.  Meg scopes out "The Great One."

Instead of following the masses to Wonder Lake, we hiked a trail called Alpine Ridge.

Mom and Paul overlook the valley.

Meg descends back to the parking lot. (my favorite pic of the trip 8)

Old Glory looking proud.

We did get to see a lot of wildlife.  Lots of bear activity, bull moose, lynx, and some dull sheep (yes they are dull).  Momma with her cubs.

Denali at sunset.

With friends Marc and Gayle, we headed out on Saturday again.  This time with the destination of the end of the park road at 92.6 miles, Kantishna.

Again, we had some great sights with even clearer skies.  This is taken from a viewpoint turnoff.

We stopped for a barbecue lunch at the visitor's center, and hung out in the 60 degree temps and bright sunshine.

Yep, we reached the end of the road.  Group picture.  Everyone smile.

Left to right: Marc, Maxx, Gayle, Pablo, Mom, Meg, Matty, Lobita

We all ate another BBQ dinner at Wonder Lake and watched the sunset from the closest point you can get to Denali without landing on the Kahiltna Glacier to start climbing it.  Meg enjoys her b-day present and some Vanilla Vodka and Diet Coke.  ClasSick!

This is what Denali at sunset looks like from the Wonderous Lake.

We had to stop once again on the drive home.  Denali (L) and Sultana (R).

Overall, it was the nicest weather for the road lottery weekend in nearly 15 years.  The morning got a little chilly, but it was crisp and refreshing.  I can't wait until the snow flies...but not before we do some more low water butt-boating!!