April Fools Update

March skiing sucked in Alaska....April Fools!

Just the opposite, as an east coaster would say "it was wicked pissah".

Dang, i've got a lot of updating to do.  I apologize, to be quite honest, for being down right lazy.  I've been getting after that March powder, visits to the cabin, the Last Great Race, and celebrating.

As part of the Iditarod weekend, we all met in Hatcher Pass for some skiing on Saturday.  I made the reverse commute from Talkeetna and met the crew.  We headed up Pk 4068 and skied a lap in Wimp Bowl, and then skied Lodge Run (north face of 4068).  Here are some pics of those powder pursuits:

Its all about the Uptrack.

Seff enjoys the slash fest.

The CD killin' it with the DPS's!

Gnarly Gnicki proves there are no wimps in Wimp Bowl.  Notice the contrails 3 turns back. #maching

Picture of the Year!

Heading home.

Lodge Run.....check.

Yours truly and LB - needing a chiropractor after wrecking that spine :)

We all retired to the cabin where the festivities commenced.  What would an apres ski be without the shot ski?!?!

(L to R): Birdcage, The Shrink, HD, Seff

$10 gets you a musher.  If your musher comes in first, you win the pot.  We picked from the favorites: Meg had a repeat of last year with Aliy Zirkle, and I had veteran Martin Buser.  Things looked good.

The group is stoked.  Bring on the Harlem Shake.

The ladies enjoying the Vitamin D (L to R): Em, HD, The Shrink, Dirty Diana, C-Lo, Gnarly Gnicki.

The Shrink gives well wishes and a high-five to Aliy Zirkle....second place two years in a row.

In mid-March I decided to go off the beaten path and ski the Willow side of Hatcher Pass.  Seff rallied and we enjoyed the sun, views, wind hammered alpine, and creamy tree skiing.  Meanwhile everything that was white got skied in Southcentral Alaska.  Wolverine, Big Chief, Captains Chair, SOD, Carpathian (NF), Silvertip, Twin Peaks...and the list goes on.

And I even got credit for a first descent!  First turns on "LB's Run" in Talkeetna. Yes it counts as a ski day.

Meesh and I met the HYT crew at Porcupine Meadows for some storm skiing.  HP reportedly received 23" fresh that day.  We skied about a foot.

Anchorage was also greeted with a late March refresh with as much as 15" in town, and 18" on the Hillside.  We skied the trees in the South Fork.  Mr. Cody chases Meesh's shadow.

Bout the only other news is that the CrossFit Open is almost done - featuring a fierce competition between me and my brother-in-law.  I'm 11 points in the lead going into the final workout (13.5).  And Syracuse (my alma mater) made the Final Four.  Go 'Cuse!

"March in Alaska is the reward for December in Alaska" --SF

Bottomless Powder

I'm calling it the best day of the year!  Others call it "epic"; "bottomless"; "today was as good as it gets"; and "DEEP!"  Turnagain Pass received about 30"+ of loose, low density, bottomless, unconsolidated snow last Sunday/Monday.

Today we reaped the benefits of that storm by setting the skin track and breaking trail with JD and B-real.

-15F at the truck, we made quick time, little stops and hammered it out until we got into the sun.  And a lot of folks gave thanks!  I actually had one guy say "we should have to pay a toll".

This was your toll:  First Tracks!

The sock monkey gave me good luck on a phenomenal day.  But he didn't keep my feet warm.  I returned to the truck walking on two blocks of east coast ice.  Riding the "Mattawatts".

Justin and I after tending to our crops....(get it? farming our turns!)

I've got two weeks break to help a friend a build a cabin, and drill.  Gotta love it!

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.

Hometown Skiing

The Chugach Front Range certainly did not get the amount of wind that Turnagain Pass had over the weekend.  I expected the normal boilerplate, but was rewarded with some nice wind-buffed powder.  The ridge tops were pretty scoured, but gullies and lower elevation runs held good skiable snow.

Tyler snagging first tracks.

Disclaimer: There was no trespassing conducted during the making of these powder turns.

Patron, Jose Cuervo or Cazadores?

No, i'm not a Tequila Connoisseur.  The Shrink (AKA. Meg) and I skied Tequila Bowl on Sunday.  Temps were only in the single digits, and the howling wind made it feel more like -10F.

We started at the Arctic Valley trailhead, and skinned up Toklat Creek to the saddle between Mount Gordon Lyon and Rendezvous Peak.  There was about 3-4" of blower powder on top of a firm carve-able base.  There was a parking lot full of patrons at the AVSA.  Looked like a fun day with all of the lifts running.

Meg on the final ascent to the saddle.

 Posing for a quick picture.  That's Eagle Peak in the background (left).

 Perfecting the powder turn with her new K2 "Got Back's".

The reward was wings and beer at the Peanut Farm!

Epic Eddie's!

The snow is finally here....and it is good.

The plan was to stay local. And now the fun begins...

After cross loading gear, changing the plan, and getting coffee at Jitters....

Jon Page and I head to Turnagain Pass to get the goods. Lots of instabilities existed, so we play it safe and slog it out to Eddie's. However, every time I go to Eddie's, I have an epic day. Today was no different.

Jon heading in on the skintrack.

Lobita heading in on the skintrack.

This is what the Chugach is known for. Heavy wet storms that stick to EVERYTHING! And then clear and cold....the result is cold smoke powder!!

LB is bounding and postholing through the hellza deep gnar pow. She is officially tattered after the first run. We arrived late, but managed three stellar runs. Two more to go!!

Jon hucking his meat off of a cornice.

Me cruising through the meadows and trees. F-U-N!

A nice shot of Tincan in the background and the fading November sunset.

Jon on the way back to the truck. Damn that's a lot of snow.

Lobita looking for the shortcut. What shortcut?


Best day of the year. Silky smooth powder, no surprises.

As Jon calls it, "Hero Snow."

Nuff said.

Johnson out.