Backcountry Skiing..Your Winter Window Into The Chugach.
Skied into Catchers Mitt, but once off and away from the existing skin track, continued to feel and hear large whomping sounds. The existing skin track has already triggered whomps along that path thus giving some sense of stability at least to The Notch. You might not notice the remote-trigger hazards unless you strike out on your own, but it […]
Read more
Beautiful day in Loveland Basin once I worked my way around some considerable whomping on the ridge line approach. Deep snow on the glacier and excellent powder conditions abound for touring and turns. Stability concerns were reinforced with widespread whomping on most aspects and elevations above 3000′. Once on the DOT Glacier I was able to approach the two naturals […]
Read more
With the recent incident in the Alaska Range involving a friend of mine who survived, I could not help, after reading his first hand account this morning in the Alaska Dispatch, to make some observations that relate to our current conditions in Thompson Pass. As backcountry skiers, we are taught from day one that the most obvious sign of instability is […]
Read more
Specifically went for better pit data today. Continued whomping, inconclusive pit test, lack of natural activity with oddly….abundant skier triggered events all add up to red flags. Skied up onto Worthington Glacier as an ideal place for a pit as the snowpack is undisturbed by wind and drifting which is compounding these variable and unique conditions. With a perfect test […]
Read more
Excellent touring conditions in the Pass today with parties spread out and enjoying some solstice sun. Avalanche conditions were dominated by remote triggers by not only our party but another on lower Harveys Ditch on Little Odessey. Another sled remote-trigger is visible just over the Pass along the roadside. Here’s the important stuff followed by a few touring pics as […]
Read more
SKI – VERY GOOD with 6-8″ new over old-snow making for nice powder skiing in the north Odessey Arena. Skied laps from mid-mountain in Schoolbus today on BD Converts giving the new gear a shakedown. Catcher’s Mitt would be a good call. As we enter the solstice season, the windows for decent light are narrowed to a few hours a […]
Read more
Route and pit picture from this am. Flurries in the forecast.
Read more