Searching For Snowmen – A New Book For Children
Category: Backcountry News
RIP Valdez Ski And Avalanche Report (1997-2016)
Last season, my number of days skiing per year dropped below the threshhold(80+) that I think is necesssary to produce reliable information for Valdez’s complicated terrain. Today’s social media and crowd sourcing have become the trend of the future. Good luck with that. Bob Athey(UT) was a mentor for my format. Looking at the snowpack from a “natural” perspective has […]
Read moreGuide Book Availability
My guidebooks are almost all gone. I will still accept a limited number of direct orders and then the book will not be available. I could not be happier that all the copies are almost sold out. That was my objective when I published the book. The good news is that the guide book is being reformatted as an e-book […]
Read moreSki Study Complete – It’s A Big Gamble
The Ski Study for the 3 proposed resorts is available online under the EDC agenda for the City of Valdez. Lots to digest but bottom line is that they are not economically viable. Estimated cost…. East Peak (McCune) – $60 Million Mineral Creek (Cummings) – $117 Million Sugarloaf (Shwirk) – $2.7 Million Of note was the concerns of global warming […]
Read moreGlacier Gorp
Gorp can stimulate the most interesting encounters in the mountains. When others offer their gorp, it’s usually out of friendship or because you look like you could use some food. Everyone carries gorp. If one is bold enough they reach into that bag of pleasure (or bacteria) and throw a handful of good calories into the body. Back-country skiers burn […]
Read moreValdez Snow Forecast 2016/17
I hit the nail on the head last season so I might as well try again, but I’m hoping I’m wrong. With the last three winters producing unusually low snow totals at sea level around Valdez, that is enough recent anomalies to create a pattern. But before I dabble on here’s a picture of Shoup Glacier in 1981. That is […]
Read moreBackcountry News – Forest Plan, Flattened WESSC, Tailgate Talk and Pot
The Chugach National Forest has released it’s Revised Land Use Management Plan based on the public hearings held in 2014. It had not been revised for three decades. It’s a large document, so you will need an hour or so to find the areas of your interest. Valdez meetings were very well attended mostly with concerns about winter recreation use. The […]
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