Conditions, Science and History

So far a bummer season. One person got a ski day a month ago. This is first time I have not skied in October since way back, We had a 1/4″ at sea level that quickly melted yesterday due to a  warm and sunny day.

With that said I’m heading to Seattle this weekend for a dose of snow science at the Northwest Avalanche Centers Snow Workshop at the University of WA campus. Excellent slate of speakers on airbags and avoidance so I’m pretty psyched about total immersion in snow talk for a day. Not sure if anyone who visits my site will be there but, it would great to bump into some folks and network, etc…

Anyway, snow filters in while I’m gone and hope to be scarring some ptex next week. But snow does come eventually I like to think.

Meawhile from the files. Got a scanner and been getting good bootie for future blogging. My ex’ sent me a pile of old photo’s last month and I appreciate that regarding documenting the history of skiing in Valdez. To the dismay (and in some cases, denial or dismissal) by some in the ski world, big mountain skiing in the Chugach was being pursued with vigor well before WESC, lagging not far behind the timeline of the backcountry ski experience  being discovered in the West.

My first winter in Valdez 79/80 shoveling out my entryway in Coast Guard Housing Unit 6C.