Backcountry Skiing..Your Winter Window Into The Chugach.
A beautiful day in the Valdez Chugach had the skinners massing in Moonlight Basin again where conditions were mixed in the brush, but very nice dry, fast powder in broad patches at upper elevation with protection. Gulleys were nice. Sluffing by sun was a non issue for me as I summited Big Odessey with a sunrise start via Moonlight Basin, […]
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A CONSIDERABLE avalanche hazards may develop on southerly aspects on Tuesday as clear skies are expected along with above normal temps. Watch for early signs such as rock bands producing rollers and new snow dripping off brush at lower elevations maturing to larger wet slides as the day progresses. As is typical after storms which excite visitors and locals, 24 […]
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With a change in wind direction, Moonlight Basin to the base of South Odessey Gulley kept me in calm conditions with occasional flurries and flat-light descent. Pitted the base of South Odessey Gulley and low and behold, found that thick ice layer that I’d pretty much forgotten about. Still stout in regards to deeper instabilities, so concern remains CONSIDERABLE […]
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Gusty winds continue to drift powder with avalanches occurring in Thompson Pass creating CONSIDERABLE hazard on mainly northerly aspects above 2000′ from the HairPin north. Soft cornices and wind lips sensitive. Visual red flags abound. Test slopes early on approaches. Vast soft wind slabs from cross-loading are strengthening, but new ones will remain active and settle slowly once the winds […]
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SKI – Wonderful day in Moonlight Basin for many, including the two Valdez family’s who invited me along with their freewheeling 8-year old boys. Damp new powder to 12″ covered all aspects and elevations with new snow See Video below…. A HIGH AVALANCHE WARNING exist tonight on the onset of outflow winds from the north and rapidly decreasing temps. There’s […]
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Teton Gravity Research just released this historical video of the 1992 World Extreme Championships. I had never seen it before yesterday and the quality is very good. For those who tour on the Pass, many of the locations are familiar such as Loveland, 27-Mile Peak and 42-Mile. Dean Conway and Doug Coombs video is as amazing as it is rare. […]
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3-4″ new either wet or like styro-foam on hard wind slab. Untracked so why not. Came in from way LR cause I tried to billygoat up something on Big O, but it was too complicated for a variety of reasons as moved closer to the north and exposed terrain and some variability including some increased slabbing. High-traversed back to this […]
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