Backcountry Skiing..Your Winter Window Into The Chugach.
Issued 10-9-2014 1500 AKT CONSIDERABLE avalanche rating seems prudent beginning Friday noon through Monday at noon on west to north aspects above 3000′ with heavy snow possible in the Pass beginning tonight. Based on my field report on Monday we certainly have enough slow to slide above 2500′. I probed 18″ tapping to the rocky ground in spots surrounded by large drifts and […]
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I drove past Odessey North yesterday and it looked unusually good even from the road. There are a few minor couloirs that dribble through the rock, like Freeway and Pencil Chute. I chose one of the two on the approach, a run I’ve done from the top down, but have failed a number of times to climb up the couloir […]
Read moreNice benchmark today starting my 35th season skiing right here in Thompson Pass where I learned to ski. I recall my first October with lots of wet snow and the beginning of my fascination with snow and eventually avalanches. The difference this year is I retired from 27 years of guiding on my last turns last spring. Who knows what […]
Read moreI don’t like getting hurt, especially on the first day of skiing which may be only days away. With that as my primary focus it is time to move around and get in ski shape. In the past I’ve done a variety of routines on a nearly daily basis beginning on September 1 for an Oct 15 start date. Last […]
Read moreBeing October 1st it seems like a good time to put some backcountry ski vibes out. Two seasons ago, I had a couple clients interested in making a video of their Valdez experience for a European sport channel. After some editing it was released last winter. It’s a unique perspective production wise and they put some work in to capturing […]
Read moreHere’s a few fall pics from today’s short MB ride with Brian Teale exploring the “pipescar” under Crudbuster and the old highway, including some free handing on Rubiks Cube.
Read more(New Video Below) If you have been around Valdez the past few years one can’t help but note our wild weather fluctuations. From the 2006 Flood that wiped out Keystone Canyon to the “Damalanche” last January, it’s been all Valdez extreme when it comes to weather. Few place in the world have had the variety of events that we have […]
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