North and east of Girdwood there are 5 prominent peaks that cap the Glacier Valley skyline. Sometimes referred to as the Skyline Peaks the peaks are (from south to north): Notch Mountain (3087’), A1 (4900’), Mystery Mountain (5300’), Pipet Peak (6000’) and Yudi Peak (6540’). From a climbers / skiers perspective they range from 3 hour after-work jaunts (Notch) to 12+ hour ski-mountaineering objectives (Yudi) – as well as everything in-between. The skiing can be fantastic at times – but given the distances and elevation gain to reach the summits you’re more likely to encounter a mixed bag of conditions and will probably ski everything from blower to breakable during your outing(s). Girdwood pano. Taken from Goat Ridge April 2023. Linking multiple peaks – or a full traverse - requires a range of skills and is a much sought-after objective for skiers and mountaineers. The first recorded traverse was in July 2000 when Tim Kelley and Jim Renkert linked together a traverse from Goat Ridge to Winner Creek. They ascended Goat Ridge on a July evening and reached the Nordic Training Center at 2am where they spent the night. The next day they traversed the Eagle Glacier to the Yudi / Sparrow...  [ Read More ]