Skiing

Bertha Creek Highway We went south seeking sun, snow and stability. Out the car in fringed temps and up Bertha Creek to Granddaddy, which we knew was in. The north ridge of Granddaddy was wind blasted rime ice with constant 25mph winds beating us as we climbed. Then off the top and down onto the […]  [ Read More ]

Pete & Amy inside the ping pong ball. Sun, snow and stability in Hatcher. Three things that never happen in those mountains north of town that I tend to write off just about every winter. I love Hatcher in the summer- cragging, trekking, crumbling granite ridges – good clean alpine fun. But Hatcher in the […]  [ Read More ]

The wind was howling, snow was swirling and visibility had been reduced to about 10 feet. A pure whiteout. The kind where you can’t tell up from down and left from right. Stop skiing and look down at your skis and it feels like the ground is moving underneath you. Vertigo takes control and the […]  [ Read More ]

What is a forecast? When the ave center gives you a green light, how does it affect your motives and goals for the day? That was the discussion of the day as we skinned up valley under crystal blue skies with what appeared to be a stellar snowpack. We had a big line in mind […]  [ Read More ]

Your world is getting smaller. Like it or not, there are more people skiing the lines you like to ski. Head down to Turnagain on a powder day and it can be hard to find fresh tracks. Try and ski a peak close to the road 5 days after a storm and the chances of […]  [ Read More ]

Bomb weather forecast and spring temps made me get the climbing itch so I asked around and finally rounded up a group. Our plan was to head up McRoberts Creek, traverse over Matanuska Peak and then attempt the Northwest Couloir of Frontier Peak. A big climb, a big approach – and as a result our […]  [ Read More ]

The first storm came on Tuesday; a foot of low-density powder with only a hint of wind. The snow was to make the skiing very enjoyable, but it was also enough to cancel the week of skiing that I had planned with Todd. We enjoyed the resort and enjoyed an after work run on Peak […]  [ Read More ]

One Christmas Eve I went down to Turnagain and skied Tincan Proper. This is more or less how it went… (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore). Twas the day before Christmas and all through the Pass All the boarders were hucking and landing on ass. The kickers were built next to the skintrack with care […]  [ Read More ]

EDIT 8/30/2020 As of late summer 2020 legal access to Ram Valley is once again closed.  An influx of visitors were causing parking issues and the land owners blocked off access at the road with a sign saying that 57 visitors had come at one day. This closure shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Due to […]  [ Read More ]

Spring- it means something different for everyone. For my mother in Virginia it means peas and corn sprouting after a short winter; for grumpy Anchorites unwilling to venture higher than 1500′ it means mud and muck and 22 trips to the car wash to keep that shine. For me it means the annual Chugach migration […]  [ Read More ]

Note – Spring 2013 Lots of people are searching for this page so they can get more information about the traverse. Please be aware that since implementation of the new Hatcher Pass Management Plan there has been an unprecedented level of illegal snowmachine access occurring at the Snowbird Glacier and throughout the Glacier High Peaks […]  [ Read More ]

We had the worst avalanche report of the season – multiple weak layers, 6 plus feet of new snow, warming temperatures – and to top it off, the threat of a rumbling Mt. Redoubt 130 miles to the west. But we couldn’t stay home; the forecast was calling for a blizzard warning that evening. We […]  [ Read More ]

High pressure pushed over Southcentral Alaska so I rounded up a group and on Saturday we headed down to Turnagain Pass for yet another day of powder skiing. We started out with a large group – 6 in total – and headed up and over Taylor Pass. However at the pass Eric the Viking’s hip […]  [ Read More ]

On April 14th Wayne, Carrie, Yvonne and I left the parking lot at Portage Lake at 10:30 am and skied across Portage Lake. It was one of those rare days in Portage: perfectly calm, clear and not a cloud in the sky. We were laden with heavy pack – 6 days of food and fuel, […]  [ Read More ]

Saturday, October 17th, 2005 was our first time out on skis since the previous April. There is powder north of Anchorage – but instead we opted for a traverse since we still have a little bit of light. So on Sunday we rounded up a group of friends and drove south to Girdwood where we […]  [ Read More ]