Playing with the Penguin

     So today was a wonderfully sunny non-work day.  After an early morning appointment we headed out to ski Penguin....why not?   Weather was prime, just a slight breeze heading up, sunny, clear, warm.  Best of all was the better than expected snow conditions higher up.  At the trailhead it was crusty up until the trail opens out of the alders and into the gut of drainage.  Once we reached that point it was golden.  Not epic pow, but plenty good enough snow to have some fun on.


topping out of the gut

     We skinned up to the ridge before the false summit and took a good warm-up lap down the south face of the bowl and continued to the lower gully.  Deciding it was worth doing again and ready for another line we skinned up and headed down a more westerly aspect that was both steeper and not yet effected by the warming sun.  The sunballs were rolling a bit by the end of that run.  We continued on from there, enjoying slightly punchy yet skiable snow until the alder line.  It was not good from there down to the trail. 


About to start the best line of the day.

     Penguin is one of my favorites.  It provides good vertical, mostly sheltered skiing, above-alpine skiing, and a variety of slope angles.  The most attractive part of this ski is the views of the Chugach which include the Turnagain Arm.  One is able to see the Eastern aspects of the Suicides, the peaks behind the front range when gazing from Anchorage, as well as the Arm and the mountains across it.


Looking down best line of the day

     Ever hear of "doggles"?  They are goggles for dogs.  See the picture?  The idea seemed odd until I thought about it:  the sun is quite intense higher up with all the snow.  We use glasses so we don't go snow blind, why not the dogs?  This dogs' owner knows someone who was in the mountains frequently with thier dog, and it went permanently snowblind.  I may try this with Lucy.  We are out there enough, and given the lack of obstacles and abundance of simple-to-maneuver terrain I think they would be a wise attempt to try. 
    

Link to today's video:  https://vimeo.com/63141356