Hatcher delivers again

    

photo courtesy of someone with fancy new phone

     So: day off + possibility of sunshine + possible snow in mountains = I'm going to try and ski.  With no word of decent snow in Turnagain Pass or Girdwood way I set my eyes on Hatcher Pass.  I got two others to place their bets with mine on getting in some turns out there.  The weather was shaping up to be perfect as we left: mostly clear skies and calm. 
     I started to get worried as we approached the parking lot because I was seeing less snow than last week and it was higher up with evidence of both wind and melting.  The slopes were not looking ski-friendly.  I was on the verge of severe irritation because we had just driven over an hour on our good-weather day off and I was thinking I might have to accept the outcome of an Andy-plan gone bad.
     Less than optimistic, we headed up to the pass to see what we could see.   We ascended on crusty rime, no sign of powder and thin conditions.....a nice hike with skis on?  We got to the top and looked for any signs of decent snow and found some on the east aspects of April bowl.  We traversed the ridge over there and put in a few laps in some pleasant conditions.  We skied on a thin, light-weight, soft windblown snow layer that allowed for some cushy carving without that horrible noise of edges on ice. 
     We enjoyed pretty much perfect weather, great views of snow-capped Chugach peaks, cool clouds, a few fun runs, we got exercise, dogs got exercise and we managed a ski down almost to the car.  That'll certainly do.  When are we going to get a dumping? 

Season opener

     So work is finally easing up, back to 3 days a week, and just in time because Hatcher Pass has just enough snow to start playing in.  They got 18+ inches about 1.5 weeks ago and most of it has stuck around.  They groomed some XC trails which are ski-able and as I found out today, so are pockets for AT skiing. 
     Finally my day off aligns with weather that isn't raining or windy.  Lucy and I headed out to Hatcher Pass with the goal of getting some time on the XC skis and exercise.  I needed to do something other than hiking or biking.  The snow up in the front range is too thin to enjoy: it's just slick and covers up the ankle-twisting holes and most of the ground isn't frozen yet.  Hatcher Pass it is.  The drive is normally a deal-breaker for me but not this time.  The views of the mountains around Palmer were majestic.  A new(to me) route via Trunk Rd makes the commute a bit quicker.
     The snowline starts just below the main parking lot.  Skiing is do-able from the gate.  There was a film crew working up there with "kikkanimal", as seen on the side of the Subaru.  I don't know what they were shooting but they were taking up the easy loop route forcing me to work the uphill.  The trails were packed, not too-recently groomed, but good enough to show me that I am out of shape.  Not just the "I haven't skied since last winter" kind but the serious sad kind. 
     I did a lap or two and called it good.  I had also brought my AT setup with the intent of skinning up the road to the pass just to get some good pre-season callouses building and get my legs use to the extra weight on them.  The slope is just enough for an easy decent, it would be a good winter hike at the worst.  But, lo, as I neared the pass I noticed a skin track ascending to my left! The snow looked deep enough and there were no obvious rock gardens.  I would go for it, after all my original goal was just a road-ride down, so this would be a bonus. 
     I skinned up to the Hatch Peak on ~6" of powder supported by crust with occasional firm-and-crusty patches near wind-blown ridgelines.  Just as I approached the summit ridge, the sun popped out.  Perfect!  An unexpected break in the clouds AND an unexpected AT session.  The view from the top was great.  I don't frequent Hatcher so the terrain looks new and views of the Chugach were National Geographic.  I managed to link together two decent shots back down to the road and cruised back to the car.  Looking at the Hatcher avy topo I think it was April Bowl and $1000 Run.