......Well, .........

     So having signed up for the Tour of Anchorage, a fun local XC-ski race, I've felt obligated to train for it just in case, and therefore turned potential backcountry days to in-town XC ski days.  It looks like the Tour won't be happening, or at least nothing like the 50k I planned for due to lack of snow.  So I decided to scale back XC skiing and re-vamp BC skiing.  

     I'll just say it once: this ski season sucks, and it looks like late May here now, at best, without the corn.  That comment is for context only, mostly for non-locals.

     So I've gotten out a day here and there to find the expected thin and variable conditions.  I've been staying local because the snow farther away isn't really that much better for the time and effort.  A mid-storm Eddies investigation day was pleasant aside from high winds and avy danger.  South Fork Eagle River offered a chalky run off Harp which was the best one out of there, then a highly variable bowl run that left me frustrated with whatever I feel like pointing the finger at.  A peak three outing was hike-to on ice, but surprisingly ski-able up high with good enough visibility.  Despite the relatively poor conditions I find that still I would rather be out there enjoying the mountains, the skiing, the company, the quiet, whatever, than being in town and working or running errands or anything related to urban life and busyness. 

     Today I wasn't working but had in-town urban obligations necessary to keep the ski-life alive on other days off.  I was eyeing the front-range all day and noticed precipitation that looked like snow, then rain, then maybe snow again?  I got home near 4pm and decided that I would hurry to check it out up high near Arctic Valley, opting for potential disappointment(or reward? (hope is not gone)) over wallowing in boredom/regret/annoyance the rest of the evening.  

     I found a slushy and melting road all the way up until the parking lot where 4"+ of fresh moist snow greeted me.  I could work with that.  With no signs of anyone else today I skinned up and chose the most favorable looking slope, knowing sunset would be soon, and raced my butt to the top in hopes of catching that one incredible unset lap on the fresh and un-tracked West-facing slope.  

     My mind was blown.  Here I was grumbling on the inside, then somewhat excited about the 4", then, ironically, I saw the most incredible sunset during my time in AK.  I had just skied that coveted sunset lap mentioned above and was transitioning to do another if light allowed and bam, it hit my eyeballs/mind/soul like a slap in the face.  The purest and most intense sunset colors highlighted the silhouette of purple mountains across the arm, large flakes of the scarce commodity I had sought all winter hazily blended those same colors without hindering the brightness of the sun or losing the crispness of each individual flake falling.  The clouds were coming and going around the mountainsides below and the ghostly shadow of precipitation on the periphery of the skyline made the whole vista all-encompassing.  I stopped skinning for that next lap, it was too good.  My phone died so I couldn't take pics and for the better because they wouldn't have done it any justice.  

     I skied a partial lap down and out, totally satisfied with less than enough vertical, less than deep powder, less than a full day, and Lucy less than exercised, but more than I needed.  

Not snowbirding on the snowbird

     So this weekend was a long one for me and I wanted to hut it and ski untracked/fresh. Given the snow drought, this left few options so Snowbird it was.  I spent a weeknight out there with the goals of solitude, untracked snow and scenery.  There was enough snow to skin the whole way and I thought I made good time to the hut despite feeling that I worked super hard.  It was likely the heavier pack.  There were some old tracks of a small group skiing out, and a different snowshoe group on the glacier.  I had the hut to myself.
     I must have just missed the snowshoe group by a day.  I was quite disappointed in the condition they left the hut: water and ice all over every surface, a large pile of debris in the bottom of the stove that required a project-size effort to clean out, and a lantern left spewing gas into the hut.  Classy, folks.  I spent my night fixing the latter two, gave up and went to bed.

     The evening alpenglow was great, the almost-full moon illuminated the entire basin, and it even snowed 2 inches that night.  The morning brought clear and calm, with alpenglow again and a slight sleepy fog over the passes.  The upper glacier was untracked, so I had the privilege of breaking trail on tired legs but also that of the solitude and untracked snow I was seeking.  I skied a bit and marveled at the view from the top for awhile.  Totally worth it.

     I decided to take advantage of the good weather and make a push for the car.  I was able to ski from the pass to the Reed Lakes trail hitting only 1 rock near the pass.  The ski-outs from Bomber and Snowbird are over some fun terrain, that day was no exception.  The Reed Lakes trial to Archangel TH was slower going than I expected but the sun was out and I didn't see anyone until ~2 miles from the TH.  Though a short one-nighter, it was a good break from the norm.

This is a moulin.

The view from the pass toward the valley.  A good ski out.

Other random thoughts from the weekend: the vertical is squeezed out of a slope when it is earned. Not so much when accessed by lift as evidenced by the wasted vertical in these lines at Arctic Valley. I estimate 25% left to be skied?