Valdez, Part II

     So weather was holding, back I went, it paid off.  More northern lights, good weather, good snow, good lines, good ski folks.  This must have been the tipping point because I now see why people live there.  Here is my compilation video, although I have been having GoPro issues so good footage is limited, but you should get the idea.

One view from the top.

Line of the day to peak 6856, not Billy Mitchell as I was told.

Accessing lines by frozen river is easy, aesthetic.

Valdez, the only check on this season's list

     So expecting a normal ski-season I had allotted time off work in March and April for spring ski trips to reap the rewards of the previous investments(vert banked, snow accumulation, more daylight, etc).  I was thinking local stuff like big tours in Turnagain Pass, prolonged traverses such as Eklutna and Bomber, Front Range lesser-skied-regions, and my list went on.  Well, March is here and you know how the season has been going, so I headed to Valdez.
     Notorious for massive amounts of snow, steeps and vertical, Valdez is arguably the dream destination for any skier.  Think Doug Coombs and Dean Cummings, think heli-ski HQ, think TGR, etc.  Now, I live in AK, just a short road-trip away from all this and I still haven't been and therefore, I must, it would be criminal not to.
     I headed out there to meet up with a buddy who just established residence there but had been frequenting the location for some time on the North side of the Pass.  We skied mellow stuff day 1 as a good introduction and warm-up in prime weather.  The prime weather continued so day 2 was the stuff dreams are made of.  Day 3 was somewhere in between, yet an excellent sample of what the area offers.  I'll keep it short, but if you're in AK and like to ski, Valdez is a must.  I would advise checking in with a local.  See pics below, videos and follow-up post to come(time permitting) as I have elected for a second visit on the latter portion of my time off.

Driving out I saw the best northern lights display ever.  I burned up more than an hour outside of GlenAllen mouth-gaping the best display I've seen yet.

Entering skiers' heaven.

 The view from Iguana Back's approach on the North side of Thompson Pass

Pristine.

I earned a new respect for booters and verts after this one.

The only limitation is the size of your gas tank.

The line of the trip.  Spicy but addictive.

Can't top the views.

from winter hours to summer hours

     So this winter continues to be a challenge.  We received some much-needed snow to the area recently.  It snowed various amounts throughout the region, but most notably in Hatcher Pass.  This was quickly followed by strong and sustained winds that loaded or scoured the mountains.
     We headed Hatcher way after hearing of the dump, only to be slightly premature as it was still storming up high: flat light, high winds, heavy snow accumulation.  Our stoke for snow was stomped out by this reality; that it was still storming and not ski-friendly.  Though snow and ski-starved, skiing in a white box of variably depth and density snow is not that fun.  We did a one-and-done after triggering a storm-slide of unknown size/origin: all we could see was the alders shaking and a fine-snow cloud in the adjacent gully.  We will ski another day.
      I went back with my partner-in-crime the next afternoon when skies cleared to see what's up.  Winds were still strong(see pic) and yesterdays' triggered slide was mostly erased by the remaining storm/winds.  There was a surprising paucity of natural slides.  We skied a lap in Wimp Bowl which provided the most sheltered snow but was still wind-affected powder.  I dared not venture steeper or deeper despite the urge to quench my thirst for it.
   

   
   
     I worked a day or two and managed to snag an on-call for day 2 which affords the possibility of an evening outing in the mountains.  Possibility obtained.  Since daylight savings, the evenings have become spectacular because the sun now sets much later, like closer to 8PM.  That means if you get off work at 5 you can blast up Peak 3 and get the coveted and well-worth-it sunset run.  I did that today as getting off-call is around 5pm.  I bee-lined for the front range to see how things fared(think wind-blasted): still thin all-around but the sunset and views did not disappoint.  Calm weather, clear skies and skiing with Lucy on a relatively empty Peak 3 was worth the trip despite the fair snow conditions.

trying to refocus

     In light of the conditions, the resilience of the backcountry snow community is starting to become evident.  Obviously stoke is relatively down, but positive perspectives are still out there and are keeping me going.  

     One that echoes true for me is the voice of former east-coasters and mid-westerners.  The stuff I'm skiing this season is still better than what I skied there.  Another positive is the pics that keep popping up: evidence that someone got the goods.  Every time I go out and the light improves I see lines in places one might assume were too bony or people would have forgotten about this season.  On the flip-side, all this could translate into a longer summer season with the ground drying out faster.  This could mean more rafting/running/biking/hiking/etc, so less of one means more of another.

     I have been trying to do more local stuff because driving to Hatcher is getting a little old but the fresh snow and good conditions there cannot be ignored (more sun, ski to car, good vert, good variety).  The front range has also been skiing well, perhaps after this next dose of snow it will be even better, local is always good for Andy and good for Alaska. 

SHADOW-SHOT!  Oh man, it's been awhile since I posted one of these.  What better place than the front range.  I still prefer the sun of the south face to the shadow of the north.

A little farther back, this dependably filled, low-angle, sunny run had remained untouched for 4 days after a light Anchorage-hills dusting.  Somebody had to do it.

This is my favorite view in Hatcher Pass so far, It is from Friendship Pass looking back toward the valley.  The panorama of surrounding rugged peaks is great, but this slice is my top pick.

I call this one, "Should have eaten breakfast".  We hadn't even done a run yet.  She had such a hard time with the snowballs on her body, I think it's time for a mercy-haircut.  It is warming up anyway.