The idea of skiing a non-technical peak with potentially more vert than the great Pioneer was enticing to me. Not only that, but I couldn't find any info on skiing it. As I have learned, no internet information doesn't mean it hasn't been done. Many folks have done cool things and not mentioned it to anyone, especially up here in Alaska. Nonetheless, I wanted to try it.
Given the avy potential, I didn't feel safe skiing it alone. Last season I let it pass un-skied and it plagued me. With a dramatic shift in short-term life-trajectory, I felt convicted to get it done. Fortunately, Hardcore Harvey was down for the objective.
Spring conditions can be hard to predict, especially if you consider elevations ranging from ~1300' to ~7500'(Bold peak) deeper in the Chugach State Park. There wasn't much internet info on Bold for April so it was indeed a gamble of respectable size considering our approach was human-powered AND in a low-snow year.
An early-ish start had us hiking to the base......and climbing Stiver's Gully on talus as far as we could see. Fortunatly we found a continuous snowpatch within ~800' of the river-bottom and began to skin (or boot, depending on preference) up the traditional hiking route. We were lucky to have perfect weather. As for wildlife, we saw goats and bear tracks while continuing up. The conditions were crusty from the freeze-thaw temperature patterns. It would make for good corn later if it warmed up enough. After the fixed-rope section we started to see the dust-on-crust from last nights' precip and enjoyed soft skinning up to the summit-ridge. The ridge section is in the sun and we had some difficulty with ice/rotten snow combinations as it was a high-elevation, south-facing face. And it's so hot in the sun: cooker.