i've got sunshine....a morning on Gordon Lyon

     So today we tried to do something local and short, like a morning tour and home by early afternoon.  Unfortunately the wind came from opposite directions over the past few days with enough force to leave almost every aspect unskiably thin up high.  Pickings were slim given our criteria.  We decided to just head out anyway and hope for the best.  Like a recent post title from The Uptrack blog: "you don't know if you don't go" I have been finding this is indeed a good policy for skiing and find it to be worth it more than not. 
     I too was investing in some newer backcountry folks who contributed to a well balanced/rounded group for the outing.  We headed up Arctic Valley to ski whatever aspect of Mt Gordon Lyon looked best.  Weather was cool and calm with a mild breeze coming down from the saddle.  Mostly cloudy at first with light, but noticable snowfall and turning into mostly sunny by the start of our first run.  A light dusting from the previous night softened the pack under the skis a bit. 
     It was thin up top so we skied from a bit below the summit after taking in the incredible views of Anchorage, the Alaska Range, S. Fork of Eagle River and the view to the south of the front range.  The gully down to S Fork of Eagle River was too thin and the Northern chutes looked bare and were shadowed with flat light/low clouds.  We chose the runs in the sun. 
     We were the only ones there until we got our two laps in, then we saw 8 people at various points heading up as we were heading out.  It is nice to hit the local spots before the crowd.  It helps maintain that solitude most backcountry travelers, especially me, appreciate.  I still want to head back there and ski the other two aspects of Gordon Lyon, but will have to wait for more snow. 

https://vimeo.com/59955793