It's been too long

views from a Tincan tree-run

     So I after seeing some pics on a local webpage of something rarely seen as of recent, I headed down to Turnagain Pass to investigate and take my share of the wealth.  I was not disappointed.  The snow in Turnagain pass had all been obliterated by the unseasonably warm temps and rain, then after the cold returned we were left with an ice base.  Friday(?) yielded a localized and concentrated dumping of light and creamy powder that was relatively unexpected but much appreciated. 


This is national geographic folks.

     Compadre and I headed down for an early start by AK standards and picked Tincan.  Bitter cold at the car we briskly made our way up the traditional route, our stoke growing with the elevation at the snow we were skinning in.  It looked skied out pretty bad until we realized no one had gone much higher than the upper SW bowl.  Our snow assessments said investigate further, and we did.


shadow-shot of the day, skinning, an obviously good sign

     Our investigation yielded incredible results: boot-top light-and-creamy powder on a crusty base, untracked slopes, nobody venturing near our lines despite stable snow findings.  The sun was out, the wind was calm, the day was young.  We did 2 laps on the lower angle upper portion then, feeling confident in the snowpack conditions, did a top-to-bottom of Tincan's south face opposite Todd's run.  It was a little under-filled lower down but ski-able. 
     We then skinned back up then next possible ridge with fewest alders, but not avoiding a bash-n-thrash session.  Concluding a great day with the traditional Tincan tree run, our tired legs carried us back to the road.
     The snowmachine side looked enticing, being closed to the noise-makers and all, but by the end of the day the backcountry folks made it look like Alyeska at noon on a powder day.  Congrats to all who got after it the past 2 days, enjoy it while it's here.  Powder for all.