So I will try not to dwell on it, and get it all out right now. WE NEED MORE SNOW! MY GOODNESS!
So since my return from Maui I had been mostly XC skiing in prep for the Tour of Anchorage(TOA). It is Anchorage's major XC ski race and draws well over 1000 people. I signed up for the 50K and though not in as good of shape as last year, I was still excited because it is a fun race on mostly 'home trails'. At bib-pickup they informed us due to low snow the race would be shortened.....to 26k. It turned out to be fun but my heart was not in it, I had really wanted the challenge of the 50k. In addition, I had an unusually low blood sugar episode lasting from end of the major hills for about 3 miles, initially mistaking it for nervousness of racing. In addition I got creamed off one of the downhill corners by a Back-seat-Betty.
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| A beautiful day for a race with exceptional conditions despite the shorter course |
Sarah and I decided on such a nice day to head out Portage way for a scenic drive, check out the lake, and maybe even crust ski. The lake was ice and skates would have been best but we spaced on that. We headed out to the Placer area to see if crust skiing might work there. We were pleasantly surprised that it did. With calm and clear weather we skated around the drainage where we could. It was enough to enjoy but we couldn't get too far up between thickening alders and thinning crust. Alaska is just gorgeous.
My next day off my determination to backcountry ski, my stubbornness, and my non-acceptance of the lack of snow drove me to what I hoped was a good run. I could see it(KGK) had snow from town so I started at the Basher TH and was able to start skinning sooner than expected as the trail was packed. After sliding over just as much grass, alder, roots, and rock as over snow I managed to escape to solid snowpack after booting only a few hundred feet. Then I saw shadows of tracks in the upper bowl and down the middle. Another blow to my already feeble winter soul.
I had come all this way for this line so I skied it anyway, the tracks having less effect than I thought. Up high it was deeper and softer than expected, but that quickly ended with a crusty carve of a run to the bottom. I need to get more downhill in, the legs burned. The KGK is pleasantly over 1 mile long with ~1800ft vertical depending on where you decide to start/stop and even in the worst conditions it still seems to ski consistently. The Other lines pictured I decided to save for more pleasant conditions, but briefly contemplated the Kanchee dog-leg.
That night brought 4 inches of dust to the crust. Not out by Eagle River though, as I regretfully headed out there to discover. I needed all 4 of it so I headed to peak 3. Being a weekday I new my chances were decent. I also knew it would be thin. The slopes had the snow I sought and were mostly void of people, so I skied mine with just 1 or 2 others single-lapping by. It was flat light, but I felt satisfied getting some soft-ish snow under the skis and was greeted with the sunset seen below on my way down from the TH. By the way, this pic was around 1830, longer days are here.
Though I wasn't that impressed with the conditions yesterday and the cloudy skies I woke to, my bias toward backcountry led me to briefly check out Peak 2 and put XC on hold. Frequently overlooked for the taller Peak 3 by many including myself, Peak 2 offers great snow and lines with a more mellow vibe. If you can brave the dangerously thin and icy conditions of the approach and exit, the upper bowl was skiing quite nicely. The crust beneath the dust was more tame than the well-used Peak 3. Icing on the cake was the sunshine and great views of the Front Range while the majority of Anchortown was socked in.
