just some random winter/spring videos

Today's timelapses: just for fun from chugach ress on Vimeo.

tincan day from chugach ress on Vimeo.

New year, new snow? I hope so.

     So the ski season has continued its lethargic coming and has still not gathered enough steam to be full-on yet.  Turnagain Pass continues to be wet and windy, same for Girdwood.  Last I checked most places were still hike-to, or a dicey ski out if you could tolerate wind/rain.  Alyeska is shipping people up the mountain on the tram so they can ride the upper portions because the lower mountain doesn't have enough snow.  The Chugach Front Range just picked up ~7" at upper elevations, enough to start something but will likely be decimated by wind before any more precip comes our way.  I could stay positive and say "maybe next year" or "with the new year", but it is next year and a new year.
     I've spent the past three days at Hatcher Pass since they picked up ~10" New Years' Eve day.  Notoriously rocky and mixed with a burst of wind only leaves it marginally better than Turnagain, that margin being sunshine and drier snow.  There are still plenty of rocks and tundra out there: my skis look like they had a rough season in the Front Range, though I haven't skied the FR more than once.
     Prior to a recent warm-and-wet spell in A-town the XC skiing was good enough to hold me over, but now I don't know, I don't dare find out.  I signed up for the Tour of Anchorage, the local urban XC ski race in the spring, so we'll see how training goes and if they have enough snow for the full length this year.  Right now Hatcher seems to be the only respectable option for AT and XC.
     Just so you all know I'm not a pessimist, but this is how "winter" in Michigan died: it started to disappear and people were head-scratching wondering where all the snow is.  That record snowfall not too long ago was natures' last push before winter in AK died.  I didn't invest in any ski equipment this year and would much welcome a reason to regret it.

Santa skis free Chistmas Eve.  Alyeska is still charging $50+ to ski half their vertical on a strip of ice.

Hello Hatcher.  H-bomb delivers the most sunshine around, making it a personal favorite.

Look at that mane.  I chopped it off because it's snowball-in-the-fur season.  She loves the snow and ski days.  When my winter gear rustles in the mornings she diligently eats her breakfast.

Trail breaking up for first tracks on Friendship pass.  Good powder was had.

     The video below is from an outing to Arctic Valley just to see what's up there.  BONEY, and what wasn't thin was prone to avalanches as seen by the slide triggered by skier #3 down the run.

grim.......





 

     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.



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.  

spring cream in January

     So this weekend I managed to not be working, got a cabin at Hatcher Pass, the sun was out and there was enough snow to ski out there.  Despite the grim and depressing snow conditions around Anchorage, Girdwood and Turnagain, the Hatcher Pass area had some decent snow on low-angle terrain that caught my attention. 
    We struck out for Hatcher pass and rented a cabin for the evening.  I arrived early Friday for some turns and found that the late afternoon sun and warmer temps yielded some creamy turns reminiscent of spring: awefully odd considering it is JANUARY.  It was straight up balmy and I was sweating like it was April or May.  I couldn't complain about the sun, but I have been complaining about the almost absent snow on the front range. 



The Hatcher cabins offer prime location and views for the winter mountain recreationist.

     A good evening dinner at the Noisy Goose, some much needed chill-time at the cabin and we hit the hay.  We woke to sunny skies and again, warm temps, although it had reached freezing temps overnight so the XC ski trails were a bit crusty.....not for long.  A relaxed start to the morning and we XC skied up the Archangel road.  I witnessed my first naturally occurring avalanche which I was pretty excited to see from a safe distance.   The road was only groomed out 3.5k so it was short lived but the views were amazing and the weather was perfect.

 

     We packed it up and headed over to the mine for some more XC skiing and then called it a day......nope, just kidding  With a few hours of daylight I headed up the low-angle slopes of Microdot.  Surprisingly they were untracked, basking in the sun, calling out to be smeared with the sexy lines of backcountry skiers/boarders.  I made my marks and by then the legs had enough and the stomach reminded me I skipped lunch.  I felt guilty not putting in one more line in such good conditions, but I would have bonked and caught the frozen crust that was soon to appear as the sun sank below the mountains and cast a cold shadow on the slope. 
     For being so low on my list of places to ski last year, Hatcher Pass is certainly redeeming itself this year.  We are lucky to have so many microclimates within day-trip distance of Anchorage.  On another note, the clouds have been spectacular the past few days. 


All the brown in the right 2/3 of the photo is a large slide the broke to the ground

note all the lines, called runnels, from surface snow melting to water and running beneath the surface of the snow

I'll take it.

     So I started working nights which does cramp my winter style a bit....it's hard to want to climb mountains and ski after working a shift, but this time of year with light and snow being so limited I'll take what I can get.  Yes, we have very limited snow.  Options include Hatcher or the typical rock skiing in the front range.  There is barely enough packed snow in select locations around town for cross-country skiing but still enough.
     I visited Hatcher one fine sunny Saturday recently and it was colder than I remember being in some time.  I hope my wussy-whiskers aren't growing too much.  The snow was the best this year despite the rain crust.  If I picked the right aspect I found it could be powered through and yield good turns, or at least relatively speaking.  I hope to get one more day.  Given the clear and cold stretch it should be do-able.  Maybe it will be full-on snow by my next stretch off. 


This is how cold it is, just beyond nose-running cold.

     It was also time to get after my list again, one item being a full-moon ski.  This was challenging given the snow conditions because we attempted it up at Arctic Valley.  The views of Anchorage on a winter night are amazing, especially when you can look the other way and see all the snowy moonlit slopes of the Chugach.  No headlamps needed, we skinned up and skied two evening laps on what decent snow we could find in low-light.  The first lap was respectable but we got greedy for steeper and higher, paying for it with less than pleasant conditions but still, check.  I will attempt this again this season if life allows.


phone-photo but, you get the idea. 

     Cross country skiing is just barely do-able, but at this point most trails are skate-able: coastal trail, hillside, northern bicentennial.  Just hints of small rocks if you are spacing out can snag a ski.  Bring your rock-poles if you are doing the coastal trail, but in my opinion it's a good chance to practice pole-less skating and dust off the cobwebs.  I'm still amazed by the incredible views from this trail right in the middle of town. 

One thing I love about Bicentennial is the picturesque
trail winding through the birch groves: nothing like it.

    





Season opener

     So work is finally easing up, back to 3 days a week, and just in time because Hatcher Pass has just enough snow to start playing in.  They got 18+ inches about 1.5 weeks ago and most of it has stuck around.  They groomed some XC trails which are ski-able and as I found out today, so are pockets for AT skiing. 
     Finally my day off aligns with weather that isn't raining or windy.  Lucy and I headed out to Hatcher Pass with the goal of getting some time on the XC skis and exercise.  I needed to do something other than hiking or biking.  The snow up in the front range is too thin to enjoy: it's just slick and covers up the ankle-twisting holes and most of the ground isn't frozen yet.  Hatcher Pass it is.  The drive is normally a deal-breaker for me but not this time.  The views of the mountains around Palmer were majestic.  A new(to me) route via Trunk Rd makes the commute a bit quicker.
     The snowline starts just below the main parking lot.  Skiing is do-able from the gate.  There was a film crew working up there with "kikkanimal", as seen on the side of the Subaru.  I don't know what they were shooting but they were taking up the easy loop route forcing me to work the uphill.  The trails were packed, not too-recently groomed, but good enough to show me that I am out of shape.  Not just the "I haven't skied since last winter" kind but the serious sad kind. 
     I did a lap or two and called it good.  I had also brought my AT setup with the intent of skinning up the road to the pass just to get some good pre-season callouses building and get my legs use to the extra weight on them.  The slope is just enough for an easy decent, it would be a good winter hike at the worst.  But, lo, as I neared the pass I noticed a skin track ascending to my left! The snow looked deep enough and there were no obvious rock gardens.  I would go for it, after all my original goal was just a road-ride down, so this would be a bonus. 
     I skinned up to the Hatch Peak on ~6" of powder supported by crust with occasional firm-and-crusty patches near wind-blown ridgelines.  Just as I approached the summit ridge, the sun popped out.  Perfect!  An unexpected break in the clouds AND an unexpected AT session.  The view from the top was great.  I don't frequent Hatcher so the terrain looks new and views of the Chugach were National Geographic.  I managed to link together two decent shots back down to the road and cruised back to the car.  Looking at the Hatcher avy topo I think it was April Bowl and $1000 Run.

     

Tour of Anchorage

     So the Tour of Anchorage was today.  This meant no backcountry skiing yesterday to save the legs for today.  I signed up for the 50k freestyle.  AM weather check showed weather was looking good and I waxed for the warm temps they were predicting although it was about 10 degrees cooler at the start.  Up to this point, the farthest I had skied was 25k so I was sort of concerned that I would have to go so much more.  I was internally emphasizing the lack of pressure to perform and that it was just to see how I like XC ski races.  No expectations.

     At the start there was less hype than I expected, it was probably all at the 25k start.  Sarah and Lucy saw me off and we started Spencer Loop which is known for the hills.  It is the first 10-12k of the race and I would dare say the most technical due to curves, ups, downs, and crowds.  I tried to position myself with like-speed people or just a bit slower to control my own speed on the uphills, otherwise I would burn out.  This went well, and before I knew it I was in my "backyard" section of the course: homestead to viewpoint to the chester creek trail system. 
   This section I had skied the most and I knew it well.  I was able to get in my groove here, also, the snow warmed up to the temperature of my waxed and I noticed an obviously improved glide.  I made good time here, passed the lady giving me the stink-eye for skiing right behind her.  She wouldn't make room and I didn't want to burn energy to pass her.  I would have fallen for sure. 
     Once on the chester creek system the race continued to go well.  I got in a good stride, the crowd thinned and the trail widened.  This continued until westchester lagoon where the fatigue started to become apparent but not bad.  I kind of bonked around 40-45k, not from lack of food or water but just being tired physically and mentally.  My mind finally accepted this and I was able to finish the last 5k peacefully and without more than the expected level of struggle. 

     Overall I thought it was fun.  Good weather, good organization, my hydration and fueling worked out, and the technique tips from a buddy paid off for sure.  Now my legs are tired.  Next XC posting will likely be spring crust skiing.