Exploring Eagle River

Winter is often the easiest time of year to travel, especially over rivers.  Today Adam and I explored a bit of Eagle River by heading out directly from my front door.  If fact we put our skis on in the driveway.   Skiing on the river was peaceful.  We saw no snowmachines in fact there were no other people at all.  Eagle River if buffered by Chugach State Park and you can't see any houses from the River upriver of our Condo.  There was a bit of overflow on the river and not much open water. The traveling seemed quite safe but we used caution and carried ice picks and a little bit of rescue gear.

It has been snowing steadily all day with very light fluffy snow.  What a beautiful place to live!

Adam ready to get started

Touring along the river

Fresh Snow in May

You would think that by the end of May I would be writing about something other than skiing, but the best skiing is at the very end of the season and this week was no exception.  Almost two feet of new snow fell at the higher elevations last weekend so I headed to a place called Micro Dot in Hatcher Pass with a friend.  With the sun still high in the sky after work we enjoyed a nice tour and found some untracked slopes.  There was lots of wet snow Avalanches on steeper slopes and around rocks, but we used good route finding to stay out of harms way.  Later that night I went to a friends house to celebrate his birthday.  I was amazed to find it was still light out when I drove home at 11:30pm!  That fact combined with the fat mosquitoes emerging are a sure sign that summer is just around the corner.

Skinning up Micro Dot

Getting near the top

The slope down to Gold Cord Lake

Gold Cord Lake

Looking back at Micro Dot from Gold Cord Lake

Spring Skiing in Alaska

Like most places, spring skiing in Alaska is the best skiing.  There is still new snow, the days are long, and the temperatures are mild.  To take advantage of the conditions I headed up to Hatcher Pass Friday evening for some after work cross-country skiing.  There was almost too much new snow.  The trails had only been run over once with a groomer so I found myself sinking in the soft snow while trying to skate along narrow trails.  I had the entire mountain valley almost to myself.  The lighting was flat with a thick overcast a but still very bright.

On Saturday I drove to Arctic Valley for downhill skiing hoping to take advantage of the new snow that had fallen earlier in the week.  The lifts are only open on the weekend so I was optimistic about the conditions.  It was fairly good skiing but not surprisingly a breakable crust had developed from the wind later in the week.  I had not skied at Arctic Valley in probably 13 or 14 years so the experience was new and strangely familiar at the same time.

Very white and bright cross country skiing in Hatcher Pass

My boot's perspective of skiing

High on the mountain in Arctic Valley

Great views of Anchorage and upper Cook Inlet from Arctic Valley

Spring Skiing

It is spring here and the weather is crazy! In Seattle it's been unusually windy with quickly-moving weather bringing rain, hail, and sunshine. There was even some snow today at elevations of only a few hundred feet. Luckily this also means great snow in the mountains.

Ryan is here for part of my spring break and we headed up to Stevens Pass today.The weather was equally unpredictable up there with sun, wind, snow, and hail. They had gotten 8" of new snow over night so the conditions were pretty good. Some places were very wind-scoured, but there was still tons of good snow in protected areas.

I love skiing in the spring like this because the snow pack is so deep that a lot of places that are not skiable early in the season like boulder fields and ravines with creeks and now completely covered. I will miss Steven's ski area when we move, but I guess I'll just have to start back country snowboarding...

Sunny overnight ski to the cabin

My friends Travis, Adam and Will joined me for an overnight ski trip to our cabin north of Talkeetna.  It was a beautifully sunny weekend with excellent snow conditions.  We got to Talkeetna Saturday morning with enough time to watch the start of the 50K Oosik cross-country ski race.  At the race, we ran into friends from Fairbanks and my old ski coach from high school.  After the race we headed up the tracks where we ran into more friends from Anchorage.  I'm continually reminded that Alaska is a lot smaller than Seattle terms of population.

At the cabin with ate heartily, relaxed and went out on the lake in the late evening to watch a good show of northern lights!  The morning temperature was a surprising minus six degrees Fahrenheit but warmed to twenty by the time we started skiing in the early afternoon.  The ski back to town was a quick two hours and twenty minuets, leaving plenty of time for a slice of pizza at Mountain High Pizza Pie.  What a great way to end an already excellent weekend.

Skiers getting warmed up for the start of the Oosik race on the Talkeetna River

Competitive skiers pushing hard to get in the lead at the start of the race

Travis and Will enjoying the view from the Talkeetna River bridge

Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter, and Denali

The Cross Cabin from the lake

Evening ski in the sun

The days are getting long enough now that there is still sunshine for skiing after work.  I took this video with my phone along one of my favorite sections of trail up at the new Government Peak Recreation Area.  Its a little shaky but is gives you a nice sense of the trails and the view to the south across the Matanuska Valley.

Ski waxing stands

After Molly's last post this one is much more lighthearted.  Now that I have returned to Alaska I am back to nordic skiing.  I pulled out my skis that hadn't been used in five years and found them in good conditions but in need of waxing.  Unfortunately my waxing stand is down in Seattle.  Inspired by a design I spotted at REI, I decided to make a new one.  Fortunately my father has an amazing woodworking shop and an ample supply of material to work with.

The design came out really nice.  I tested them tonight and found the new stands easy to use and very sturdy.  The components are also small so they don't take up much storage space.  I'm pleased enough with the design and functionality that I might make a more elegant set and using nice hardwood.   Plus, making another set gives me reason to play in the wood shop.  In the future I may even use this same design to make a waxing stand that will fit a dynafit bindings for my backcountry skis.

The Swix design that inspired me costs $120!

The three components of my home made nordic ski waking stand.

Trying out the new waxing stand.

Skiing at the Government Peak Recreation Area

View across the Matanuska Valley from the parking area of the Government Peak Recreation Area

Cross country skiing in the Seattle area in expensive and inconvenient so I am thrilled to be back in Alaska were I can go for a quick and free ski after work.  Today I did just that at the new Government Peak Recreation Area.  The trails are about a 20 minute drive from my office and only 10 minutes from my parent's house.  They are brand new and are located near the entrance to Hatcher's Pass near the base of Government Peak.

This was a great location to build new trails.  They are at a slightly higher elevation than the rest of the valley and are thus colder.  More importantly, this area is tucked against the base of the mountains and doesn't get the wind that all too often blows the snow off other ski trails in the central Matanuska Valley.  There are also great views of the upper cook inlet and of Government Peak.  I'm sure I'll go back and I hope to get some photos on a clearer day.

Cold Powder and Avalanche Rescue Training

After a big warming event earlier this week it quickly cooled off and snowed, bringing 6-9 inches of unusually dry powder snow to the cascades.  Friday evening Molly and I skied with a friend at Stevens Pass. We primary stayed to the groomed runs but we could tell the snow was dry and light.

Today I met up with five other Seattle Mountain Rescue folks at Snoqualmie Pass for some backcountry skiing and avalanche rescue refresher training.  It was one of those remarkable winter days that doesn't come often to the cascades: fresh powder, blue skies, and a stable snow pack. Our ski tour took us up to the base of Chair Peak and then down rolling slopes to Snow Lake where we looped back to Alpental Valley.  What a great tour!

Skiing At Stevens Pass

Beacon search practice

 

Alpental Valley

Chair Peak

Heading back across Snow Lake

"Dude, its like a blizard man."

"Dude, it's like a blizzard man" proclaimed the snowboarder in the lift line at Steven Pass ski resort today.  Molly and I quietly chuckled at this young man's astute observation.  The truth is, it WAS a bizzard.  Nearly two feet of snow had fallen in the last twenty four hours and it was still coming down heavy.  It was a great morning to be playing hooky.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I won't and will miss about Washington when we move back to Alaska.  I will miss Stevens Pass Ski area but I won't miss lift lines and the hundards of other people who crowd the slopes and track up the snow.

A friend and I recently had a conversation about resort skiing versus back country skiing.  His argument was that you remember everyday in the  back country whereas resort skiing is just a blur of all your trips to the slope. I think there is a place for both.

Resort skiing is like thanksgiving dinner - you gorge yourself on elevation rather than food.  Groomers, powder, trees, moguls...it's all there for the taking and you can get more skiing in one day than in weeks of back country skiing.  Back country on the other hand is like fine dinning - a small perfectly cooked steak paired with the perfect wine that you enjoy slowly so you will remember it.

In Alaska I will spend far fewer days resorts but my days backcountry are likely to be awesome.  I have to say the time I have spent resort skiing in Washington has made me a much better downhill skier and I am looking forward to skiing terrain in Alaska that I couldn't have skied when I was younger.

Spring Equinox Skiing

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are continuing to have an excellent La Nina winter.  The snowpack at the top of Sevens Pass Ski area now exceeds 16 feet!  With excellent snow conditions now is the time to take advantage of the great local skiing opportunities both in bounds and backcountry.  Last weekend I skied three days in a row and today we celebrated spring equinox with a morning of excellent powder skiing at Stevens Pass. 

Not only has the snow been great but the weather and daylight are markedly improved.  Today the sun was shinning bright and even last weekend between snow showers I needed sunglasses and sunscreen.

This weekend I have Rigging for Rescue Training with Seattle Mountain Rescue but I am hoping that by the following weekend I will be out on my new ski setup.  Last weekend I climbed about 5000ft of elevation while backcountry skiing.  My new much lighter skis and bindings should make that a little easier and give me more energy to enjoy each downhill run.

Sun and snow at the same time while backcountry skiing last weekend

A Gray Jay perches on Richards skis inspecting our lunch

Molly Shredding!

Spring Skiing and Spring Break!

La Nina finally hit this year, better late than never! Last night Stevens Pass got 5" of new snow and the night before that they had 9". We went skiing for half the day today, in celebrating of the end of the quarter. It is not quite officially spring break for me since I still have to finish grading final exams and turn in grades, but it's close enough to not feel guilty about skipping school to enjoy some powder!

There was actually almost TOO much powder for me to really enjoy today, if you can imagine that. I tend to get buried easily (the bigger board I want to get eventually should help me with this). But the groomed runs were in great conditions and there was so few people there that I was able to enjoy some fast, easy runs. My legs were also very tired this week which definitely contributed to some of my silly wipe outs. Why am I so tired? I ran hard this week and added some extra miles to my normal workouts to begin my training for the Onion Man Triathlon in Walla Walla over Memorial Day weekend.

I'm pretty stoked about this triathlon. Two years ago I did a sprint tri and really enjoyed it and was very happy with my time, especially my swim and run. This time I'm doing an Olympic Distance triathlon (1.5km swim, 40k bike, 10k run). I am very happy with my running routine this winter and should well-prepared for that portion of the race. I haven't swam a ton this winter, but swimming is definitely my strongest event and with a few good, long swim workouts I should be good to go. I will definitely need to focus more on the bike training than I did last time. I felt like that was the leg that I could have dropped a couple minutes from had I trained more and been more familiar with the route. I plan to commute to school on my bike regularly this spring (6 miles each way) and then do one long bike ride on the weekend.

It's nice to have a goal for this spring and I'm glad I found a race that isn't too big and is Olympic distance. AND, Walla Walla is sure to have lovely weather, even if Seattle doesn't!

Spring Skiing

Richard in our six foot deep test pit

Very wet after just a few hours of skiing

My new Voile Vector Skis!

Technically it's not spring for another two weeks but it is starting to feel like it in the mountains.  This time of year in the Cascades skiing can be really great but it can also be really wet.   Stevens pass where I normally ski is reporting a snow pack of 12 feet at at the top of the mountain (5000ft), and over 35 feet of snowfall thus far this season.  All that snow makes for really different terrain from the early season.  All the smaller cliffs and gulleys are gone and you can basically ski anywhere.

Unfortunately the late season storm systems can also be very wet; last weekend Richard and I headed out only to find the new snow had gotten soggy with rain.  Within a few hours we were thoroughly soaked and ready to head home.

Tomorrow we are headed out again in hopes of skiing new snow from the most recent storm.
Tonight the forecast is calling for four to eight inches of new snow with temperatures around 30 degrees and below, so hopefully we will stay a bit drier.

The other big news in my ski life is that I bought a new pair of skis.  This is the first pair of skis that I have ever purchased new and I am very excited about them.  As a member of Seattle Mountain Rescue I was able to get a pro-deal price and pick out a ski that will be a really good for me.  The new ski is the Voile Vector and is a little bit wider that my other skis with a modern rocker tip design.  Most importantly these skis are very light and will be great for skiing in the back country.  Without bindings the pair weighs only 6lbs 12oz.  For comparison that is the same weight as just one of my other skis with its binding.  To keep the weight to minimum I am going to put light weight dynafit bindings on them. These bindings weigh only one pound each!

Table Mountain Skiing

The wind scoured west face of Table Mountain

Snowpack evaluation

Pulling the pulk out Sunday morning.

More snowpack evaluation

Great powder skiing!

Last weekend was the second annual boys ski trip to the Table Mountain forest service cabin.  My friends Adam and Ryan were in attendance again this year along with my friend Richard and Adam's friend Colvin.

We skied the seven miles into the cabin on Friday under fairly nice weather arriving at 3:30 pm.  After shoveling out the door and splitting some firewood Richard and myself headed out to evaluate the snow conditions.  Having received a lot of new snow we were anticipating some great skiing.  Last year had been a bust when it came to new snow and we were hoping to make up for it this year.  We were hoping the west face of table mountain just a few minutes from the cabin would office some nice slopes.  Instead we found the west face to be wind scoured with just a few thin crusty drifts covering the rocks.  Richard and I returned to the cabin tired, hungry and a bit disappointed about the conditions.

That night we carefully studied the maps and satellite photos in hopes of finding a ski slope that could offer both good snow and be safe from avalanche hazards.  Cold dry weather conditions earlier this winter have left behind a hard crust.  New snow that has fallen on this crust has bonded poorly and created unstable conditions on many slopes throughout the Cascades.

Friday night and Saturday brought more snow and a bit of wind.  We headed out Saturday morning to our prospective ski slope and had a lovely tour through heavily wooded and very wintery terrain.  We arrived at the slope and evaluated the snowpack.  It didn't take long to find the week layer.  We performed a few different tests to evaluate the strength of the snow pack and decided that to be safe we would need to ski slightly lower angle terrain and stay near and around the trees that help anchor the snow pack.

The snow was light and powdery and we were able to get in four laps on a 500 foot run before returning to the cabin for a hot dinner of Adam's delicious Jambalaya.

Sunday we returned to the same ski slopes which were conveniently located halfway back to the trail head.  While Adam, Colvin, and Ryan headed home, Richard and I spend the better part of the day skiing untracked power.  The weather improved and I was able to capture some good photos you see here.

By four thirty temperatures began to drop and we headed for the car.  With light packs and a groomed road to follow we skiing the last fours miles in just under 40 minutes.  Richard, insistent on not using his ski skins impressed me by skating the entire distance.  I tried to keep up by alternating between double polling, classic and skate skiing.

Here is a link to a video of Richard and I evaluating the snow-pack in a test pit on Sunday.  In this video we have isolated a column of snow from the surrounding snow-pack.  We are attempting to quantify the strength (or perhaps weakness) of the weak hoarfrost layer.  We cut away only about forty percent of this layer using the back of a snow saw before the upper snow-pack breaks free.  This is the same week layer that has resulted in many avalanches in the cascades over the last few weeks.  By choosing our terrain wisely we were able to have a fun and safe day of skiing.

Skiing Whistler Blackcomb

After years of living only a few hours away from Whistler, we finally made it there to ski/snowboard. It was an interesting experience and unfortunately probably not one that was worth the $96 price tag. I think our first mistake was going on Sunday rather than Saturday. We had checked the weather and the forecast was for just a couple centimeters of snow both days, so we decided to sleep in on Saturday after our long and stressful drive (long wait at the border = we hit Vancouver at rush hour combined with rain/snow and darkness in the mountains) and ski on Sunday. Well, apparently it snowed several inches on Friday and the skiing was great on Saturday. And we heard the lines weren't bad. Oops. So we went on Sunday. The snow wasn't bad - it was still pretty soft up high on the mountains bunch crunchy down low. It had been skied hard though on Saturday and there wasn't much untracked terrain. So the conditions were really okay, not great, but not bad either. However, the lift lines were insane, at least on the Whistler side. Once we took the gondola over to the Blackcomb side, the lift lines were much shorter. Unfortunately we didn't make it over there until about 1:30 and the whole resort closes at 3:30! The ski area is so vast that we did not even ride every lift and certainly came nowhere near skiing all the runs, especially because many of the black diamond routes we would normally have done were so skied out they did not look enjoyable. I was happy to at least experience much of Whistler as I've heard so much about it, but I will not be paying that price again unless I can go on a weekday and there is a forecast for some serious snow.

The house we stayed in was awesome though. Jennie scored big time by finding this place for us. Even though the mix of Celtic decor, Northwest Coast native art, and copious numbers of paintings was a bit, um, odd, it was still a sweet place to stay. I personally enjoyed the heated floors in the slate tiled entry way and the bathrooms the most.

Peter and Matt keeping the fire going

Mixing smoked salmon dip

Interesting dove-tailing

Sarah and Adam working on the Sunday night pasta sauces while Matt, Jay, and Brandon go for Ryan's fresh rosemary thyme no-knead bread

Sunday night family-style dinner