Ingram Creek
Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 5:41PM Wolverine is one of the prizes of Turnagain Pass. Brad, Henry and I didn't get the prize, but we skied yummy and stable powder.
Brad Cosgrove grew up in Moscow, Idaho, sixteen miles from my hometown of Albion, Washington. We learned to guide while working at Dave Peterson's yurts in McCully Basin in Oregon's Wallowa Mountains. Under Dave's example, we learned a laid-back guiding style, while having a blast with the customers and skiing Oregon's finest snow. We've both retained this guiding style. Henry Munter is from Ketchum, Idaho. With a name like Munter (re: Werner Munter, father of the Munter Hitch and 3x3 Reduction Method), you know Henry is destined for higher levels of snow nerdology. Brad and Henry river guide in summer and for Chugach Powder Guides in the spring. We come together midwinter to teach avalanche classes for the Alaska Avalanche School.
Aiming for Wolverine at Turnagain Pass, we skinned to the summit of Eddies. Instead we opted for sunny powder on Eddies south side.
On Eddies ridge, just beyond the summit. We skied the sunlit slopes just ahead. Henry knew a continuous line to Ingram Creek.
Brad dropping the south face of Eddies into Ingram Creek. Glide cracks, like yawning frowns 200 feet across, coated most of this face. Henry found this glide-free line several days earlier. Then we skinned several miles up valley and climbed a 1,900-foot chute on the north side of Kickstep.
Four PM at the notch above Kickstep's pocket glacier. Brad (right) kicked 1,700 steps (Henry counted) up the chute with hip hop on his iPhone speaker. As Henry says, "Brad's dealing with a lot of energy."
Henry cutting first tracks into the chute. Do you see the glide crack avalanche in the top left corner?
Full moon lighting Brad in the chute. We returned to the car at 7:30PM after creek jumping and forest thrashing. Our tour was about 12 miles and 5,000 feet. We'll save Wolverine for later.
