Chic Scott

Chic Scott is the name in Canadian ski mountaineering. He's written the guide books and done some big tours. In the late '60's Chic worked in Chamonix for the International School of Mountaineering with Dougal Haston. He kept Clint Eastwood alive on the North Wall while shooting The Eiger Sanction.

 

Last week we invited Chic up for our third annual Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center fundraiser. In past years we had Andrew McLean and Kris Erickson.

 

Chic gave an inspirational show to over 300 people at the Beartooth Theatre. Everyone enjoyed his humor, the diversity of trips he talked about and his appreciation for Alaskans and their burly backyard. This event raised a pile of money to help fund weather stations, rescue caches and snowmachines for the avalanche forecasters among other things. 

 

Chic stayed with me in Anchorage during his visit. Much of the time we sat at the kitchen table. Chic working on the third edition of Summits & Icefields. Me working on my ski guidebook for southcentral Alaska. I felt like Neil Young and Van Morrison, back in the day, writing songs in a cabin way out there in New England. During a break, we hiked at Arctic Valley and drank a few beers at the Midnight Sun. 

 

Thank you so much for coming up Chic!

 

Chic has written ten books. These are the two in my collection. 

 

At Arctic Valley Chic felt like he was hiking in the Scottish Highlands, with Denali as the backdrop. 

 

But the local Summit Nike missile site reminded Chic he was in 'Merica. That's Russia out there. 

 

During the Cold War they probably had Deep Woods Russian Off ready to spray from these. 

Kris Erickson

Is it possible to match Andrew McLean? I've wracked my brain since his visit for the Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center fundraiser last year. Then I remembered Kris Erickson.

 

Kris and I met as youthful ice climbers in Bozeman almost 20 years ago. Since then we see each other at trade shows and at Hans Saari Memorial Fund events. He's a sick climber and skier and an incredible photographer. Think all-mountain Beat Kammerlander or Heinz Zak. I knew he'd respect the salty Anchorage crowd that would pack the Beartooth to see him speak. 

 

On October 28 over 400 people filled the Beartooth as Kris told yarns from skiing the world - Alaska, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan. The event raised over $10,000 for the Friends. These funds go toward weather stations, snow machines and travel expenses for the Chugach Avalanche Center. 

 

After the event Kris and I played. We skied the Jewel Glacier above Crow Pass for a view, then we visited Pivot Point. Last year Ryan Hokanson and I scrubbed out a seven-problem dry tool bouldering circuit at Pivot Point. Ryan went to school in Salt Lake and I've been unable to find any loco recruits since then. For some reason Anchoragites think climbing mossy, chosspiles in the rain is weird. Maybe it is, but Kris understood. He's a hard climber. We had a blast. 

 

 Raven Peak and the Raven Glacier from the Jewel Glacier.

 

 

At Pivot Point we warmed up on easy jug hauls. 
 

 

Kris on the Jay Rowe traverse. 

 

 

Several of the problems Ryan and I scrubbed out last year had become chalked boulder problems over the summer. We know dry toolers staked the original claim!

 

 

Kris grabbed the camera when I finally ticked a full linkup of this traverse after 20-something tries over a year. 

 

 

Then we spied a mossy and chossy gem in the forest. We scrubbed off the deep vegetables and removed the dangerous boulders. Then we pumped ourselves silly and took glorious tumbling falls into the leaves and devils club. The best part is we didn't come close to finishing the problem. We walked away giggling with aching arms. A project! 

 

 

Thanks for coming up Kris! 

Andrew McLean

Andrew McLean packed the Beartooth Theater Pub with 420 people for his show on skiing Denali, Hunter and Foraker. This was a fundraiser for the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center.  Andrew's feats and humor kept the Anchorage community laughing, drinking beer and itching for winter. Thanks for coming Andrew!

Andrew McLean is the foremost ski mountaineer in the United States. He has made first ski descents on all seven continents and wrote The Chuting Gallery, the definitive guide to steep skiing in the Wasatch Mountains. Andrew worked as a designer for Black Diamond and developed many of our favorite toys such as camalots and whippets. His witty and hilarious writing is a regular part of Powder, Backcountry, Skiing and Black Diamond.

Check out his web sites straightchuter.com and pawprince.com.

Winter has been late this year--Andrew didn't bring his sticks. Instead we climbed Alaska's most popular mountain, the almighty Flattop.   

Flattop summit in typical winter wind and no snow. 

Wait! There is snow! Andrew route finding and kicking steps near the summit of Flattop.