Whale Tail Ski

Mid-April is the week of Cathy's birthday and our wedding anniversary. During this week I'm either scoring mega-points, or in the dog house. In past years I've been sharing a micro-tent with fermenting dudes in some god-forsaken mountain range in Alaska. Those were the dog house years. Since then I've focused my uxorious nature. I've learned that micro-tents are best with my wife. Last year I scored huge points with Cathy on the Haute Route Grand Lui. This year I also scored huge points with her on Denali's Whale Tail.

On a mid-April Friday morning the forecast tipped to the good side of marginal. Annie at Talkeetna Air Taxi told us to be ready at 2pm. We loaded our rucksacks, drove two hours to Talkeetna and jumped into Paul Roderick's turbo bird. 

We stopped at Little Switzerland to pick up some pro dog skiers. The pro dogs said, "We skied everything." I saw their tracks. They did ski every big feature in Little Switzerland. Then Paul dropped us off at the Mountain House on the Ruth Glacier. 

At 7pm Cathy and I started skiing down the Gorge. The chubby seasonal snowpack let us ski unroped. Being able to ski unroped makes the Alaska Range way more cool. 

An hour down the Gorge we stopped for cocoa and a catch-up with our friends Silas and Peter. They were having a great trip, scratching up ice-encrusted corners on Mount Bradley.

Peter Doucette's photo of Cathy and I heading toward 747 Pass between Mount Bradley on the left and Mount Dickey on the right.

We camped our first night below 747 Pass. In the morning we looked up Dikey's 5,000-foot wall. Eeep!

Skinning up 747 Pass. In a few places we used the rope with stopper knots. Here Cathy has unclipped and I'm dragging the rope since the avi danger was more eminent than the cracks. 

Second camp, up on the Tail with Denali and the Backside Glacier behind. My favorite part of the trip was sharing this small tent with Cathy. Even better, she didn't like her book. She's more amuzing without a book. 

Skinning above the Tokositna Glacier. Last summer I hiked Denali's Whale Tail with Nik and Dmitry. The fun and views were world-class. Thank you Nik and Dmitry! But if you cover the Whale's Tail with snow, and don't have to hike, then the funness levels goes into the next category. 

Cathy heading toward Tokosha Gap. Tucker Chenowith cooked up the Whale's Tail ski trip four years ago. Tuck said it was the best ski trip he's ever done. Since Tucker is THE MAN, skiing the Whale's Tail went to the top of my list.

On our tour, Cathy and I had one powder run, some beautiful corn and lots of bullet-proof crust skiing. 

My trophy wife of 11 years at our fourth and last camp, just below Tokosha Gap, 4,000 feet above the Susitna Valley.

Cathy skating toward Porcupine Butte at 5am to beat the isothermal slopfest. Tokosha Gap behind. From Porcupine Butte we skied 12 miles of snowmachine highway to the Chulitna bridge. 

A slow hitch on the Parks Highway. Eventually The Prospector took us to the Talkeetna spur road. Then the Baptist minister's wife - a recent transplant from Arkansas - gave us a ride to TAT. She'd just been on a scenic flight with K2 Aviation. "We landed on the summit," she said. "On the Ruth Glacier?" I said, referring to their usual scenic landing site. "No, they landed us right on the summit of Mount McKinley." I went into the TAT office and told Annie to upgrade their scenic options. 

White Lice Chute

Jeff said, "I checked out Wexler's blog the other day. He's skiing these huge, steep chutes near Canmore."

Wex and I expeditioned around Alaska on skis 4 years in a row. During that time Wex taught me the importance of descents. On our last trip together we incorporated the four highest summits in the Tordrillos. We're now doing our own thing: skiing chutes in our backyard with neighbors. 

And buddy, congrats on your IFMGA pin! Andrew, you are now a bonafide Furgerburger.

In the mindset of backyard chutes and neighbors; Andy Newton, Jeff Conaway and I cycled out Eklutna Reservoir for a night at the Mountaineering Club of Alaska's Pitcher's Perch. This is a doghouse-style hut with mice and no insulation. But it's proper-style Alaska. Any more and you might as well go to Eurodogland.

Jeff scoping his next packrafting objective on the approach up the West Fork of the Eklutna River.

Kettle pond from a melting remnant of the Eklutna Glacier. Our map shows the glacier being here in 1994. This was a lake when Jeff was last here in 2000. Now it's filled with sediment. The Eklutna Glacier supplies Anchorage's water and some power. 

Boys club at Pitchler's Perch after round I on the White Lice Chute. The 1,500-foot, 47-degree White Lice Chute is visible there, hanging from the clouds above the hut. The legendary Vin Hoeman first climbed 6,650-foot White Lice Mountain in the 1960's. Maybe he itched his way up the White Lice Chute to the summit. 

Booting the chute on round II. The day before we bailed 500 feet up as it discharged ice and rocks. The weekend before Cathy and I skied Flute Peak and the snow was still dry. This year the snow transitioned from dry to wet on north faces at 5-7,000 feet around May 20. Last year it was about May 26.

Nothing was falling down this time because it froze overnight into a sheen of breakable crust.

The breakable crust was actually fun skiing. We told the dangling cornice to sit and stay. We gave it a bone and it behaved. 

Cycling back around Eklutna Reservoir for Session beer and power rings (Andy-speak for donuts).

Rumble Chute

When she's elusive, I find three attempts usually works. With Brad, on my first attempt for Mount Rumble's Chute, we stopped at the Korohusk chutes. With Dave Bass, on attempt number two, we roasted in the spring heat, avoided avalanching slop and skied 7,500-feet without even touching the mountain. But on attempt number three, Cody, Tucker and I got lucky.

At 7,530 feet Mount Rumble is the fifth highest peak in Chugach State Park. Rumble is stashed at the head of Peters Creek, up river from the city of Eagle River. The uninitiated may try to access Rumble via the 24-mile Peters Creek Valley Trail. They soon learn what it's like to hike through 18 miles of moose-nibbled willows.

Tucker brought his new Hi5 188 La Sportiva skis rigged with 170 gram bindings (made by ATK I think). I had serious his-truck-is-bigger-than-mine syndrome. But that's okay. Tucker is my boss. Bosses should have bigger trucks.

8:30 am with 4,500 feet and half of the approach bagged. I forgot my camera battery so I poached some photos from Tuck. He later loaned me his camera to stop my complaining. 

Skiing 3,800 feet into the elusive Peters Creek. The crux of the day was climbing back up this hill.

In the zone below Rumble. Again, following Zach Shlosar's tracks.

Booting into the the top of the chute. We stashed our skis and climbed up an ice gully to find another 500 feet of powder leading to the summit. We went back and got our skis. 

Mount Rumble summit at 7,530 feet. Cody is holding his breath for bonus training since he lives in Bethel (117') while flying for Ute Air. Tucker is getting high and giggling on the thick O's since he just got down from the Alaska Range.

Tucker testing his new Sportiva rides on the impeccable summit slopes. The valley is 5,000 feet below. 

At the top of the chute, far above a gigantic kettle sinkhole on the derelict Wall Street Glacier. 

Tucker product testing.

Tucker likes the product.

Cody about to exit onto the apron. 

Wolverine tracks near treeline at 11pm. We returned to the car after 18 hours and over 13,000 feet of uphill. Don't laugh, but for like people us it's impossible to have more fun.

Valdez Skiing 2011

Last May, Todd Smith and I rallied the Western Chugach for a relentless five days. Keen for more, Todd brought along his friend Steve Copson and Steve's friend and Kurt Parker for a Valdez ski week. We chose late April when the snow is more stable and the heli/snowmachine frenzy has subdued. We had an awesome trip with a perfectly-meshed group, amazing north face powder, some corn and favorable weather. Thanks guys!

Summiting Cracked Ice on our first tour. Kurt is a splitboarding powerhouse with faster transitions than us skiers. He redefined splitboarding for me.

Summit! Now 4,500 feet of fun to the highway!

Untracked on Cracked Ice. 

In Valdez we stayed with Anna Wilson at her Ptarmigan Bed & Breakfast. If you like to eat and stay in a comfortable house then there is no comparison in Valdez. The alternative is expensive hotels and grody restaurants. Call Anna at 907-835-2202 (best option) or email her at annsptarm@cvinternet.com. 

Hauling packs to camp at the top of the Worthington Glacier for two nights and three days of skiing.

Glacier camp in THE ZONE!!!!!

A high energy weak layer kept us off the sav-gnar but we sufficed on farming endless slopes of pow.

Kurt showing us what 25 years of snowboarding can do. 

Steve skiing below an icefall into the Hoodoo Glacier from our glacier camp.  Last year, Dan, Nik and I tried this same run, but an earthquake that morning had triggered the icefall and obliterated the run.

No earthquake this time. 

Todd starting another 2,000-foot powder lap into the Hoodoo Glacier. 

Pit stop at the derelict Tsina Lodge--where many Valdez heli legends began--on the way back to Anchorage.