Archive for the 'Trip Reports' Category

Alaska 2012 Trip Report

Published on April 27, 2012 in Trip Reports. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The skiing in Alaska is always good, but this year was exceptional. Not only did the weather hold out for almost the entire three week trip, but the snow was so stable it was almost scary. I kept having to remind myself to be careful of overconfidence, as all of the aspects and elevations we skied were covered in about 6″ of recrystallized powder, which is a dream to ski.

Most of the trip was in the Wrangell-St.Elias National Park & Preserve, but we had a few spare days at the end, so we went over to Thompson Pass for some car based skiing. The trip started out with three days of warm up skiing out of the Ultima Thule Lodge with the Claus family, Eli Potter and Hombi which set the stage for the fantastic conditions to come. Continue reading ‘Alaska 2012 Trip Report’

Wilderness Ski Week Wrap Up

Published on April 7, 2012 in Trip Reports. 1 Comment

The first annual Wild Alpine Wilderness Ski Week wrapped up a few moments ago with a final plane ride back to Chitina from the Ultima Thule Lodge. In all, I think it was one of the longest continuous stretches of great skiing I can remember with perfect weather, conditions and a fantastic group of people. We ended up skiing vast powder fields, epic 5,000’ drainages, peaks, steep couloirs and everything in between. In five days we racked up 25,002’ of climbing and 35,252’ of skiing, with the difference being made up courtesy of high Otter landings and low pick-ups. Continue reading ‘Wilderness Ski Week Wrap Up’

Powder, Couloirs and the Heaven’s Gate Exit Couloir

Published on April 5, 2012 in Trip Reports. 1 Comment

Bandwidth is slowing to a crawl here, but it was another fantastic day in the Wrangell-St. Elias range.. Continue reading ‘Powder, Couloirs and the Heaven’s Gate Exit Couloir’

Solidarity Peak

Published on April 5, 2012 in Trip Reports. 1 Comment

Yet another great day in the Wrangell-St.Elias Mountains, this time with a climb and ski descent of Solidarity Peak in perfect conditions. Continue reading ‘Solidarity Peak’

Wrangells Update

Published on March 31, 2012 in Trip Reports. 0 Comments

After a smooth flight up to Anchorage and a gracious 1:00am airport pick-up, a smooth two-dog drive to Chitina and a quick Turbine Otter flight, we made it out to the Ultima Thule Lodge a few days ago.  The next day we took two Super Cubs out for a day of skiing that turned out to be my best day of the season – clear, sunny, stable powder, great friends (Hombi, Ben, Eli, Paul) and some endless runs that were good to the last turn. Continue reading ‘Wrangells Update’

Norway in May?

Published on February 17, 2012 in Trip Reports. 0 Comments

Ice Axe Expeditions is gearing up for two more ski & sail trip to Spitsbergen (Svalbard) off of the northwest coast of Norway this spring.  These trips will be similar to the inaugural voyages they put together last year and will feature skiing way above the Arctic Circle at almost 80 degrees north in one of the more unique and wild places on earth.  Each trip consists of a group of about eight people, including two guides, plus a crew to handle the boat and take care of all of the cooking, cleaning and anchoring. Continue reading ‘Norway in May?’

Skating & Scambling in the Sierra

Published on January 10, 2012 in Trip Reports. 8 Comments Tags: , .

After long hiatus, I made a trip back to the east side of the Sierra range last weekend for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center fund raising party.  This area is one of those places that after visiting it once, you swear you are going to return for annual skiing trips as it is incredibly beautiful and has fantastic terrain.  But, in a perverse case of misery love company, the Sierra is having an even worse year than the Wasatch, which is currently on track to being one of the worse years on record.   Given the choice between skiing a 12″ base of rotten snow over rocks in the Wasatch or going alpine ice skating, hiking and rock climbing in the snowless Sierra, California wins hands down. Continue reading ‘Skating & Scambling in the Sierra’

Antarctica 2011 – Trip Report

Published on December 7, 2011 in Trip Reports. 10 Comments Tags: , .

It seemed hard to believe that anything could ever top the 2009 Ice Axe Antarctica Ski Cruise, but I think this year actually did.  In 2009 we had freakishly good weather (clear, sunny and calm every single day), but in 2011, I think we were able to get into more interesting terrain.  Part of this had to do with the ice pack conditions, but another part was Doug Stoup and company knowing where to go and when. As with both trips, the people and the energy of having 120 like-minded skiers on board a boat cruising around at the bottom of the earth is really what makes it all worthwhile.  You go for the skiing, but in the end it’s the entire package that you remember.

We had six days of skiing in Antarctica with 2-3 in Ushuaia, Argentina beforehand.  I kept a photo, gps and written log of where we went, which is available by clicking the photo below (2mb pdf file). Continue reading ‘Antarctica 2011 – Trip Report’

White Rim by Moonlight

Published on September 14, 2011 in Trip Reports. 5 Comments Tags: , , .

The 100 mile White Rim loop down in Canyonlands National Park in Southern Utah is one of my all time favorite bike rides. There is nothing all that hard about it (aside from the mileage) and I love the way it just keeps unrolling in front of you, even though towards the end, you might wish there was a shortcut or two.

I’ve done it about six times as a day-ride and once as a multiday car-supported camping outing, but when Brad Barlage suggested that we do it under a full moon, it seemed like an excellent idea. All went according to plan except the full moon was obscured by clouds. And there was some rain and lightning. And a large part of the road was washed out. And there was a LOT of loose sand due to the lack of vehicle traffic. But aside from those details, and lots of mosquitoes and being completely dark, it was excellent. We weren’t bothered by the pesky scenery until sunrise and I’ve never seen so many bats, toads and Kangaroo Mice in my life.  Fascinating, really. Continue reading ‘White Rim by Moonlight’

Candy-Hearted Rustler

Published on August 30, 2011 in Packrafting and Trip Reports. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I’ve owned an Alpaca packraft for about two years now, but am ashamed to admit that I have hardly used it to anywhere near its potential. Packrafts roll up to about the size of a small two person tent, yet when inflated they can easily carry heavy loads, bikes, packs, etc..  To maximize their fun potential, you need to find, or since it is still a young sport, create, a route that involves some logical mixture of biking, hiking, canyoneering, paragliding, etc, and rafting.  There seems to be an unlimited supply of these types of adventures in Alaska, but you have to work a bit harder to figure them out in Utah. Continue reading ‘Candy-Hearted Rustler’