RSSTrip Reports

Sultana Ridge Photo Trip Report

Sultana Ridge Photo Trip Report

| July 1, 2009 | 6 Comments

Photos and captions from the 2009 Swinging Sultana expedition to climb and ski the Sultana Ridge on Mt. Foraker, Alaska. http://straightchuter.com/am-content/sultana_webgallery/index.html

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Into the Lenticular…

Into the Lenticular…

| June 24, 2009 | 6 Comments

Lenticular clouds are a source of awe and terror for mountaineers.  Awe as they are so surreal looking that they have been mistaken for UFO’s and terror as they signify ripping summit winds. Courtney Phillips ponders his options as a lenticular cloud forms on the 12,800′ peak of Mt. Crossen. Patagonia is a contender for […]

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Kahiltna Glacier 2009 Scrabble Tournament

Kahiltna Glacier 2009 Scrabble Tournament

| June 22, 2009 | 6 Comments

 I can’t play Hearts or Poker to save my life and have yet to make it through a single crossword or Soduko puzzle, but I do like playing Scrabble and Cribbage.  For the sake of our marriage, I hardly ever get to play Scrabble as my main partner is my wife, Polly, who views it as a […]

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Back From Foraker/Sultana

Back From Foraker/Sultana

| June 19, 2009 | 7 Comments

Yow!  What a great ride that was!  Kip Garre, Fred Marmsater, Courtney Phillips and I ended up skiing off the tippy-top of Mt. Foraker (aka Sultana) in the Alaska Mountain Range on Monday morning, June 2nd.  We prepaid for our four-day window of good weather with two weeks of sitting in the tents in a […]

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A Trip Across Alta’s Ribbon of Doubt

A Trip Across Alta’s Ribbon of Doubt

| April 30, 2009 | 17 Comments

The Ribbon at Alta is a line that I’ve been meaning to ski for about the last twenty years, yet I never seem to get around to it.  One good reason for putting it off is that it traverses through the top of the Devils Castle Buttress with a whopping 600′ of exposure the entire time.  […]

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Sawtooth Photo Gallery & TR

Sawtooth Photo Gallery & TR

| April 27, 2009 | 12 Comments

My first backcountry skiing trip to the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho was about ten years ago with Mark Holbrook.  We went in to the top/back end of the range via a trailhead outside of Stanley and my main memory of the trip was that it was really cold, but had excellent skiing.  I vowed to come […]

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Heyburn Couloir – Sawtooth Mountains

Heyburn Couloir – Sawtooth Mountains

| April 25, 2009 | 6 Comments

I know, you are probably sick of videolettes by now, but this one actually has a mini plot line: five backcountry skiers climb up and ski down a jewel of a coolie in the heart of the Gem State – Idaho.  This was part of an outing with K2 Backcountry where we spent a few […]

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Indian Creek – Photo TR

Indian Creek – Photo TR

| March 20, 2009 | 13 Comments

Continuing an almost full week of trip reports, I went down to Indian Creek on Wednesday with my long time skiing and climbing buddy, Brad Barlage.  Brad is a sales rep for Black Diamond, which means he has the full-on pimp daddy ride (Ford Van), tons of gear, plenty of dogs and knows The Creek […]

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TR – Shooting Star Saloon, Huntsville, Utah

TR – Shooting Star Saloon, Huntsville, Utah

| March 18, 2009 | 37 Comments

My mother’s side of the family immigrated to Utah five generations ago, but not for the usual reasons.  Instead, they were here to start a brewery – Fisher Beer.  The brewery has been gone for close to 50 years, but beer in Utah remains a topic which is close to my heart, or liver in […]

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Ouray Ice Park

Ouray Ice Park

| February 23, 2009 | 6 Comments

Aside from being cold, dangerous, expensive and limited to a few select areas in the world, there is a lot to be said for ice climbing.  Namely, it can be a ton of fun and there is nothing like sinking a pick & ‘poons into a vertical pillar of frozen water which may or may […]

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