One for the Road: Juneau Alaska Spring 2011
By tgr420 | May 24th, 2011
The plan was simple and had been in place for 8 months. We were going to go to a relatively unexplored region of the Chugach for 6 weeks in search of new lines and good times away from the crowds while filming One For The Road. Flights were booked, rv’s and rooms were booked and we had everything in place. People were starting to get uneasy about our plan by the end of January. One of the snowiest places on earth was having the worst winter in 40 years. We waited it out and stayed on course. It was AK and it would heal. It always does. In February, 100 mph winds scoured the entire state of Alaska and further complicated matters.
Finally, about a week before we were supposed to leave in mid March we started to panic. We sent Ian McIntosh and our lead guide Kent Scheler on a fixed wing flight to recon our proposed zone. The report was grim. The Chugach would need an entire season’s worth of snowfall to recover and fill in the lines we wanted to hit. We officially hit the panic button and tried to figure out what to do. Haines and Juneau both had decent base and snowpack reports, but need help. We busted out the maps and found a zone 20 miles from Juneau that has seen very little riding in it. Plane tickets were changed, new hotels booked and permits were secured. The dream was still alive.
The crew showed up in Juneau to hard pack and blue skies. We were stoked to find a solid base and recon some fresh terrain, but we needed snow bad. Our prayers were answered and a big storm set in and it stayed set in, for two weeks. This one was not going to come easy, but it seemed like we were poised.
The crew on hand was Seth Morrison, Griffin Post, Ian McIntosh, and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa. The boys were able to get out for some recon and light filming, but generally got shut down. Seth had to leave to finish filming his new movie Ordinary Skier. Griffin’s two week stint was up. The moral was low and it seemed as if AK was not going to happen this year.
Daron Rahlves and Dana Flahr came in as replacements. The forecast shifted to a more favorable flow. We kept our hopes up and then it came. The bright blue orb in the sky that we call the sun returned to Southeast Alaska. What followed was one of the better Alaska sessions I have witnessed in many years of riding the great state. We had perfect stability, good powder, and tons of sunshine. Flahr had to leave early and Griffin Post was able to come back in for the later part of the session. Todd Ligare got in on the last week of antics as well. We spend our winters living on the road. The people in our films are “One for the Road.” We thrive on the adventure and the unknown, yet it can beat you down. Life on the road can be very interesting. You need to have a ton of patience and faith and let it take you where it leads. Ours led us to a new area outside of Juneau Alaska, where it turned into a dream highway with no speed limits, no cops, unlimited lanes, and exits in the coolest places in the world.
Here are some photos from our journey:
The first thing you notice when you get to Alaska is how unreal the scenerey is.
Sage takes the astronaut walk from the hanger to our spaceship.
TGR lead guide Kent Scheler takes a survey of our new zone.
Flying into places like this get you excited. We found some wild lines in this area.
Sage takes flight
Ian McIntosh drops a first descent while being filmed from the heli.
Todd Jones prepares for shooting from the heli.
The TGR heli shooting rig. TGR has been pushing the boundaries of HDSLR's this year.
Daron Rahlves puts down turns where no man has gone before.
Rahlves is hapy to be in AK.
The crew takes a lunch break with a view.
Griffin Post scores a rowdy Alaskan line. Another first descent.
Rigging the GoPro in the heli
Daron Rahlves hits a nice ramp.
Shooting an interview for One for the Road.
Ian McIntsoh hits a big and rowdy line. Mac was on fire this year, putting down some of the best lines I have seen. A five day run of good stability and bluebird ended with him breaking his femur. He will be back next year stronger than ever.
Sage getting after some spines. This line went on for ever.
Ian McIntosh in the mix.
Ian and Sage scoping lines.
Daron Rahlves gunning for the exit.
Another epic view. It never gets old.
Putting the heli to bed for the season. I can't wait for next year.
In this post: Sage Cattabriga-Alosa Seth Morrison Ian McIntosh Dana Flahr Todd Ligare Todd Jones Steve Jones Dustin Handley Daron Rahlves Griffin Post Blake Paul Location: Alaska Film: One For The Road Keywords: Big Mountain Spines Heli Skiing Article Premium Content Teton Gravity Research Featured Ski
