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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A Chamonix of the Mind
    Posts
    3,656

    TR: Awaiting the Rapture in the Alaska Range

    I am not a religious person but after receiving news that a rapture was coming, which would subsequently kick off something called "Seven Years of the Great Tribulation," I decided it might be a sovereign time to await the end of days in a remote glaciated mountain range. If 4 decades of resolute atheism turned out to be a dead end road of bad conclusions and the triumph of Jesus was at hand, at least I could get some turns and reflect on my folly before being transferred hotly into the care of Satan. To that end, a crew rallied. . . .

    Wendigo. . . .


    Telelebowski. . .


    JoeStrummer. . . .


    PoopGhost (notice SlimFast shakes in foreground. One of these each morning powered Telelebowski for approximately 4 hours). . . .


    We landed in Little Switzerland after laying around Talkeetna all afternoon hoping to get a weather window. We landed on the glacier on about 12 inches of fresh snow and made camp . . .


    Then it was time for skiing. PoopGhost coiling the rope at the nearest col, which we abused like a Phi Mu for several days since it was close and the snow stayed great.


    Wendigo and Telelebowski enjoying the fresh. . .




    We got probably 18 inches over our time in Little Switzerland, which kept things fresh but safe.






    And there were plenty of corn cycles, as well. . . .


    Wendigo (Ben) digs a pit on a 40 degree slope I am sure has a name but we dubbed it "Ben's SuperCouloir." a 1500 foot run to the glacier below. It took a lot of work to get an isolated column to fail.


    PoopGhost enjoys the first few turns into the SuperCouloir. Did everyone get a deal on a green jacket in Talkeetna or what?


    Scale in the Alaska Range is a difficult thing to convey with mediocre camera skills. Everything was huge and turned a 70-200 into a 17-40 lens! I took several pictures of Foraker under bluebird skies but none of the pics really convey how massive it really is. Here is our camp on the Pika Glacier, where we didn't see another soul for 5 nights!


    After a few long days of skiing and digging and melting snow and constant sunlight and staring across the Kahiltna at the Infinite Spur, we were starting to get a bit punchy. I timed PoopGhost and it was at least 45 seconds before he realized the book wasn't making any sense . . . .


    Flight traffic was fairly minimal and it was so peaceful that for a while we began to believe The Rapture had actually occurred. However, on the 5th day TAT sent the Beaver to bump us over to the Ruth Glacier, and it was confirmed by our pilot that He had not visited mankind with His Judgment.


    So we headed for Don Sheldon Mtn House in the Ruth Gorge for the next five days.

    Ben deserves props for his magnificent food prep skills (not to mention his machine-like bootpacking talents) - left to me and Telelebowski it would've been SlimFast and Gu and bourbon for a week. But Ben introduced us to the miracle of pre-cooked bacon, which we added to virtuallly everything. Here he is grilling steaks over a wood fire, Mtn House and the Ruth in the background. . . .


    There was some skiing to be had but the snow was going isothermic and there was no freezing at night. Still, here are Wendigo and Telelebowski headed up a line on the Gargoyle. . .


    And what comes up, must come down. . . .




    And we had some good times on Telemark Hill. . .






    There was evidence that SkiFishBum had been here before! . . .


    And after living on the glacier it was nice to be able to get a wood stove going and enjoy the provisions in cushy comfort . . . .


    Touring was awesome, if a bit time-consuming. Anything you could see out the windows would take at least two hours to reach! Here is PoopGhost headed down the Ruth, Moose's Tooth in the background. . .


    And here are Wendigo and Telelebowski headed for Dickey and 747 Pass. . .


    Two of us slept in our tents, which kept the hut freer for debauchery. Here is my command center a short drunken stagger below the Mtn House, with Denali in the background. . .


    Overall, an awesome trip. Even though there was no Rapture, there isn't anything better than having fun in the hills with friends. Then again, Websters defines rapture as "the state of being transported by lofty emotion, a feeling of ecstacy." So perhaps there was a rapture, afterall!

    Our only error was inexplicably low-balling our estimated beer consumption - fortunately our shortage was easily remedied by skiing down to the Ruth landing strip and having a pilot drop us a few cases of Miller High Life on his return with an assload of Japanese tourists! That combined with box wine left behind in prior seasons and the discovery that Triple Sec of unknown vintage and Tang are a tolerable combo, kept us going over the last couple days!
    "Buy the Fucking Plane Tickets!"
    -- Jack Tackle

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    285
    man that looks good...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    tourin BC
    Posts
    2,773
    My prefered poison for backcountry adventures, particularly when hiking in, is vodka mixed with water flavoured with gatoraid powder. I recommend all 3 flavours and a packet or 2 of tang to avoid getting bored with one flavour. and NEVER underestimate the amount of alcohol needed for these trips!!!

    also ... nice trip, thanks for the TR ...
    We, the RATBAGGERS, formally axcept our duty is to trigger avalaches on all skiers ...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Zurich, Switzerland
    Posts
    1,322
    Epic trip!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Juxtaposition
    Posts
    5,733
    You are all now my favorite people on the internet.
    Life is not lift served.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    1,633
    that's one hell of a trip

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    3,004
    The Pika/Little Switzerland is an amazing spot, stoked for you for getting to do some good skiing there.
    "High risers are for people with fused ankles, jongs and dudes who are too fat to see their dick or touch their toes.
    Prove me wrong."
    -I've seen black diamonds!

    throughpolarizedeyes.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    below the king
    Posts
    1,282
    JoeStrummer-
    expect an email from me at some point hte the distant (ut maybe not so distant) future to get beta on ski lines up there

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Bravo Delta.
    Posts
    6,135
    Sick trip.




    Quote Originally Posted by Shadam View Post
    My prefered poison for backcountry adventures, particularly when hiking in, is vodka mixed with water flavoured with gatoraid powder. I recommend all 3 flavours and a packet or 2 of tang to avoid getting bored with one flavour. and NEVER underestimate the amount of alcohol needed for these trips!!!

    also ... nice trip, thanks for the TR ...
    Ahhh.. The "Electric Athlete."

    I've known it and loved it since my ski racing days...
    Last edited by iscariot; 06-01-2011 at 08:51 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Socialist View Post
    They have socalized healthcare up in canada. The whole country is 100% full of pot smoking pro-athlete alcoholics.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    ColoRADo
    Posts
    5,946
    My retinas are forever burnt with the image of that sasquatch in his underwear and winter boots.

    Thanks for that.

    On the plus side, that looks amazing...I feel like a lazy, spoiled slacker for doing AK on the complete other end of the spectrum in the Heli.
    You should have been here yesterday!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Two Thousand Leagues
    Posts
    1,014
    Right On That scenery never gets boring

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Not in the PRB
    Posts
    32,689
    well done, gentlemen.
    "fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
    "She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
    "everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Jackson, WY
    Posts
    396
    Looks awesome! Pissed I couldn't make it for this one!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    BZ
    Posts
    254
    That was a fantastic trip report! Its great to see how its done. Thanks.
    Keep your tips up and always remember to unhook your pack from the chair...

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Golden, Colorado
    Posts
    5,868
    Great trip guys. Nothin beats a little bit of kickass in the morning.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    the hysterical town of George, CO
    Posts
    1,676
    FKNA sick stuff fellas.
    Quote Originally Posted by DoWork
    Well we really came up with jong because it was becoming work to call all the johnny-come-lately whiny twats like yourself ball-licking, dick-shitting, butthole-surfing, manyon-sniffing, fotch-fanagling, duck butter spreading, sheep fucking, whiny, pissant, entitled, PMSing, baby dicked, pizza-frenchfrying, desk jockeying flacid excuses for misguided missles of butthurt specifically. That and JONG is just fun to say.
    the-one-track-mind

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,429
    Are you sure you didn't get raptured? That sure looks like heaven.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Posts
    4,321
    There should be some more pix on the way as we get our collective shit together. We had I think 6 cameras going between the 4 of us... in some instances (please see above pic of me in my skivvies) that was probably too much documentation.



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  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    JH
    Posts
    468
    Joe Strummer's odd and inexplicable TR title selection means that he is now numbered among the people that annoy me.

    More pics:

    Unnamed AK mini-golf lines


    Plane with Foraker


    In Europe there would be 12 huts out here. We saw 2 people in 5 days.


    Very peaceful.


    And then we started skiing.








    The Bunny Slope.


    And it was good.


    I've been a lot of places, but the Ruth Gorge is one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. Impossible to capture in pictures. Absolutely incredible.

    And if any one ever gets the chance to share a trip with JoeStrummer, Poop Ghost, or Wendigo, I guarantee you're in for a great time. As solid a group of guys as you'll find made it an absolutely off the charts awesome trip.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    AKeveryday
    Posts
    588
    Nice work! Thanks for sharing!!

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    702
    meh... lacked POV

    This was ok though.


  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,451
    Nice work guys!!
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Folsom, CA
    Posts
    538
    Damn fine work, now one more place I gotta get too.
    A good friend would come bail you out of jail. A great friend would be sitting next to you saying..."but damn that was FUN"

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    NorCal
    Posts
    2,573
    Wow - what a great trip! I can agree that capturing the AK range is nearly impossible with a camera. Awesome that you got into Little Swiss - that is high on my rader for rock climbing in late season while the strip still goes, but never thought about skiing.

    Really cool stuff!

    How did you guys run your rope systems for travel?

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Hyperspace!
    Posts
    1,368
    Quote Originally Posted by Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer View Post
    How did you guys run your rope systems for travel?
    Lazily.

    I hadn't been in LS for 10 years and a lot of the crevasses are more open, but you can still travel around most of it sans rope without too much issue, roped up for most of the Ruth unless we were way out in the middle of it. When roped we generally were two teams of two on 30-40m lines.

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