Alaska 2014-2015 Conditions & Stoke Thread

[Mike_Records]

Heres my Trip Report from Sunday on Kickstep.

[montanamike]

Some photos from Haines recon flight 2 days ago by AH.

[BFD]

Ski anything ?

[Chugachjed]

It sure does Jed. That top section of the snow climb and ski are just so darn good. When you headed back this way?

Not till summer. Alas

[Mike_Records]

Not till summer. Alas

That's not too far away now!

[Mike_Records]

Skied Hatcher today, first time I've been up there this season. Had been hoping to get back into Fairangel, but changed our plans after triggering a couple wind slab avalanches on small slopes on the approach. Lots of obvious wind loading farther up the valley as well. Ended up skiing a couple laps around the Pinnacle, and a couple laps on the Darkside, and whatever the sunny side of that is called. Lots of sensitive pockets along the ridgelines, along with continuous wind throughout the day. Dug a pit high on a South aspect and pleased to see the depth hoar is healing. Hit rocks on almost every run.

[ak_powder_monkey]

isn't the other side of dark side called sunny side?

[Mike_Records]

isn't the other side of dark side called sunny side?

That would make sense wouldn't it? I have to admit, my Hatcher naming knowledge is very limited. Well, its really just that my AK naming knowledge is limited.

On an unrelated note, I'm quite sure we found a wolverine den up in Archangel. Fur, bones, flesh, urine, and very sharp claw marks all around this tunnel into the ground. I did not actually go into the den to confirm.

[homebrewd]

Great stoke Mike!

[ak_powder_monkey]

That would make sense wouldn't it? I have to admit, my Hatcher naming knowledge is very limited. Well, its really just that my AK naming knowledge is limited.

On an unrelated note, I'm quite sure we found a wolverine den up in Archangel. Fur, bones, flesh, urine, and very sharp claw marks all around this tunnel into the ground. I did not actually go into the den to confirm.

I'm talking about one ridge past microdot

[Thatguysaccount]

I have grown to hate you over the past 3 weeks Mike, along with the wulff and Nig. I was stuck at work and you guys got all the goods. Amazing shots both here and in japan.

[Mike_Records]

Great stoke Mike!

Thanks dude, hope you can make it up here sometime!

I have grown to hate you over the past 3 weeks Mike, along with the wulff and Nig. I was stuck at work and you guys got all the goods. Amazing shots both here and in japan.

Well, I'm glad you've gotten in a few days since you got back in town. Looks like you've had some beautiful ones! We missed you on Portage today. I'm looking forward to hearing about the snow you found.

Skied Sunburst on Sat, it was fine; the usual: thin down low, stable, no wind affect. Shoulda gone for something bigger, but I got lazy.

Trip report from last weekends tour on the Pinnacle.

[Mike_Records]

The NRCS published the February 1, 2015 Alaska Snow Survey. Its not available online yet, but will be here: http://ambcs.org/aksnow/bor_ak.html. Some highlights:

--- Overview ---
Snowpack across most of most of the state is below normal. Much precipitation with winter came as rain across the state instead of snow and what little snow accumulated early in the season has diminished.

There is a swath of near normal snowpack. It starts in the central Copper basin and moves north across the Alaska Range into the Tanana Basin near Delta Junction and then further north into the White Mountains and into the southern Central Yukon Basin where it spreads out a little east and west. This swath, along with the Arctic (which is most likely near normal), are the only parts of the state with normal snow-pack.

Southeast Alaska is less than half normal –the further south the worse it gets. Also less than half normal is Southwest Alaska, Norton Sound and the Kenai Peninsula. Several sites on the Kenai set new 30-45 year record lows. Bertha Creek snow course only had 2” of snow with 0.4” of water content, 3% of normal. The next lowest year was last year when it had 15” of snow and 3.4” of water content.
The rest of the state was somewhere between dismal and normal. The upper Tanana, upper Koyukuk and Lower Yukon were all between 50-70% normal, while the lower Tanana and upper-Lower Yukon were between 70-90% normal.

--- Valdez ---
Worthington Glacier, just north of Thompson Pass, was 71% of normal with 54” of snow and 16.8” of water content.

--- Hatcher ---
In the Matanuska Basin, the southern Talkeetna Mountains are below normal as well. Independence Mine snow course has 38” of snow with 6.6 of water content, 77% of normal.

--- Chugach ---
If you didn’t think snow conditions in Northern Cook Inlet could get worse than last year, there’s this year to prove you wrong. Snow Conditions in Northern Cook Inlet are much below normal. The nine snow sites in the basin average only 30% of normal, down from 42% last year at this time. The Mt. Alyeska SNOTEL site had 9” of Snow with 2.4’ of water content, 12% of normal and 38% percent of what was last year’s record setting low water content. This is the lowest record since the record began in 1973.

[the_big_lepowski]

Woohoo! Next year is going to be HUGE!

[Mike_Records]

Skied Sydney Creek up at Hatcher yesterday. Cannot believe how totally destroyed by the wind it is. I don't think Eldorado is even skiable, because there is no snow left. Collapsing, cracking, and wind pockets everywhere. North aspects seemed to be the only thing that is safe, not to say the skiing was great.

[ak_powder_monkey]

I think I'm gonna go to Japan for christmas next year, a betting man would bet on a big december. I hope everyone is enjoying the spring!

[Mike_Records]

I think I'm gonna go to Japan for christmas next year, a betting man would bet on a big december. I hope everyone is enjoying the spring!

Do it! I'm still riding the high from Japan, way better than being here in Jan.

[Mike_Records]

Drove down to Thompson Pass at the end of last week. Thin at the road, stacked up high. Open and flowing water at the road plus rain crust. Sledding up from the road was downright terrifying. The low glaciers are still quite open and would be a huge hassle to cross. No deep instabilities up high. A little wind slab development, but I imagine it will heal, it wasn't sitting on a weak layer. Won't be long before we go back.

[Goniff]

Earlier in the season I asked for recommendations for a guide around Girdwood and Joe Stock was suggested. He was unavailable this past week but I was fortunate to connect with his partner, Nick D'Alessio, a great guy and guide who lives in Girdwood.

We skied Tincan Thursday and Pastoral Peak on Friday. Shots below from Nick and me.











This morning I watched the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. Amazing how 11 miles of road was covered with snow trucked in from higher elevations. There is no snow below 1500 ft but there is a decent amount up higher.

[Mike_Records]

Earlier in the season I asked for recommendations for a guide around Girdwood and Joe Stock was suggested. He was unavailable this past week but I was fortunate to connect with his partner, Nick D'Alessio, a great guy and guide who lives in Girdwood.

We skied Tincan Thursday and Pastoral Peak on Friday. Shots below from Nick and me.











This morning I watched the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. Amazing how 11 miles of road was covered with snow trucked in from higher elevations. There is no snow below 1500 ft but there is a decent amount up higher.

Looks like a memorable trip! Pastoral is a great tour to for killer views.

[Mike_Records]

Skied Common Bowl, Hippy Bowl, and Proper today. Strong winds out of the south all day. Obvious and significant wind loading on N faces and all sorts of cracking associated with it. 6 - 8 inches new snow up high, three lower down.

[Mike_Records]

In an effort to escape the wind slabs and deep instabilities of Hatcher we went farther east in the Talkeetnas. Wind was howling out in the open and still significant deep within the couloir. Shallow but stable snowpack, can't wait to get back there once there's a refresh and a wind free period.

[ak_powder_monkey]

I may ski yet this winter shoulder is well enough to fish!

[Mike_Records]

Skied several SW facing chutes at the top of Goodwill Creek today. Cold and awesome. Dug an extended column pit to the ground and stopped banging on it when we got bored well after 30 taps without any failure. Almost no sloughing, produced a few cracks on complex windloaded west facing terrain.

[jrf]

Hi guys, rad pics. We want to come ski your pow. Me and a buddy are about to pull the trigger for a last minute trip up Thurs-Tues. Good call or bad call? We're sick of waiting for winter to arrive in Tahoe and looks like you guys may have the only good winter snow in north america right now.

Plan is to grab an RV bring our touring gear and hope for the best. Seems like we should have a good shot at some good snow. Stability seems to be better closer to the coast? How limiting is the low elevation low tide if we're shooting for terrain off of Turnagain, Hatcher or Thompson? Any beta is gratefully appreciated!

Also, if we wanted to see about a guide for a day and get after some big terrain anyone have any recs? We're both strong skiers and experienced backcountry travelers, but willing to spend a little $$ in foreign terrain and snowpack (and cravasses) in hopes of getting safely puckered, and fired up.