A Good Tease

Not sure what to say about this winter except that it's starting to crack me. Each winter that I've been in AK the quality of the season has diminished with each passing year. Some say it's a normal cycle. Others point to profound climate change. Others talk about Biblical prophecy and the end times. Hmmm. Whatever the cause, the skiing has been sucking. I need to catch a break. So do my friends. And it seems it's just not Alaska. Even my favorite ski mountains on the planet, the Tetons, have been seeing their share of weirdness. At least there's snow there. 

My friends from Seward drove in to Anchorage the other day, taking them over Turnagain Pass and they said there's no snow at the road. Do you have any idea how unusual that is?? Normally, the willows and small conifers are buried by now, meaning there's about four to six feet of snow at the road. This year, nothing but rain and grass. The report up higher is encouraging as snow has been accumulating but getting there is a challenge right now.

All that dismal news notwithstanding, two weekends ago my small crew of skimo powder Jihadists headed up to the Pass in search of the high level snowpack. We were not disappointed. The weather appeared favorable but the lower elevations were wrapped in a dense fog and low cloud cover. We left the car under leaden skies hoping we'd rise above. In spite of the thin snow cover, there was just enough at the road to allow skinning. Some others walked but we kept skis on. Soon enough, the snow pack became adequate and the blue skies above materialized.

Skinning the summit ridge of PastoralBy the time we arrived at Taylor Pass, we were out of the clouds and treated to amazing vistas all around. It was like a healing balm for all that has ailed me for the last several weeks. I drank it in, charged toward our objective and savored every step through the untracked boot deep powder. Mat and I settled on Pastoral as our first objective, hoping that the slightly longer approach would keep the masses away. We were wrong. There were at least a dozen others with the same thought. Luckily, our less encumbered touring style saw us passing all other suitors and we were at the top ready for our first run down before the others had made the summit ridge. From the top, we could see the hoards coming. 

Some careful skiing and probing of the north facing line had us ripping to the bottom with big smiles and ready for more. We caught up with Phil and Dave, forming a party of four, keen for more. At the top, we spied the seductive main line on the north side of Grand Daddy, a line I'd seen two years ago and have lusted after ever since.  The south facing approach run off Pastoral was damn tasty with just a little shark infested business in the middle which was easily avoided. At the bottom, we all agreed that a look at Grand Daddy was in order.

The skimo powder Jihadis enjoying the dayGoodness on the sunny side of PastoralMat led the charge up to the saddle and onto the summit ridge. Before long we were ripping skins and giggling at the amazing windless conditions we had stumbled into this day. Grand Daddy summit ridgePhil was the first to probe the entrance finding it bony and unworthy of linked turns. I followed and carefully side-stepped the rocks until we made it into deeper blown-in coverage at about two-thirds height. The rest was pretty tasty and big smiles formed as the quads burned. Mat and Dave each arrived announcing similar levels of satisfaction.

Next up was a traversing descent down to an approach to the south side of Gold Pan and a well-set skinner waiting for us. The sun felt nice as we made our way to the ridgeline. A rocky scramble awaited us as Mat and I opted to top out on Gold Pan as the sun faded on the horizon. Dave and Phil were chasing a tigher dead line and dropped in a few hundred feet short of the top. Mat and I joined their line and were not disappointed. The snow was stable and a section approached 50 degrees for a stretch. It felt good to be engaging that kind of terrain. I was having Chamonix flash backs and loving it.

Back into the clouds off Gold PanThe cruise out under the flat light was pretty chill and I eventually stepped out of my skis and walked the last twenty minutes to the car. In spite of all the gloom and doom, it was one of the best days I've had at the Pass since I've been here. Sixteen kilometers of touring, 8,000 feet of climbing and three new lines. What's not to like about that?

Since then, the temps have stayed warm and the rain has fallen south of Anchorage. The snow continues to pile up above 2,500 feet but the rest is brown and not so awesome. Our luck needs to change soon. In the mean time, I've taken to apprenticing Mat in his new favorite distraction - ice climbing. I even bought a pair of Sportiva Baturas to make it fun. Until the snow falls, I'll show him all the tricks I've learned over the years and we'll be ready for the technical lines we're coveting once conditions ripen.

Comments

[Jared]

Great to see a new post on your blog. It makes me feel better to know I'm not the only one suffering this winter. I moved here from Salt Lake a few months ago hoping for huge, deep backcountry lines, and so far only one day (the day you mentioned above) has come close. Thank you very much for labeling your route above; it is very helpful for getting to know the area! Have you made the climb from Taylor Pass to the top of Gold Pan? I'm just trying to get an idea of the difficulty of the climb.

[Brian]

Hey Jared,

Yep. Pretty grim so far. It's likely to change. Not sure what your bend is in the mountains but if what you read on here seems like your game, we can certainly add you to the mix. If not, maybe just some cruiser laps on Peak 3 if it ever comes in.

As for the ridge up Gold Pan from Taylor Pass...I've never done it but looked down it on this day. That ridge gets hammered by the wind. It was bare. I wouldn't hesitate using it as an approach but I'd do it in crampons. Looked totally straight forward.

Thanks for visiting. I'll try to be more frequent.

[Jared]

Brian, I'd love to get out with you guys. Not sure I could keep up (8000' in a day is burly) but it would be fun to try. Cheers.