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. 

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The Path to Enlightenment

Light and fast pioneer, John Bouchard high on the Grand Charmoz, Chamonix, mid-70'sI’ve been fascinated with light outdoor gear since my first Outward Bound-type course when I was 14 years old. Miles Becker was an OB instructor who started working for a private boarding school in the Bay Area and ran OB-style courses in the North Cascades each summer for the students there. A family friend brought us together and I spent two summers with Miles when I was 14 and 15 years old in those magnificent mountains of Washington. Those two trips turned out to be some of the most formative experiences of my life.

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Beyond Good and Evil

North Face, l'Aiguille des Pelerins, Chamonix, FranceLong before I was a ski alpinist I was a climber. I still am. Actually, I love all the games we play in the mountains. For various reasons, I've always been an average player in these games but, like many of us, love to read about the elite and their antics in the alpine.

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Feeling Desperate

Making the most of the fading Lane GlacierThe weeks pass and the big storm continues to avoid AK. The temps are right for something good but the clear days persist. Mat and I are still getting out but our tolerance for walking over shitty boulders is starting to wear thin. We've taken to just touring for the sake of scoping terrain but are Jonesing for some real turns.

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Winter 2014-15 - First Salvo

The Talkeetna Mountains, AKAs my late ski partner, Steve Romeo, liked to say, there are two seasons in my life....winter and waiting for winter. I love that and think of him whenever the snow flies. That's a good thing. Up here in AK, winter has been creeping upon us more slowly than is typical. We've had snow up high but temps have remained warm this fall. It's made for some good hiking but I'm getting impatient for winter to arrive in full.

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