Tri-Tip with TelePete

It was a pleasure skiing with TelePete, Karl, and DP at Summit Lake.  TelePete's knowledge of the Summit Lake ski scene is legendary and listening to the Summit Lake master's insight of the area is a special treat.  It was a fine group and what an excellent powder day we had at Tri-Tip! 

Master TelePete & Karl's Helmet

We followed a solo skier up the Tri-Tip ridge and lapped the northerly aspects until our legs ached.  Repeatedly, as we reached the high turnaround, I silently said to myself:  this could be the final lap.  But, after riding smooth cold smoke on the steep pitch of Tri-Tip, we had to do more.  Finally, as the sun moved down the Alaskan horizon, we were due back home, maybe overdue, and in the alpenglow we finally had to leave our alpine powder dreamscape and return home from Tri-Tip.

Tri-Tip

Dante's Mountain Art

Tri-Tip has some sick couloirs, super steep powder rivulets feeding the basin at the bottom.  DP and yours truly found a slightly convex one a ways back on the Tri-Tip ridge.  Its convexity just obscured the bottom third of the line, but we had faith.  When we came upon some cliffs beyond the roll-over, we began to question our faith.  After cutting some sloughs that ran several hundred vertical feet, we meandered our way through the rocks and floated down to the basin glisse to cheers from ourselves.

I could not imagine better backcountry skiing.

Old Man Air

Photocredits:  Dante
Sorry, Max, but in our excitement, we forgot to record images of the cliff bands.  Another reason to go back!