October in February

The snow pack feels like October in February, the leanest season I can remember.  But, main trail skiing is fair on Wolverine and Near Point Trails of Chugach State Park, but off trail is not recommended.  There are a few rocks on the Wolverine Peak Trail.  Snow transitions from warm and sticky to cooler and drier at 1700 ft elevation.

The Aspect Game

Yours truly played the aspect game at Arctic Valley. Searching for good snow was finally fruitful, but it took some time. If at first you don't succeed, ...

Arctic Valley slopes with any hint of a southerly aspect were crustified, and the north facing slopes of Gordon Lyon were windswept.

Rendezvous looked sweet in the swale about 1/3 of the way down from the summit. But, the ski club prefers people not skin to that area because it's within their ski area.

So, to the south end of the ski area I went.

Will the gap in the alders go through?




Yet, a narrower gap


Just wide enough.

Ash is about 3" below the surface.

A Fresh Foot

A fresh foot, and I didn't ski it...
yet. Falling 4 days ago, the spring weather has taken its toll. Afterall, it is breakup.

Breakup is that time of year when the days become longer than the nights. The aperture of great snow begins its gradual reduction. Starting at the south and working its way east and west like hands on a clock slowly rotating in opposite directions toward the north, the freeze-thaw crust evolves toward corn. And Breakup is when Anchortown transforms from white to green, passing through brown.

My colleague reported great conditions on Peak 3 a couple of days ago. He asked if it was my solitary tracks on Wolverine and Near Point. Alas, it was not. Crying over unskied powder will never create the perfect climb, the perfect line, the perfect day.

So, get it when it's there.

GLOOM

Backdoor Trail was right here a week ago. Now, it's a debris field for what was my neighbor's roof. Backdoor Trail is no more, gone with the (warmish) wind. It likely will return, but meanwhile catching up on chores was the best option.

Still 38F and wet. Snow line is about 2000 ft el., 1200 ft above me.

Chinook!

38 degrees Fahrenheit, wet, and windy snow eater. Maybe this cycle will end with ...
POWDER!

We can hope.

Below Minimum

It's been a little below my minimum temperature. Five below is tolerable - the US XC national races shut down at -4F; it must be disappointing for the Anchorage hosts of the US XC National Championships to have such a great snow pack then have this cold snap and cancellation of most of the races.

13 below at my Backdoor Trail this afternoon.

There was a nice inversion at Arctic Valley today. 11F above at the Nike weather site (3900 ft el.), at the same time it was 17 below in East Anchorage (200 ft el.)