Ski Die Mondshatten

Moon shadows on the snow of Rendezvous Peak appealed to our curiosity, and drew us up the skin track to the summit where we discovered a moonlit view of the magnificent Chugach.  Catching our breath in the rare still air at the Rendezvous summit where the normal bluster encourages a quick transition, we surveyed the winter night panorama from the mountaintop in no hurry to ski down.

These few moments of awestruck existence seemed to slow the passage of time in an alternative dimension of shadowy contrasts until responsibilities incongruent with late night powder runs awakened us from the dream.  We skied from the summit.  With an unlit headlamp, I found soft snow and contentment skiing back down, chasing moon shadows.

Fresno Mine

The Summit Lake region of the Kenai Peninsula treated DP, Nathan and yours truly to epic storm skiing.  Backcountry storm skiing can be too risky if low visibility obscures the overhead avalanche hazard, but today had just enough viz for fantastic laps on the northeast flank of Colorado Mountain, near Fresno Mine.  

Terrific snow, great terrain, and top crew came together for a fantastic day to remember; and we only scratched the surface of one of several Summit Lake massifs.

South Fork, North Bowl

Didn't get shot, that was good.  And skied a lot of powder, that was better.

A dozen skiers, 2 ptarmigan hunters and yours truly found cold smokey snow in the North Bowl area above the South Fork trail head of Chugach State Park.

The ptarmigan hunters apologized about firing in my direction, and I actually was oblivious of 22 caliber rifle rounds buzzing by.  No harm, no foul.  In a most polite way, the feminine half of the hunting pair said that just too many people come there these days, and that they can't shoot where they want.  I replied that I've skied there for 25 years and never got shot; lucky, I guess.

Breezy (10-30 mph) and cold (5-10F) all day.  Light and dry Chugach fluff was laying in the gulleys, and rimey wind pack was barely covering the ridges.  A cornice is building on the North Bowl summit. Skiing was excellent on lee slopes.