Patagonian Summer

SASS Session 1 Ski Podcast 2010 from Snow Sessions on Vimeo.

I've been down here in Bariloche, Argentina for two weeks now. In that time I've been fully reminded why I love this place so much. The people are cooler than we could ever hope to be in the US, the skiing is ridiculous, and the views are basically extraterrestrial.

During my first week here myself and two other guides were in charge of training all the SASS coaches in avalanche, medical, and guiding protocol. The training went well and once the campers came, we went through similar training with them as well. Since everyone has been dialed in, I've been able to ski what I want and push it a bit. The Patagonian winter has been helping us out a ton with about 6 inches of snow every couple days. Right now, we are getting our first big snow cycle and I'm super anxious to get up to the mountain and witness it's transformation. We already have a deeper snowpack than we ever did last year which sends my mind reeling into a fantasy world where un-doable cliffs and lines become commonplace reality.

Ruth Gorge, AK - Denali National Park Skiing

Alaska's Ruth Gorge

Ruth Gorge, AK from UnofficialSquaw on Vimeo.

I was lucky enough to score a ski guiding job in Denali National Park's Ruth Gorge the first week of May. The place is simply face-melting in person and goddamn impressive on paper. The gorge is plugged with ice over 3,500 feet deep and a mile wide. The granite walls that define the gorge are 4 to 5 thousand feet tall and straight up. These walls and spires can be seen 100 miles away and have earned names such as: Moose's Tooth, Bear's Tooth, Broken Tooth, and The Gargoyle. It is the deepest gorge in the world and you can feel it.

After the most incredible flight of my life, an hour long flight-see around Mt. McKinley, we landed at the Mountain House. The Mountain House is a hexagon-shaped hut located on a nunatak or rock island in the Ruth Glacier. (The hut has a very cool history http://www.climbalaska.org/mountain-house.html) Our crew consisted of 5 clients and 2 guides and we were there to ski.

During our 6 days in the gorge we only had one weather day and it was kind enough to leave us 18 inches of light, dry, stable Alaskan snow. Needless to say, the skiing was good.

Rule #1 in Alaska: Do not waste good Alaskan weather! Skiing until 9pm in full sunlight wasn't uncommon on this trip. If the weather is good, you go skiing, dammit!

We got 20 runs in during our stay, almost all of which were in pure AK powder. We did our best, but of course, we barely scratched the surface of what can be skied in the enormous Don Sheldon Amphitheater and Ruth Gorge.

My neck is still sore from rubbernecking to take in the insanity that is reality in the Alaska's fairly-tale-come-true called the Ruth Gorge.

McConkey's Rebate

I went up to McConkey's again the other day, Feb. 24th. Perfect snow and it was starting to fill in nicely. So I skied it twice and knocked all the snow off it! Now it's beat again, until the next storm. Did I land that second attempt?

McConkey's Rebate from UnofficialSquaw on Vimeo.