stomppow

The coastal snowpack is definitely much more epic, tons of plentiful snow that sticks to steep lines, then dries out over night… thick snowpack on all aspects that opens up endless line opportunities…
But: while there may be fewer options here where the snowpack has any potential, the potential is there and it can be epic. Specifically on the…[Read more]

Cool yah, you can send me an e-mail at matthewgruber (at) gi . alaska . edu

I guess a remote start would be nice, but I think the best recommendation for regular car use in winter in Fairbanks is: limit it by using a fat-bike. There are trails all over town that become packed and it’s easy to get around with a snow-bike. Bikes are trouble free…[Read more]

Well, I’m living in Fairbanks for the long haul, so if you’re still around we can meet for lunch or something. Otherwise we can meet when you get back up. There’s a sizeable ski touring community here, although of course many are more into it for the mountaineering than the pow. There is a little splitboard community though… small enough to be…[Read more]

Okay all this Fairbanks bashing is coming from coastal ninnies 😉 It ain’t so bad!

The truth:

Yes, Anchorage has access to tons of fantastic terrain, consistently good snow, etc. and the best stuff is about 1-1.5 hours away. You’ve got Turnagain Pass which is really 1-1.5 hours to the goods. The mountains right up on Anchorage within 20 minutes…[Read more]

Also you’ll have to ride the gully on Hogs Back facing the road in good conditions. That’s a good storm day run if the avy conditions are okay and the wind loading is not harsh, you’ll be guided right back to the transmission lines and the road.

Looks like the Chics Chocs delivered in a below average East Coast season, sick!
I love that area, there are more lines than a lifetime, and a lot of them are slightly “hidden gem” tree runs. I’ve seen a 3m b.c. coastal range style snowpack there, then I’ve also seen a 40cm sugar snowpack in December that suddenly gets 1.5m overnight, wild…[Read more]

I’m in a different boat, I’ve been riding directional boards in the backcountry since I started, through deep pow in BC and Chic Chocs, and now in big tree-less mountains in Alaska, and I definitely want to move to a true-twin. Unfortunately most of the true twins are those resort inspired noodles with an 8m sidecut though. I want something stiff,…[Read more]

Having lived in interior BC and seeing SH layers dominate, that is a scary scenario when the long high pressure system SH is slowly buried, adjusts, then slowly buried again, until it’s buried maybe 60-70cm deep and still hasn’t shed off any lines… SH can be very spotty depending on wind destroying/feeding it, sun sublimating it, stratus cloud…[Read more]

First two are fully epic! It’s like Alaska and Utah mixed together.

Snowboarding is always fun, sweet jib runs.
Looks like AK has been guzzling up all the storms towards here. Come up here to get some over the holidays!

I bet you can feel those boards float while airing!

Orb looks really really nice, maybe if my Khyber gets a few serious gashes it can finally be designated rock board and move over 😉

I’m in AK, I’d be down for some riding in April, and reminiscing with other Canuckistanians. :doobie:

Wow California>AK right now… At least my unicorn trip report has an actual unicorn in it though 😉

Whoops I’m no longer in BC, gotta update that. It’s in AK, all the rideable shots are in the Brooks range just North of Atigun pass, which apparently actually doesn’t get very good snow after mid December when the sun dissapears… so it might be good for early season or more likely I just might have happened on a freak storm, I’m not sure. I…[Read more]

Nice, you should check out the gaspe peninsula in quebec this winter, it’s really something else! Try to book the “Mines Madelaine” hut, or just get a hut by the road in the Mont Albert sector.

waves within waves that’s some hokusai shit

Split skiing is done often for short sections of downhill during an ascent/approach (with skins on) or for a long undulating exit from the backcountry such as at Rogers Pass where you’d usually do it without the skins on.
You can ski with relative control on anything not too steep, and not too icy, some people can even drop their heels and mimic…[Read more]

Okay I’m more of a believer now, still not my thing though, but yeah I can imagine those advantages to a squared off tail.

Hmm that’s what I suspected, thanks barrows.

I would assume that 4 hole T-nut would be the way to go, I guess I could modify the holes in the 4-hole pucks. It seems sketchy to me to only have 2 holes in the pucks, when they are being flexed forward and back a bit while riding, and being pushed on and pulled on repeatedly when transforming. I also…[Read more]