This is more of a photo show than a TR. It’s been a good spring season in these parts but with very little precip and quite warm weather. It was different than I have ever known April in AK to be. I been floating all around riding, skinning, booting, flying, riding, skinning, booting, flying riding, but never took too many snowboarding photos. I think it’s mostly because I was being lazy about pulling out the camera while on slope. But there are enough really pretty photos of terrain, lines, and scenery for a decent post, so enjoy.






(spine cells)




Shredly

My friend Joey is rockin’ binders from the early 90’s and no high backs, this is how we grew up stump jibbin at Copper Mountain. Joey remains committed to it twenty years later in the Chugach.

I found pretty nice couloir, holding cold protected north snow and we shredded it, Joey No Highbacks.

Savage negotiates tight entrance

Sometime later I ended up in Haines and took a plane ride with Drake out to some glaciers in the St. Elias range.

1st day I was gunnin’ for this steeze…

We busted up to the ridge and it was full-scale knife-edge and the stormy clouds came in and wrecked our light.

Got skunked , but still rode 50 degree spines in flat light, sorta scary when your all by your lonesome in the middle of crevasse/terrain hazard-fuck-all

The light finally comes out again 3 hours before our scheduled pick up. We make the most and go on a scenic tour.

Pretty out there. We rally down a long powdery glacier run and there’s Drake just kickin’ it laying in the sun on the glacier.


That guy is a fricking LEGEND, I double dare u to go on a plane ride with him.

Speaking of legends, a fews days later I was out in the heli and checked out this line Xavier had hit the day before.

And then later came across the remains of a session by Gigi Ruff and crew (see monster stomp air upper right corner).

We flew around and rode some shit. I only took two photos, but take my word for it: Haines crushes it.

Further north, here are some pretty pictures of the 16 thousand-some-foot Mt. Sanford in the Wrangell mountains.

Thompson Pass ended up being fairly productive.

Went and explored some glaciers and un-skied zones with some good friends and rode this big couloir in some very deep, fluffy snow.

…and rode Meteorite the next morning with the same crew + another Chugach legend: D-Green (see his TR for pics).

It was a long cold winter, snow and cold and more snow. Spring brings my first chance to lay in the tundra in the sun. happy. 8)

D-Green and I rode this line several weeks back and he put up a TR on it – Big League. I got a few more nice photos of it in the evening light.

Interspersed eye-candy

Once the evening light starts coming into play I make a habit out of night skiing after work. The following are all 9-5er city hits. ..its all about the evening light.

I rode each one of these bumps at night after work this spring. Skin by 5pm-drop in by 9pm-ish give or take. Slopes are all lit up. It’s good.

…and absolutely beautiful out there at night.

Got some new perspectives and photos of a couple of classic couloirs I rode last year.

The clouds just came in again over the last two days, but I got two more nights of brilliant corn skiing just before.

Me and me lady’s tracks down a nice little line we found; 8:45 pm drop in.

Moma Bear and 3 wonderful cubs enjoying the stellar evening light right alongside us.

Next night I headed out for a solo mission to take advantage of the corn harvest and soak in more views.

At 9:15ish I dropped in and went home.

I hope this was enjoyable and inspiring thus far. I am going to leave you all with some sunsets.

Mt. Redoubt volcan plumes

From R to L: Denali, Hunter, Foraker

Denali and Hunter

Denali

Foraker

And lastly, the sun settles in over the Tordrillos.

Happy Spring. I am heading across the sea to ride somewhere else for a while. I’ll check back in during June.