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Home Forums Trip Reports AK – 2012 Spring Photoshow

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  • #576899
    snowsavage
    Participant

    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.

    #655791
    nickstayner
    Participant

    Sensory overload threshold! Gorgeous.

    #655792
    whistlermaverick
    Participant

    Many thanks for the stoke.
    Snowsavage indeed!!!

    Just sick.

    @j.memay

    #655793
    waltzingmatilda
    Participant

    Just surreal. :bow: Someday……

    #655794
    brainsteak
    Participant

    dude, how many times a day do you say “wow”?
    stoked to see you still killing it. looks like mike had a good trip.
    i gotta get up there. those shots burn right into the brain! beautiful.
    yeah, think about you every trip. remember this?

    still using the same ice axe. and the classic quote. brings me back.
    i’ll be visiting you soon, for sure.
    going deep huh? can’t wait to see the results of your next adventure.

    #655795
    JimmyC
    Participant

    Awesome TR!!!! Thanks for posting!!

    #655796
    Ecobrad
    Participant

    Speechless. Livin the dream!!

    #655797
    bcrider
    Participant

    Goddamn AK rules!

    Thanks for sharing! :thatrocks:

    #655798
    snowsavage
    Participant

    @brainsteak wrote:

    remember this?

    still using the same ice axe. and the classic quote. brings me back.
    i’ll be visiting you soon, for sure.

    Holy Sh**t Man!!! Can’t beleive you busted that out. Unreal for me. Did I ever send you the last album? I’ll mail one out this summer if I did not.
    Hell yeah, cruise up here next season sometime. That would be a dream.

    Thanks to everyone else for the positive comments. Glad you enjoy the photos.

    Gotta run, i’ll check back in when I get a chance!

    #655799
    96avs01
    Participant

    So sick :thatrocks: AK kicks azz!

    165 Venture Divide/Spark Frankenburners/La Sportiva Spantiks
    163W Jones Solution/Phantom Alphas/Dynafit TLT5s
    162 Furberg

    Chris

    #655800
    spruce cabin
    Participant

    Thanks for the inspirational postings!
    :thumpsup:

    #655801
    wilkez
    Participant

    Epic dude. Amazing pics and lines.

    I think you must have flown with drake at the same time we were there…IrishGav and I spent 10 days out on the cushing glacier. Drake is the shit, you aren’t kidding when you say he’s a legend.

    And I also got a flight tour over the heli zone after xavier and company were there…made me realize that I was riding small peanuts out there compared to the stuff those guys throw down. Seeing that stuff and climbing it out there gives me huge props to everybody who is out riding that stuff…it’s truly something else.

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