I just did a solo 3-day trip across Kodiak Island. It is a route I have hiked in the summer before, but with a stretch of good weather this spring I decided it might make a fun tour on my split. I was in pure travel mode and didn’t try to bag any peaks or seek big lines (especially since I was alone). I just used my split as an efficient way to follow the spine of Kodiak Island from the village of Old Harbor back to my home in Kodiak. Enjoy.
The anchors are some 2 liter silnylon stuff sacks I sewed a loop of webbing around and tied a length of cord to. So yes, somewhat home made. They hold amazingly well, weigh nothing, are easy to dig out, shake clean of snow, are not likely to be damaged by your shovel when you go to extract them, and only cost a couple of bucks. A win on every front.
I think there may only be one size of Ultracraft (not positive). It’s a 156. It rides like my 163 Solution.
Pretty Sweet Philip! Nice video editing and shots. Hard to believe you did it solo with all those great shots. I guess that means not only did you cover a lot of ground in three days, but you had to cover a lot of ground twice! Really cool. Thanks for sharing. :thumpsup:
Whats the wildlife threat on a trip like this in Alaska? Do you carry a gun? Just wondering if thats part of your equipment checkoff list ?
I have lived and backcountry traveled in Kodiak and south central AK for 25 years, and all I carry is bear spray. We have lots of Kodiak brown bears, obviously, but they tend to be wary of humans and generally quite well behaved. No other scary critters here on the islands unless you count the bugs, and even those aren’t bad by AK standards. 🙂
For comparison purposes, here is the summer version of the same trip. I tried to get some similar shots on both trips, so you may recognize a few locations.
Amazing solo trip, well done. As someone who prefers stills over go pros and doesn’t get why people ruin runs with the selfie on a stick vids, I gotta say the way you used your camera and footage were awesome and made for a really great watch.
I have to agree that most gopro snowboarding footage makes me want to gouge my eyes out too. I am glad I can please a fellow teletubbie skeptic. 🙂
To carry the board under your arms through brush, I use an 18″ Voile strap and double loop it over the board, passed through the vertical daisy chain on the side of my pack. I put the strap across the board right at the touring bracket or the balance point so that it sits there nicely without wanting to sag forward or rearward, and I pass the boards inside the shoulder straps (important). The boards don’t need any further stabilization and ride there very nicely. Hang the bindings off a caribiner off the back of the pack to keep them out of the way.
Awesome videos, both of them. I did not see one single mosquito though, so I’m gonna have to call BS! Very nice, solid, work. I could actually feel the different moments of the day, like reading John Muir. Thanks for sharing, and remember, more mosquitos!