Thompson Pass Treks - Backcountry Ski Guiding

April 2013 Ski Reports

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:16:37 -0800

April 30, 2013
1730 AK Time
34F/Flurries/E5

Found a bit better than Fair skiing today than yesterday, with 1” new over hard or old tracked snow.
Half-lapped lower Catchers Mitt to the apron and then hit the steep middle fork feature of the Worthington Glacier in Austin Canyon.
Occassional flurries through in the short term with light and variable winds. Sunspots likely. Valdez has received 3” of new snow, a bit more than the Pass. Snow pack retention remains high from cool temps. Settlement rates continue to be slow, thus avalanche hazard remains Low with some light sluffing of new snow likely on most steeper aspects and all elevations.

Today in Thompson Pass
Austin Canyon
photos by Tom Cal(CA)

April 28, 2013

Winds diminish on Monday with flurries possible in the evening. Snowpack surfaces should heal over the next few days at temps rise to more seasonal norms.

Below is a 4m video of Josh McDonald and I exploring Galena Bay in the Valdez Arm. The highlight of the adventure was sailing north into brisk north winds for nearly 15 hours straight up the Valdez Arm with near freezing temps, through the Narrows at midnight with a full moon and then into Port Valdez. The power of wind!April 20, 2013

Good weather continues as does some good powder skiing. Below is a short video and some good tunes with the Mahers(Calgary) near RFS West on a super nice Saturday.

Slight chance of snow Sunday pm as the Chugach enters its spring transition as temps have moderated to normal, winds are calm and corn skiing is not far behind.
April 18, 2013

Found variable ski conditions due to increased winds this am. New wind slab forms mainly on SW aspects with obvious cross-loading above 3000’ from Little Odessey to Nicks creating FAIR stability above 35 degrees. Saw a recent naturals on a nice tour to Bro Bowl as brisk northeast winds blew most the day.
Winds continue to diminish as sunshine continues through the weekend.

Today in Thompson Pass
Rest StopApril 17, 2013
1900 AKT
35F/Partly Cloudy/Calm

Nice day in the Pass with new 6”+ smothering the Arena after a refreshing snow squall. Very Good powder skiing exist.
The caveat is the new snow masked the wind slabs, thus some isolated pockets of wind slab may be not be visible. Noted some new activity in Odessey Basin in Upper Schoolbus. The picture below was taken this afternoon of Our Lady of the Square Rock and the mid-mountain area. It is an unusual release and we spotted skiers in the debris area, but it seems everyone is fine. Still unsure of the trigger, etc...

Today on Worthington Glacier
Penny Maher(Calgary)
“What’s next!”April 13, 2013
1400 AKT
32F/Clear/N20

Winds to 65mph and cold temps in the teens over the past few days have brought FAIR ski conditions to Thompson Pass. Good thing is little erosion and enough variability to leave some dense but carvable snow in place. Expect some very hard snow at the surface in spots Sunny days to quickly smooth W-S-E aspects to good skiing in places, but not powder without “going farther.” Winds continue to diminish slowly over the weekend.

In cased you missed it this morning, dozens of mostly women got the Valdez running season underway. The 5K Finale was the end of a winter-long fitness program sponsored by SWAN for many of the racers. Race time temp 29F/Clear/N10.

Real Alaska Women
Follow
Denali Woods (Valdez)April 11, 2013
1800 Real AK Time

Today in the Dimond Arena - Route #22

RFSkiers
Approach
RFSApril 5, 2013
31F/Mostly Clear/N10

Snow moves in slowly on Saturday to heal the snowpack in the Pass with 5” by Monday and in what could be, Valdez’s last snow at sea level.

In the meantime plenty of goods elsewhere and we haven’t crossed a track in days.

Today
Whistlers Couloir
Stanislav Radkov (Sofia)April 3, 2013
2100

Great day in the Chugach above Port Valdez topping out on Peak 4795’ on the Matthu Pichu Route #6, skinning from the end of Airport Road. Easy brush down low. Did a nice side lap on some shaded and steep, north aspects along the south rim of the basin, which held the best powder.
Picture One - Stanislav Radkov (Sofia)- Peak 4795’
Picture Two - Port Valdez. April 2, 2013

Good NEWS for Backcountry Skiers!

This Federal court decision could not have come at a better time. The Chugach National Forest south of Valdez will have to address backcountry skiing( non-mechanized) and quiet areas in the next, which is currently being revised to address new age conflicts on public lands. Finally some judicial noise in support of multiple use and the fastest growing segment of the ski industry....skinners.
Now is a good time to be heard in support of this decision by contacting the Chugach National Forest and being asked to be part of the process.
Washington Post.....HERE

Today in Thompson Pass
Big Odessey

Dimitar Dimitrov(Sofia)April 1, 2013

GOOD ski conditions with some wind skin over powder. Soft slab issues in isolation in upper elevation. Us and other testers triggered sloughs in steeper terrain that ran full length with some size. Obviously some hot spots so ski softly and one at a time. Stability remains GOOD under 35 degrees. Weather looks fair to mostly cloudy through the week with winds diminishing.

Today in Loveland Basin
Fool’s Couloir
Dimitar Dimitrov (Sofia)

March 2013 Ski Reports

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:59:18 -0800

March 29, 2013
Tabitha has an update on her training with the local Masters Swim Program. HERE
Quote of the Week......"The same is true for our public lands.... They are lands of multiple use, but a civilized and vibrant culture understands that you achieve that through thoughtful zoning and not via allowing all uses on all lands." Peter Metcalf -CEO Black Diamond, HEREMarch 28, 2013
2100 AK TIme
28F/Snow/Calm

Ski to the Sea
Port Valdez Arena (2)March 27, 2013

Weather front moves though Thursday with precip, some south wind and warmer temps. NWS calling for Blizzard, but it will be mostly confined from Hairpin to Mile 27. I don’t expect much “blizzarding.” Should be short lived then ridging develops across the Chugach.

Epic today in Schoolbus with stability, sun and deep powder. Worth the skin trail, then quick laps. Couple split-boarders on the trail today providing the motion under perfect conditions.

Two Powder ShotsMarch 26, 2013
1830
30F/Mostly Clear/Calm

Much better today with sunspots and more providing good powder skiing in the shade of upper Gulley One. Counted close to 20 skinners in the Pass!

Avalanches condition are trending toward more stable with age and settlement at most aspects, elevation and steeper angles, though not very fast as temps still remain cold on the north shore of Thompson Pass. One noticeable wind slab release beneath the summit of Goodwills probably associated with the brief, southeasterly maelstrom we encountered yesterday in Moonlight Basin.
CONSIDERABLE concern: Solar effect likely for WED on SOUTH aspects as theyget heated for the first time this winter with lots of new snow. . Expect active point releases from 2500’ to sea level.
Travel wisely, test slopes, stay spaced.

Nice weather pattern holds through Wed, then....snow.
March 25, 2013

Today in Thompson Pass
Deep, dense and settlingMarch 24, 2013
1000 AM
34F/Snow/Mostly Calm

VALDEZ GOES OVER 300”

WX- Snow, heavy at times, continues through Monday in Valdez. SE winds to 30 near mountain gaps and ridges. Thompson Pass gets a bit less and remains a bit cooler. Snowy weather to ease, but continue through Wed.

AVY- Ambient temp gradients have remained flat in Thompson Pass since the snow event began Friday @ 8PM. This would indicate good bonding within the new snow above 2400’. All this new snow is sitting on hard wind slabs along the front range. Nearer sea level, rain mixed with snow is expected thus a higher concern in the Valdez Arena for active wet slabs and sluffs.
Regardless of micro-climates in the area, a CONSIDERABLE avalanche hazard has developed in the surrounding Chugach and will remain for the next 48 hours. Storm totals have exceded 24” and higher storm totals are likely.

I was humbled to be invited to yesterday’s luncheon hosted by the Alaska Library Association Conference who gathered at the Valdez Civic Center above the port.
The “Authors to Alaska With Helen Frost” luncheon was part of the conference. Ms. Frost gave a presentation on her approach to poetry and prose that I enjoyed quite a bit, away from my white world of winter writing.
Most attendees seemed stunned as they watched the type of snow event that has made
Valdez the ski mecca of the world.March 17, 2013
1800
31F/Clear/Calm

Found some nice conditions on the way to Snow Dome after booting through Larsens Notch. We found soft snows and 1” of fresh over hard for some FAIR-GOOD skiing with LOW avalanche hazard. We lapped The Turtles.
WX-Clear with few clouds through the week. Temps moderating to normal. Gusty north winds to 25-40 along crest and through gaps.

The Chudy Brothers
Ski to the Sea
March 6, 2013
1800
30F/Mostly Cloudy/Calm

Always looking for new ways to old places venturing up north Worthington along the edge of the glacier then to the top of the second bench in about 2.5 hours under sunny skies for some mellow touring. It’s a nice, mostly crevasse-free route to a nice set of peaks including Acapulco.
It’s not that far.

Steeper south aspects surfaces have crusted, thus a thin weak layer may become reactive as it gets smothered by a foot or more of snow across higher elevations. Heavy, wet snow developing in Valdez after noon on Thursday then rain at sea level.
Lots of snow with strong SE winds above mid-mountain in all Arenas by Thurs PM creating CONSIDERABLE avalanche hazard as the storm peaks in intensity and snow increases in density. Snow and rain end late Friday with clouds slowly moving away as the weekend progresses.March 5, 2013

Have not been in Nick’s Happy Valley in at least 15 years. Classic tour into the far basin and center peak. This was great powder run back in the day and still is, albeit much wider skis.(grin)
Nick Parker still works at AMH in Anchorage. March 4, 2013
1700 AKT
33F/PC/Calm

EPIC ski conditions in Thompson Pass with well settled powder combined with GOOD stability in shaded north aspects. Noted some old activity along wind lips. Weather forecast continues to be favorable through mid week with most clouds staying coastal, but not all. Mild temps, no wind.

Today in Thompson PassMarch 3, 2013
Noon

On Friday, I found out about the close call on Meteorite earlier in the week. I was able to interview one of the skiers yesterday in depth. Thanks for sharing your experience.
This picture gives another perspective of the terrain along with some other trivia.

February 2013 Ski Reports

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:41:48 -0900

February 12, 2013
1930 Valdez Time
29f/Flurries/Calm

The “dump” worked out to about 3 feet at higher elevations, with 3” we measured at NWS Valdez. I visited the north aspects of Big Odessey yesterday and found 160cm of snow with 50cm of settled storm snow on top. Only 95cm on the lake. Valdez snowpack depth now at normal at 54”. 72” on the south shore in Benzene.

Today I did the Worthington Glacier Tour to the near the top of the ice-fall and then along the termimus to Postman. Good powder skiing with limited visibility. Found a snowdepth of 175cm on the glacier, with a hard wind slab “probe tapped” at 90cm below the surface.

Weather calls for continued mild, but snowy conditions through Wednesday with pesky south winds near gaps and along E-W ridges.

That is Peak 6100 then Gran Parre on the HogBack Glacier in the new banner...from Leprechaun Peak.

“BACK IN THE DAY”
This month is the 30th anniversary of the Valdez Ice Climbing Festival. Here’s the first press release from the Valdez Vanguard in Feb 1983.
February 8, 2013
1600 AKT
Sealevel/32F/Cloudy/Calm

DUMP ALERT FOR SAT/SUN/MON with 3-4’ in Thompson Pass.

Storm totals reveal 15-20” new low density which of course provided Excellent skiing today doing a lap on Telemark in Schoolbus and some other soft lines. Daylight revealed masked debris fields, some large, above 2500‘ and fresh spring slides closer to Valdez on south aspect at all elevations. Stability GOOD at the moment, but another major low moves through on Sat and Sun with significant snowfall and increasing avalanche concerns to HIGH by Sat noon favoring northerly aspect first, followed by the rest of the compass rose as the storm ends Mon.
Only 24” below normal but not for long.

While deep slab issues are unusual in Valdez, this year is an exception in a few places.
Bruce Tremper is quoted below for the Utah Avalanche Center blog in response to a cluster of skier incidents in the Wasatch Range last weekend.

“....Deep slabs are your basic nightmare. Stability tests like snowpits, explosives and cornice drops are unreliable. They seldom produce "alarm signals" such as collapsing or cracking. They often don't fracture with the first person on the slope but, say, with the third, sixth or tenth person. The only way to manage this kind of hazard is avoidance. All the cagy, old avalanche geeks just stick to slopes less than 30 degrees that are not locally connected to steeper terrain. Simple. Or they choose a safer aspect. Also very simple.” FULL

SKI WHITTIER, AK VIDEO ....enjoy!

Solo DayFebruary 5, 2013
1600 Valdez Time
SeaLevel/36F/Mostly Cloudy/Calm

Poked around for powder skiing in Gulley One solo using a Class I brush route from the entry to WG State Park. Nice tour to the upper glacier basin finding GOOD skiing “over the rollers” with some surface imperfections mainly from temp inversions over cold snow. I probed 150cm of snow at mid-mountain in the drainage and found an unconsolidated, low density, and undisturbed snowpack to the ground. North winds to 25mph transporting some snow in open terrain and along ridge crest in the upper-mountain. increasing slab densities at the surface and “ahead of you” is a red flag.

WX-Blue holes linger till Thurs. with pesky winds on ridges. Temps to remain mild. 950mb super low is approaching the Aleutians in the latest sat shots. Models have issues with pressures outside model parameters. It still looks like the system will have a significant impact to the area. The NWS Short Term Discussion, issued each morning and afternoon, will be worth noting over the next 48 hours.

February 1, 2013
1800 Valdez Time
Sea level/35F/Cloudy/Calm

Snow totals for January were nicely above normal and saved us from getting our winter nuked. It snowed 23 of 31 days with 10.96we/ 93.5”snow on Valdez’s NWS Field Office in downtown. 156” for the season, only 40” below normal.

Found good snow today in Odessey Bowl via Schoolbus and back. Seemed OK to let things settle a bit more. January 30, 2013
1900
28F/Snow/Calm

Enjoyed a solo tour in Sugarload East, parking near the refiner and going to the second bench. Suspect larger, and as sensitive slabs above brushline. See pit below.
Amazing temperature change of nearly 30degrees in1 hour this morning in Thompson Pass.
WX - Continued snowy with 12-15” in Thompson Pass through Saturday.Consectetuer arcu ipsum ornare pellentesque vehicula, in vehicula diam, ornare magna erat felis wisi a risus. Justo fermentum id. Malesuada eleifend, tortor molestie, a fusce a vel et. Mauris at suspendisse, neque aliquam faucibus adipiscing, vivamus in. Wisi mattis leo suscipit nec amet, nisl fermentum tempor ac a, augue in eleifend in venenatis, cras sit id in vestibulum felis in, sed ligula. In sodales suspendisse mauris quam etiam erat, quia tellus convallis eros rhoncus diam orci, porta lectus esse adipiscing posuere et, nisl arcu laoreet.