Girls Mountain Ski - Feb 2015

Valdez is always a memorable experience. It was my first Alaska ski experience: RVs, avalanches, and flaming snowmobiles. This trip was equally exciting. It started with a Wednesday moonlight run along the Turnagain Arm trail. There were supposed to be headlamps, but one was left on Kilimanjaro and another was dead, which slowed the arrival at the Brown Bear.

 By 4:30 the next morning I was up, then Max and I drove north to meet Josh in Eagle River.

What are we forgetting?

I'm sure his neighbors loved waking to the sounds of 2 stroke engines and his baying hound. Along the way, both of our sleds came very close to falling off the trailer. In fact, mine did come part way off. Somehow we made it to Thompson Pass.


At the pass we found an alarming raincrust that came very close to destroying our sleds.


Several rollings....

Josh decided that tumbling sleds were not dangerous enough.

and alder encounters later, we made it above the rain crust and certain death.


Max was relieved.


After a day of flat light spent teaching Max the finer points of tandem wheelies,


it was bluebird, and game on.

Looking towards the books.

A quick sled shuttle and the three of us were standing on top of Bro Bowl.


Josh dropped first:


A few seconds later he came flying into the apron.


As usual, he spent each lap looking better,


and better.


For our last lap we skinned to the summit of Girls Mountain.


Max dropped into one last perfect lap of Alaskan velvet.


As the clouds moved in and the light went flat we called it a day and headed home.


Until next time Valdez!