Chugach Powder Guides Heliskiing, 3/25/07

Postby Tony Crocker » Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:26 am

Sunday March 25 dawned bluebird, so on our last reserved heli day we headed south in a shuttle van to the Placer Valley and then flew into the mountains overlooking the Skookum Glacier. Last summer Adam had bought a down jacket to handle cold temperatures, and since our first drop at 3,300 feet was sheltered from wind, he was a bit warm and unzipped the jacket a few inches. As CPG had been able to fly only half a day in the past 5, guide Kent McBride was diligent in digging snow pits and analyzing snow while we skied 1,000+ vertical sections one at a time for avalanche protocol. On the first 1,000 there were so many face shots that Adam's jacket filled up with snow! He emptied it and kept it zipped thereafter.

Our first 5 runs were all on these east aspects to the Skookum Glacier, and at least half of the 3,000+ vertical was waist deep with billowing smoke. The rest was merely excellent powder with not a hint of wind or sun effect right down to the glacier floor at 300 feet. A couple of the runs started as high as 4,200. ChrisC was most impressed with the terrain on his day with CPG, but for me it was the snow.

Run #6 was Ice Monkey, starting at 5,200 feet and dropping west from the same mountains. The snow was not as deep, but some of it was steeper and still produced the occasional face shot. The next run was west facing at lower elevation, and near the bottom Kent hit unexpected sun crust and took a spill. Like us, he must have been mesmerized by the powder perfection of the past 5 hours.

The last 2 runs dropped north to the Placer Valley at 50 feet elevation, with scattered trees on the bottom 1,000 vertical. On the last run at 550 feet one of our group triggered 2 slides on either side of him, but fortunately not directly underneath him. Kent spent some time analyzing the slides, taking pictures, and also had the heli fly over it for a closer look.

The day's total was 9 runs and 28,000 vertical, conservatively 26K of very high quality powder. This was unquestionably the finest of my 19 lifetime heli days, and only rivalled by April 9, 1999 at Mammoth as the best day in my 31 years of skiing.

Note to admin: I have now passed you in powder vertical for this season. I agree with you: it's all about quality! :wink:
Last edited by Tony Crocker on Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Season length: 21 months, Nov. 29, 2010 - July 2, 2012
Days in one year: 80 from Nov. 29, 2010 - Nov. 17, 2011
Season vertical: 1,497K in 2016-17
Season powder: 291K in 2011-12
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re: Chugach Powder Guides Heliskiing, 3/25/07

Postby Tony Crocker » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:15 pm

This day was first priority for pictures :) .

032507_firstrun.JPG
Here's a view partway down our first run.
032507_firstrun.JPG (31.63 KiB) Viewed 3242 times

032507_firstadam.JPG
Part way down the first run Adam has cleaned out his jacket, but note the snow on his shoulders and hood.
032507_firstadam.JPG (26.32 KiB) Viewed 3242 times

032507_drop4200.JPG
4,200 foot drop point for our second and third runs.
032507_drop4200.JPG (30.07 KiB) Viewed 3242 times

032507_pitdig.JPG
One of guide Kent McBride's many pitdig stops to evaluate the snow.
032507_pitdig.JPG (31.72 KiB) Viewed 3242 times

032507_tracks4000.JPG
Adam leaves some tracks about 4,000 feet. Soon the line rolls over to skier's left to steeper and deeper.
032507_tracks4000.JPG (30.75 KiB) Viewed 3242 times

032507_glacier_terminus.JPG
Summer terminus of the Skookum Glacier below. The nearby specks are snowmobilers.
032507_glacier_terminus.JPG (31.13 KiB) Viewed 3242 times

032507_lunch.JPG
Lunch stop. Icefall in distant mountains over my shoulder.
032507_lunch.JPG (36.83 KiB) Viewed 3242 times
Last edited by Tony Crocker on Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
http://bestsnow.net
Ski Records
Season length: 21 months, Nov. 29, 2010 - July 2, 2012
Days in one year: 80 from Nov. 29, 2010 - Nov. 17, 2011
Season vertical: 1,497K in 2016-17
Season powder: 291K in 2011-12
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re: Chugach Powder Guides Heliskiing, 3/25/07

Postby Tony Crocker » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:25 pm

more pictures

032507_afterlunch.JPG
This run after lunch was probably the deepest snow of the day.
032507_afterlunch.JPG (35.49 KiB) Viewed 3217 times

032507_top_icemonkey.JPG
View from about 5,000 feet near the top of Ice Monkey.
032507_top_icemonkey.JPG (30.75 KiB) Viewed 3240 times

032507_mid_icemonkey.JPG
View about halfway down Ice Monkey.
032507_mid_icemonkey.JPG (26.16 KiB) Viewed 3238 times

032507_tracks_icemonkey.JPG
Adam making turns is a small speck on the lower third of Ice Monkey.
032507_tracks_icemonkey.JPG (22.22 KiB) Viewed 3238 times

032507_subalpine.JPG
Subalpine terrain of our last 2 runs.
032507_subalpine.JPG (28.34 KiB) Viewed 3238 times

032507_treetracks.JPG
More tracks through the scattered trees.
032507_treetracks.JPG (40.6 KiB) Viewed 3238 times

032507_aboveavy.JPG
Here I stop above the small avalanche released on the left by the skier on the knoll below me (beige jacket, hard to see at this resolution, follow his track).
032507_aboveavy.JPG (46.32 KiB) Viewed 3238 times
Last edited by Tony Crocker on Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
http://bestsnow.net
Ski Records
Season length: 21 months, Nov. 29, 2010 - July 2, 2012
Days in one year: 80 from Nov. 29, 2010 - Nov. 17, 2011
Season vertical: 1,497K in 2016-17
Season powder: 291K in 2011-12
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re: Chugach Powder Guides Heliskiing, 3/25/07

Postby Tony Crocker » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:30 pm

A few more pics

032507_heliviewavy.JPG
Kent had the pilot give him a closer view of the avalanche and tracks that triggered it.
032507_heliviewavy.JPG (36.93 KiB) Viewed 3236 times

032507_helicloseavy.JPG
Close up view of the fracture line.
032507_helicloseavy.JPG (30.24 KiB) Viewed 3235 times

032507_moose.JPG
After our last run we fly over a herd of moose in the Placer Valley.
032507_moose.JPG (31.56 KiB) Viewed 3237 times

032507_endday.JPG
Our group and the A-Star at the end of a perfect day.
032507_endday.JPG (40.63 KiB) Viewed 3235 times
http://bestsnow.net
Ski Records
Season length: 21 months, Nov. 29, 2010 - July 2, 2012
Days in one year: 80 from Nov. 29, 2010 - Nov. 17, 2011
Season vertical: 1,497K in 2016-17
Season powder: 291K in 2011-12
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Re: Chugach Powder Guides Heliskiing, 3/25/07

Postby ChrisC » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:13 pm

Tony Crocker wrote:Sunday March 25 dawned bluebird, so on our last reserved heli day we headed south in a shuttle van to the Placer Valley and then flew into the mountains overlooking the Skookum Glacier. Last summer Adam had bought a down jacket to handle cold temperatures, and since our first drop at 3,300 feet was sheltered from wind, he was a bit warm and unzipped the jacket a few inches. As CPG had been able to fly only half a day in the past 5, guide Kent McBride was diligent in digging snow pits and analyzing snow while we skied 1,000+ vertical sections one at a time for avalanche protocol. On the first 1,000 there were so many face shots that Adam's jacket filled up with snow! He emptied it and kept it zipped thereafter.

Our first 5 runs were all on these east aspects to the Skookum Glacier, and at least half of the 3,000+ vertical was waist deep with billowing smoke. The rest was merely excellent powder with not a hint of wind or sun effect right down to the glacier floor at 300 feet. A couple of the runs started as high as 4,200. ChrisC was most impressed with the terrain on his day with CPG, but for me it was the snow.

Run #6 was Ice Monkey, starting at 5,200 feet and dropping west from the same mountains. The snow was not as deep, but some of it was steeper and still produced the occasional face shot. The next run was west facing at lower elevation, and near the bottom Kent hit unexpected sun crust and took a spill. Like us, he must have been mesmerized by the powder perfection of the past 5 hours.

The last 2 runs dropped north to the Placer Valley at 50 feet elevation, with scattered trees on the bottom 1,000 vertical. On the last run at 550 feet one of our group triggered 2 slides on either side of him, but fortunately not directly underneath him. Kent spent some time analyzing the slides, taking pictures, and also had the heli fly over it for a closer look.

The day's total was 9 runs and 28,000 vertical, conservatively 26K of very high quality powder. This was unquestionably the finest of my 19 lifetime heli days, and only rivalled by April 9, 1999 at Mammoth as the best day in my 31 years of skiing.

Note to admin: I have now passed you in powder vertical for this season. I agree with you: it's all about quality! :wink:


This is really nice to see.

In a similar week, my experience was not completely similar - 3-ft blower face shots...unfortunately no....I was skiing 1-2' medium Powder. But very good. Great terrain.

(I would post some, but it's my pre-digital days.)

I do think you lucked out with temps...
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