Backcountry
The 14/15 season in Alaska was the worst one in the books, and not just Alaska, almost every state was dealing with abnormally low snowpacks. The amazing aspect of Alaska is there’s always snow to be found. Lots of snow. The question is how motivated and how far are you willing to go to find it?
Last winter was unseasonaly warm with abnormally high amounts of precipitation, meaning it never really snowed at sea level. Of course, There was the occasional dump that put snow on the roads, but that quickly washed away after the next pineapple express. Most the winter Alyeska Resort had such little snow, you actually had to take the tram down to the parking lot. The backcountry was a different story.
Basically there was no snow till about 1800 feet. For those of you who have never been to Alaska, thats hovering around tree line. Much of the season consisted of hiking with boots, bushwhacking through alders, and the occasional use of crampons just to get to snow line. For most people thats a deal breaker when it comes to skiing in the backcountry. Everyday the parking lots were empty and almost nobody was out riding, except for the diehards! This meant plenty of goods to be had, but we had to hike far and high to get it. Last season Made us stronger and forced us to explore more options, which has been a blessing in disguise. You can say last winter was the” best worst winter ever.” Check out the season edit and see for yourself what the worst winter in Alaska looks like.
Featured Image: Photogarpher/videographer Greg Stafford
www.gregstaffordphotography.com
I snowboard and that is probably my favorite edit from last year. Really killer stuff. Usually hate gopro footage but you really got some great shots on unbelievable terrain. Just gotta figure out how to get myself out there now.
Thanks so much, that means a lot hearing that. by the time I’m done making an edit, I’ve over analyzed my skiing and almost want to delete the thing.Thanks for the reinforcement that I’m my biggest critic. the one thing i wish i could have portrayed more was the actual hiking to these zones. Most of the hikes/climbs are long and technical and I’m usually wiped out by the time I’m ready to ski. I appreciate your stoke, and i hope you can make it up here one day. Give yourself a month or two when you visit. Its hard to nail the stable bluebird days, although storm days are just as good 😉