Chugach Range, AK Report: Gorgeous Long Lines in the Best Snow We’ve Found This Week

Miles Clark | Post Tag for BackcountryBackcountry | Post Tag for Conditions ReportConditions Report

Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing

Report from April 7, 2021

I went for a long walk in the Chugach Range, AK yesterday and found some good snow for the first time this week.

A wind event came through and beat up most of the zone I’m in on Sunday/Monday and it’s been a battle to find good snow since then but it’s a fun game of “scratch & sniff” each day.

I was skinning up a big ridgeline mostly just for the view when I saw some tracks coming down in the main valley and up the headwall.

Great terrain. image: snowbrains

They looked like they were created in soft snow – which looked much better than the snow I was on.

I ripped my skins, skied down into the vally, and started up the headwall.

It was certainly the right call and the views at the top of the headwall were powerful.

Spines. image: snowbrains

I’ve definitely got some good options now for when the snow improves here.

The weather was nice up top with no wind, but you could see the high clouds moving in.

I dropped in just before the everything got truly milked out.

Switchbacks… image: snowbrains

The first turns were crunchy in sun-affected wind-board snow.

Then there were a few nice turns of recrystallized Alaskan velvet snow, then bad snow again, then good snow again on the runout.

All in all, this was the best snow I’ve found and the longest line I’ve skied this week.

Looking west. image: snowbrains

I was stoked.

As I hit the car the clouds took over and all went gray.

A storm rolled in yesterday and now we await the reset.

I’m headed to Alyeska today for some inbounds fun.

Avalanche Forecast:

image: chugach national forecast avalanche information center, 4/7/21

Weather Forecast:

image: noaa, 4/8/21

Photos:

Spines on spines. image: snowbrains
Up and down tracks. image: snowbrains
Uptrack. image: snowbrains

Related Articles

Got an opinion? Let us know...