Right now, I’m in Bariloche, Argentina skiing everyday with two of the guides from Silverton Mountain Heli: Skylar Colgate & Sneaky Pete. They’ve been teasing me horribly with their stories of riding spines in the Northern Chugach the past few springs. Silverton has an enormous permit that allows them to access most all the Northern Chugach from just north of Girdwood, AK all the way north to the huge river valleys of interior Alaska.
The stories these guides have been telling me are unreal. 3,000-foot spines, rollovers that’ll make anyone want brown ski pants, and endless walls of white.
This video is an interesting sneak peak into how some of the decision making goes down up there and how it looks when everything goes right.
Seth & Sage together isn’t a bad crew. The footage from this trip is in TGRs “Dream Factory” movie. Talking with Skylar & Pete got us fired up to see more of what they’ve been hoarding for themselves the past few springs.
In Season 5 Episode 3 of Teton Gravity Research’s web series Behind The Line, the TGR crew heads to an unexplored zone in the northern Chugach Mountains in Alaska. With the help of Silverton Mountain Guides founder Aaron Brill, Sage Cattabriga-alosa, Seth Morrison and Dana Flahr successfully open up some new terrain. Get the inside scoop on what goes into the trip and how the TGR crew works to get the goods.
Behind The Line is a series that features a unique line, jump, or session from the filming of Teton Gravity Research’s 2012 ski and snowboard film, The Dream Factory. Watch as athletes take a look back at these insane moments and discuss them, providing an in-depth look Behind The Line of The Dream Factory. – TGR
CHUGACH RANGE INFO:
The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about 250 miles (402 km) long and 60 miles (97 km) wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain Arms of the Cook Inlet on the west to Bering Glacier, Tana Glacier, and the Tana River on the east. It is bounded on the north by the Matanuska, Copper, and Chitina rivers. The highest point of the Chugach Mountains is Mount Marcus Baker, at 12,884 feet (3,927 m), but with an average elevation of 4,006 feet (1,221 m), most of its summits are not especially high.[1] Even so its position along the Gulf of Alaska ensures more snowfall in the Chugach than anywhere else in the world; an annual average of over 1500 cm (600 in).[citation needed]
The mountains are protected in the Chugach State Park and the Chugach National Forest. Near to Anchorage, they are a popular destination for outdoor activities. Weather permitting, the World Extreme Skiing Championship is held annually in the Chugach Mountains near Valdez.
The Richardson Highway, Seward Highway, Portage Glacier Highway, and the Glenn Highway run through the Chugach Mountains. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel of the Portage Glacier Highway provides railroad and automobile access underneath Maynard Mountain between Portage Lake and the city of Whittier on Prince William Sound. – Wikipedia
I love when Seth says: “finally, some new terrian in Alaska.” spoiled bastards.
WOuld be too fun to have this sort of freedom.