Late Season Seward Goodness

Mt. Ascension, dead centerDuring a spot of high pressure and exceptional weather, Karol, Jen, Kyle and I went down to Seward on the Kenai Penninsula for a long weekend vacation. Karol still owns a house there so base camp is sweet. The mountains tower over Resurrection Bay and I've always wanted to get in them on skis. Typically, I'm training for mountain running so all I do is look and dream. But this year, I've decided to forego racing and mix up the activities a bit this summer. This fact opened the door for some ski exploration. 

Although the year was record lean around Anchorage, the Kenai Pennisula faired much better. They got a couple of late season storms that plastered the mountains. Even sea level Seward saw some flakes when Anchorage was getting little. Although our big objective was Mt. Ascension above Lost Lake, we had a day or two for warm up exploring near town. 

On the drive down from Anchorage and by looking around the local mountains in Seward, it was clear that all those funky layers developed over the winter were now coming out to play in the warming temps. Everything was falling down. This would make timing and aspect selection critical for safe adventuring.

Mt. Alice

The view back to Seward from the slopes of Mt. Alice

The view out Resurrection Bay

Steep enough to be interesting in "slide for life" conditions

Godwin GlacierWe decided on Mt. Alice directly across the bay from town. It looms large on the skyline and has a summer trail to approach its wooded flank right above Nash Road. I wasn't sure about actually topping out as the summit peak is very steep but there looked to be some fun touring getting to it. Jen and Kyle were game so off we went. The slope faces due west so we had shade and frozen corn for the ski up. The views kept getting better and better as we ascended. It soon became apparent that there'd be no summit but the clear windless skies made that only a small disappointment. We had great views out the fjord and up onto Godwin Glacier farther west. We could also see the next day's objective in the Lost Lake basin.

The ski down was mostly low angle firmness but we managed to find some sweet corn on some sunlit rollovers near the skis off transition. The dirt trail up and down from treeline was painless and we were back in time for lunch time coffee.

I tried my hand at another video production. Enjoy it for what it's worth.

"AT" stands for "Already Telemarked"

Jen and Kyle are both dyed in the wool telemark skiers. I've been gently taunting them about their heavy gear for some time now. Our tour on Alice and up and down Mt. Ascension proved to be a turning point of sorts for their skiing. Ascension was a long day, around 8 hours, so the extra weight and bulk added up. Both of them are fit and accomplished skiers. Hell, Jen can nearly kick my ass running in the mountains. But the handicap of their equipment was undeniable over the course of the day. So, it was not without a small amount of satisfaction that our post ski meal was dominated by conversation about AT ski gear. The light had come on. No doubt they'll continue to drop knees when the time and place are right for it but for long skimo outings, they're going to be trying there hand with alternate equipment. I feel like a proud father.

Mt. Ascension (5,710 feet) 

There was some resistance to my original suggestion of a 3am wakeup and 4am departure. We pushed it back an hour and hit the trail in running shoes at 5:30am. There was some low cloud and fog over the valley but we could see sun kissing the summits up high at sunrise. 5:30 am. Typical AK alpine start.We took the summer trail from the Seward side of Lost Lake and the walking was easy. When we hit snow line, we found supportable crust that made travel simple. Running kicks off, skis on.After post holing a couple of times in the trees I called it and we transitioned to skis. Aside from a short section of sidehilling with some overhanging alders, the skiing to treeline went smoothly. We were soon above the fog and close to the turn to our objective.Rising above the mist.

We skied nearly to the lake to avoid the steep sided lower Lost Lake creek. A short boot out of the canyon and we were on lower angled glaciated rollers headed to the mouth of the basin that would take us straight to Ascension. The peak and ridge line immediately in front of Ascension looked quite tasty, too, and would be a fine objective itself. I was a little concerned that we were running behind schedule as it took about 30 minutes longer to get to the lake than I'd anticipated. Fortunately, the next leg across the rollers went faster and by the time I turned the corner and made it to the flank of our objective, we were right on time. I love that. I wasn't so much worried about the skiing on Ascension but rather hitting isothermic shite on the out.

Looking back toward Mt. Alice just left of center on the horizon.The view from Alice the day before suggested a straight forward run up to the peak but I kept waiting for the hidden obstacle to ruin our day. Adjacent awesomeness...nameless.Straight shot to the summitBut, as luck would have it, no such beast presented itself and I was soon popping my skis off and donning crampons on a nice over look as the others caught up. We had about 1,200 feet to go to the summit and things were looking perfect. The aspect of the slope we planned to ski was oblique to the early morning sun so it was holding up perfectly.

It only took about 35 minutes to gain the summit and I was giddy with anticipation of a fine run down. I also shared my idea of asending the adjacent peak to the east instead of going out the way we came. We'd only have to gain an additional 900 feet and likely have another sweet run down one of the ridges we spied on the way in. Everyone was game.

The crew on the summit

Although the views were stunning, the skiing was pretty firm and edgy. I wasn't complaining. It meant that we might not be wallowing in isothermic hell on the way out.

Nice looking winter lines on AscensionWe shot across the flats of the upper basin and quickly gained the adjacent ridge. We tagged the summit and I sussed out one of the ridges spied earlier on the approach. The top was pretty technical and exposed and not everyone was game for that. We cruised down the ridge to the next rib and it looked great. I led down, enjoying perfect corn at first and then developing mush further down. 

I was attracked to this line because, unlike the surrounding bowls on either side, the ridge hadn't slid. I guessed that the prevailing winds scour the feature all season making it more stable and less prone to the funky layers on more protected slopes. But as I hit the final rollover with about 300 vertical to go I got a really bad feeling. This slope had been cooking all morning and the aspect was getting solar straight on. A quick plunge with my pole shaft indicated a fully isothermic layer as far down as I could reach. I thought I was going to puke. The others had started down and the bitter taste of panic rose in my throat. I quickly skied back and forth horizontally on the ridge hoping for a way off that allowed me to avoid the slope below. And just like that, the door opened to the south where a tight, protected couloir led down into the adjacent bowl that had slid the day before. I dropped in and found only the top inch had softened. I quickly shouted to the others to follow and we were off the death trap in short order.

Our tracks can be seen on the center rib

We finished the descent through super fun rollers on perfect corn. At the bottom, we skinned back up to the Lost Lake high point, ripped skins and skated toward the trail that led back down to our shoes and, eventually, the car. The snow held up surprisingly well and we were able to skate without encountering the dreaded isothermic hell I was fearing.Homeward

Fueling

Jen and Kyle favor bagels and cheese with chunks of chocolate along the way and were amused by my bottle feeding for the day. I think they appreciated the efficiency but are more inclined toward relaxed agendas. Spring skiing, however, has certain time constraints that make timing crucial. As I nearly discovered on the final descent, missing a critical window can have devastating consequences. 

Fueling on the go with GU products builds in a time buffer that picnic'ers simply don't have. I realize you have to adapt your style of ski touring to enjoy this quality but doing so allows for more skiing and, perhaps, some flexibility in "on the fly" planning. I carried a bottle with 10 gels and water and supplemented that with 3 packs of Energy Chews that I ate at transitions. Once again, the strategy provided painless energy management, no gut issues and no hunger at the finish. 

Comments

[Trentl]

" I carried a bottle with 10 gels and water "

Could you share your ratio of gels to water? Thanks, great post. FYI, telemark is getting much lighter. The boots are heavy compared to AT but new bindings are narrowing the gap. Have your friends check out the Meijido.

[Brian]

Hey Trent,

I used a 21 ounce bottle with the gels and water mix. I don't sweat the ratios or concentration issues some might obsess over. I carry some extra water to swig when I feel I need it but my gut is usually happy.

[Dave]

Brian,
amazing photos, nice writing, enjoyable video, and a real knack for suessing out the gems from the turds this winter. Keep up the great blog it makes the summer seem shorter.

[Brian]

Thanks, Dave. Perhaps we'll get a "normal" AK winter next year, whatever that is. Lot's of adventure to be had. Just got to get through this dreadful season of summer.