Alaska Archives Item 1: Arrival and Thompson Pass

Alaska Archives will chronicle a spring spent ski touring out of an RV around south central Alaska.

Item 1

After a successful winter with an incredibly deep and consistent snow pack in Japan, it was time for a spring trip to the only place in the world with a deeper, more consistent snow pack this year: AK.

The Plan was to buy an RV in Anchorage, spend two and a half months ski touring around Alaska, and resell it when the snow melts. Easy, right? Right.

The journey began with a quick plane trip that took me from Tokyo to New York to Boston to Chicago to Seattle to Anchorage. Three blurry days later, I found myself parked in an RV at the top of Thompson Pass.

Late March and all of April offered more high pressure days than our battered legs could possibly absorb. In a state notorious for bad weather, we saw five blue bird days a week for a month straight. Sometimes everything just lines up perfectly.

All photos are courtesy of Zach Paley. More are available on his blog.

A looong ways down. Hiking big couloirs in the Promised Land.

Well worth the hike.

The run isn't over when you exit the couloir... glacier time.

More glacier turns.

My turn.

Tracks down the Worthington Glacier.

Spine slashes.

Tired legs. Rest time.

Stay tuned for more from Alaska.