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McHugh
Creek webcam, shows cloud cover at the end of Turnagain Arm (click
here:
for temp and wind) |
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Portage
Lake Visitors Center webcam
(must click on site, direct
link no longer supported by FAA) |
|
|
Borealis Broadband Potter Marsh weigh station webcam |
|
Bird Point
road cam and weather data |
|
Portage
Road intersection webcam (where you can park to ski the Placer River
Valley, click here:
for temp and wind) |
 |
Portage
hourly temp and wind |
|
Tunnel to
Whittier cams in Bear Valley, shows cloud cover at Portage Lake
(click here for temp and wind:
) |
|
|
Whittier
webcams |
|
Whittier
hourly temp and wind |
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Whittier/
Passage Canal marine weather |
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Prince
William Sound tides |
|
Western
Prince William Sound marine weather |
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Weather
forecast (Girdwood / Portage / Whittier) |
|
Alyeska
Resort snow and weather conditions |
|
Alyeska
Resort webcams |
|
|
Turnagain Pass
DOT webcams
(often not working)
|
|
Turnagain Pass current temp and wind
(often not working)
|
|
|
Turnagain
Pass hourly telemetry data |
 |
Turnagain
Pass snow depth graph |
|
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Tunnel
(end of Placer River Valley, near Spencer Glacier) hourly data |
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Grandview
hourly temp and wind data |
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Seattle
Ridge (above where Seward Highway begins climb from Turnagain Arm to the
pass) |
|
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Summit
Lake weather conditions and webcam views |
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Summit
Lake hourly weather data (good for Manitoba Mountain &
Mills Creek) |
 |
Chugach
National Forest Avalanche Information Center |
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Sunburst Webcam (view north
to Tincan, Center Ridge below) |
|
Moose Pass
hourly weather data |
|
Greater
Anchorage area (including Glenn Alps) Mesonet weather data |
 |
|
|
Borealis
Broadband Webcam Multiview of Anchorage and surrounding areas |
|
Anchorage
weather
forecast |
|
|
Borealis Broadband webcam on top
of Denali Towers North - great view of the Western Chugach front range |
|
Anchorage tide tables (tides near
or above 30 feet will flood much of the Anchorage Wildlife Coastal Refuge) |
|
|
Wundermap
Interactive, for Southcentral AK |
 |
Southcentral AK
weather radar |
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Chugach
Mountains webcam - Flattop |
|
|
Alaska DOT
Road Weather cams and weather data map for Greater Anchorage (click on the
site you are
interested in) |
|
Lake Hood
Alaska Airmen's webcam, shows Western Chugach Mountain cloud cover |
|
Indian
Pass hourly weather data, this site is at the high point on the
Arctic Valley to Indian traverse |
|
Eklutna Lake
(the AMBCS "MORAINE" station, 1000 feet above the lake on the
Bold Ridge Trail, 5 miles down the lake) |
|
Hatcher
Pass hourly weather data. Site near Park Service HQ building near
mine |
|
Hatcher Pass
NOAA graphical trends of snow depth, temperature and winds |
|
|
View north of
cloud cover over the Talkeetna Mountains (from a DOT web cam at Glen Highway
MP 24 at Thunderbird Falls) |
|
View north of
cloud cover over the main Chugach Mountains (from a DOT web cam at Glen
Highway MP 24 at Thunderbird Falls) |
|
NOAA
hourly weather observations (Select site: Palmer, Wasilla, Willow,
Sutton, Sheep Mountain, Eureka) |
|
|
Mat-Su Valley
weather, NOAA observations in Palmer for: Palmer to Chickaloon, Wasilla to Big Lake and Houston |
|
|
Parks Highway
(near Big Lake) webcam, temp and wind:
|
|
"Eagle Nest Cam"
- shows cloud cover over Western Chugach Mtns near Peters Creek |
|
|
Willow weather (also good for Nancy Lakes,
west side of Hatcher Pass) |
|
Su Valley
High (at start of Talkeena Spur Road) hourly weather data |
|
|
Talkeetna weather (also good for Sheep Creek, Trapper Creek) |
|
Parks
Highway / Talkeetna Road webcam views
(often not working),
temp and wind:
|
|
Su Valley
High snow depth |
|
K2 Aviation Net
Cam in Talkeetna |
|
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Broad Pass webcam and weather data |
|
|
| |
|
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Alaska DOT
RoadWeather webcams at Gunsight Mtn, shows what conditions
are like near Sheep Mountain, Majestic Valley and Eureka |
|
FAA webcams
at Sheep Mountain and Tahneta Pass (must
click on site, direct link no longer supported by FAA) |
|
|
Sheep Mountain
weather/ Copper River Basin forecast |
|
Eureka weather/
Copper River Basin forecast |
|
|
Entire State of Alaska NOAA weather ... fast - just drag mouse over location |
|
Wundermap
Interactive - pan for entire state. Double-click to zoom in.
Uses Google maps ... very handy. |
|
|
State
of Alaska, Department of Transportation, RoadWeather camera and weather
data site-map |
|
FAA weather cams
at many airports around the State of Alaska |
|
|
Alaska Railroad
Telemetry Data ... click-able map for the whole rail system |
|
Alaska
Mining and Diving's webcam links ... TONS of webcams from around Alaska |
|
|
Alaska
Meteor Burst Communication Stations (AMBCS) - lots of statewide
telemetry weather data (tabular and graphical) |
|
KTUU's "Open
Road" traffic and road webcam site |
|
Performance
Backcountry Skiing
Tips ... |
|
NEW:
Gear Suggestions for
Performance Backcountry Skiing |
|
NEW:
Intro To Performance Backcountry Skiing:
Where To Go To Give It A Try |
 |
Tip:
You sure don't want to be many miles from the road, have the crust
softening under the hot sun, blow up a ski or pole - and have no
way of repairing the damage. To wade for miles post-holing to your
armpits in wet slush would not only be hell ... you might not make it !
So bring along the repair basics: duct tape, wire and a Leatherman tool. |
|
 |
Tip:
If you blow
up a ski - use the Leatherman tool to cut willows and wire and duct tape
them to the ski. Use the Leatherman pliers to tighten the wire if
you use it.
Right: Here Tim Miller limps out of the Twentymile Valley. Notice the
waterproof hunter socks for wading streams. |
|
 |
Tip: Same
with poles. If you snap one, get to the willows. Cut four or
five small branches and duck tape them around the pole. It won't
look pretty, but it will get you back to where you started. |
Tip: You can
modify cross country skiing equipment to make better performance
backcountry ski gear. Click here to
see how. |
|
Tip:
Should you have the
misfortune of breaking through ice into deep water ... you hands are the
only thing that will save you. You'll need your hands FAST ... to
keep from going under the ice, to get your skis off, to use your pole
tips as ice picks and maybe even to swim. You won't have use of
your hands if they are handcuffed onto your poles with modern day racing
pole straps. So use classic ski pole straps so you can easily
flick your poles off and get your hands free.
|
 |
Left: Smart
straps for performance backcountry skiing. Easy to get off.
Right:
Very stupid straps for skiing off groomed trails. They could be
the cause of your death if you break through ice on a lake, river or
stream. Leave them at home !!! |
 |
| Tip:
Bring along
spare ski(s) and pole(s) and leave them in your vehicle. If you
break gear right at the get go ... you can quickly go back, reload ...
and save the day. |
| Tip:
Buy a pair of
combo (skate/classic) boots, put them in your vehicle and NEVER take
them out! That way you will never forget your boots when you go
skiing. It only takes one drive to Portage on a crystal clear,
perfect crust day and then realize that you left your boots at home - to
learn this lesson. Damn ... I can still remember the day I did
that !!!! |
 |
Tip:
Keep your head up
while spring skiing. Skiers aren't the only animals that enjoy
spring crust ... |
 |
 |
Brown bear tracks
near Glenn Alps. Black bear tracks are shown in the pictures to the
left. |
|
Tip:
Bears
- let them know you are coming! On a Friday in April (2004) Tim Miller saw fresh brown bear tracks
on Ship Pass. They were heading towards Anchorage. The next day, I saw,
presumably, the same bear tracks heading out of the krummholtz spruce area near the west ridge of The Wedge. The
tracks were very fresh - so I figured the bear had spent the night in
this dense spruce and
then continued on when the snow hardened.
So - a potential
situation: You are coming back from Ship Pass and passing through
this area, the crust is great for skiing. You are blasting at Mach
5 through narrow alleys between dense spruce and hemlock. All of a
sudden a monster brown bear is RIGHT in front of you. Because you
were moving so fast and quietly, the bear is startled (and you are now
desperately skidding sideways ... and soiling your under-garments).
The bear first thinks "Time to flee", but the heavy bear is
breaking through the crust and knows he/she is moving too slowly to get
away. So the bear then makes the Darwinian decision - "Time
to kick some skier ass!"
This situation can be
avoided if you stick to open areas when descending at high speeds.
That way bears can see you coming, and you can see them from a safe
distance. But most of all, let bears know you are coming.
Hooting and hollering, shouting to friends ... whatever it takes.
Make noise so you that don't startle bears. Also be extra cautious
when the wind is blowing strong. In these conditions animals can't
hear you until you are right next to them. |
 |
Tip:
If
you are skiing on snowmobile trails, make sure you have room in your
pack to pick up the treasures that snowmobilers spill during the winter.
Recently I have found a Phillips screwdriver, wrenches, a pair of channel-lock pliers,
a large-size (80 dollar) Leatherman Tool, unopened 7-Ups and Diet Pepsis (tasted great!),
unopened quarts of 2-cycle oil, bungee cords, goggles and this bad ass hunting knife
(at left).
Here's examples of other treasures found out on the trails:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A sinister "Darth
Vader" snowmobiler's face mask. |
A dead Wildcat on Mt. Susitna. |
A dead Yamaha Mtn. Max near Trapper Creek (didn't fit in my
pack). |
A big box of DVDs on the Kusko (left them there). |
And it's always fun to find treasures animals leave you. |
Best
find ever. A wallet. MY wallet ! Fell out of
my pack, I backtracked 10 miles and I found it. Whew!
Always double-check pack zippers! |
|
 |
Please:
If you see a moose while spring skiing - don't go near it!
Winters are exceptionally brutal on moose. Moose are starving and stressed to the
max trying to survive - so don't startle them or make them run. On
a recent ski (2004) near Alexander Creek I came across 5 dead moose in 4 hours
of skiing. Grim. But on the flip side - dead moose mean food
for wolves, coyotes, wolverines, foxes, eagles, ravens, martens and,
soon, bears.
Warning:
Hell has no fury as a grieving mother moose! Yearling (baby) moose
die first - because their legs are shorter and they have to work harder
to wade through snow to get to willow patches. As yearlings are
still with their mothers this time of year, when they die the mother is
consumed with grief, rage and fury. They will do ANYTHING to
protect their calf for several days after death. There are many
accounts of unprovoked mother moose charging snowmobilers as they
approach a dead calf on a trail. If these mama moose have no
problem kicking in cowlings on snowmobiles, they won't think twice about
breaking every bone in a skier's body. (Note: If a moose is
looking at you and its ears are back ... that is bad. Get away
quick! If a moose is
walking towards you and wagging its tongue (this is no joke), you've got
big problems ... the moose is about to charge) So give moose
their dignity and respect ... and stay away from them. Way, way,
way away!!!!
|
|
Spring
Skiing (and Winter Trail Skiing) Links
|
|
Pictures and
Videos of Alaska winter trail, crust and spring skiing -
2009,
2008,
2007,
2006,
2005,
2004 |
|
Skiing the north ridge of Mount Susitna (February 2005) -
click
here |
|
Example spring skiing overnighter trips:
Aniak
to Bethel Kuskokwim River Ski, Skiing
to Burnt Island,
Skiing to Pt. Possession |
|
Tim shares plans
for building a Susitna 100 sled, can be modified for bigger sleds, click
here (will
link you to a fasterskier.com web page, and then scroll down to see sled
pics). |
|
Tips for
making better Performance Backcountry Ski Gear -
click here |
|
|
|
Want
more? Check out some of my favorite Alaskan outdoor adventure web
sites:
Cory Smith's
www.endurefun.com - Great on-line
photo gallery of skiing, hiking and packrafting trips in Southcentral,
Alaska.
Billy Finley's www.peakaweek.com
- Skiing and climbing adventures galore w/ lots of great pics.
Todd Kelsey's
www.eastofanchorage.net - Backcountry skiing, kite skiing, climbing
... great pics and trip write-ups.
Alaska Mountain Forum
www.alsakamountainforum.com/forum/ - Good source of wazzapinin' in
backcountry recreation in Alaska.
Justin Wholey's www.akhiker.com -
Fine photo-docs of peak scrambling, backcountry rambling, ski touring
and crust skiing.
J.T. Lindolm's web site - The
guy does everything, as you can see from his pictures and trip write-ups.
Also - join the Mountaineering Club of
Alaska (15$ / year) and get Scree emailed to you monthly.
Great trip reports and pictures!
Erin and Hig's 4000 mile "Journey
on the Wild Cost" blog of their hike, ski and packraft from Seattle to
False Pass, AK. Hardcore visionaries.
I also like to check in on
Chris Stromberg and the Canadian Quetico Park crust and backcountry
skiing gang. |
|
To
the west and northwest of Anchorage, there is often great skiing in the
Susitna River Valley, and beyond. You can access this area from
trailheads ranging from Knik to Talkeetna. But after a while
... you could be drawn by the skiing possibilities even further west.
The catch is, there are no roads to get you there. So say you've
got a free couple of days and you want to ski an area 50 to 100 miles
from the road. You could take a small plane to get there.
But in my opinion this option is expensive and a hassle. I prefer
joining league with the iron dog. Yep, strap your skis to a snowmachine, blast out 50 or more miles to your
starting point, ditch the sno-go in the woods, ski as much as you want
and end up back at the sno-go, change and head back. You can ski
lots of new country this way. |
 |
Left:
Snowmobiles can get you out past the bad conditions, like this bank to
bank ice, to the good snow zones. Note the ski bags strapped to
the sno-gos.
|
|
Right:
Besides being a lot of fun to drive, snowmobiles can cook your food
while you drive. Here Chris "Flash" Clark gets ready to
bite into his first muffler cooked caribou hot dog. Mmm Mmm !!
The hot dog cooker
in this picture inspired a YouTube comedy video! |
 |
 |
December
crust skiing at Chedatna Lakes. Early crust? Late
crust? Who cares ... it was good crust cruising! |
|
Susitna
River wolf pack tracks. Expand this picture to get a better idea
of the number of guys in this pack. A lot !! |
 |
Skiing the north ridge of Mount Susitna (February 2005) -
click
here |
 |
Try a new
ski-sport: Skifishalon ! Combining skiing and ice fishing, it's a
good way to explore the Susitna Valley (December 2005) -
click here |
| |
|
and take a look at what the cloud cover is. Check a trend of snow
depth 
to see
how much snow there is waiting for you. View remote telemetry data 
have to say. Then grab your skis and go!
