I'm still working on posting some photos from the past couple weeks of skiing in the Chugach and Talkeetnas, but wanted to report that the North Face of Pioneer Peak is in great ski condition right now. Yesterday I skied it from the notch where the arrow is pointing in the photo below (taken in Feb, 2007...things are just a bit snowier now). It was soft, powdery snow the whole way, except the bottom 2000' which was a bit more wet but still soft and carvable. It's rare that one can ski this face without rappelling, dealing with water ice, mixed climbing or breakable crust...but now is such a time! I was by myself, so there's plenty of snow left for other people. The snowpack was very thick, heavy and well bonded with no facets to be found.
Below is the view at the top of the run...6300 vertical feet, straight fall line to the Knik River below. The best part is that right now you can ski turns down great snow to within about 10' from your car. Travel conditions were excellent, taking me 4 hours 50 minutes to skin/boot up, and about 30 minutes to descend.
Below is the view at the top of the run...6300 vertical feet, straight fall line to the Knik River below. The best part is that right now you can ski turns down great snow to within about 10' from your car. Travel conditions were excellent, taking me 4 hours 50 minutes to skin/boot up, and about 30 minutes to descend.
