This coming weekend Alyeska wraps their regular season (oh man, what a season BTW) with the annual Spring Carnival. It’s no secret that the slush cup is the main event (Sat 4pm) where 50 costumed skiers and riders temp fate with a 90 ft long pool of ice water. The idea is to successfully skim across the pool, but competitors are also judged on costume and crowd pleasing big air. This combo proves to be total mayhem; a rescue team in dry suits patrols the waters. Imaginations run wild at slush cup. A few years back someone costumed as a big black blob careened down the slope, launching huge into the pool. On impact, a dozen different stuffed animals smeared with black grease paint bobbed to the surface. The costume was ‘Exxon Valdez Oil Spill’. We’ve photographed the event about a dozen times for various magazines, wire services and the resort. Most of the time in the sweet spring sun. Sometimes in the pouring rain. Either way it’s a real good time. Here’s a few of our favorites. See you Saturday, poolside.

Cheers!

Matt & Agnes Hage | HagePhoto

Spring Carnival & Taco Bell Slush Cup,

Snow covered roads wind through caverns lined with sugar coated pines from October through April. Annual snowfall for Girdwood is 650 inches. Alyeska is Alaska’s premier Ski Resort with over 300 rooms slope side. The skiing is accessed through a fun and thrilling vertical tram ride to the top. Located 40 minutes south of Ted Steven’s International airport in Anchorage, Alyeska’s steep slopes, laid back attitude, long runs, and moderately priced ($60) lift tickets make it a must-stop for serious skiers and snowboarders. Heli-skiing is available at the resort through Chugach Powder Guides.

Alyeska Resort is reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest’s large-scale style with its great rooms, natural wood and slate interiors, and massively tall ceilings in the public spaces. The interior mimics the expansiveness of Alaska’s great outdoors. My large room had a comfy king bed, a big tub, beautiful décor, and an incredible view of the mountains.

Dinner at the resort’s renowned restaurant, Seven Glaciers, has a farm to table approach that features locally available produce, seafood, and game. The restaurant is known for its selection of 700 different wines and the views of seven hanging glaciers amidst the peaks of the Chugach Mountain range. And for dessert, the Baked Alyeska should not be missed!

Read More at JohnnyJet.com >

JohnnyJet.com Writer Visits Alyeska Resort, Alaska,

This winter of endless powder turns and light fluffy snow storms is starting to feel like a distant memory as we settle into the freeze-thaw of spring time. I wanted to take a moment and relive one of the many great days we had this winter. On February 25^th we were informed by snow safety director Jim Kennedy that if the conditions remained consistent overnight we would all be able to hike the headwall and ski down Max’s Face in the morning. Beacons would be required and anyone under 18 must have a parent or guardian with them in order to start the hike. We woke up to a clear day with only a few scattered clouds, it was time to hike.

Man, it is a slog getting to the top especially if there are fast people behind you. The headwall hike can be compared to a 30-40 minute stairmaster workout. Glorious sunshine greeted us as we gained the ridge top. The resort had been trapped in the shade for over 2 months and we were all starved for sunshine.

Patrol has many factors to consider before opening this kind of terrain to the public, first being snow stability. We were being blessed with the magic snowpack, tons of powder storms back to back and no deep instabilities present. Patrol restricted us to skiing the two chutes off the top of Max’s for rescue purposes. The weather was just warm enough for patrol to keep the ridge top staffed between 10 am and 4 pm.

A tent was available at the top of the hike for you to sit down and rest in but it was actually warmer out in the sun.  Over the past few years thanks to some funding and effort, Patrol has managed to get rescue caches on the top of Max’s, the top of Fast Boy and the summit. They hope to get one on the top of the Monies if the terrain allows. The caches contain sleds, ropes, stove, packs and a tent.

I only took photos on the way up so here are more shots of the happy hikers.

Proud to summit the headwall at the same time as Lucy and Kit Delauriers. Kit is making history as the first person to ski from the summit of the highest mountain on all seven continents. Now she can add skiing Max’s Face to her list.

All in all it was a great day. Some people managed to get 3 laps in. According to Patrol it went off without a hitch, so hopefully with the right conditions this will be something we can ski again in the seasons to come.

Photos and story submitted by Vesna Young

Max’s Face February 26, 2012,

Last month I attended the Duckhorn Vineyards wine dinner at Seven Glaciers. I had no idea what to expect of a wine dinner, so in case you’re thinking of attending one of them, I’ll fill you in.

I like to drink wine but I’m not what you would call an aficionado, so, like many others, I tend to stick with the wines I already know I like. This makes me a tad boring, I admit. One should strive to expand one’s horizons, even if one is wary of the taste of those horizons at first. A wine dinner is a great way to expand one’s wine quiver, with the chef and wine house working together to create a menu of dishes paired with different types of wines. This essentially forces one to try wines one would ordinarily not think to try, and presents said wines with perfectly paired food in order to maximize appreciation. I love this, because it takes the menu-reading and decision-making out of the equation which is always relaxing to Type-A’s like me. It’s also a great way to get to know other attendees, as seatings are not segregated by party, but combined into banquet-style tables. This is a fun part of the event because diners can chat with people they wouldn’t have otherwise met.

At the beginning of the evening, the chef and wine house rep both took a turn speaking about the meal. Chef Jason Porter was calm and collected as he welcomed us and told us a little about the menu and how he’d developed the dishes he was about to serve. He concluded his talk, handed the mike to the wine house rep, then blew his cool by turning and literally running back into the kitchen to attend to the meal, earning a laugh from the diners.

And we were certainly forgiving for the abrupt exit, for the food was just amazing. My only complaint was that I’d arrived a tad too hungry and the small amuse-bouche-style first courses weren’t enough to satiate a full day’s ski-induced hunger right away. That just reveals my proletariat tastes; I’m used to cutting to the chase with a burger and fries after skiing. But that’s good news; that means you are justified in having a little pre-dinner snack to ensure you can take your time and savor those first few smaller courses. It also means that you can appreciate the wine pairings even more because your taste buds will—trust me on this—be completely stoked on the experience. Chef Porter gets the wine ahead of time and spends some time developing courses around a theme; in this case he played on the Duckhorn name with a duck theme for each course of our meal. Bear in mind this doesn’t mean we had seven courses of duck; our first course was Geoduck Clam Crudo with Tropical Flavors, paired perfectly with Sauvignon Blanc, a wine that I usually shun but was one of my favorites of the night. Every single course was amazing and sized just right; paired expertly with each wine, it made for a fantastic meal without snobbery or stuffiness. The banquet seating makes the experience social and lighthearted which, paired with luxurious five-star food and wine, is a true Alaskan experience. Pro tip: Chef Porter is really into bacon so he works it in when he can. Bless that man!

The next wine dinner is on April 20 (next Friday; also the start of Spring Carnival) and features Grgich (seriously, that’s how you spell it) Hills Estates wine. If you are not one of the few lucky ones with Eddie Izzard tickets, you can’t go wrong with the Seven Glaciers Wine Dinner. Another pro tip? Local lodging after an alcohol-based event is a good thing. Grab a great deal on a hotel stay at the Resort and round it out with a Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month lesson package, and be sure to schedule your lesson around the Slush Cup! It will be a great way to round out a great season.

Jill Missal is the founder, editor, and all around Head Geargal at Geargals.com, a web site for the female outdoor enthusiast who wants to get the most out of her gear, and for the beginner who needs some help knowing where to start. Jill was raised in Alaska and has spent most of her life in the backcountry skiing, climbing, and trekking. When not testing gear for Geargals.com, Jill works as a consultant in the disaster planning and emergency management field, which takes her to amazing places in the world to do exciting projects. Jill points out that she has hobbies other than skiing, as evidenced by the picture to the left.

Last Chance For Spring Wine Dinners!,

I’ve been a beginner skier three times in my life so far: once when I first learned to ski as a wee lass, second when I came back from a painful and debilitating knee surgery six years ago, and third just last month when I took up telemarking. There’s nothing quite like revisiting the experience of navigating the slopes at slower speeds with wobbly legs, feeling vulnerable as fast skiers swoop by. Everyone who learns to ski goes through it, so here on the blog we decided to showcase some of Alyeska’s beginner skiers to celebrate Learn To Ski and Snowboard Month. During the month of April, you can get a package of three lessons for $99, including a beginner group ski or snowboard lesson, rental gear and lower mountain lift ticket. Valid for skiers age 5 & up and riders age 8 & up. Call 754-2280 for details.

First we’ll hear from my friend Pete, who put up with waiting for me as I staggered down the mountain on my tele gear for the very first time. Take it away, Pete! ~Jill

I learned to ski in November of 2010, the same month that I turned 34. Growing up in northern Ohio, I didn’t know anything about mountains, let alone skiing. The closest thing I had to either of those was the short and steep sled ride down the railroad track hill across the street.

I didn’t learn to ski at Alyeska, but I was eager to get here to test my skills as soon as I could, so I planned a romantic weekend away with my wife, Jenna. In 2010, our anniversary coincided with opening weekend, so I booked the Ski and Stay package and pointed our Subaru south from Anchorage. The resort and everyone we encountered was great, as was the friendly patroller who skied up to check on me after I crashed spectacularly and borked my shoulder on Blueberry Hill.

Not one to give up easily, I came back after my shoulder healed, then again after my knee got to feeling better, then again after I got better waterproof clothing to keep from getting soaked while I lay in the snow after yet another yard sale. Eventually I learned how to stop without ordering pizza and how to turn without dislocating a hip swinging my rear around.

It took me a while to get comfortable on skis, but you can benefit from my painful lessons — here are my favorite trails for practicing new skills:

Blueberry Hill for learning to propel yourself with your poles once your momentum runs out or after you get up from a crash.

Perseverance and Christmas for a nice wide area to learn how to make turns while you’re still in the “pizza wedge” stage.

Chair 3 Road and Sitzmark Run for practicing staying on your feet while you haul ass toward a place to pee.

Lower Confidence for exactly that — showing that you can drop into something that looks nearly vertical from the top but isn’t that bad once you’re on it. If you can do Lower Confidence, then you can do any blue run on the mountain — they only get longer, not much steeper.

As your skills improve and you want to move higher on the mountain, I’ve found that from Chair 4 you can put together a challenging but conquerable run to mid-day beers at the Sitzmark by linking Runway -> Upper Von Imhof -> Sourdough -> Confidence -> Sitzmark Run. These trails are steep enough that good turns and controlled speed are necessary but not steep enough to be terrifying, so they’re a great transition to more challenging terrain.

When you’re finally ready to go top to bottom but not yet ready for the North Face, from Chair Six I recommend Silvertip -> Silvertip Face -> Runway -> Upper Von Imhof -> Lower Von Imhof -> Lower Race Trail. These are a nice mix of steep pitches, flats, and nice wide spaces to work on your carve turns.

Despite Alyeska’s reputation for being an expert’s mountain, there is more than enough beginner terrain to keep new skiers busy for a full day of skiing. Once you’re more confident in your skills, you don’t have to move directly to the steep and deep — with some planning, you can easily put together runs that will both challenge and encourage you, and eventually you’ll be addicted like I am.

When he’s not earning money on the side as a “before” model for diet plans, Pete is a professional Macintosh wrangler, semi-professional brewer, and amateur at pretty much everything else. He wishes he’d gotten exposed to mountain sports 30 years ago so that he wouldn’t have to suffer so much pain playing catch-up now. You can find him online by following him on Twitter: @pwann or his infrequently updated blog: Midnight Sunburned. You can find him at Alyeska shouting for his friends to wait for him while he rests before the next steep section.

Beginner Nation,

In November this season, Mik Jedlicka took over the training and handling of Zooka—Alyeska Resort’s first official avalanche search dog. Since Mik was a new handler, she needed to prove her skills and competency in order to become an “operational team” with Zooka. They tested on February 5th and on February 28th Mik and Zooka became a bona fide avalanche rescue team!

Congratulations to the new team and look out for them on the hill, as they keep the resort boundaries as safe as possible.

Chair One ride

Search!

Some play reward

Congratulations Mik and Zooka!,

Today’s sunny skies, mild temperatures, and nonexistent crowds (Spring Break hangover, maybe?) were the perfect recipe to break out my brand spanking new-to-me telemark setup and take some Groomer Appreciation Time to practice dropping a knee. If you’ve been skiing a while you probably eschew the groomed runs and think they are boring. Well, believe me, they are not boring when after 25 years of alpine skiing you’re trying a new type of sliding on snow. Today I appreciated the groomers like never before. I would have hugged a cat driver had I met one (but I didn’t, because after all they work at night, all night long, and they have to get some sleep sometime).

Alyeska is known for its expansive expert terrain but you shouldn’t discount the starter slopes, either. There’s something novel about picking your way down runs you haven’t skied on in years because they’re not steep enough, or you like the freshies better, or you’ve gotten too cool for school and you want to avoid the crowds of beginners or what have you. Resting at the “SLOW” sign when you don’t usually have to gives you the opportunity to watch others ski, check out the view, and giggle to yourself when someone skis by making those “whoosh, whoosh” noises with his mouth every time he turns, without realizing he’s doing it.

I got to ski on some fine fresh groomers today and I must say that well tuned corduroy is heavenly when you need a consistent surface to slide on. I figured it was time for the folks that drive the cats to get some waking-hours kudos for their efforts, so please join me in giving a big THANK YOU to the groomers who work hard all night to make the mountain great for everyone. They even groomed Horror Hill last night, but I didn’t get to partake because my tele turn is, well, not good. I’m kind of disappointed that I’m not better at telemarking after two tries at it. Maybe I should take some lessons; more on that next week.

Jill Missal is the founder, editor, and all around Head Geargal at Geargals.com, a web site for the female outdoor enthusiast who wants to get the most out of her gear, and for the beginner who needs some help knowing where to start. Jill was raised in Alaska and has spent most of her life in the backcountry skiing, climbing, and trekking. When not testing gear for Geargals.com, Jill works as a consultant in the disaster planning and emergency management field, which takes her to amazing places in the world to do exciting projects. Jill figures that resting at the slow sign is a good opportunity to work on that coveted goggle tan. Jill also says, “Holy crap, thirty. It’s actually over thirty years of alpine skiing. Dang. I should have learned to telemark a long time ago. When my bones were rubber.”

Hug A Groomer,

Oh yeah the girls got out yesterday at Alyeska. But you probably didn’t even notice them. *wink* About a dozen rippin’ chicks dressed in flowing formal wear. Sunday was Get the Girls Out day organized by SheJumps, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit that strives to encourage more women to get out there and do it. It’s all about pushing yourself with a super fun group of ladies (yesterday’s theme was prom dresses). There’s talk about one more GTGO this season in April. Check out the Alyeska or SheJumps sites for info.

Hope to see you at the next one!

Agnes & Matt | HagePhoto

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The Girls Got Out (Dressed to the Nines Too!),

It’s Thursday and you know what that means: a new night skiing cycle! Night skiing never fails to bring out the happy people and I love skiing with happy people. My friends Agnes and Matt Hage posted a great summary of a happy-people ski day a few days ago which should make you want to drop everything and go skiing right now with all your friends.

One very cool thing about Alyeska is that so many local people have been skiing there for years and there’s a little down-low ski family going on around the mountain. It’s not always the flashiest and best skiers that are most representative of a ski resort; sometimes you have to look a little harder to find the heart of a place. So I wanted to share a few moments from my last few visits that I think are reflective of the home-mountain-style ski hill that still exists at Alyeska; a place that has grown from a pipe dream and a tiny shack of a day lodge to a world-class ski destination in just fifty short years.

Last time I went night skiing I was almost run down by a guy merging from another run at high speed to get a good start for the long traverse over to the tram. It happens, but he didn’t say anything or so much as toss a “sorry” over his shoulder as he accelerated away. I admit this made me angry so I skated like mad to catch up with him and tell him he should ski under control. “I know, I was completely wrong,” he said immediately, from his full tuck. “I was going to look for you later to apologize,” he said, without losing any momentum. I couldn’t help but crack up and we chatted amiably while skiing at high speed all the way to the tram and parted peaceably. See, you can’t stay mad at anyone when you’re skiing.

The tram that night was full of happy folks enjoying the soft and fluffy conditions. A range of skier types crowded onto the car in high spirits, young high schoolers jostling amiably for position with middle-agers like me, tiny kids and their parents, a guy going full-90’s in his Steep Tech suit and monoboard, and formally-dressed Seven Glaciers patrons. When Empire of the Sun’s “Walking on a Dream” came over the speakers, everyone perked up and grooved to the music, singing “Tower swing!” along with the tune. Such a great moment on a great night of skiing.

Later that night I took my last run down the South Face and was happy to ski it really well; always a nice way to end an evening. As I hit the cat track, I heard a voice behind me bark, “Hey!” Afraid that I’d accidentally cut someone off, I spun around to see an older gentleman in a rather vintage North Face jacket skiing behind me. Instead of reaming me out for skiing fast, though, he nodded his head and said “Nice run,” clicked my pole with his, and rocketed off down the mountain like an Olympian. Who was that man?? I will probably never know, but he made my already-awesome night.

If you’re here reading this, you probably love skiing, and what better way to enjoy your sport than with a bunch of other people who love it too? I know I’ll be out there this weekend with all the other happy people!

Jill Missal is the founder, editor, and all around Head Geargal at Geargals.com, a web site for the female outdoor enthusiast who wants to get the most out of her gear, and for the beginner who needs some help knowing where to start. Jill was raised in Alaska and has spent most of her life in the backcountry skiing, climbing, and trekking. When not testing gear for Geargals.com, Jill works as a consultant in the disaster planning and emergency management field, which takes her to amazing places in the world to do exciting projects. Jill just might post a picture of her of Alyeska at age 15, with a spiral perm and a Sun Ice ski suit. Maybe.

Ski Happy,

It’s another powder day at Alyeska.  Checking the resort’s site shows 28″ of fresh on the upper mountain. Phone calls, text messages, emails, IM’s. The crew is mobilized. Meet up at Chair 4? Tram line? It’s still coming down hard and patrol is still shooting the big guns. Hey! There’s so-an-so. (How did they beat us here?) We’ll catch up with them topside. Tram is packed with anticipation. North Face is looking DEEP! (Tower swing). Viz is tough, but we’re used to skiing the storm. Hey! Where’d so-an-so go? We’ll catch them later at the Sitzmark. Sundeck, Chuck’s Gate, Banjo, Brown Pants, Ash Can, Kitchen Sink, Southside, Prospector, Fairbanks, Christmas Chute, Knuckles and Northwest Passage. Hoots and holla’s through the snow. Let’s do it again. OK one more. Legs are smoked and it’s getting’ late. Sitz is packed, but there’s always room for one more. Hey! so-an-so got us a table. Order another round and let the stories begin.

Hope you’re out getting some today.

Matt & Agnes | HagePhoto

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Friends on a Powder Day,