It’s not everyday that you get the chance to backcountry ski in a new place – to put in a fresh skin track, stand on top of a peak likely to have never seen another soul, and then carve virgin lines into a blank canvas of snow. From the bottom, you stare up at your descent with awe– wanting nothing more than to search out that next untouched run.
In the spring of 2011 and again in 2012, Alaska Alpine Adventures embarked on exactly that type of journey – one of uncharted backcountry runs, amazing accommodations aboard the Discovery (a luxurious 65’ working yacht), and the spectacular scenery of Alaska’s Prince William Sound and the Chugach Mountains that can only be experienced from the water. In 2012 we were joined by friends new and old, including 3 longtime guests – Russian expats Nik Koblov and Denis Osipov, and Mark Stevens, joining us for his 12th Alaska Alpine Adventure. Also on board was photographer and writer Kate Siber, looking to make fresh turns and document the adventure for a feature in Backcountry Magazine.
Day’s on the boat were pretty simple: Get up, eat an amazing breakfast, ski new lines on untouched snow, return to the boat, eat dinner, and get enough sleep to be ready to repeat it all the next day. Seems like a pretty simple recipe for success. Alaska Alpine Adventures owner Dan Oberlatz and guide Bryan Caenepeel were tasked with the job of searching out the goods, a skill that comes naturally to guys that feel more at home in the mountains than anywhere else. Needless to say, they found exactly that – big lines on enough terrain to never ski the same run twice.
Now fast-forward 8 months. As any snow enthusiast can tell you, its time to get the winter stoke on. Winter’s here in Alaska, and there’s nothing that gets the stoke-meter up more than an article describing days filled with fresh backcountry turns and nights aboard a luxurious floating ski chalet. Kate’s article said it all; “…an all-you-can-eat buffet of powder lay untouched at my ski tips. In front of such abundance, it’s easy to forget anyone else exists.” Still not convinced, take a look at some amazing images from the trip – I’ll bet your mind drifts to thoughts of skiing the goods in AK, and to heading north this spring to see for yourself!
Definitely grab a copy of the November issue of Backcountry Magazine– it’ll surely get your powder stoke up, and you just may find yourself signing up for the 2013 Ski to Sea Alaska – perhaps the coolest backcountry skiing adventure on the planet!
