Doug_Hutchinson Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 (edited) Trip: Talkeetna Traverse and Snowbird Hut Burning - Date: 4/2/2012 Trip Report: Spent four great days skiing AK's Talkeetna Mountains with Peter Pupator. Had great snow every day but the highlight was probably assisting in the dismantling and torching of the historic original Snowbird Hut. We did some speed wing skiing too... This trip started as most of my AK trips do: arriving at the Anchorage airport at midnight, Pete picking me up, a grocery store stop, driving a few hours back to his 100 acre compound in Willow and a middle-of-the night sled ride back to his off-the-grid house that he designed and built. We slept for a few hours and packed up for a four day trip into the Tordrillo Mtns. Heading out to the airstrip, we got a call from a guide friend who reported the temperature just spiked, slides were coming down everywhere and they were pulling out clients for at least a few days. Since Plan A looked like several days in a tent waiting for conditions to stabilize, we went with Plan B = back into the Talkeetnas. The Talkeetna mountains are a transitional range between a maritime and continental climate/snowpack and are known for much better weather than other AK ranges. Best of all, we can see them from Pete's backyard so the fly/no fly decision is easy. After jettisoning some gear, we snowmobiled over to the airstrip conveniently located about five minutes away on friend/neighbor/bush pilot extraordinaire Ken's property. First task was pushing and winching the Wilga and Cub out of the hanger: We loaded most of the gear into the Wilga, which can fly us all in in one trip. Later, Ken would shuttle additional gear in the Cub into our second basecamp. Me happy to be back in Ken's plane: About a forty minute flight, brought us to the first stop = the incredible Snowbird Hut. Our first objective, was to ski the coolest looking couloir we spied on flight in, this below Morning Glory Spire: Ironically, our first ski had the crappiest snow of the trip but it we skied it without incident except for a crevasse that collapsed below Pete while we were trying to find an entrance. Pete in the couloir: More skiing into the evening (gets dark at 9:30 PM now) and a nice night in the diesel-heated hut with two other skiers. The new Snowbird Hut was built in 2010 and is considered by many to be the best hut in AK. More info here: http://www.americanalpineclub.org/p/snowbird-hut The next day, five skiers from Bozeman arrived and a little later the hut mistress herself, Cindi Squire, and Harry Hunt - two of the hunts main caretakers - arrived. Since a storm was report to be moving in, we skied up a col to call Ken to have him move our gear to our next stop about 10 miles west in case he could not fly the next day, which turned out to be the right call. We spent the day skiing great powder on the steep but shorter terrain surrounding the hut. Me dropping into a gully east of the hut. Pete in another gully: Looking back at our tracks from the lake below the hut: After lots of skiing, it was time to assist Cindi and Harry on what they came to do - destroy the original Snowbird Hut! The original Hut was constructed circa 1978 and, although pretty to look at, was cold and dark and had fallen on hard times. Original hut in the foreground: When we arrived, the original hut was still standing but the roof had partially collapsed from snow load. In a few hours, Harry and Cindi had cut off most of the roof. Pete and I skied hauled the cut sheet metal roof down to the glacier where Paul Roderick of Talkeetna Air Taxi would fly it out for free. The hauling went from hard over the flat part to terrifying as the bundles of sheet metal starting to move faster than we could ski on the steep part. Next step, was Cindi and I shoveling about two feet of snow off the hut's deck to prep for the conflagration. Next, comes the trash pile and the diesel, lots of diesel The fire started slowly, Harry at the watch Cindi enjoying the fruits of her labor: As the snow started dumping, the liberal additional of diesel and lots of coal shoveling kept the fire moving. We went to bed with the fire too large to need our help anymore and the assumption there would be nothing left in the morning, but the morning found posts and joists still standing which were no match for handy Harry's saw powdered by a small generator. We hauled the last batch of junk down to the glacier and started our way on about a ten mile traverse east, first by ascending to the col behind the Nunatak. About 6-10 inches of new snow had fallen overnight which was not exactly what we needed as dropped over a col into the unknown in Mt-Baker-flat-light on some really loaded slopes. Although no one may have done this traverse before, Pete thinks he can figure out the way down. And down we went, maybe 2500 feet down into a low valley. We skinned back up a few thousand feet with the ridge dividing us from our gear in the distance. As we crested the ridge, we could see that Ken was able to drop our gear successfully which was a nagging unknown since he picked it up just as yesterday's storm was really going. Nice turns were had down to our new home. We set up the Hilleberg as new light snow began. Tent living is fun too! The next dawned bluebird. Pete gave me my first speed wing lessons, which I sucked at. Pete is an aviation engineer and great at anything that flies so the rest of the day, I skied and he speed wing skied. I had some nice turns off the nearby summit: Pete flew off the same summit but you won't see his ski tracks next to mine since he was airborn the whole way. Having to catch a flight home the same night, Ken flew in around 4:00PM to haul me out. As Ken returned for Pete, I proceeded to get the snowmobile stuck no less than three times as the three plus feet of snowpack was collapsing in the hot spring weather we returned to (the famous AK breakup begins...). To put in prospective how easy AK trips can be from the PNW; Weds I worked the whole day, bouldered after work, ate a good dinner at home and was at Seatac early for my 9:30 PM flight. After getting in Ken's plane at 4:30 on Sunday, I flew back to Pete's, organized gear, showered, we drove to Anchor, ate sushi (took forever) and I was early for my 10:30 PM flight, and back safely in my cube farm at work early Monday. Don't have friends in AK to get you at the airport and fly into the mountains? Now my friends are your friends and can help you with your next AK adventure: www.adlartok.com Thanks Pete for another great trip! Edited April 4, 2012 by Doug_Hutchinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidave Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 OWEEEEE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete_H Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Awesome trip! Always a bonus when you get to burn shit up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keenwesh Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 ho boy that looks like a good time! thanks for KEEPING THE STOKE ALIVE. that hut looks plush! way to ski in style. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Cool report, thanks Doug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 An awesome ski trip where you got to burn stuff. That's pretty much my dream vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineK Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 An awesome ski trip where you got to burn stuff. That's pretty much my dream vacation. Yep, good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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