January 26, 2019

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We found surprisingly good #snow and stability in the Front Range (which ONLY consists of the #mountains west of the border formed by Ship and Indian Creeks) of the Western #Chugach today. Keep in mind that “good” snow in the #FRange does not mean anything close to “blower #pow,” “cold smoke,” etc.; it means not breakable and generally smooth with fresh creaminess in leeward catchment areas. The surface is generally firm and “slide-for-life” is prevalent on steep windward terrain. The #TurnagainArm and Rabbit Creek areas are expected to be the more stable areas of #ChugachStatePark post recent storm cycle, given they’ve had a better #snowpack all season than more northern areas. The southern areas are also generally warmer, and the very warm storms this week followed by freezing temps last night and today seem to be boding well for bonding recent snow and improving #metamorphism within the snowpack. That said, the Chugach State Park snowpack had been getting hammered by strong winds, warm temps, and trickles of precipitation for several days prior to today. Much is still unknown about stability, and the mountains near #Anchorage need to be approached with care and caution. #FRangeLove #Randoism #Alaska #LastFrontier #PublicLands #CelebrateCreation #CookInletMaritimeClassic Big shoutout to @voilemfg for supporting our efforts with a pair of the new Hyper Vector skis. These sticks are simply brilliant, and the pinnacle of #backcountry ski design. Proudly made in the #USA. Also to our friends at @blackdiamond for the new Helio 180: tech binding simplicity and performance at its finest.

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