Well, where do I begin…….

Alaska Rendezvous Lodge and this area of the Chugach from here on out will be a very special place for me.  Wind has been an issue for accessing some of the bigger terrain further out.  Michelle and I killed some down time on Wednesday by going out for a nice little 3000+ft evening tour/ski on Crudbusters.  After playing the weather game, waiting in anticipation and holding out for clearance to fly to some pretty amazing zones, we finally got the nod Thursday morning.  Jessica Baker (guide & fellow Core Concepts athlete), Brenton (fellow Marmot athlete), Renno (Squaw Valley 2 edge shredder), Michelle and I were quite ready to get out to say the least.  Starting the day off in an area called the Cauliflowers, Jess thought we would ease into the day with a few 50 degree, 3000ft shots.  With several new inches of snow 2 days prior, we quickly learned that slough management was going to be the theme of the day.

She said YES!

About half way through the day we ended up with some down time on the Cleave Glacier while the bird made a trip back to base to refuel. With about 15 people hanging and eating lunch on the glacier I ask our amazing guide, Jess, if Michelle and I could go for a 100 ft or so walk.  Now that we were a little more separated from everyone I figured this to be as good of place as any, dropped to a knee, whipped out the ring, and asked Michelle to marry me (she actually said yes)!  Full of emotion and excitement, we turned round to find everyone waiting to cheer.  I just threw my fists in the air (I did it).  It was quite the moment and we were lucky to be able to share it with some great people.

These went fast!

I had spent the morning being more nervous about my pending engagement than the quite aggressive lines we were skiing.  Now that that mission was accomplished and the bird was back, it was time to go get some more of the goods.  Jessica continued our tour of the radness that this area of the Chugach provides.  Some key zones of the rest of the tour included Candy Land and Clue Land.  Ramps averaging 3000 ft or so and over 50 degrees, we certainly managed to get the hearts pumpin.  The day was just packed full of big, fast, and steep lines.  I came away with some pretty exciting content and will certainly be posting some edits as soon as I get back to civilization.

The Marmot suite Alaska Rendezvous Lodge

Word spreads fast in the world of Rendezvous as we arrived back to base with many congratulations and celebratory beers.  The celebration continued with an amazing Alakan Halibut dinner and a bottle of wine.  Speaking of which, a big thank you to David Sokol & crew for dinner and to Theo for the bottle of wine!

Needless to say, we have taken things a bit slower today and are gearing up to ski a shot off of Diamond or one of the other peaks tomorrow (weather permitting).  Then Michelle and I are off to the Black Rapids area of the eastern part of the Alaska Range!  As always, keep checking in for updates.

Mikey

GEAR HIGHLIGHT:

2013 Volkl Shiro 193 – 50+degree slopes, over 3000 ft per shot, speeds upwards of 60 mph with Alaska Rendezvous Guides…..the Volkl Shiro 193 took everything I could throw at it!

Scarpa Mobe - 50+degree slopes, over 3000 ft per shot, speeds upwards of 60 mph, and driving a large big mountain ski, this boot felt and functioned just like the race stock boots that everyone else were using!