4-4-17 Mt Olds area

Went up to ski Mt Olds, but it had been windloading in the Taku Winds.  After we skinned out from near the main face, it ripped wall to wall naturally.  Good thing we kinda thought it might go and stayed a ways back from it.  Skied a nice gully from about 4200ft that was safe.

2-20-17 Mt Olds

Up Granite Creek with the intent to check out the couloir that faces town on Mt Olds.  Turns out the couloir has a pretty good cliff band in it that might be skiable, but not on a solo tour and with our current icy conditions.  Maybe in April?  Either way, the drainage has great access with a well kept trail into the alpine.  Easy approach, but a bit of objective hazard from steep terrain above on a warm day.  

Mt Olds with the couloir splitting the upper face.  I think it might be skiable on the right day.

The "x" marks an entrance couloir into Granite Creek from Mt Gastineau area

Close up of Mt Olds Couloir

Nice gully out of the basin to ridgeline headed to ridgeline that separates Salmon Creek from this basin.

Exit approach gully to Salmon Creek ridgeline

Mt Olds is out of pic to left, this is looking south.

Mt Olds

Mt Olds and a decent ridgeline approach

Devils Paw way out there

X over the entrance couloir and the decent to Granite basin.

Looking down into head of Salmon Creek drainage.

Camp 17 between Lemon Glacier and Cairn Peak

Fritz Cove

Ridgeline to Mt Juneau

East to Devils Paw.

Cropped of Devils Paw

Backside of Mt Olds.

South over Granite basin towards Taku Inlet.

2-6-17 Mt Troy

Went to the heart of ski touring in Juneau today on Mt. Troy.  A very popular area by Juneau standards.  A couple skin tracks, but no humans other than our group.  Easy access, nice terrain for stormy days, easy in, easy out, good stuff.

Near the top of Mt. Troy with Mt Gastineau and Hawthorne Peak in the background.

Mt Ben Stewart in the background.

Downtown Juneau with Granite Creek and Mt Olds in background.

Hawthorne Peak

Mt Gastineau to Mt Roberts

Mt Troy with Admiralty Island mountains in background.

Mendenhall Towers in the background, hidden by Mt Wrather

Contemplating Mt Olds

Looking north into the Gastineau Channel

Mt Jumbo in the background, behind Lee's ski pole.  Gastineau Channel meeting Taku Inlet.

Potential rowdy line on the Nugget Towers.  

WNW aspect on Cairn Peak

1-19-17 Kowee Creek

Shoulda stayed home.  After all the rain and heavy snow, the skiing is terrible right now.  Should improve after the next freeze coming up.  Checked out a big bruiser of a wet slab avy up Kowee Creek.  Broke on a roll-over, probably during the heavy rain event at around 1500ft.  Ran about 500+ft with debris over 8ft deep.  Unsurvivable, no doubt.

Crown size about 4ft.  I'm guessing the heavy rains set up a glide crack/wet slab feature.

Beta shot of ridgeline from Gastineau to Roberts.

Mt Juneau on left with Mt Olds in the back of the canyon.  Both great objectives in spring.

Avy scouring a gully.

Pleasant terrain above the Dan Moller hut.

Mt Olds behind Juneau.

12-31-2016 Mt Ben Stewart and Fish Creek Knob

Solo tour up Mt Ben Stewart.  Avoided temptation and played it safe despite alluring lines everywhere.  Then a couple laps on Fish Creek Knob.  Endless playground that is worth spending some time in to figure out the quirks.