4-8-17 Gastineau and Roberts

2-24-17 Hawthorne Peak

Walked up Sheep Creek trail to about 700ft elevation and hit snow, then walked in shoes to end of trail at about mile 3.  From there we booted up through the trees to treeline, then skinned a long up an left to the Hawthorne Peak ridgeline.  Booted to the summit, then backed off from skiing from the top due to wind loaded, steep terrain with ice underlying the windloaded pockets.   Ended up skiing way down into the couloir to the base of the mountain, then it got too steep and icy, and we booted about 1000+ ft back up and skied out the way we came in.  This peak currently needs more snow or warmer temps to ski it safely, it's just too icy.

Traversing to Hathorne with Sheep Mtn in the background

You could ski up over Poleline, then descend to that creek and go out to Taku Inlet.

Steep skiable couloir on Mt Roberts with the Chilkats in the background.

Michaels Sword is the spire, then Devils Paw massif to right.

Summit of Hawthorne back there.

Mt Roberts is peak above water, then left to right it's Sheep Mtn, then Poleline ridge.

Devils Paw

Dylan over Stephens Passage

Endless mountains, zero people.

Little steep section before the summit.

Taku Inlet background on right

Some great south facing couloirs above Stephens Passage

Summit block of Hawthorne

Split Thumb

Taku Towers?

Devils Paw couloir

Lunch on the summit

Pondering the ice

This "snow" is so loud it almost makes you deaf

Big couloir off the summit in the shade, couldn't ski it today, too icy.

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.