Andy Simons Mountain Ski - 2.28.2019

February brought weeks of intense nerve pain and the slow loss of sanity. By the end of the month cabin fever was a bigger risk to my mental health than the outdoors were to my physical health.

But, where to go skiing? While clicking away at work an old suggestion floated into my head from somewhere in the cosmos: Mount Andy Simons. Southcentral had been crushed by gap winds, maybe it was far enough out of the corridor to be sheltered? We were stoked to check out something new, so drove south to give it a go. The three mile approach to Ptarmigan Lake went quickly and we were soaking up vitamin D on the lake.


Looking east across the lake towards even fatter zones by Nellie Juan. Maybe someday I'll own a little piece of mountain paradise in Moose Pass.



On the far side of the lake we waded back into the alders and towards the obvious slide-path/gully/terrain-trap. None of us were sure what to expect, but could see blue water ice in our intended route. Within a couple hundred yards the alders were obliterated by avy debris, and then we clambered around the series of small ice bulges. Next was wallowing up the rest of the gully until we could skin into the upper basin.

Isthmus Icefield Ski Traverse - April 2017

In early April we decided to ski from Moose Pass to Whittier. I don't remember the impetus - was it the raincrust that we hoped would make for fast travel? Or were we worried Grant Lake would melt out soon? Maybe it was that Andalyn had been talking about wanting to do some big days.

After dropping a car in Whittier, we drove south to Moose Pass, parked, and walked across the railroad tracks towards Grant Lake. The old mining road brought us to the lake overlook:


The bobsled descent back to the lake confirmed my belief that cross country skiing is the most dangerous kind of skiing. The lake was icy and fast, so we made efficient time skating, pushing, and coasting across it.


Behind us Bear, Resurrection, and Mount Ascension rose above Seward.