Colorado National Monument
The Chugach Mountains.
Summit of Highland Bowl
After the long hike in standing on the summit with a 360 degree view of the Chugach Range.
Me taking the hard way up with Turnagain Arm in the distance. Girdwood, AK.
Certain places possess a distinct visceral quality that defies explanation. They appeal to you on some deeper more basic level. For me, the purest example of these places is Alaska. Its a place of unmatched adventure, unclouded by pretense. Last week I went up for a chance to ski some of the most rugged mountains and deepest snow I’ve encountered. From long days of touring in the back country to more effortless means of getting up mountains, it was one of the most inspirational trips of my life…one that changed me as a skier and person.
Photo: The new big mountain sticks getting a new pair of skins.
DJ taking it all in.
Stevens Pass, WA
Standing at the Summit of Cowboy Mountain. Stevens Pass, WA.
Driving through the desolate Southeast corner of Oregon. After a hundred plus miles of flat, twisting two-lane highway the road dead ends at the foot of a 2,000 foot plateau. The road takes a sharp right turn and begins to climb steeply along a road carved straight into the face of the plateau. As you gain elevation, you are afforded the opportunity to survey the desolation that surrounds you. You remark that the landscape, shaped with volcanic rock, is more lunar than terrestrial. When you finally reach the summit of the plateau you notice a steep, winding path from its summit leading from a point designated as the “Doherty Hang Glider Launch.” Of course there is only one thing to do- get the bike off the roof, gear up, and launch yourself down the trail on a woefully under-equipped single-speed hardtail bike.
