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ski bumps or ski fly supported places in AK

Axel

MEMBER
Hi there,

looking for advice/suggestions/recommendations regarding suitable landing and take off areas for a super cub to support some powder skiing in AK in march/april next year.
Ideally flying up - Skier drop off followed by pick up at the bottom of the run until both get bored 8). Ideally the runs are easy to medium to reduce avalanche risk.
Preferably it is within a 80nm radius from Willow eg Neacola/Tordrillo Mtns, Talkeetna Mtns, Knik area or northern Chugach as part of Matanuska valley...
I do know a few places in the Wrangells and at Thompson Pass/Valdez but those are outside of my radius.
It is planned for two pilots taking turns in flying and skiing...
Appreciate any advice or hints for people who might know and are willing to talk.

Best Axel
 
A bit outside your radius, but I know of a couple spots I’ve done that on the Harding Ice Field... One super tame (landing areas and skiing terrain), and one quite a bit bigger and potentially wilder, depending on your line. I’m hoping for good snow this year without too much wind- I’m just dipping a toe into it myself...
 
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Half the fun of ski flying is looking for places to have fun on! I like to get turned around and see how long I can keep it on the snow before "excessive" speed launches me again, about 1/2 mile is my best as of yet.
 

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Lo-o-ove the Tordrillos, though any of the above ranges are going to have options. It's going to depend in part on recent snow and, more importantly, recent wind. The Talkeetnas were trouble last spring for avalanche danger, but the Tordrillos seemed a bit more stable. But if you keep it under 30 degrees (which is really a pretty shallow slope angle), then you'll be safe. It's really got to be between 30-45 degrees to slide under all but the most extreme conditions.

I'd say your best bet is to just fly around a bit and find a spot that looks like it will work. I've only skied the Tordrillos three of four times so far, and each time we've ended up in a different spot primarily due to wind drifting. Each time I've planned to return to a previous spot, only to find the snow unfriendly to land on. So we went a valley or two further and found beautiful snow. Part of the fun is exploring new places, though!

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yeah Harding Icefield must be great....just a bit far
the fotos look superb...do not need to get convinced but superb motivation...
here is something I use to scout a bit from the distance ie Triumvirate and Hayesglacier area

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVAqiRi4Qe8

what I am really looking for is one place for safe toplanding and bottom pick up with a cub and a powder line for skiing inbetween.
Yes I will have my skins with me but honestly after about 3000feet altitude gain in alpine tour mode per day I am physically done usually...

of course...scouting and searching on site is great fun but typically I get lost in the beauty of the landscape then and tend to drift away from my objective ....luxury problems so to speak:)
 
A nephew in Fairbanks sent me a video last year of him riding up to a summit on his snowmachine, then after he turned it around he gave it a kick and it followed it's track back down the mountain, deadstick. THEN, he launched his para glider and ended up landing by the machine, pretty cool.
 
what I am really looking for is one place for safe toplanding and bottom pick up with a cub and a powder line for skiing inbetween.
Yes I will have my skins with me but honestly after about 3000feet altitude gain in alpine tour mode per day I am physically done usually...

of course...scouting and searching on site is great fun but typically I get lost in the beauty of the landscape then and tend to drift away from my objective ....luxury problems so to speak:)

yeah that’s what I do- I’m too lazy to skin/hike very far, and you can do a lot more runs per day flying back up- just requires at least 2 pilots...
 
...outside AK my ski flying is textile based only - however
Empty Weight 5.8lbs
Take off and landing distance - a few feet only 8)
Also the procedure is a bit different compared to the cub
"backward take off into the wind"
turn and fly
full flaps landing
and it easily fits into the back pack when alpine touring...
sorry for the distracting post
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The one thing that would make me a little nervous about taking laps with another pilot is that it would really reduce the response time on an avalanche burial. Those risks can be mitigated with terrain selection, of course, but it would still be a consideration for me.
 
Yep- stay at the top with your skis/board until your buddy is safely at the bottom, then jump in the plane and go get him...
 
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