Crystal Powder
PNH, Chugach Mountains, Cordova, Alaska
Athlete: Chris Boyle
Camera: Hasselblad XPan
The story: "It was April 7th, my birthday, and despite a gloomy weather projection the night before I woke to the sounds of the Heli firing up. Oh beautiful "Blue-Bird" day!
Jason Mack, my long time friend and guide was at the helm, taking us out into the Chugach with dreams of endless powder turns. Leave it to a veteran guide to factor in the high wind characteristics of the past few days. We opted for a lower angle slope with a mellower aspect (yeah right, compared to what?) that had been his season's sure bet for the deepest and the lightest snow. He packaged it as our warm-up, promising high angle options later on.
His powder nose served us well. The cold temperatures had blanketed the slopes generously and topped it off with an exquisite layer of hoarfrost. The light and refracted light glistened as we opened up. The turns were effortless, the angle brought comfortable high speeds and joy. Our warm up turned into six runs on the same aspect. Why not, it doesn't get any better?"
