Alaska: Big Lines, Big Checks, and a Big Van
Friday - May 21st, 2010
I ventured to Alaska in March with 20-year-old Jake Sakson in his vegie oil powered van. We competed in the Alyeska World Comp, filmed with Powderwhore Productions on Thompson Pass, and spend a lot of time working on the 1988 retired ambulance van. Here are some photos from our trip.
Getting greasy in matching jumpsuits—cleaning waste vegetable oil at the Williamson’s in Bellingham, WA.
Powderwhores bringing home big money from the Alyeska World Comp.
Testing stability and evaluating conditions our first day on Thompson Pass. Looks pretty solid…
Earning our turns.
SHRED ALERT! AK 360!
Powderwhore, Jonah Howell, catches the action. Check out their website, http://www.powderwhore.com, for info on their movie and tour.
Big lines in the Valley of the Tusk. Look for me in the bottom right of the photo.
Silly yellow one=Megan Michelson, sexy green one=Jake Sakson, nerdy red one=Me…
Melt in the mountains not in your hand.
Jake and I stopped at Chilkat Pass on our way to catch the ferry in Haines. It was hard to tell how big the peaks were because there were no trees for reference. After skiing two lines off this beast we found out that it had over 3,000 feet of vertical relief.
Drying gear in the spring sunshine on Chilkat Pass.
After the ups and downs of hunting big lines for five weeks, Jake and I and spent a week in Anchorage trying to collect and clean 100+ gallons of waste vegetable oil to begin the drive back home. We weren’t able to clean the oil to our standards so we opted for the casual ride, the Alaska Ferry from Haines to Bellingham.
Big thanks to Brooke Edwards for organizing Telepalooza and putting us up, to Dylan Freed and Valdez Heli Guides for getting us on big lines at hippy price, to Megan Michelson for the photos, and to my sponsors: Flylow, Scarpa, 22-Designs, and Moment Skis for keeping clothes on my back, and skis on my feet.
Cheers
Paul Kimbrough
