Turnagain Pass Crust Ski June 2012

A short post to show that we are still skiing in Alaska on June 2nd.  On this fine day, Brad Cruz and I headed to Turnagain Pass early.  We skied near perfect crust until 10 am when it started getting punchy.

Center Ridge looking East.

Brad heading up Center Ridge.

Trond heading up Center Ridge.  It doesn't get much better than this. (Photo courtesy Brad Cruz)

 

Upper Tincan Valley.

Tincan Valley (left), Kickstep Mnt, Tincan Peak, Center Ridge (center), Lyon Creek (right)

Turnagain Pass hillsides can be a good place for picking "fiddle heads" this time of the year. Brad filled his small'ish backpack with fiddle heads in about 5 minutes on our way up to Center Ridge. Spring thaw "Ostrich plume" fern shoots, when tightly curled and flat - sided like a fiddle head make a tasty, crunchy salad ingredient. Rub off the brown furry parts with your thumbs, rinse clean with cold water, and blanch the shoots 3-4 minutes in briskly boiling salted water. Rinse in cold water and they're ready to eat. Or freeze them for later in the summer. (Photo courtesy Brad Cruz). For more details, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddle_head