Here we are, back from Alaska, unfortunately. What a sad moment having to fly back from such a mystical country! I would like to stay there all my life (as everywhere I go for snowkiting Ozone trips… Well, the best is probably to keep in mind all the perfect moments.

So, after two weeks in Big Lake, and our session on the Sargent Icefield in the Kenai Penninsula, all the crew here from Alaska Kite Adventures were stoked to meet Chasta arriving finally at the Anchorage airport on the 28th. The day after we moved straight to Valdez, the most worldwide famous place for big-mountain freeriding. We went by car, and the five hours driving on the N°1 Glenn Highway was as wonderful as expected, crossing so many impressive endless landscapes and typical Alaskan views. The photo camera didn’t stop. We met mooses along the road, some tiny hidden villages lost in the middle of nowhere, a few frozen lakes where we could see a plane in front of the houses instead of a car… Near the end of the road, we had a stop at Thompson Pass lodges and Chasta felt warm memories from the last time here, ten years ago, when filming with Mike Hatchett for the TB series of snowboarding videos.

Once in Valdez, we went at the Best Western Hotel and checked-in with JD Reiman, front desk manager and snowkiter beginner! The dinner, at the restaurant with a view of the fishing harbor by night, and the tasty halibut salad, brought to me an indeterminate feeling of real happiness. Or may be that was because of the White Alaskan beer…

The local freeriders here told us that the planes now stopped flying to the glaciers around, too late season and melting snow. So the spot for snowkiting remains Thompson Pass and its huge slopes around. Our first day was shinny but very light wind.

Anyway, we managed to cruise on the soft and wet snow and Chasta jumped over a river, did some very high grabs in the air, flying from each snow-hill with Tom Fredericks and Steve Carr who really appreciated our cool and quiet way of ride. On the way back down the pass, we met a grizzly bear near the road and that was a very impressive moment to make snapshots when the legend crossed the road just few meters in front of us.

Of course, we’ve got a rainy day, so usual in Alaska, and that was a good reason for visiting the Valdez fishing harbor, the shops and streets of this small village. Another good day with blue sky but not much wind allowed us to get on the opposite side of the Thompson Pass and have a view of the incredible Chugachs and thousands of meters vertical slopes covered by fresh powder snow. Impossible to reach by snowkiting because of a very deep canyon, what a pitty.

I wanted to stay in Valdez as long as possible but the last day arrived so early, perhaps somebody accelerated the time, and after packing our stuff in the Chevy car, we stopped at Thompson Pass for our last session on the way to Anchorage.

How lucky we’ve been, as the west wind was blowing strongly and pushed us straight to a high elevation glacier and saved our trip with big freeride snowkiting images. With Chasta as guide flying the new 2011 Frenzy, I follow the path up for a very great session with 6m Access XT, although a super gusty wind coming from behind the ridge, and we reached the summit, packing at the top and freeriding down along hallucinating Alaskan mountains.

A last run with Pete Lowney and his snowmobile from Alaska Sled-Skiing, Chasta climbed an incredibly steep slope and met at the top a freeriding crew who couldn’t believe their eyes. Then that was time to say good bye.

We couldn’t stay more as we had to drive back to Anchorage and go to the airport the day after early morning. And now we are at home, full of unforgettable memories and looking around at everything with a strange and nostalgic distance.

Cheers
Pascal

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