So obviously Haines is THE place for big mountain riding, right? I mean this is where the most amazing footage has been coming from for many years now. Six of us from PW productions were lucky enough to make the journey this spring and get a small taste of what’s out there. Bad weather and all, this short trip left us all wide eyed to the endless untracked mountain possibilities that surround this quiet Southeast Alaskan town.
The ferry ride from Juneau is a nice way to get introduced to all the surrounding mountains.
Noah Howell
Captain Andy Jacobsen of the high seas.
First mate William Cardamone.
Nick Devore
Andy Rosenberg somehow managed to avoid the cheesy head shots.
We arrived to poor weather and plenty of time to check out the beautiful little town.
In fact, we spent the first 5 days waiting for blue skies and calm winds so we could fly out to the glacier.
Getting the low down from local guide. Thanks Dave!
I’ve never encountered such hospitality given from everyone we met. Our friends at Alaska Mountain Guides completely hooked us up with transport and lodging! Many thanks to Sean, Jason, Jenn, Sammy, Dave, Kevin and really the entire town.
We did travel further inland to Canada several evenings to stretch our legs and watch the sunset.
Will in standard smooth form.
We took Utah out to get her dog on. She loved it!
Nicky D laying down the turn.
The Pass is a fun place to tour, the access is right off the road.
Andy Rosenberg getting in on the one turn action.
And skinning up for more.
This trip was a filming assignment for me, but I managed to ski a little and smear one for the lens.
I know what you’re thinking. Ok, enough silly little close-ups let’s get to the big stuff. That is exactly what we were thinking while sitting around for 5 days as our budget and window of opportunity dwindle away!
After being on call (literally with cell and satellite phones), we finally had a window to fly out. We packed up quick and shot down to the hanger.
Packed and waiting at Drake’s hanger. He was flying Jeremy Jones in to a remote location. We were next!
What will our small team of elite skiers find once they finally get to the mountains? Can a small plan carry such enormous amounts of gear? Will Rosenberg survive defying the very laws of gravity? All these questions and more will be answered shortly in part 2.
All photo’s courtesy of the hardest working man in backcountry telemark ski photography, Jay Beyer.