Season Wrap-up(Except There’s a Ton of Snow Left So..)

Broke, tan and happy, I sold my surf truck today in Paia, Maui. The small pile of wet hundos from Beau would help get the Astro van out of DIA auto lock-up in the Pikes Peak lot. After three weeks, it was going to cost a bit.

Maui

Throw in a little heli-skiing around a Maui trip and life is good. Quality over quantity for me with my budget up in AK. ASG didn’t have to accommodate me during a busy end of season. They did. Mahalo fellas, see you next year for sure.

I love driving in AK. My primary life vehicle is a dilapidated 2001 Astro Van that looks like it’s been taken apart and put back together by border patrol a few times, so when given a New Taurus SLE with 5 miles on it at the Budget rental car counter, its on. Even rocketing down the Glenn Allen at 100 or so, the Chugach range view changes its appearance ever so slowly as my kinetic energy takes me closer to Valdez.

The trip is about the people, the town and the skiing. Eating breakfast with the proclaimed “King of Valdez”, Pat Olson, Chugialk tribe member, SAG member(worked with Bart the Bear and that douche Streven Segal), original heli-skier, fastest fish filet in AK (3 seconds down at the town docks) all around Valdez OG is enlightening and fascinating. Pre WESC day stories of Valdez skiing are fascinating. 10 buck runs. Nobody around. I sit and eat my Totem Slam, nod my head and listen.

AK every spring…