On Saturday, while UNC was dominating Villanova in the National Semifinal (my bracket was busted weeks ago), I completed a tour on Pyramid Mountain. Although most of the skiing on Pyramid is off of its north ridge, the southern ridge is its most striking feature. It is the southern ridge, long and sharp, that gives Pyramid its name – viewed from the south it seems as if you are looking at the corner of rocky pyramid. Not interested in driving up the pass to the north ridge, I stopped at Kodiak’s “muni” golf course, took out the skis and started climbing. It was 4:45 p.m. Except for a few steeper slopes that received several hours of sunlight during the long clear afternoon; the snow on the climb to the ridge was solid.
Looking up the ridge
Once reaching the ridge at about 6:00 p.m., the sun still high above the horizon, I had striking views of Buskin Lake, Barometer Mountain, and Chiniak Bay. I continued to climb along the ridge encouraged by its gradual slope. “Could I top out?” That is, could I reach the summit? I thought to myself between heavy breaths, perhaps pushing the envelope. After several more feet of elevation gain, however, I realized that a “summit push” might not be the safest idea. The ridge began to slope off to the right creating a double fall line that tested the traction of my skins. What’s more, the left side of the ridge was defined by a large cornice, which was definitely “off limits.” After losing traction and sliding, backwards, a few yards downhill I decided it was time to turn around and lay some turns. The downhill offered some of best the skiing that I have encountered so far this spring. I skied back across the golf course and reached the car at 7:00 p.m. - amazed at the amount of daylight still available.
The ridge from "sea level"
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