Erskine Ski Tour

So far July has been a busy month. Our painting adventure is slowly progressing, yet the summer sun continues to draw us away from the house for outdoor adventures. Take a look at the lineup of activities so far this month: house painting (7/1), surfing at Pasagshak (7/3), kayak trip around Near Island (7/4), downhill ski tour Erskine Mountain (7/5). Although the surfing and paddling have been great, I am most excited about the recent ski tour of Erskine Mountain - a full day adventure that I will not soon forget (watch the video here).

Deep blues, bright greens and soft whites from Kodiak's high alpine

While discussing his recent skiing exploits this summer over dinner Friday evening, Patrick Saltonstall invited me to join him on a ski tour of Mount Erskine. Secretly, I have been pining for a chance to ski Erskine's deep bowls this summer after ogling them from our kitchen window. Patrick, famous for his speed on cross country skis and mountain climbing stamina, is a tenacious outdoor enthusiast. Whether retrieving a mountain goat from a high alpine cliff or, in this case, bushwhacking alder thickets to ski untouched snow, Patrick will let nothing stand in the way of his objective. So, after accepting his invitation I soon became anxious about the logistics of the tour. The climb to ski Erskine would require lots of climbing through thick Kodiak vegetation while carrying both skis and boots. I cast aside my reservations and agreed to meet Patrick at the golf course on the road to Pyramid Mountain. We would drop a car there and drive another to Burma Road to begin the tour.

"Patrick, I thought we were going snow skiing."

When I met Patrick the next morning he was chomping at the bit. We discussed other options for a different route, but then settled on our original plan. Patrick's confidence about the relative ease of the climb assuaged some of my fears - the machete handle poking out of his pack, however, caused a slight tremor in my bones. "We'll only have to use it on the way down, I have a trail cut part of the way." Patrick assured me. Soon, I would be thankful not only for sharp edges on my skis, but also for the sharp edge of Patrick's machete.

Just below the Barometer-Erskine saddle

We left Patrick's red truck and drove past the golf course toward our starting point. It was almost eerie watching twosomes carry their bags to the driving range while we discussed the day's ski tour. After parking and strapping our skis to our packs we began the walk up Burma Road toward Bell's Flats. We left the road after about 35 minutes of walking and climbed toward the saddle between Barometer Mountain and Mount Erskine. Following a trail that Patrick had cut several year's earlier we pushed through alders and salmonberries. While the vegetation was dense, about chest high, we were able to follow the trail's footpath and soon reached a hanging valley. The absence of a well worn footpath, I would soon learn, turns a moderately challenging hike into full-fledged "battle in the bush." In the valley we spotted a brown bear slowly moving to higher ground, keeping an eye on our movements.

Patrick enjoying the view from atop Erskine (the Alaska Peninsula is visible on the horizon)

Patrick and I reached the Barometer-Erskine saddle around 11 am and continued climbing to the top of one of Erskine's four peaks. The views from the top were stunning. To the south Kodiak's snow-white mountains reflected the July sun. The jagged Alaska Penninsula poked up behind Kodiak and Afognak peaks to the west. The north and east offered views of Kodiak's deep blue bays, while a lush green blanket covered the valleys and hills above sea level. We stopped only briefly to admire the view, snap a few pictures and gobble down a PBJ sandwich. Patrick then impelled us to continue on our objective: skiing. We carefully climbed along a scree slope to a large patch of snow lining one of Erskine's bowls. Once reaching the snow we enjoyed soft, yet stable turns to the bottom of the bowl. The opposite side of the bowl offered longer runs so we skinned up to a ridgeline along the rim of the bowl and found nearly 1000' of vertical - skiing until the snow turned to running water. Then the fun really began.

Skinning up to the ridgleline

To reach Patrick's red truck parked near the golf course we slung our skis over our shoulders and Patrick took out his machete. Following the creek fed by the snow we had just skied, Patrick led the way searching for traces of a footpath among the salmonberry, pushkie, alders. Where there was no footpath, where each footfall fell on thick brush, the going was extremely difficult. Our ski boots tangled in the thick vegetation - each step required coordination of the entire lower body. Patrick hacked through the alders as I struggled to remain upright on sidehills. Finding the path provided brief relief from the walking struggle. After nearly two hours of bushwhacking we reached the Buskin Riverbed and its wide open trail system. While the skiing was great, I now value above all, a well maintained trail. Many thanks to Patrick for his route-finding, photography, and enthusiasm in the face of a daunting excursion.

The route to Patrick's truck parked to the left of the lake in the valley below.