Mat-Su Ski Club News
May 2, 2021 Ski Conditions Update
We are now grooming only at Independence Mine, where we plan to have fresh grooming on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and maybe Sunday mornings too. We will continue until State Parks plows the snow away, sometime in the second half of May. Hatcher Pass and the Independence bowl are still buried in snow: there is a ton of skiing left up there. Ski conditions vary with time of day. The melt-freeze crust is approximately strong enough to support a moose on a pogo stick.
Government Peak Recreation Area was last groomed on April 21st (with the PistenBully) and skiing was just fantastic for 3 or 4 days after that. After that conditions decayed with the rapid onset of spring. Still, non-ridiculous good skiing, with lots of butterflys, spring birdsong, and sunshine lasted until the very end of April at GPRA.
Archangel Road grooming was halted in late March by the big snow storm and avalanche cycle and long road closure. That ended our Archangel grooming season for the year, as it turned out. But in early May, the Archangel Road is still deeply snow covered, and folks are still skiing there.
The crew of volunteer groomers have since October 19th contributed 1266 hours of effort this season packing, dragging, and tilling the trails to bring you fresh corduroy and classic tracks at Independence Mine, Archangel Road, Government Peak Recreation Area, and the Moose Range.
GPRA trails in breakup mode
The Mat-Su Borough is asking trail users to stay off and not damage the GPRA Nordic ski and bike trails during breakup. Trails are now partially snow-covered, partially wet grass, partially sink-in soft, with frost blossoms. Please don’t use the Nordic ski or bike trails right now if it leaves ruts or footholes.
Spring Skiing update
The PistenBulley has decamped GPRA for the loftier trails at Independence Mine.
The PB left behind beautifully groomed 100% snow covered trails at Government Peak. The Club will continue to groom GPRA (with the XMRs) for however many days (weeks?) are left. Skiing is still great there, depending on time of day.
Independence Mine trails got packed in today with the PB; they should be perfect by Saturday, our official grand Independence reopening after the weeks-long Hatcher Pass road closure following storms and avalanches. Our groomers packed the trails today and will groom tomorrow. We expect to be grooming at Independence until sometime in mid-May. Also – crust skiing is happening and is prime.
Moose Range trail grooming ended over a week ago; there’s still a tiny bit of skiing opportunity left in the Range.
Archangel Road is on its own – we pulled out our equipment after the highway reopened. Didn’t make sense to try to reestablish the grooming over the huge avalanche heaps. The crust skiing window is open, so some fun ski fun can still be had there, as well as cool avy debris tourism.
Don’t be fooled by the dismal dust and debris in the valley. Skiing conditions are fantastic!
Race to the Outhouse #2 RESULTS
An even dozen athletes competed in the 8?th annual RTTO#2, including two in a hard-fought skiathlon duel. See the results here.
Junior Nordics Ski Return
Junior Nordics ski returns are on the evenings of May 6th and 7th at GPRA. The April 17th date is cancelled. The ski return date has changed now that we have a bunch of new snow. If your family skied with Mat-Su Junior Nordics this winter, use this link to sign up for a time slot to return the gear you rented. Skis are expected to be returned clear of any wax, so please use a scraper and wax solvent to clean the bottom, sides, and tops of all skis you’re returning. Any gear returned with wax will be cleaned by a high school ski team member, and the skier’s family will be charged $10. Funds will benefit the high school’s ski team.
Race to the Outhouse, Saturday April 3, Spring 2021
The annual Spring Race to the Outhouse #2 is on! This year at GPRA. The extremely moguled upper section of Archangel Road has us just shaking our heads at the thought of smoothing it out. There was no weekly contract snocat groomer on the motorized section this winter. Independence Mine does not offer a long enough or challenging enough course for you end-of-winter animals. So, GPRA. We will use the 7.5km FIS-certified course with 274 meters of climbing. Registration 9:00 to 10:30 am, interval starts begin at 11 am. $10 individuals, $20 families. Classic, Freestyle, and Skiathlon (15k) options. No aid stations, no awards, no spectators. Wear your mask and keep yur distance.
WHEN: Saturday 3 April, 11 AM.
WHERE: Government Peak Rec Area.
RACE DISTANCE: FIS 7.5 KM course with a total of 274 meters of climb.
Classic and Freestyle divisions PLUS a skiathlon option (15 KM).
ENTRY FEE: $10.00/person, $20.00/Family.
REGISTRATION: On site, 9 AM to 10:30 prior to race
COVID PROTOCOL:
Interval Start.
Masks required when not skiing/racing.
No aid stations.
Awards- Accurate time/place on a very challenging course.
New Picnic Tables for GPRA
Is there a place at GPRA you would like a picnic table? We have a few new picnic tables that we want to place on the trails somewhere, while we still have snow to drag them around on. If you have a favorite place, or any place you think deserves a picnic table, you can let us know at info@matsuski.org and we will consider it.
Redington Nordic trails freshly groomed for St. Patricks Day
All 7.5 km of the Redington High School trails are freshly groomed for skate and classic on Wednesday morning, March 17.
Thanks to the new group of volunteers bringing corduroy to KGB!
Here is a link to the trail map.
State High School Nordic Ski Championship Races at GPRA Feb. 25, 26, 27.
State championship races were scheduled for Kincaid Park, but were cancelled. The races have been rescheduled at GPRA. Expect a crowded parking lot, and crowded trails on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 25 – 27th. Some trails may be closed during races. The Pioneer Loop, the singletrack trails, and the Blueberry Knoll trail will be always open.
High School Northern Region Championships at GPRA, Friday and Saturday, Feb 19 and 20
Volunteers needed for Nordic races:the High School Northern Region will be held at GPRA on Friday and Saturday, Feb 19 and 20. Note the date change! Expect Nordic race activity from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, more or less, Ski trails will remain open to general use, but please respect the athletes on the race courses on the Denali, Matanuska, and Susitna Loops.