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The knife-edge ridge leading to the summit of Rainbow Peak arcs into the sky overlooking the brilliant blue ocean and the small town of Haines, Alaska. My ski partner, Sunny, pulls out his rope and feeds it through an anchor system called a ‘dead-man’ as I prepare to walk the fine line to the top.
On belay, I straddle the ridgeline and begin kicking steps into the side of the mountain. Instincts take over as I jam my ice axe above my head and balance for another incremental step. My focus is skyward as I try to ignore the loose snow pouring Read More…
Throughout my guiding career, I have been on a quest for the ultimate day – whether it’s with friends on a personal trip or with clients. As a guide, you are trying to balance taking people where you want to go and where they should go Read More…
Throughout my heli-ski guiding career I’ve had a few opportunities to work with film, video and still photography production teams. My responsibilities usually include snow stability evaluation, assistance in run selection and emergency back-up. Today, in Haines, I found myself on the other side of the camera with First Ascent ski guide Reggie Crist and SEABA guide Scott “Sunny” Sundberg, while photographer Will Wissman and videographer Vinny Urgo shot our action Read More…
First Ascent junior ski team member, Lexi DuPont, joined the rest of the team in Haines, Alaska for a couple bluebird days of spine skiing. Check out her run down Light Meter “the sickest, most epic run of my entire life” says Dupont.
What does the First Ascent ski guide team do when the heli’s grounded in Alaska? They hit the icy waters and the sleds for a different kind of adventure. Whether it’s crab fishing on the Sundowner or jumping on the snowmobiles for an afternoon ride, there’s no shortage of ways to entertain yourself in America’s last frontier.
The weather finally presents ideal snow conditions, allowing Reggie Crist and the rest of the First Ascent ski guides to log some heli time on the peaks near Haines. Transitioning from ski guide to freeskiing athlete for the day, Reggie descends spines he’s been eyeing for more than a decade.
Alaska backcountry pilot, Drake Olson, waits for a lull in the wind and then guns the throttle. His plane, a highly modified Cessna 180 equipped with skis for snow landings, lifts off circles around and heads back towards the tiny airport in Haines, AK Read More…
Following eight days and more than 10 feet of new snow, the skies finally parted for our first “blue bird” day in Haines. The early morning pink light instantly generates enough ambient heat to evaporate the remaining layer of low-lying clouds. Rainbow Peak stands proud above town as we begin our 7:00 a.m. daily guide’s meeting, fueled by copious amounts of caffeine. The dialog is cautiously optimistic as weather observation and snow pack analysis are discussed Read More…
Last week Neil Fiske, Eddie Bauer CEO, flew up to Alaska to check in with First Ascent ski guides Reggie and Zach Crist, hard at work finalizing the new FA ski gear. Haines offers some of the most epic backcountry ascents and heli-skiing in the world and is the perfect location for the final round of field-testing gear before it’s available in-store this fall.
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