Towards the end of our Alaska mission in April of 2008, Kevin and Gigi located an isolated glacial patch towards the bottom of the mountain. Right away we knew it could be something really cool, but our instincts told us glaciers aren’t to be messed with unless you have a certified mountain guide with you for survey and safety purposes. Luckily for us, we did !

The underlying problem with these areas is the giant ice chunks that create these beautiful zones also produce what’s called a ‘snow-bridge.’ During the summer months these ice chunks retract, move, melt, shape shift, etc…so once the winter rolls around and deposits fresh snow, many of the crevasses and holes are filled up and your good to go…but not all of them.

Our main man and safety guru Ted Purdy was on the scene with us so he started from the bottom of the zone with the probe moving one step at a time establishing a route into the QP area. Once that was complete, our crew moved up the boot-pack to a ‘safe zone’ as we waited for Ted to ‘clear’ the area where the actual QP build would take place. Once he gave us the thumbs up on the QP, Kevin and Gigi got to work building the trannie. As the build was taking place, Ted started to establish a route further up the ice where the ‘run-in’ would be. This run-in would also serve as a boot-pack Justin Hostynek and I would use to access our top filming angles.

Ted cleared our route to the top, which ran past the top of the drop-in, but directly over a snow bridge that only measured two feet in depth. This thin bridge sat on top of a 100-foot crevasse, so he kept us ‘harnessed and roped’ so if it gave way during our crossing, we could easily be yanked to safety. Let me tell you walking over something like this is not cool, even with your harness on and ropes attached ! With the utmost confidence in Ted’s skills, Justin and I made the trek with zero problems. Once at the top, we were free to roam the area because it was solid snowpack.

After everyone was in place, the session lasted a good two hours while the boys rang off Hand plants, McTwists, Indies, Alley Oops and Airs to Fakie. After the session was complete, Ted roped us back in to cross the snow-bridge one more time and make our way down to the pick up zone. High fives were exchanged to another good and safe day in the backcountry collecting photos and film shots.

For a look at this session, grab a copy of Absinthe Film’s Ready.

Blotto

Kevin surveys the QP transition-build while Ted Purdy examines the snow pack, locating any ‘danger zones’ where a thin layer of snow might be covering up a large crevasse.

Scenic but Dangerous

Gigi gets his ‘McTwist’ on !

KP: Turn-Down Indy

McTwist from the top angle

As I mentioned above, our crew had fully certified guides with us to survey the snow pack, identify danger zones and tell us exactly where and when we could move around this glacial outcropping. Never ever go into glacier or crevasse areas on your own or with your crew without certified guides.

© Dean Blotto Gray / Blotto Photto 2008-2009