Knik Glacier Skiing

Late January. Every post I could find was full of people that have only biked out to Knik Glacier in March, and yet I wasn't sure why it's not possible to do in the middle of winter. From Hunter Creek, it's only about 10 miles one-way, and thus if you start just as the sky is getting light, you should be able to get back before total dark. 

We unsucessfully attempted to bike out to Knik Glacier via Jim Creek Trailhead in early January. The original plan was to go in from Hunter Creek, but my friend had noted that they had attempted to bike in the day before, and the Knik River was still open water. So we started on the Jim Creek side. The temperature hit a high of -6F, and we made it 16 miles in, and were only 2 miles away from the glacier, but we were too cold even to have the energy to eat, and it was 2:30pm, so it was time to head back. 

We parked in a large pullout just a hundred feet beyond the Hunter Creek bridge. The ice climbing groups use this pullout as well, to hike a few miles up Hunter Creek to a waterfall. We put our skis on right as the sun was hitting the tips of the peaks across the valley. It was pretty straightforward finding the way out of the valley. 

Once in the Knik River valley, the river channel itself was very frozen, but we've had an abnormally cold winter, and I'm not sure how this compares to other years. I know from aerial imagery if you follow the Knik River up to where it is pinched against the cliff faces, and you're forced to cross, the river is iced over in that location well into April. But when it first begins to ice over is a question I still have, and something I'll have to explore in future years. 

We crossed Knik River near a large open area, and that river was flowing deep and fast! I was surprised how fast it was moving. I brought rope just in case, but there were snowmachines that had crossed in the same location a few days earlier so I was letting that give me a (false?) sense of security that everything would hold. 

It's a straight-shot of skiing up to the glacier from there, though as I learned from my friend who went out on his fat bike a week later, this area changes quickly! There was absolutely ZERO snow left on the ground, due to a large wind event. There was lots of ice and overflow, and skis were out of the question. Only biking and walking would be options. 

We spent a solid 1.5 hours exploring the glacier, and made it back to the cars 9.5 hours after we began, right at the end of nautical twilight, and about the point where we would need a headlight to go further. 

Heading down Hunter Creek 

A stream feeding into Hunter Creek

There were a few areas of open water where we had to find a way around

It's a snowmachine highway! Someone definitely trims the vegetation here; though it's in such a boggy area I'm sure it's only for snowmachine use, and not ATV's in the summer. I have heard that someone in the past used to groom this area for skiing? 

An arm of Knik River we crossed

This is the main channel across the Knik River. It is about 0.4 miles across, and there was some FAST moving water in an open area nearby. However, snowmachine tracks gave us a little more confidence that the ice would hold. 

Looking across the valley at the Jim Creek side

Looking back at the glacier, and Gorgemeister (center right)

There's a small hill you must ski up and drop down to get to the lake

The descent onto the lake

Looking out toward Lake George

Heading back, with Pioneer Peak in the distance

Bomber Traverse

A group of us headed out to do the "shortcut" version of the Bomber Traverse: we started at the Reed Lakes Trailhead, followed the Boulder Field past Upper Reed Lakes to Bomber Glacier, connecting to Bomber Hut, Snowbird Hut, and back to the Reed Lakes Trailhead. None of us had ever gone this way, so it was a great unknown about what the approach down onto Bomber Glacier would be like. 

Abi on night #1, near the lower Reed Lake

Dana looking down on Upper Reed Lake from Bomber Pass. There are a number of different routes to follow the Boulder field to get here from Reed Lakes, but a relatively nice trail follow the western side of the Boulder field. Nothing is particularly nasty, just the typical uneven terrain that you expect along the entire Bomber Traverse. There are two low saddles on the ridge, head to either one (they both have a rope). 

Once at the top, we explored, and discovered there are in fact TWO fixed ropes that descend onto Bomber Glacier. One is an easier approach, but leads down to what is currently a bergschrund (crevasse). I learned that a few of my friends had done this route a few weeks earlier before all the snow had melted off the glacier, and one of them had fallen in, landing on a ledge. They had to pull down one of the ropes from the saddle to help pull him out. The westernmost rope wasn't as easy getting out, but there were no crevasses in the immediate vicinity. As we were crossing the glacier over to the Bomber wreck, the group split up, and for whatever reason, everyone shot over to the steepest part of the entire glacier, and one of our group actually ended up losing her footing, and sliding a few dozen feet before she was able to stop herself with her pole. There were definitely easier routes to follow. 

We kept following the Bomber creek, hopped across the main valley stream channel, and checked out Bomber Hut again. We decided to check out the area above the hut, and potentially spend the night there. 

Denali poking its head out. This was taken from the top of the peak northwest of the Bomber Hut

Heading back down from Camp Site #2

Heading up the valley/boulder fields leading to Snowbird Hut

Our group just below the Snowbird Hut, and ready to head up the Snowbird Glacier. Notice the giant moulin in the background. 

The giant moulin. We headed up the glacier to the pass, and followed the well-established trail back down to the Reed Lakes parking lot. It ended up being about 16 miles. We left Friday night and returned on Sunday night.