Mt. Ascension: Skiing high above the Kenai – Anchorage Press

Mount Ascension is not the highest or hardest climb on the Kenai Peninsula, but the views from its summit are commanding. The Harding Icefield almost looks small thousands of feet below, with a constellation of nunataks piercing its glacial expanse. Resurrection Bay appears placid, a little inlet tucked in from the vast ocean beyond. Fox and its neighboring islands rise abruptly from the bay, as abstract as seen from a birds eye. Mount Eva and Mount Alice, which loom over the bay, reveal their harsh grandeur: vertical serrated rocks jutting from glaciers below. Surprisingly, the Kenais rugged mountains to the north seem to undulate against the skyline, a series of gentle ridgelines that belie the peaks real steepness.

Ascensions steep north face drops abruptly to the valley more than a half mile below, past cliffs and spires that protrude from jagged sub-ridges. From the summit, Ascension seems a place unto itself, a tiny snowy island amidst clouds, in between rugged glaciated peaks that border the ocean and the Kenais drier interior.

Who wouldnt slog twenty miles or so to visit such a place? Ascension is not a very common backcountry ski destination for non-motorized users, but it is an eminently reasonable trip. Of the approximately 21 miles, the first and last six are out-and-back on a snowmachine trail (or the well-established Primrose trail later in the season) to Kenai Lake. Fortunately for skiers, this trail climbs steadily, with few ups-and-downs. As a result, the return trip is fast, with a short uphill section in which it makes sense to take off skis and walk for about five minutes. This trail approach would be fat bikable in firm conditions. Some uphill sections would be challenging for most riders, and the bike overall would likely be slower, taking into account transition time. It would, however, avoid the painfully long double poling on the way back. Of course, snowmachiners can cruise through this section, though not at great speeds: Most of it is narrow and bumpy as a result of much traffic.

In winter, the approach trail ends near Lost Lake, at which point snowmachine tracks head in all directions. Skiers will skin across the lake, then climb gradually over Ascensions foothills in a circling approach to the mountains south-facing glacier and snowfield. The glacier has retreated a great deal compared to when it was last mapped, but still holds ice in a cirque below Ascensions summit spires. From this bowl, climb up Ascensions large south face, a thousand foot or so bootpack (most likely) to the summit. In spring and summer, it will probably be important to climb this face before it is baked by the sun, and before it presents wet slide avalanche risks. Expect firm surfaces, particularly near the top. A whippet is a nice safety precaution, and/or crampons.

Master skiers and weather-readers could time an Ascension ascent to ski corn on its south face. Better yet, there is a long, steep couloir that drops off the north face down to a small glacier above Lost Lake. This couloir begins a couple hundred feet below and to the east of the summit, in a small saddle next to a false summit spire. It has a very steep entrance that may be above bands of rock, depending on depth of snow in the chute. Farther down, cliff bands jut into the couloir: This would be a very dangerous place to fall, as it is more than steep enough to gain speed and plummet all of the way to the bottom, probably careening off rocks along the way. Since Ascension is very prominent relative to nearby peaks, this couloir is also exposed to winds from the north, so expect its top portion in particular to be firm. In addition, be aware that the snaking couloir may hold unstable wind pockets in several spots. Finally, the bergshrund and one crevasse near the base of the couloir present additional hazards. In general, the skiers right side of the glacier can present a reasonably clear path of egress.

After the descent, it is a slog back to the car. Plan on taking a couple hours once you get across the lake, if you dont have a fat bike or snowmachine.

Springtime is for slogging and chutes. Ascension provides both. Even though most of the time is spent skinning, what you remember is the multi-thousand foot couloir peppered with rock bands, which terminates in a massive snow cone on a glacier formed by thousands of years of avalanches, and the summit that makes Resurrection Bay and the Harding ice field look small. Ascension is a commanding peak in a wilderness of glaciers and alpine lakes. It is worth every minute of the slog.

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Mt. Ascension: Skiing high above the Kenai - Anchorage Press