The storms this summer brought incredible change to the forest and trails across the Anchorage bowl. Healthy trees were uprooted and laid flat by a combination of unprecedented rains and hurricane force winds. The Kincaid trails had sections of trail where many trees, stump and all were tipped onto the trail. Remarkably, nearby sections appeared not to be involved in the same storm. It was as though the wind had a big long bat that swung here and there in little swaths of destruction without any sense of consistency. The Hillside trails, which are usually hit the hardest in a wind storm, actually sustained the least amount of impact.

 

The storms hit the Beach Lake trails in Chugiak with a vengeance not seen since the trails were constructed. The first look at the storms' impact to Chugiak's trails counted over 600 trees either down or leaning dangerously towards the trail. To further complicate the matter, 70% of the trees affected had pulled loose from the ground, root system and all. Many were hung up in a mess of bent broken trunks wound together in a spring-loaded mess ready to catapult even the most experienced of our trail team into another galaxy.  

 

Everyone converged to help out all over town: volunteers, city crews, and of course NSAA's trail crew. This kind of destruction called for more than the usual chainsaws and human brawn. Our trail crews used mini excavators to lift and unwind the mangled trees. By the end of October the trails had been made reasonably safe and ready for the first snows and the start of the ski season. We thank the wonderful team of volunteers for their effort in helping us get the trails ready for winter.

 

Because of the amazing impact of this summer's storms, even the occasional skier may notice changes in the trails and the surrounding areas. The storm left the ground saturated and ice has already started to form in places never seen before. This winter will have its challenges for both skiers and groomers. We are as eager as you to hit the trails, but please exercise more caution than usual after a fresh snowfall or a wind storm. The forest is still not back to being stable. With the ground still saturated, trees will continue to fall. Ice may form overnight in places that were stable the day before. This will be a winter of "heads up skiing."     

 

Anchorage's community of skiers is unique and a point of pride to newbies and sourdoughs alike. Please take care of each other - talk to the skiers you meet on the trail, use the trail boards and check the grooming blog for the latest updates. Most importantly, keep your awareness, even in your rhythmic bliss. We'll do the best we can to provide you with the best possible skiing experience, but we need your help.

 

Now, get out there and ski!