Mat-Su outdoors: Not over yet

HATCHER PASS — Winter is reluctantly releasing its grip on the Mat-Su Valley, but at Hatcher Pass, there’s still plenty of opportunity for skiers, snowboarders, snowmachiners and sledders to get out and enjoy the snow.

“We actually have more snow here now than we did a month-and-a-half ago,” Alaska State Parks ranger Kym Miller said while on patrol near Independence Mine Sunday afternoon.

Over the past week-and-a-half, Miller said the pass has gotten nearly two feet of new snow, with more likely before spring gets into full swing. She said conditions in the pass are ideal for all activities, and people seem to be taking advantage of the ideal spring conditions.

“Snowmachining has been really busy,” she said, adding that skiers and snowboarders are also making plenty of trips down the mountains.

The pass is a playground for all things snow-related, with groomed cross country skiing trails at Independence Mine, a sledding hill, access to hundreds of square miles of snowmachine terrain and enough road-accessible downhill runs to have even the most fit skiers clutching their quads by day’s end.

Miller said crews will continue to groom trails through the end of the month, at which point most folks are ready to turn their attention to summertime pursuits.

“We’ll actually have snow up here until the first of June,” she said.

As always, those who head into the mountains should be aware of avalanche danger. Miller said the best way to keep from getting into trouble is to avoid slopes with more than 30 degrees of pitch, especially in the afternoon, when sunshine is at its most intense.

“I’d stay away from the steep gullies between two and five in the afternoon,” she said.

There is no closed terrain in the park, and Miller said skiers and boarders are free to go where they please.

“We have no legal right to stop people,” she said.

However, anyone thinking about tackling the steeper slopes and gullies should do so knowing they’re putting themselves directly in harm’s way.

“I have no right to stop someone from going up into avalanche terrain,” she said.

For less extreme-minded folks out there, the sledding hill directly above the Independence Mine parking lot is open for business, and Miller said the groomed hill has been one of the most popular attractions in the park this winter.

“People love the sledding hill,” she said.

The hill is a perfect family-friendly destination because it offers both easy access as well as an ideal way to pass the time without having to bring a lot of equipment or knowledge along with.

“You don’t need any skill to go sledding here,” she said.

People are welcome to take advantage of winter recreation activities in the pass for as long as there’s still snow to play on.

“We never close,” she said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com