Jigity Jig

It's always fun to fly down to the United States, to feel the warmth of the sun and drive across the open countryside between mountain ranges. Nevertheless, I always enjoy the feeling I get coming home again, as our jet is making its final descent into the Anchorage International Airport, with the Chugach front range behind town and the city lights glowing under a layer of ice fog. It's fun to ski in new places down south, but it only takes a few days of doing laps around a 3.3 km loop on manmade snow, or a 2.5km loop behind a school soccer field to start missing the breadth and variety of our multiple trail systems here within our city. To go out for a 2-plus hour loop at Kincaid and only ski half the available trails feels even more luxurious after coming back from a couple weeks' worth of 10-minute loops. Even if it is colder here.

Astrid got her first RMISA win in Minturn, Colorado

It's easy to smile when it's sunny and warm.

Denali and Foraker view from the Mize Loop at Kincaid Park. (It's usually not this blurry though)

Iliamna Volcano and the Chigmit Mountains, halfway between here and Bristol Bay.

Flying low over the beach in Bristol Bay.

The Chugach Mountains, behind Anchorage.

Cordova in the afternoon.

Cordova in the morning

Kincaid Park

Taking a refreshment break at Kincaid during a long tour.

Karly. Time trial with APU this morning. (And no, I don't know what Trond's doing back there)

Magnum

We had a couple of head to head battles out there this morning. This was one of them. Tuva and Becca Rorabaugh.

This was another. Espen and Forrest Mahlen.

Derek Deuling. Racing at sunrise.