Mountain Hero Trail, Carcross Yukon

Mountain Hero - IMBA Epic

29 km, 1400 m elevation gain

5 km of descending, 835 m descent

5 1/2 hours

Dropping into Mountain Hero on Montana Mountain (Carcross, Yukon)

Somehow Kyle always finds the "epics," even in unlikely places. This is the 4th IMBA epic trail that we have done together and they always end up being a blast. As with all the epics so far, Mountain Hero was a long day. The common epic theme includes lots of pedaling and excellent scenery, without much in the way of technical riding (blue trail).

The Golden Circle Route - Whitehorse - Skagway - Haines - Haines Junction

Alaska is a place that conjures up visions of remoteness, wilderness and adventure. My first exposure to Alaska was watching Eric Hjorleifson in Matchstick and TGR ski movies in the early 2000's. I would spend hours pouring over Powder and Skier imagining myself skiing the huge spines and deep powder in the Chugatch and Alaska Ranges. The names of Alaska heli-ski operations and mountain ranges have been a part of my vocabulary for years. Later, I revisited Alaska through Jon Krakauer's literature, "The Call of the Wild," and "Eiger Dreams" and the desire to visit this mystical place grew stronger. It was only natural to take advantage of my proximity to the border this summer to go see Alaska for myself! With limited time, we were only able to scratch the surface of this massive state, and it left an even deeper desire to return and explore (hopefully with my skis!).

Made it to Alaska!

The Alaska Highway - Dawson City to Whitehorse

Ready to hit the road!

The Alaska Highway. The words alone conjure up visions of pioneers, gold miners and adventurers exploring the "Last Frontier." It was built by the Americans in only 9 months during World War II in order to connect Alaska to the rest of the USA and the last section of the road was finally paved in 1992! Although it is a much smoother drive today than in past years, it is still a bucket list drive for road-trippers from all over the world because of the scenery, wildlife and remoteness.