In summertime, the rock glacier is just that; a rock glacier. In the winter, however, the rock glacier is a snow covered, tree-free mountainside that offers some great snowboarding and skiing. Higher up from what you can see in this image, the couloir at the top of the ridge has a nice steep drop to it, and the snow is generally stable (don’t blindly take my word for it, though, always check avvy conditions carefully yourself). being so close to Kennicott and McCarthy, it’s also somewhat more accessible to locals than flying in to the St. Elias range to the south.

This afternoon I was drawn to the beautiful flowing feel of the fresh snow on the mountain, the curves highlighted by soft sidelight, and a lone spruce tree hiding in the shadows beyond. It’s a sensual image, to me, and one of my favorite Wrangell Mountain photos.

Black and white photo of snow patterns on a hillside, winter, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.