Elisabeth loves to ski. She doesn't just love it when it's powder, or sun or something exotic. She always loves to ski. On our first time skiing together she came up for a week of Guided Backcountry Skiing. I'd just returned from two months of summer activities in Argentina and needed a few warm-up days. On our eighth day we day-toured the 20-mile, 7500-foot Bomber Traverse. I warmed up on the ninth day.

This year I knew what to expect when Elisabeth came up from Calgary for another Anchorage Ski Week. We skied hard every day, often exploring local corners of Southcentral Alaska that I've been wanting to visit.

On the first day we hit the Falls Creek Coulies in the Chugach Front, a few miles south of Anchorage. This 1,500-foot chute drops north off Indianhouse.

Then I showed Elisabeth the classic Falls Lake Coulie. It's barely a coulie this year because of the chubby 2012 snow conditions.

After a day of skiing all aspects of Marmot Mountain at Hatcher Pass, we did a five-pass, 7500-vertical foot, figure 8 loopie-tour that included Dogsled Pass and a bunch of passes around The Pinnacle. The clouds kept the snow frozen for ideal travel conditions.

Elisabeth part way down our fifth and final pass. Mining garbage is everywhere at Hatcher. Above Elisabeth is a 60-year old tramway.

Later in the week we headed back to Hatcher. We crossed the Little Susitna River wearing chest waders and skied a mega loop around Arkose Ridge.

Thanks for a great week Elisabeth. I'm glad you love to ski because so do I!