Snowking Aviation

01/25/2024

Mountain traffic.

01/22/2024

The bold Cessna 185 Skywagon – capable, proven, and timelessly beautiful.

11/04/2023

This is the eastern edge of the Beluga Icefield in late July. Slush from a recent snowfall covers the ice, and the only sound was from trickling meltwater.

09/18/2023

Peak 7705 looms across the glacier 3 miles from our landing site in the Alaska Range. Although not comparatively high in elevation, it gains prominence at the glacier’s edge. Like hundreds of other peaks in this 600-mile arc of wildness, this one’s unnamed.

07/02/2023

This tiny frame falls far short of representing an enormous place – the Alaska Range. I landed the Super Cub here for the first time. Alone and 70 miles from the nearest road, the scene held me wonderstruck. The tarns are calming in a chaotic mountainscape. I emptied my water bottle and filled it with cold, unfiltered nectar. OMG.

04/01/2023

Our furry friend keeps an eye on us as we hike back to the plane.

03/04/2023

Tundra Pilot, our Alaska bush flying project, is all about getting out there and exploring wild places. Today is our one-year anniversary. Thank you to all our map users and contributors.

02/18/2023

The nature of flying over the North Cascades isn’t easy to put into words. Thank you Bellingham Alive! for doing it. Link below.

https://bellinghamalive.com/lifestyle/experiencing-the-north-cascades-from-above/.

02/18/2023

"I have no words to describe this" - Sean W. Bellingham, WA. Thank you Bellingham Alive! for putting the experience into words!

BETWEEN THEIR MOUNTAINS, lakes, volcanoes, glaciers, and old growth forests, the North Cascades are nothing short of magic. All of these sights are breathtaking when taken in from the ground, but admiring the mountains from the air is another experience entirely—just ask Pilot Wayne Mushrush. Mush...

02/07/2023

The source of the Lacuna Glacier is Sultana’s titanic south face – a complex of near vertical alpine walls stretching 4 1/2 miles across and rising 12,000’ from the lower icefall to the summit. I wish I could describe what it’s like flying a tiny bush plane close to this beast.

Sultana (Mount Foraker)
Coordinates: 62.9608, -151.3981
Elevation: 17,402’
62.9608, -151.3981
Rank: Alaska’s 3rd highest peak.

Lacuna Glacier
Coordinates: 62.881, -151.455,
Length 15 miles

02/04/2023

Like many North Cascade summits, Mount Shuksan is startlingly beautiful from the air. A flyby is best at low speed to capture the everchanging landscape and nuance of light.📸

12/21/2022

We were the only ones at this trailhead.

08/31/2022

We’ve been exploring new places between storm cycles for tundrapilot.com. Can you find the bush plane in this epic landscape?

08/24/2022

There is no airstrip on this wild, tussocky ridge 1,500’ above the confluence of the Yentna and Lacuna Glaciers. That’s why we landed here, and why we fly 35” Bushwheels.

08/08/2022

This past spring we launched Tundra Pilot, a website that includes a free map of 1,905 uncharted airstrips and landable natural features in Alaska and western Canada. We’re in Alaska this season documenting bush airstrips and pioneering a few. Learn more about our project at https://tundrapilot.com/. Thanks to our many Airstrip Map contributors!

08/04/2022

Exploring Denali’s quiet north side by Super Cub last week during a brief weather window. Right after landing here, I noticed a blond grizzly roaming nearby and a golden eagle thermalling a ridge. The air was infused with the fresh, minty smell of tundra – predominately Labrador tea. Experiencing this intact, naturally functioning ecosystem was profound.

07/31/2022

July 27, 2022
Elevation: 6400’
Temperature: 41°
Wind: 7 mph (up-glacier)

07/25/2022

Yesterday we landed the Super Cub on a bumpy glacial outwash in the Alaska Range to explore a powerful alpine sanctuary. During our hike, we encountered a black bear grazing the tundra. I think this one had a model coach. How else would it know where to pose for the best iPhone shot?

07/16/2022

We’ve been flying in Southcentral Alaska between spells of cloudiness, wildfire smoke, and now rain. It’s good to be here again in the biggest, wildest place I have ever known.

04/05/2022

Tabor testing his video gimbal before takeoff.

03/24/2022

Fleeting light on Seward Peak. Sometimes the most questionable conditions can yield unexpected delights.

03/08/2022

Climbers switching to skis on the summit of Mount Shuksan.

02/15/2022

Gravel bar ops.

01/19/2022

Dave makes a low pass in his J3 Cub.

12/04/2021

The brilliant, sun-drenched Pickets were the perfect location for yesterday’s solo proficiency flight in the Cessna 180 🙌.