Thompson Pass, Valdez Alaska

Snowboarding - Tailgate Alaska: Topographic Tour - ESPN

We've all seen plenty of footage from Alaska. But unless you've spent a serious amount of time there yourself, how often can you name the peak or the exact zone? In the latest episode of Tailgate Alaska, local guide Dave "Happy" Rintala, breaks down the key areas of the Thompson Pass region in Valdez. He tells us about Odyssey, the smaller peak but one deep with history as the location for the King of the Hill and other big mountain competitions. We learn about Goodwill's, a peak named after rider Matt Goodwill after he launched an 80 foot cliff there. Or there's the Little Matterhorn, which indeed, looks like a mini-version of Europe's Matterhorn mountain. And Mt. Diamond, "the big daddy of Thompson Pass," with a 7,000 foot run. It's a good overview of the area, as it shows just how much AK has to offer. "It was made for us up here," says guide Tony Mann. "It's like the world's biggest terrain park."

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