It has been
nearly a full year since the partnership of Tordrillo Mountain Lodge purchased
the property at Judd Lake in the Alaska Range. The entire process
has been a blur and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all
those involved who made this happen in such a short amount of time.
Some Words of Thanks
First, I would like to thank the partnership
for coming together to finance the purchase of the Lodge and the faith
that something great and special will come of it. We really had to jam
out of the gate to accomplish what was necessary in time to open the lodge
last winter and have it ready for the K&C season. There are so many
people involved that we would like to thank for their efforts. First,
I would like to thank my wife Jennifer for her dedication and patience
to the whole project. She spent countless hours towards the effort of furnishing
and decorating the lodge, as well as setting up the systems to make it
a success. Secondly, our hats are off to Henry Wilson, a partner, for flying
his plane to and from the lodge. His supply runs kept us going throughout
the winter and summer sessions. Henry's legal expertise also was a valuable
resource to accomplish all of the legal requirements and licensing. Thirdly,
we could not have accomplished what we have without Tommy,
Jeremy
and Bobs efforts and support. All of them put in time to spread the
word and take direction from myself, which at times was probably quite
irritating. Thanks boys!
We owe a huge thanks to all the contractors,
especially Bart and Mike for retrofitting all of the systems required to
make the lodge run with very few problems . Their efforts and time spent
have set us up for success. Joe and Scott of Sportsmans Air Service were
critical from the start to finish of the season. All of your flying of
fuel and supplies kept the bird in the air and the lodge supplied with
food and guests. They were always on time and interested in making things
work out for success of all.
We could not have taken this on without
the support of everyone at CPG. My partners Chris and Dave let me run!
Never once did they pull the chain back or limit me in any way. Their input
was always valuable and positive. Their courage and faith in the project
have kept me inspired to keep moving forward. We have journeyed into a
new
era of helicopter assisted activity in Alaska. Something so remote
and complicated has rarely been attempted in Alaska. The guides
at CPG have gone beyond what I could have ever expected. Virgil, Harms,
Dyer
and Lel volunteered there skills in carpentry
to create or repair what needed to be done to make us all comfortable.
All of them have an uncanny ability to assess and pick up the slack where
ever it may be. Not to mention their skills as guides in the field. I am
certainly proud to work with professionals like them and all of the other
guides in the operation.
To all of the guests! We obviously could
not do it without you. We really appreciate your continued support of CPG.
Some of you return year after year and sometimes multiple times, for your
annual pilgrimage. Your faith in the transition from lodges was obvious.
Not one of you expressed any doubt that we were making the right move.
Cheers, to all of you, and especially those of you that put your groups
together year after year. Special thanks goes out to the All Mountain Boys
for there generosity towards the lodge. Thanks to them we now have boot
dryers and fish and taxidermy to hang on the walls and improvements to
the sauna. Craig Pattees’ gift of the gas powered blender was put to good
use as well as Bob Nunn’s Brothers games and continued attendance for 9
years. Hats off to the Cader group and their record setting day of 21 impeccable
corn runs. The Khoslas and Gordons were a lot of fun to have back
for the family week. We hope to see all of you back again in the near future
for more of the action.
What's Next?
In one year, we have come a long, long
way. What next? In some ways I wish we could say that we are going to ease
up a bit. Nope! Here is the plan….
This season, all of you that are coming
up for the Tordrillo powder experience will have some surprises. Some new
improvements will be obvious to you all. We have a new hot tub for us all
to soak in before and after the ski day. We will have boot and glove dryers
to prepare you for the next day. A full service bar will entertain you
into the evenings. We will have Chef Nick Masse coming back for his culinary
Alaskan delights. For down day activities, we will have cross country gear
for touring and also be grooming trails surrounding the lodge for those
who like to skate. We are also working towards some additional snow machines
to tour around with if we can swing getting them out to the lodge by mid
winter. After talking to some of the long time users of the lake, it looks
like there should be great ice fishing as well. It is our hope that some
of you who come in the summer will give the winter a try. In my opinion,
the winter out there is a very special season and a completely different
experience.
For next summer, we will be offering 6
full sessions of Kings and Corn. If you
plan on coming back again, please get in touch with our reservationists
and get your names on the roster. We have a lot of interest.
Apparently the word has gotten out! Much remains to be explored. We cataloged
approximately 60 new runs this past season and at least that many remain.
So lets get on it! Many of you may be interested in our July,
August and September trips to the lodge. We will be offering
daily excursions for heli-fishing and full multi sport itenteraries.
The surrounding rivers are just getting started when we are fishing during
K&C. July brings the fat rainbows in as well as an enormous run of
Reds(55,000 this year passed the lodge) August is great fishing as well.
Silvers had filled the system by august 5th, with opportunities throughout
the Tal, from the lodge to the mouth. We will have a helicopter available
for excursions all season long. For those of you who may not be interested
in the fishing, we will have numerous other activities available. Also
offered will be guided whitewater and scenic runs in inflatable kayaks
and rafts, glacier hikes and exploration, heli hikes in the alpine, wildlife
viewing, and flight seeing into Denali or the Kitchatna spires. There will
be plenty of activities to choose from, for a couple of days or a full
week. Let us develop an Alaska itinerary for you and your family that will
keep you away from the crowds of people on the roadside and into the wilderness
with all the comforts that the lodge provides. We can also set you loose
around the state and guide you to some great places. Something that may
be of interest to you all is the Heavenly
Alaska Lodge, owned by Jaret Wait and his crew of guides on the Kenai.
Take a marine trip on the luxury boat Miss
Brizz into Prince William Sound with Captain Tom Konop, also
an avid snowboarder client of CPG.
We can line you up with the best, without
the hassle of arranging the itinerary yourself. Give us a call if you have
any interest or questions about summer trips.
In closing, we wish you all a great fall
and winter season. May the snow fly at your home resorts. Stay healthy
and come see us again in AK.
Yours Truly,
Mike Overcast
