As we skied, we realized that the crust, which looked promising in the parking lot, was getting thinner as we went. By the time we reached the base of the ascent up to the dome, we knew there was no way the crust would support our weight, we were about a week too early. Not enough freeze/thaw cycles in this area. So rather than continue up the dome, we headed upriver on Peter's Creek. (exactly how many Peter's Creeks are there in Alaska? Are they all the same Peter?) Only a few machine had gone this way, so it was packed just enough for us to ski without breaking through.