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The airman over flew the Airstrip prior to landing, stayed on the ground for at least an hour and evaluated the Airstrip conditions and squirrely winds. Prior to take-off, the airman evaluated the 1800 foot groomed Airstrip by obtaining pilot reports, speaking with check point personnel, referencing the onsite wind indicator, walking and back taxiing the entire strip. The airman determined that a takeoff and departure to the east was appropriate to avoid over flight of the abandoned buildings by a slight left turn after lift-off. The airman performed a soft field technique take-off due to abnormally warm temperatures, (45ºf) and sticky wet snow conditions. The aircraft performance was greater than the airman anticipated and was airborne before the point the airman had picked as an abort point. During the soft field take-off per aircraft pilot operating handbook and the practical test standards, the airman lowered the nose after the skis broke ground to allow for airspeed to build. When enough airspeed (80 KTS) was obtained, about two to three seconds, the airman raised the nose to continue the climb and started a slight left turn to stay over the river and avoid the anticipated mechanical turbulence. At this time the airman was still well below tree top level (15 feet) and realized the aircraft was encountering a down draft as the aircraft had stopped climbing. The airman lowered the nose to maintain airspeed and leveled the wings to avoid aggravating the situation. When this happened, the airman picked a spot straight ahead in case of a needed precautionary landing. The aircraft continued to descend, the airman maintained airspeed and decided to make a controlled landing due to the down draft and inability to climb.

The tracks in the fresh snow indicate the aircraft landed on both skis and remained on the skis for about 50 feet when the aircraft, because of the deep, wet, sticky snow, nosed over and ended up on its back. Airman and passenger were uninjured. Weight and balance is not a factor in this accident. There was a high overcast sky with midday sun; depth perception and flat light were also not a contributing factor. Total time from lift off to impact was 5-8 seconds.