Entries from Alaska Seminar
After a lazy morning of hiding in tents or the cook tent from the snow and wind we had brunch. It was a two hot drink kind of morning. But then the temps warmed and the clouds lightened and we set up a ropes course on the glacier. We used ascenders to climb ropes, rappels to descend, and tethers to traverse. After some avalanche beacon searching drills, we hunkered down for some lunch and an avalanche formation lecture. All in all, a lot of practice clipping carabiners and using gear. This group has taken everything in stride and keeps impressing us with their focus and energy. We also have been enjoying the laughter that seems to roll out of the kitchen tent all evening. Tomorrow we'll rig sleds and head back to
Kahiltna Basecamp and then into a hot shower way too soon after that. Whether we're climbing, learning, or hanging out, this group has been a true pleasure to be with for the past eight days.
RMI Guides Christina Dale, Lucas Haaland, and Alex Halliday
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 5:28 PM PT
Today we awoke to some of the first stormy weather of the trip. After sleeping in a little and taking the time to make a delicious pancake and bacon breakfast we roped up and spent the afternoon climbing to Furien Col taking advantage of a good weather window. The climb was steep and involved. We used many of the
climbing and anchoring techniques that we've learned throughout the week. It was fun to put our skills to use and get up to a high point. Unfortunately, no views for us because the weather rolled in and we were inside a pingpong ball. We descended from the col and are taking time to rest in our tents.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Monday, May 28th - 8:10 pm PST
We woke up to more sunshine and the smell of bacon on the Kahiltna. After breakfast burritos browned to perfection by Lucas, we packed up camp and took off down
Heart Break Hill. Named for its uphill torture on the way back to the airstrip. Everyone reported feeling "great!" after the descent. But then we started the glacier slog with heavy packs and sleds. The next break the team reported feeling "good." After another two hours the team asked, "So, where is camp?" We pulled into a perfect camp in Farine Basin and got to work excavating the glacier and flattening our sleeping nooks. Now it looks perfect for the night. The team is doing well and showed their strength by building camp in good fashion after a long day. If this good weather holds, we'll attempt to climb Farine Peak tomorrow.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Sunday, May 27th - 11:00 pm PST
What a day of rope work we had under the most amazing back drop of Mount Hunter. We went through different knots and how to build a variety of equalized snow anchors. Then we put it to practice and had everyone take turns going into a deep crevasse and the team would build a pulley system to bring them out. This was an Alaska style crevasse which means it appears bottomless and cold. We had so much fun exploring the glacier up close and personal. The team's rope skills are great but we hope to avoid using the rescue skills as we head out tomorrow to move camp up the
Kahiltna Glacier. After such a big day of playing on and in the glaciers, we all treated ourselves to two hot chocolates after a delicious dinner of tortellini with sun-dried tomatoes.
Goodnight from the glacier!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
The team woke to blue skies and firm snow. The smiles grew even more as they devoured Bagel Bacon sandwiches for breakfast. They are hard not to love when the crisp texture of bacon and lightly, toasted bagel has been cooked to perfection by our leader
Christina. We suited up and headed out on firm snow in boots under the tower which cast a shadow and gave us a delightful coolness from the beating sun. We traversed under a few seracs before we donned crampons on the hard-packed snow up to the top of
Radio Tower. With sweeping views we visually inspected and learned about the intricacies of the phenomenon of Glaciers and Mountains. We descended under some growing clouds to a spectacular basecamp where we are now lounging in the sun and sipping on La Croix. The team is so strong and impressed us all by climbing a peak like this on day 2. We wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and were proud that everyone climbed so well.
RMI Guide Lucas Haaland
May 25, 2018 - 10:01 AM PT
Our bags are packed, we're ready to go...and here our patient and excited group waits with boots on in the K2 hanger. The skies are clearing and we'll be airborne momentarily. Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Thursday, May 24, 2018 - 8:55 PM PT
Our
Alaska Seminar Team packed and un-packed and re-packed all day waiting for the weather to clear. The bad news is we are still in Talkeetna but the good news is we've never been more ready to fly on. The team practiced knots, rigged their sleds and attached ropes to packs. We had time to sort meals and repackage food for our nine days out. Today gave us the opportunity to prepare well and practice skills we will use right out of the gates. We are first in line for flights tomorrow and the weather is looking good so with confidence, we will have a nice dinner and the last night in real beds.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
After many drives, flights, and bag hauling, we made it to Talkeetna. The team brought about 950 pounds of gear that we promptly dropped in the K2 hanger in order to get some food and rest. Tomorrow we will attack the pile of gear and pack it into submission within our packs. In the afternoon we'll fly into the
Kahiltna Glacier. Hoping for sunny skies.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Our summit has clearly angered the mountain gods. We woke to a blizzard at 12,300 ft. Not the worst blizzard though, winds are steady at about 25 mph, visibility is barely to the neighboring tents, the air is chock full of snow -at least some of which is “falling” from the cloud we are in. Moving -even to lower and more comfortable climates and airplanes- was out of the question. Besides, on the radio at midday it sounded heinous at
Low Camp, with fifty-knot gusts and busted tents. So we sat put. Our tents are holding up well, although great quantities of snow and frost seem to find their way inside. We recovered from yesterday’s climb with bed rest and hot meals and coffee and cocoa. A small price to pay for a visit to the highest point on the continent.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our third
AMS-Alpine Expedition has come to an end. What an incredible time we had! The rugged terrain of Little Switzerland didn't disappoint at all... While the weather has been the main challenge, conditions on the routes were stellar. Our team of four climbers were super talented and motivated, and training days in the vicinity of camp waiting for weather to clear, turned to be the most productive lessons on the terrain; from rock rescue scenarios, to anchor transitions, all paid back with very efficient climbs up iconic formations like "The Lost Marsupial" or "The Troll", which astonished glacier landing tourists from down below as their K2 Aviation plane landed on the Kahiltna Glacier.
Worth mentioned was our menu. If most of us are familiar with the concept of car camping... imagine how plane camping can be! With a powerless fridge like the glacier, steaks or fresh vegetables are unquestionable components of our diet in here. Yes, the alpine climbing in our seminar is at its best; light packs, 1 day missions from camp, and technical terrain. But when we're at camp, fun times, quality rest and better food is guaranteed.
Now we're headed to the airport, already thinking of next year's edition. Thanks for following and I hope you will consider joining us next season!
RMI Guide Elías de Andrés Martos
Rick…..Hopefully you won’t have to to use any crevasse rescue skills. So claustrophobic, so it gives me the chills. Pictures are so beautiful. Good luck and prayers on the climb to Farine Peak. Love, Mom & Dad
Posted by: Marci & Keith Meyer on 5/29/2018 at 12:03 pm
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