Entries from Alaska Seminar

May 28 7:43pm PT

The wind died today which meant that with the sun it felt very hot on the glacier today. We moved our camp south, closer to base camp and closer to some areas that have terrain features that are good for training and climbing. We spent the afternoon hiding from the sun in our new camp, We just finished an early dinner and are going do some evening ice climbing now that the temperatures have quelled.

RMI Guide Alex Halliday and Team

Today we awoke to the same relentless north wind that made the air feel cold, but after breakfast we decided that we needed to get out and do some training. We walked to a nearby area of tension cracks on the glacier and practiced crevasse rescue until our brains were full. We are back in camp now resting out of the wind.

RMI Guide Alex Halliday & Team

After discussing our options over dinner last night we decided that walking up the Kahiltna Glacier from Base Camp to see what starting a West Buttress climb might feel like. So this morning we started our day a little earlier than we have been to try and beat the heat we have been seeing every afternoon. And it did the trick, we took a cool breeze in the teeth all day that meant we had to climb in a couple of jackets. We sitting in camp at the base of ski hill now taking a respite from the sun. 

RMI Guide Alex Halliday

Tuesday, May 24, 2022 - 6:36 pm PT

On Monday, we awoke to scattered clouds and cooler temps around Base Camp. As the sun rose above the clouds we left camp to refresh some of our climbing skills.  After taking naps during the heat of the day we learned about knots for climbing and prepared for our attempt on Radio Tower.

The mountains are calm today.  The clouds are fickle and we are now sitting back in camp surrounded by a fog that has moved up the Kahiltna Glacier. We reached the top of Radio Tower today, the small prominence that sits above camp. We were met with impressive views of the north side of Mt. Hunter and the Moonflower Buttress.

RMI Guide Alex Halliday

Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 10:19 pm PT

We waited for the sun to rise this morning before packing up camp and heading back to our cache. We cooked burgers for lunch while repacking our sleds for the long haul back out of the Ruth Gorge. After some difficult hours of travel we arrived at the Mountain House airstrip. We made a quick camp and enjoyed our last evening in the gorge. All is looking well to fly out tomorrow morning.

RMI Guide Avery Parrinello

Saturday, May 14, 2022 - 10:21 pm PT

Today was full of highs and lows, ups and downs, success and failures, proud moments and embarrassing ones. It started with warm sunshine hitting our camp by 7am, and we soon after headed up towards 747 Pass. After some glacial navigation and steep climbs we crested the saddle. We quickly gained the west ridge of Mt. Dickey and began ascending upwards. After a couple hundred feet it became apparent that the snow pack had changed dramatically. After seeing some red flags and investigating further, it was concluded that we shouldn’t continue. Considering the terrain and remoteness of the climb meant we had little margin for error and the unstable conditions pushed us past our safety margin. The entire team was disappointed but only momentarily as we all decided the summit was not worth it and the view from up high was down right spectacular. We had a safe and enjoyable descent back to camp where we ate snacks, told stories and laughed a great deal. Tomorrow we shall start migrating back to the airstrip for our departure on Monday.

RMI Guide Avery Parrinello

We awoke to a chilly morning and more clear skies. After enjoying blueberry pancakes we geared up in camp for a dry run through of crevasse rescue. After nailing the flat ground rescue we roped up and headed towards the saddle between Mt. Dickey and Barrill. We headed into the maze of lateral crevasses looking for one that would be ideal for practicing our new skills and trying out some ice climbing. We ended up finding a bottomless abyss surrounded by a beautiful cathedral of ice formations. We finished up climbing just as clouds rolled in a snow began to drift down.

A hearty meal of andouille sausages was had, some stories were swapped and then it was off to bed.

Tomorrow we plan to move camp to 747 pass to begin our summit cycle up Mt. Dickey!

RMI Guides Avery, Jack and Team

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 - 9:56 pm PT

We awoke to another blue bird day in the amazing Ruth Gorge. The morning was spent enjoying a leisurely breakfast while waiting for the sun to hit camp. Once the sun had warmed us up from the evenings cold, we geared up and set out to do some exploring and training. We headed off across the glacier until we reached the eastern edge of the Ruth Glacier. After picking our way through the jumbled labyrinth of the broken edge of the glacier, we ascended a moraine and refreshed our mountaineering skills and learned a few new ones. Lunch was had with beautiful views of the 5,000 foot granite east face of Mt. Dickey. Then we meandered back to camp, practiced anchors, devoured some bacon cheese burgers and relaxed for the evening. Tomorrow we will combine all our technical skills acquired so far and learn crevasse rescue using a real live crevasse!

RMI Guide Avery Parrinello

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 - 9:00 pm PT

Greetings from the Ruth Gorge!

This morning we woke to beautiful weather and knew our time had come to fly into the Alaska range. After we landed on the glacier at the Sheldon mountain house we packed, roped up and headed down into the Ruth gorge. We walked down the valley glacier towards camp with endless granite walls on either side. We set our base camp for the trip and enjoyed splendid views with dinner. Getting some well earned rest tonight!

RMI Guide Avery Parrinello

We spent the day on the airstrip with high hopes of flying out in the afternoon. While waiting we took advantage of the free time to start practicing technical skills. After brushing up on knots and anchors we learned how to ascend a rope with the anticipation of ascending out of a crevasse on the Ruth Glacier. Unfortunately the weather never broke today. However, with the pilots optimistic about tomorrow morning, we loaded up all our gear on a plane hoping to fly out first thing tomorrow!

RMI Guide Avery Parrinello