Entries By jessie poquerusse

May 12, 2017 - 9:13 pm PT Nice day here at 10,000' on the upper Kahiltna Glacier. The team slept in a bit after the hard day yesterday. We kitted up and waddled through a few feet of snow to the base of the ridge for some fixed line travel and snow science. A few of us kept our snow shoes on and put in a track up the ridge of Kahiltna Dome for an eventual attempt early tomorrow if the weather holds. All is well here in Alaska. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather! RMI Guide Leon Davis

On The Map

All good on the Alaska Mountaineering Seminar front! A cold and clear wake up had us briskly packing up camp and beginning the sun-baked hike up to the base of Kahiltna Pass at about 9,800', where we established our next camp. The way was smooth but hot, and we are rewarded with sweeping views of Mount Capps, Kahiltna Dome and the entire Kahiltna glacier. Some snow is faintly swirling through the air adding to the grandeur of our setting as we prep dinner. Tomorrow we look forward to an active rest day with a whole set of new mountain travel skills to take in. RMI Guide Jessie Poquerusse & the team

May 10, 2017 - 9:12 pm PT The forecast threatened an 80% chance of more snow but we woke to clear skies. This morning was busy with packing, digging and more packing for our move to Camp 1. We hauled our sleds out onto the main Kahiltna under a hard sun and played leapfrog with a German team. By 5 pm we were cooking dinner outside in great weather. The team suffered under the hot globe with grace and we are going to do it again tomorrow to Camp 2. RMI Guide Leon Davis

May 9, 2017 10:19 pm Today was action-packed as we rotated through a series of skills sessions. Sled rigging, avalanche awareness and practice beacon searches, and a more realistic and elaborate crevasse rescue scenario made for a full day of mountain skills. About mid-day we even had the pleasure of clear skies for the first time in a couple days. Dinner burritos and fruit pie to top it off! RMI Guide Jessie Poquerusse

On The Map

Today was off to an early start! After a quick breakfast, we stretched our legs heading up glacier to the base of Radio Tower and beyond to the cirque at the base of the East ridge of Frances, where we chatted about glaciology, route planning and navigation. Menacing seracs and at times nearly white-out conditions made the teachings come to life. After heading back to camp and a quick break, we learned and reviewed basic knots and hitches to get us ready for session 1 of basic crevasse rescue. We put to use our anchor building tactics from the previous day and spent the afternoon doing basic rescue drills. Cozying up to burritos was a great end to a long day. RMI Guide Jessie Poquerusse & team

May 7, 2017 - 8:40 pm PT Success on day 2 of the Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Expedition! We started out the day going over the bread and butter of mountaineering, including snow walking, using and traveling with crampons and practicing self arrest. We then progressed into learning about and building snow anchors. After a short rest, the calm morning gave way to snow flurries, which gradually picked up as we learned and began to build a wall or our camp--earning our dinners! Overall, it was a full day of review, learning, and work and we're all happily in bed resting ready for our first jaunt onto the glacier tomorrow. RMI Guide Jessie Poquerusse & team

On The Map

Some people spend the day after Cinco de Mayo in bed nursing a hangover. We spent it by packing gear, trading street shoes for climbing boots and flying onto the Kahiltna glacier. Our team arrived prepared and by 2 pm we were stomping out camp on the hill overlooking the airstrip. The team worked quickly and here we are ready for bed at 8 pm. Great weather today and great views of the surrounding peaks. Tomorrow we will begin our skills training and fortify camp for some potential weather moving in. RMI Guide Leon Davis & Team