Heavy rain and strong SE winds turned Scott and Andrew back from the start of Curved Ridge this morning. It was thawing to the summit of Buachaille Etive Mor and the guys were already wet through so the suffering/reward balance tipped too far the wrong way and they headed back home. Had they stuck with it (for several hours) they would have had a pleasant walk back down from the summit in clearing weather and colder temperatures.

After two slightly warmer days it cooled again slightly during today to stabilise the old snow quite well. The back coires of Nevis Range would not have been fun to ski as the SE wind blew the fresh snow off the old crusty snow. The best skiing I had was on the Nid Ridge which had already filled in with quite a bit of fresh snow.

It was a rare glimpse of sunshine - it looks like we'll be back to stormy weather again for another wee while but there might well be the chance of some good climbing if you are in the right place at the right time. The crags are certainly very snowy and icy.

Happy New Year!

The Antarctic Migration

Greg Vernovage, Stephen Lutz (Denali 2013), Richard Dale (Denali 2014), and Melis Coady in a holding pattern waiting to fly to the Union Glacier, Antarctica.

Ever wonder where all the guides go after the Alaska mountaineering season? This time of year for many it is Antarctica. As the mountaineering season down there rolls into full swing Melis Coady sent us an update while waiting to fly. Besides Greg Vernovage she expects to run into other times AMS guides; Tim Hewitt, Todd Tumolo, Nate Opp, Todd Passey and Josh Hoeschen who have all traded an Alaska winter for the snowy Antarctic summer. Best wishes for a Happy New Year to everyone down south!

It was a soggy start this morning with drizzle and some wind on the walk up to the CIC Hut on Ben Nevis. Jack, Jackie and I were passed by a few teams on the way back down already with reports of soft snow and black rocks. This is what we saw too but a carried on up to climb some (rather wet) ice under Douglas Gap West Gully before traversing the gap. We got a wee taste of ice climbing and another adventure which was rewarded with a brilliant clearing of the clouds as we left Douglas Gap.

Meanwhile Donald and Geaspar also stuck with it and they found fantastic ice in Green Gully. The best gamblers were the two guys on Sickle who emerged from the mist just above the crux. The bottom pitches are not formed so they must have traversed in from Hadrian's Wall Direct but it was a bold move to head up there this morning!

Once the clouds had cleared completely we could see there is an amazing amount of ice on the crags for this time of year and since it only started to snow properly less than four weeks ago. The thaw did not strip the rime from the rocks above 1200m.

Jackie, Jack and I descended Douglas Gap East Gully and walked out after four great days of climbing. Looking back up at the crags it is clear there is lots more to do!

Creag Coire na Ciste.

The Comb.

Walking out tired but happy.

Glorious Morning

We're wrapping up 2010 in style! A blue moon for New Year's Eve brings night time skiing and bonfires. We have a stretch of clear weather to enjoy, with moderate temps (it's about 8 degrees above right now).
Check out this sunrise from just 10 minutes ago!













We'll be closed for the 4-day weekend, and back in the office on Monday.

Here is the availability update:
2010 AMS Availability Report:

Denali, West Buttress, 2010 Availability:
April 27-May 17: 2 spaces
May 3- 23: FULL
May 10-30: FULL (waitlist)
May 17-June 6: FULL (waitlist)
May 24-June 13: FULL (waitlist)
May 31-June 20: FULL (waitlist)
June 7-June 27: FULL (waitlist)
June 14-July 4: FULL (waitlist)
June 21-July 11: FULL (waitlist)

Denali, West Rib, 2010 Availability:
May 29-June 18: 3 spaces. Contact AMS for details!
Custom Dates Available

Denali, Upper West Rib, 2010 Availability:
June 5-June 25: 4 spaces
Custom Dates Available

Kahiltna Dome Expedition/Denali Prep Course, 2010 Availability:
June 3-12: 6 spaces
Custom Dates Available

Wilderness First Responder Course, 2010
March 6-14: 11 spaces available

WFR Re-certifications, 2010
March 20-22: 9 spaces available
March 27-29: 11 spaces available

Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue Workshops, 2010
April 10-11: 5 spaces available
There are also sessions in July and August.

Alaska Range Mountaineering Courses, 6 days, 2010 Availability
April 16-21: 8 spaces
May 7-12: 9 spaces
June 4-9: 9 spaces
There are sessions in July, August & September.

Alaska Range Mountaineering Courses, 12 days, 2010 Availability
April 18-29: 7 spaces
May 14-25: 8 spaces
June 11-22: 8 spaces
There are sessions in July, August & September.

Things change quickly! Applications show up every day. If you are uncertain of your schedule but you are interested in participating, stay in touch with us: info@climbalaska.org or 907-733-1016. Leave us a message if we don't answer, we'll be back in the office on Monday.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back in 2010!
~Julia

Another cracking day in the Outdoor Capital of the UK but there were signs of the stable weather starting to break down. Jack, Jackie and I went to Stob Coire nan Lochan to climb NC Gully. The walk in is quite tricky with ice and compacted snow on the trail and the exposed step half way in focused the mind for a moment. The rocks were quite well rimed but the snow is still soft and not very helpful. NC Gully is a very atmospheric gully with steep walls and the spindrift pouring down the walls into the gully made it even more so. There were lots of climbs being tackled today including Scabbard Chimney, Spectre, Dorsal Arete, Chimney Route and something next to Raeburn's Route. SC Gully was abandoned due to lack of ice though.

Over on Ben Nevis Donald and Geaspar enjoyed a speedy ascent of Tower Ridge despite it being a bit awkward with soft snow on slippy rocks. They saw teams climbing Point Five Gully, Zero Gully and Hadrian's Wall Direct. These big ice classics are still thin but have reasonable ice. Green Gully and other grade III and IV routes are better well filled out.

Happy New Year from the Staff at AMS

Another week's gone by here at AMS headquarters and the festivities continue. New Year's Eve in Talkeetna is quite entertaining with live music in the bars and fireworks up and down Main Street courtesy of whomever feels like lighting them. There is a party and bonfire at AMS, so if you're in the neighborhood stop by.

If you are interested in a Wilderness First Responder certification you better hurry as there are only 6 spaces left on the full course. The recerts are all filling quickly, as well. These courses always fill and we only offer it once per year. It is an excellent resource for anybody who spends time in the backcountry.

Here is the current availability for 2011:

Aconcagua Expeditions
January 10 - 28: (FULL)
February 10 - 28: (FULL)

Foraker - Sultana Expedition
April 27 - May 13: (FULL)

Denali - Upper West Rib
May 21 - June 10: 2 spaces

Denali - West Buttress Expeditions
April 25 - May 15: 6 spaces
May 2 - 22: 5 spaces
May 9 - 29: 5 spaces
May 16 - June 5: 3 spaces
May 23 - June 12: (FULL)
May 30 - June 19: (FULL)
June 6 - 26: 1 space
June 13 - July 3: 6 spaces
June 20 - July 12: 1 space

June 27 - July 17: 5 spaces

Mountain Guide Course
April 15 - 26: 5 spaces

Advanced Mountaineering Course
May 6 - 17: 4 spaces

Denali Prep Course/Kahiltna Dome
June 5-14: 6 spaces

12 Day Mountaineering Courses

6 Day Mountaineering Courses
Several Dates: all have availability

7 Day Wilderness Backpacking Courses
4 Day Wilderness Backpacking Courses

Several Dates: all have availability

Denali Photo Workshop
August 22-27: available

Wilderness First Responder Courses
WFR 70-Hour Course
March 5-13: 6 spaces
WFR 3-day Recert
March 19-21: 16 spaces
March 26-28: 14 spaces

Custom Courses
Custom Expeditions
A limited number of dates are still available for Denali, contact AMS for details.
Many other custom options are available - all over the Alaska Range!

Check out our Glacier Treks!

Here is the full schedule for more options.
Call or email AMS if you have any questions!
907-733-1016
info@climbalaska.org
We're in the office Monday-Friday, 10 am - 5 pm Alaska Time.

We will be closed on December 31 for New Year's Eve-- Party On!

~Blogger Laura

Ten years ago today I got caught up in an avalanche and ended up with a broken back, pelvis and various other things. Today was very different and a stunning day. Jack, Jackie and I went to climb Sron na Lairig in Glen Coe. The snow was not very useful on the route and the turf only partly frozen but with sunshine all day and light winds it was spectacular. The bottom section of the ridge is open to plenty of variation and the different teams all went different ways today. Higher up the ridge narrows to a dramatic finish along very narrow crests.

We made the most of the day by going up over Stob Coire Sgreamhach and down along Beinn Fadha, a brilliant, narrow ridge with rock steps and great views. Ice is forming low down but there is little in the Eilde Canyon and with the temperature rising tomorrow we might not get low level ice climbs this time. However, the snow higher up will consolidate further and high level ice routes will continue to improve.

Over the last week we've had an amazing fall of snow. At sea level it's been good weather to stay indoors for the festive feast; heavy rain, strong wind and rapidly changing temperatures. For much of the time snow has been accumulating in gullies and on slopes sheltered from the strong SW wind. Now, we have very deep snow in many places above 700m. I went to Coire na Ciste with Louise and Wendy for a wee look.

Ice has been forming quite quickly. The Shroud has a respectable size icicle hanging down the crux overhanging wall, Gemini is shaping up as is Mega Route X and even The Shield Direct is looking a bit icy. However I think much of this ice will not be much fun to climb. With so much snow blowing around and without very cold temperatures I think it might be quite soft ice. Certainly the thaw yesterday seems to have affected the ice I could see quite a lot which makes me think it is not solid water ice. However, I did not get to any of it to climb. The Orion and Minus Faces are plastered as well as the face under the First Platform. I don't think it will be much fun climbing anything up there yet though. 

Up in the coires I could not see anything, it all looks very white though. There is avalanche debris under the Castle Gullies that came right down towards the path from the half way lochain. There is also avalanche debris under Number Five Gully down into the bottom part of the coire. This is not surprising with the volume of snow we've had and the changing temperatures. The weather is not set to change much in the next week so we should all expect some very difficult conditions for a while yet. Buttresses and ridges are a good idea for the next wee while.

While some people enjoyed a Christmas Day present of climbing Point Five Gully or Tower Ridge I was tucking into a turkey dinner! Today though I was back out on Ben Nevis with Jack and Jackie enjoying some brilliant weather after a wee fall of snow last night. With very little wind the fresh snow was light and airy and the older stuff underneath was quite well bonded where we were so the avalanche hazard is not too bad. In fact, what breeze there was came in from the NW so it was blowing up most of the crags.

All this made for great climbing conditions. Jack and Jackie are just starting out on winter mountaineering ridges after doing some climbing in Ecuador. Ledge Route is very well filled in with no ice at all and most of the rocks are looking white with rime. There were a few teams climbing Green Gully today and one in Thompson's Route as well. Apart from that it was quite quiet which was a shame because there are very many climbs in nice icy condition on Ben Nevis.

High pressure will give us cold frosty nights and calm sunny days for a wee while so make sure you get out climbing if you can for some middle of winter sunshine. Make sure to take sunglasses though!

Miss the Roadhouse?!

Most AMS courses, climbs, and expeditions start and end with the Roadhouse. The bakery and bunkhouse is at the heart of Talkeetna and nourishes our climbers with gargantuan muffins, cinnamon rolls, and pancakes that are made from a sourdough starter from the early 1900's.

After a strenuous climb you might find yourself up to the challenge of a plate called the full standard- with a heaps of scrambled eggs, country potatoes, bacon or links of reindeer sausage, and thick toast, you'll leave this meal a little heavier. They also have several lodging options for groups and individuals.

We are glad they are open all winter too. Thanks Trisha!

Merry Christmas

We had a 4 pm Christmas Day dinner with 20 other Talkeetna friends. Everyone brought something and the main course was chili made with Anya Zolotusky's famous organic beef. We'll be eating it for a few more days.

Best wishes for the New Year
We hope everyone is holding up!

Expedition Availability

Climbers descend from 14,200 foot camp on Denali. Mt. Foraker in background.

Denali, West Buttress, 21 days, 6 climbers, 2 - 3 guides

April 27 - May 17,     4 spaces available
May 5 - May 25,        4 spaces available
May 9 - May 29,        3 spaces available
May 11 - May 31,       FULL
May 12 - June 1,        4 spaces available
May 19 - June 8,        4 spaces available
May 23 - June 12,      5 spaces available
May 26 - June 15,       1 space available
June 2 - June 22,       3 spaces available
June 9 - June 29,       5 spaces available
June 12 - July 2,         6 spaces available
June 16 - July 6,         6 spaces available
June 23 - July 13,       FULL
June 25 - July 15,       2 spaces available

Denali,  West Rib, 21 days, 4 climbers, 2 guides

June 7 - June 27      2 spaces available

Foraker, Sultana Ridge, 21 days, 4 climbers, 2 guides
May 17 - June 6,     FULL

Mail Run

It's no Iditarod sled dog race, but it does take some effort to check the mail here at AMS in the winter. It has been -20F on and off for the last few weeks in Talkeetna. It is more effort to deice and warm up a vehicle than it is to just bike places. So send us something worth retrieving!

Alaska Mountaineering School
PO Box 566
Talkeetna, AK 99676

Heading to Regionals!

Skyler, son of AMS photography workshop instructor Tom Bol, got 4th place at the Colorado state boulder comp and qualified for west coast regional comp in Tucson.

We are very excited…note he is wearing AMS swag!

Merry Christmas

It has warmed up to 13F but it is quite windy and clouds are moving in...we are all hoping for more snow. We will be closed Christmas Day but will reopen on Wednesday at 9:00 AM.
Peace.

The view south from the end of Main Street on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

The view inside the Fairview Inn; don't know why the tree is upside down...someone said it was mistletoe.

Happy Holidays!

Sending you all warm wishes!
May the lengthening days be Merry & Bright!
Winter Solstice is behind us, hooray! It's time to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa...

2010 AMS Availability Report:

Denali, West Buttress, 2010 Availability:
April 27-May 17: 3 spaces
May 3- 23: FULL
May 10-30: FULL (waitlist)
May 17-June 6: FULL (waitlist)
May 24-June 13: FULL (waitlist)
May 31-June 20: FULL (waitlist)
June 7-June 27: FULL (waitlist)
June 14-July 4: FULL (waitlist)
June 21-July 11: FULL (waitlist)

Denali, West Rib, 2010 Availability:
May 29-June 18: 3 spaces. Contact AMS for details!
Custom Dates Available

Denali, Upper West Rib, 2010 Availability:
June 5-June 25: 4 spaces
Custom Dates Available

Kahiltna Dome Expedition/Denali Prep Course, 2010 Availability:
June 3-12: 6 spaces
Custom Dates Available

Wilderness First Responder Course, 2010
March 6-14: 11 spaces available

WFR Re-certifications, 2010
March 20-22: 9 spaces available
March 27-29: 11 spaces available

Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue Workshops, 2010
April 10-11: 5 spaces available
There are also sessions in July and August.

Alaska Range Mountaineering Courses, 6 days, 2010 Availability
April 16-21: 8 spaces
May 7-12: 9 spaces
June 4-9: 9 spaces
There are sessions in July, August & September.

Alaska Range Mountaineering Courses, 12 days, 2010 Availability
April 18-29: 7 spaces
May 14-25: 8 spaces
June 11-22: 8 spaces
There are sessions in July, August & September.

Things change quickly! If you are uncertain of your schedule but you are interested in participating, stay in touch with us: info@climbalaska.org or 907-733-1016. Leave us a message if we don't answer, we'll be back in the office on Monday.

Have a great weekend!
~Julia

Images from Dave and Kriss Buchwald's 2010 Denali Expedition with AMS

Fully loaded.

Mystery Guide on a lunch break.

After a while you start to look alike up there.

Summit Ridge looking toward Mount Foraker.

Dave and Kriss Buchwald on the summit.

Late December Availability

There is a bit of hustle and bustle around Talkeetna with the post office being the busiest place in town. I think we are all ready to unwind and spend time with friends and family. We will be closed tomorrow, December 24, Merry Christmas from the AMS staff.

Here is the current availability for 2011:

Aconcagua Expeditions
January 10 - 28: (FULL)
February 10 - 28: (FULL)

Foraker - Sultana Expedition
April 27 - May 13: (FULL)

Denali - Upper West Rib
May 21 - June 10: 2 spaces

Denali - West Buttress Expeditions
April 25 - May 15: 6 spaces
May 2 - 22: 5 spaces
May 9 - 29: 5 spaces
May 16 - June 5: 2 spaces
May 23 - June 12: (FULL)
May 30 - June 19: (FULL)
June 6 - 26: 1 spaces
June 13 - July 3: 6 spaces
June 20 - July 12: 1 space

June 27 - July 17: 5 spaces

Mountain Guide Course
April 15 - 26: 5 spaces

Advanced Mountaineering Course
May 6 - 17: 4 spaces

Denali Prep Course/Kahiltna Dome
June 5-14: 6 spaces

12 Day Mountaineering Courses

6 Day Mountaineering Courses
Several Dates: all have availability

7 Day Wilderness Backpacking Courses
4 Day Wilderness Backpacking Courses

Several Dates: all have availability

Denali Photo Workshop
August 22-27: available

Wilderness First Responder Courses
WFR 70-Hour Course
March 5-13: 8 spaces
WFR 3-day Recert
March 19-21: 16 spaces
March 26-28: 14 spaces

Custom Courses
Custom Expeditions
A limited number of dates are still available for Denali, contact AMS for details.
Many other custom options are available - all over the Alaska Range!

Check out our Glacier Treks!

Here is the full schedule for more options.
Call or email AMS if you have any questions!
907-733-1016
info@climbalaska.org
We're in the office Monday-Friday, 10 am - 5 pm Alaska Time.
We will be closed in observance of Winter Holidays:
December 24 & December 31.

~Blogger Laura

Still stormbound, watching the snow build up in sheltered gullies and slopes, and ice form on the big faces.

Yesterday was a big thaw day. With 80mm of rain forecast on the west coast and 100mph winds on the tops we decided a low level day might be a good idea! So Guy, Donald and I took our group from St. Paul's School to Huntley's Cave near Grantown. This is a nice wee crag with very steep climbs on positive holds. You can do some good climbing here even in the wet and there is plenty of scope for rope tricks such as tyrolean traverses, guided abseils and even a wee rope swing from the top of the crag. We had a lot of fun and learned plenty of new skills in the process.

The drive back home was a slow process with lots of standing (and running) water on the road. One wee stream had burst over on to the road and it was still raining hard. The Lochy and Nevis rivers were in full spate and very impressive to see. This morning though there is a fresh dusting of snow on the tops so it has already cooled down again enough to stop the thaw. Also there is plenty of the old snow left in the gullies and coires to freeze up and form a nice bace of icy neve for the climbing. I'm now off for five days for a family Christmas so I'll need to wait until Saturday before my next mountain adventure but I'm quite positive that climbing conditions will be very nice by then. A wee Christmas present for all of us winter climbers!

Winter Solstice

It is a beautiful sunset on the shortest day and longest night of the year. Each day henceforth will have more daylight---more time to climb! This is a view from the webcam at Talkeetna Air Taxi taken just one hour after the official time of solstice, 2:38 pm.

Blogger Laura

Lunar Eclipse and Solstice Celebration in Talkeetna

There are some tired eyes here at AMS Headquarters after last night's viewing party down at the river.

We had clear skies and cold temperatures for watching the eclipse which started at the very reasonable hour of 9:30 PM. Bonfires were going and libations were passed. The temperature was -14 degrees.
Today at 2:38 PM Alaska Time is the actual solstice and we are marking it with a ski and then more parties this evening.

Happy Solstice!
Blogger Laura

Lots and lots of snow has been falling on the hills over the last few days. We've also had continuous strong SW winds so the snow has been blown into gullies and sheltered slopes. Yesterday the temperature rose and the snow turned to rain at all levels triggering avalanches as it did so. Rain and higher temperatures made the snow wet so it will freeze and stabilise tomorrow when the temperature drops again.

This kind of stormy weather with lots of snow, wind to pack it in to gullies and wash it down faces, and rapidly fluctuating temperatures, is great for building ice on Ben Nevis. Have a look at the SAIS Blog for pictures of the avalanche debris and how the ice is forming in Coire na Ciste. The Cascade and White Line areas are starting to look good already.

The current run of stormy weather is only likely to change on Christmas Day as the high pressure over Europe fills and slides off to the south. This means we have a few more days of ice building weather to come along with the challenging conditions for climbing. Let's hope for lots of ice and calmer weather after Christmas. Now that would be a nice present from Santa!

Happy Solstice

Photo by Bradford Washburn

Tonight is the longest night of the year, and tomorrow, Friday is the shortest day. We celebrate with solstice parties and bonfires. Each day thereafter is seconds, then minutes, longer with day light. Quickly the light comes back and before you know it so do the climbers!


Here is our current availability on expeditions.

Denali, Upper West Rib - 21 Days, $7900, 4 climbers: 2 guides
May 3 - 23, 3 spaces available
 June 7 - June 27,    FULL 

Denali, West Buttress

May 6 - May 26     4 spaces available, guide TBA, special ratio: 4 climbers: 2 guides $7900, 21 days

All below climbs will have 6 climbers: 2-3 guides, $6800, 21 days
May 10 - May 30     2 spaces available, guided by Larry Holmgren
May 13 - June 2      5 spaces available, guided by Todd Tumolo
May 20 - June 9      4 spaces available, guided by Nate Opp
May 25 - June 14    6 spaces available, guided by Nick D'Alessio
May 27 - June 16    4 spaces available, guided by Mark Postle
June 3 - June 23      FULL, guided by Todd Passey (wait list available)

June 10 - June 30    FULL, guided by Mike Hamill (wait list available)
June 14 - July 4       4 spaces available, guided by Mike Janes
June 17 - July 7       5 spaces available. guided by Josh Hoeschen
June 23 - July 13     6 spaces available, guided by Joey McBrayer
June 27 - July 17     FULL, guided by Rob Gowler (wait list available)

Foraker, Sultana Ridge, Guided by Melis Coady
May 17 - June 2,   1 space available  
17 Days, $6800, 4 climbers: 2 guides