On the last day of Kiernan's launch into the world of mixed climbing we went to Douglas Boulder to climb Jacknife and SW Ridge. Jacknife is a great pitch of V,6 climbing with a tricky last groove to the belay ledge. The digging required today made it all the more absorbing! Kiernan and I then swung leads to the top of the boulder before descending the East Gully of the gap.

SW Ridge was a popular choice today as well as Ledge Route. There was a team making a late start to NE Buttress, one on Moonlight Gully and a team on Carn Dearg Buttress (Centurion I think). It was cold, calm and very pleasant for climbing today and there is a layer of soft powder everywhere - the skiing will be magic!

On the way up we saw debris from an avalanche out of Observatory Gully that had turned at the foot of the gully and headed towards the CIC Hut. It only stopped when it go to within 50m of the hut! The big avalanches I've seen out of Observatory Gully have all gone straight towards the Allt a'Mhuilinn. To turn towards the hut and very nearly reach it is quite remarkable. Yet another big slide at about the same time as the great slab in the Cairngorms went.

It's been said before but this is an amazingly snowy winter and big avalanches have been occurring as a result. Eventually all this snow will turn to ice. In the meantime the best ice is on Carn Dearg Buttress where Gemini is getting fatter and The Shroud is fat.

A rare calm day took Keirnan, Louisa and me to Stob Coire nan Lochain, home to some of the best mixed climbing on the west coast. The walk in was very pleasant, a little warm but dry. We climbed Crest Route on North Buttress, a fantastic climb on which every move is a winner. There were many teams climbing Raeburn's Buttress, a couple on Twisting Grooves and Dorsal Arete.

We did get a bit of fresh snow fall during the day and there were a few small avalanches in the coire. The gullies are best avoided still but there was a good bit of firm snow around. The neve on Crest Route was very helpful but the fresh snow covering everything was not!

2014 Expedtion Update, lots of changes.

We hope to climb with you this season! We still have a some availability for custom expeditions and on our scheduled big mountain Alaska Range Expeditions, NOW is the time to sign up.

Denali's West Buttress Route, an excellent 3 weeks of climbing.

Denali, West Buttress, 21 days, 6 climbers, 2 - 3 guides, $7000

April 27 - May 17, 2 climber positions available, Guide: Dan Corn

May 3 - May 23, FULL, Custom Expedition
May 5 - May 25, 3 climber positions available, Guide: Leighan Falley

May 9 - May 29, 2 climber positions available, Guide: Wes Bunch

May 11 - May 31, 6 climber positions available

May 12 - June 1, 3 climber positions available, Guide: Mark Postle

May 23 - June 12, 4 climber positions available, Guide: Nate Opp
May 25- June 14, FULL Custom Expedition

May 26 - June 15, FULL Guide: Dustin English

May 26 - June 15, FULL Custom Expedition, Guide: Forest Wagner
May 27 - June 16, FULL Custom Expedition

June 2 - June 22,  2 climber positions available, Guide: Nick D'Alessio
June 8 - June 28, FULL Custom Expedition, Guide: Mark Postle
June 8 - June 28, FULL Custom Expedition, Guide: Colby Coombs 
May 9 - June 29, FULL

June 12 - July 2, 2 climber positions available, Guide: Mike Hamill

June 16 - July 6, 4 climber positions available

June 22 - July 12, FULL Custom Expedition

June 23 - July 13, FULL Custom  Expedition, Guide: Melis Coady

June 25 - July 15, 1 climber positions available, Guide: Rob Gowler

Denali,  West Rib, 21 days, 4 climbers, 2 guides, $8200

June 3 - June 23, 3 climber positions available, Guide: Todd Passey

Foraker, Sultana Ridge, 21 days, 4 climbers, 2 guides, $8200

May 17 - June 6, 1 climber positions available, Guide: Melis Coady 

Please note that lead guide positions are secured as best as possible, but changes can occur due to injury, illness, or other things beyond AMS' control. Rest assured, that if a change occurs, AMS guides are a highly skilled collective of professionals in their field.

View from AMS camp at 11,000' on Denali's West Buttress Route

Sunshine, flip flops and unpacking after climbing in the AK Range at AMS HQ, pizza and watermelon are the next steps...

With strong winds forecast again Kiernan, Louisa and I stayed low down in 999 on the west side of Gear Aonach. There is a lot of snow in the gully which takes the narrow line to the right of the steep buttress in the picture above. Despite this there is plenty of great climbing around many big chockstones.

The turf is very mushy at this low altitude but you do not need to rely in it to do the climb. Most of it is on solid rock and snow. This route is given III in the current guidebooks but IV,5 is closer to the mark and it's worth a couple of stars. The wind was not so strong when we got to the top and it turned out to be a bright day. After a quick descent of Rescue Team Gully we were back at the van before 3pm with time to do some dry tooling under Ballachulish Bridge.

Tuesday 4th February 2014

It was clear that the weather was going to be a bit nicer than forecast today so Kiernan, Louisa and I went up Ben Nevis and climbed NE Buttress. This is an absolute classic climb and with SE winds recently it was likely to be clear of too much fresh snow. We approached by the traverse to the First Platform from Coire Leis on hard snow and took the variation onto the Minus Face at the start. The Minus Face has little ice and lots of snow on it still, as expected.

Even NE Buttress is so buried in snow that there is very little climbing on it. There is lots of wading and digging for protection but really only the Mantrap is difficult climbing. Even the 40' Corner is steady away but with no protection.

It was calm on top and just below freezing. We even had a clear spell on the descent and good views of the crags. There is a sizeable cornice above the descent into Coire Leis, Number Two Gully has a monster cornice at the top and Number Four Gully has a big one too. Ridges and Buttresses are still the best option but The Shroud looks fat now and a bit more blue.

Happy February!

It feels like Spring! Snow on the ground is still very crunchy, but the sun gets higher every day.

Only 1 Month until the WFR course begins!
Spaces for this session are going fast!

Application Forms are available on our Website:

• For Wilderness First Responder Courses or Recertification Courses

• For Courses (Mountaineering, any level*)

• For Expeditions (such as Denali*)

• For Workshops (like Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue)

• For Backpacking Trips (Wilderness Treks & Hikes)

• For Glacier Treks (no experience needed! come play on a glacier!)

Not sure what you should sign up for? Check out the Prerequisites and just ask us if you're not sure. We want to you to be ready for your adventure, but not afraid of a fun challenge.
* If you are applying for an Expedition or Advanced Mountaineering Course, you can use our handy "Expedition Questionnaire" to give us your background. You'll find it on this page.

Our office is on Winter Hours: 10 am to 5 pm, Alaska Time (4 hours earlier than New York time).
907-733-1016
Or email us at any hour: info@climbalaska.org
Cheers!
~Blogger & Queen of Papercuts, Julia

It was a soggy weekend and it only started to cool down a little during today. There were some impressive avalanches on Buachaille Etive Mor yesterday as a result of the warmer conditions. One down the back of Coire na Tulloch on a NW facing slope and one down the side of the coire on an E facing slope! Lots of aspects were loaded up but hopefully they will all have been settled down now it is colder.

Kiernan and I went to climb North Buttress as a warm up to a week of mixed climbing. With plenty of experience on ice Kiernan is keen to explore the world of mixed climbing which is a good plan with the current conditions. On the way we saw into Raven's Gully which I've  never seen so full of snow. There is also a big pile of avalanche debris on Great Gully!

The climb was soggy but there is some old snow higher up which is quite nice and the climbing was good. We walked off but did not go down the coire. The cornice has fallen off in a couple of bits (which triggered the big avalanche) but there is still a big chunk hanging over the edge. I've never seen the exit as steep as it is now either. We walked down the ridge to the west of the coire instead where there is now a trail in the snow.

IT'S TIME TO PLAN YOUR DENALI EXPEDITION!

IT'S TIME TO PLAN YOUR DENALI EXPEDITION!

It is a beautiful day at AMS headquarters in Talkeetna....27 degrees and sunshine. The days grow longer by five minutes each day. More time to play!

Here is the current availability for Expeditions, Courses and Workshops in 2011:

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

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

Denali - Upper West Rib
May 21 - June 10

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

June 27 - July 17

Advanced Mountaineering Course
May 6 - 17

Denali Prep Course/Kahiltna Dome
June 5-14

12 Day Mountaineering Courses

6 Day Mountaineering Courses

7 Day Wilderness Backpacking Courses
4 Day Wilderness Backpacking Courses

Denali Photo Workshop
August 22-27

Wilderness First Responder Courses
WFR 70-Hour Course
March 5-13, Full, waiting list available
WFR 3-day Recert
March 19-21
March 26-28

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 Love Snow!
~blogger Laura