Hot, Sunny and Busy at AMS HQ

Our 12-Day Mountaineering Course students returned yesterday with AMS guide, Jake Kayes and today our 6-Day Mountaineering Course students are getting geared up and flying at 5:00 PM.

Film Support logistics is happening as well with both our National Geographic Ultimate Survivor Alaska and BBC Life Below Zero shows.

Pictures tell the story better...

Colby and mountaineering course student Nisa on dish duty.

Gear sorting after the 12 Day MTC: Philippe and Will.

What to do with all of this stuff? Dan asks.

AMS guide, Todd Tumolo, goes over knots with the 6-Day MTC students: Adam , Dave and Chuck.

Philippe tries his skills in our climbing gym.

Mike Welch and Rob Gowler study maps and logistics for the Nat Geo film project.

AMS guide, David Gottlieb and Colby debrief from the Eagle leg of the Life Below Zero.

15 Day Mountaineering Course- D'Alessio

AMS guide Nick called in today with a lot of enthusiasm for the beauty of the places they are traveling through, how well the team is doing, and awe at the fact that every time they get out of the tents to travel, the rain stops. They have moved out of rocky, moraine terrain into the tundra of Wildhorse Pass. The team is currently moving towards the Dutch Hills and eventually out Peters Hill Road for a pick up back to Talkeetna. What a trip, with one 18 hour travel day already, way to go everyone!

Rain Down Here, Snow Up There

This is the view from an overlook in Talkeetna as of this morning. It is not actually raining at the moment but the fog is low. It continues to snow at 14K. Leighan taught the team an avalanche class yesterday. They remain in high spirits and with high hopes for a change in the weather...and we do as well.
Meanwhile...between shoveling snow there is book reading, telling tall tales, and lots of eating.

Blogger Laura

Glencoe has a major trunk road going right down it but if you ride the skinny single track just below the road you can go all the way up the glen and not be too disturbed by the traffic. Kate, Sue and I did this starting from Glencoe Lochain and going all the way to the Devil's Staircase. The peaks emerged from the morning mist as we rode, revealing the drama of the buttresses and gullies.

Riding up the Devil's Staircase is all but impossible for regular riders like me but we did our best. Sue and Kate took on the challenge and did very well before plodding up the last few metres pushing the bikes. The ride down the other side of the col is brilliant and quite rocky and technical. You need to stop to soak up the atmosphere too, the view is immense in all directions.

Despite Kate's rear shock blowing a gasket leaving her with no damping and a very bouncy back end we managed the ride in good time and enjoyed the fast fire road down to the Ice Factor Cafe for a coffee. A short bit of quiet road back to Glencoe leads to a wee shifty through the trees and straight to Glencoe Lochain. From wide open, wild mountain scape you go to pristine, calm and clean lochain. A great way to finish another great ride.

12 and 15 day Mountaineering Course: D'Alessio

Lead Instructor Nick D'Allessio phoned in today. Three students are still in the field completeing the 15 day course hike out portion with guides Nick and Jake, all feeling strong and motivated.

They moved again last night at 2 am, with rain while they were sleeping then clearing as they moved. Nick reported it is a beautiful day today near Granite Glacier. 

Four happy students flew out last night with guide Travis as planned for their portion of the 12-day mountaineering course. They had a great experience out there with AMS!

Photos to come of the course....

AMS previous students learning pulley systems.

AMS previous 12 day course. This course also did some rock climbing out on the Pika glacier.

For the last two weeks I've been on holiday with my family. A week in Dornoch (huge beaches) and a week in Applecross (amazing scenery). However going back to work this morning was not hard work - it was the first of five days of biking with Kate and Sue. Both have done plenty of biking in the past, abroad and in Scotland, including many of the Torridon trails.

We warmed up with a 48km loop in Glen Nevis and along the West Highland Way with a bit of coaching on manuals and rear wheel lifts to help clear the water bars on the trails. With only one pinch flat we did well. It was super warm and humid and we welcomed the light rain during the day to cool us down a little. It has been good weather for Blaeberries which are looking great just now. While I was on holiday I found a new setting on my camera which makes everything look even more dramatic than usual. What do you think?

The West Buttress Route

Here's a view of the West Buttress route. The Kahiltna Glacier is in the middle, the bowl below the cloud covered summit and exposed rocks is the 14,200 foot camp. That is a lenticular cloud and means high winds. Bradford Washburn, who pioneered the West Buttress route in 1951, calls these clouds, sonofabitchacus clouds.

Blogger Laura