Fresh snowfall made it down to sea level last night but today was dry and bright for much of the day. It was very cold again and ice is starting to form on the crags of Ben Nevis down to low levels. The Organ Pipes under Carn Dearg Buttress and Indicator Wall both have some ice on them. The buttresses were well covered in snow and there was some mixed climbing to enjoy. Kenny climbed Slab Route which is known for being a good early season choice and a great climb.

I was doing a bit of filming with Dougie Vipond for the BBC Landward programme which will come out in mid-December. It was nice to have Ben Nevis as a back drop and looking so good too. We're forecast more snow and very strong north winds over the next couple of days before high pressure brings more stable weather so there could be some good climbing at the weekend.

Changes to Update

Greetings from dark and chilly Talkeetna! The thermometer has hovered around Zero F all day. Another fantastic sunset!











3:30 p.m.













4:30 p.m.



There were some small changes today - here is the official standing:

Denali, West Buttress, 2010 Availability:
April 27-May 17: 5 spaces
May 3- 23: 1 space
May 10-30: FULL (waitlist)
May 17-June 6: FULL (waitlist)
May 24-June 13: FULL
May 31-June 20: 1 space*
June 7-June 27: 1 space - pending
June 14-July 4: 1 space
June 21-July 11: 1 space
Custom Dates Filling Fast!
All Dates Filling Fast!
*Special small group, 4 climbers, 2 guides,$6900 per person

Enjoy!
~Julia

The temperature dropped like a stone today with north west winds blowing down from the Arctic. We had some snow showers down to just a few hundred metres above sea level but it was mostly dry. The snow from last weekend left behind after the last few warmer days will be freezing fast into solid neve.

I was on my bike again on the last day of coaching with Advanced Certificate Outdoor Leadership students and it was a fine day to finish off the module. We rode up to the CIC Hut to check out the crags on Ben Nevis and had brilliant fun riding down over the water bars back to Torlundy Forest. A fast rip down the forest road got us to the bottom sections of the World Champs Red, all of which is open again now. What a brilliant way to test the skills developed over the last few weeks of biking.

November is a great month to be out mountain biking and Lochaber is the best place to be riding. I just got back from a three day tour of Ben Nevis with students on the Advanced Certificate Outdoor Leadership course at West Highland College. We went anticlockwise, riding the West Highland Way to Kinlochleven on day one, up to Blackwater Reservoir and Loch Ossian to Tulloch on day two, and back through Leanachan on the last day.

It was all about the journey and the students took on the challenge with enthusiasm. The riding ranged from excellent to impossible (mud up to the axles) but the weather was gentle on us. It was a world class experience that the students will never forget.

Bright orange larch needles cover the Witches Trails at Nevis Range. The students studying the Advanced Certificate in Outdoor Leadership at West Highland College have moved on from walking and indoor climbing to mountain biking. There are some great riders in the group and we have just a couple of days to get them ready for a three day expedition round Ben Nevis. We started out with a warm up and check of core riding skills, making sure the riders can change gears, use their brakes effectively and move around on their bike to ride in an attack stance. We then went off to ride lots of red graded trails and ungraded natural trails in the woods to coach some cornering technique and have a good spin of the legs. Dry, cloudy and warm today, I was riding in just my thin shirt this afternoon!

Aconcagua

We had another beautiful sunrise here in snowy Talkeetna!

Thanks to all of you who have responded to our recent email regarding Aconcagua and the West Rib Expeditions on Denali. Several of you pointed out a typo, thank you! Yes, you are quite right - the summit really is 22,834 feet above sea level (6,959 meters). We have corrected that and sent out another mailing today.

We do have two spaces available for our Aconcagua Expedition. The dates are February 10-28, 2011. The team meets with AMS senior guide Tom Torkelson in Mendoza.
Tom has been a professional guide all over the world, working with AMS since 2004. He now resides in Mendoza, coming to Alaska to guide on Denali for years, now acting as host and expedition leader for our Aconcagua teams. He is fluent in Spanish and knows Aconcagua like the back of his hand. This kind and professional senior guide is the person you want to be leading your expedition to the top of South America!

http://www.climbalaska.org/aconcagua.html

Contact our office if you have any questions about this expedition or any other!
Cheers,
~Blogger Julia

P.S. Check out this sunset! Taken from the TAT Webcam.

Expeditions Filling Up!

Greetings from chilly Talkeetna!
It was 20 below zero here this morning, and the needle is headed back down that way as I prepare to get on my bike and pedal home in the dark - it got dark at 5pm!

Two more expeditions filled up over the weekend, and two more are on the brink...

Denali, West Buttress, 2010 Availability:
April 27-May 17: 5 spaces
May 3- 23: FULL
May 10-30: FULL (waitlist)
May 17-June 6: FULL (waitlist)
May 24-June 13: FULL
May 31-June 20: 2 spaces*
June 7-June 27: 1 space - pending
June 14-July 4: 1 space
June 21-July 11: 1 space
Custom Dates Filling Fast!
All Dates Filling Fast!
*Special small group, 4 climbers, 2 guides,$6900 per person

We've had several inquires about Mountaineering Courses - we do still have availability on all scheduled courses for 2010.

Here was the view today:


























Enjoy!!
~Julia