12 Day Mountaineering Course 9/1, Kayes: RETURNS!

AMS guides Jake and Sammie return with students this weekend after an extended stay in the Coffee glacier with lots of different kinds of weather and great learning opportunities. The team arrived back to town Saturday evening the 16th, with a couple day delay flight in and out. Flying in and out of the Alaska Range it is common to get delayed, as the planes and pilots are typically flying on Visual Reference only. For some, the more time in the Alaska Range, the better. September is an awesome time to experience the changing of seasons back to winter.
Big thanks to Sammie Ellsworth for the photos of the spectacular Coffee Glacier!

Home sweet home on the Coffee Glacier, basecamp

AMS instructor Jake Kayes

Custom Backpacking- Frez-Albrecht 9/3-9/6 RETURNS!

AMS crew has returned from backpacking and saw a little bit of everything! Rain, views of Denali, blueberries, and lots of exercise and fresh air. More photos to come! 

Jason and Marci enjoying a meal on the tundra

Simon showing Jason their route

Enjoying the view

12 Day Mountaineering Course 9/1, Kayes

AMS guides Jake and Sammie reported in briefly today....

saying " Enjoying the Coffee Glacier! We've practiced glacier travel and crevasse rescue, and a bit of avalanche rescue. We are moving camp tomorrow." They have seen a variety of weather and are enjoying the fresh snow that September is bringing.

AMS collection of the Coffee glacier 

If the weather clears, the aurora forecast is very high! Typically a "5" is very good viewing. 

Custom Backpacking, 9/5-9/7, Bomba

AMS guide Chelsea, shop dog Jack, and Lisa Breece pause for a photo before driving to the trailhead. 

AMS guide Chelsea Bomba and hiker Lisa Breece headed out today to tackle the Bomber Traverse in the Talkeetna mountains. This is a beautiful and challenging route that goes through tundra, scree, and some dry glacier. They arrived to the trailhead this afternoon after spending the morning discussing logistics and packing. We can't wait to hear the stories!

Jack the AMS dog sharing the love

The traverse area in summertime

The current colors of the flora and fauna

Custom Backpacking- Frez-Albrecht 9/3-9/6

Off they go! Trail photo by Caitlin Palmer. 

AMS guide Simon Frez-Albrecht and hikers Jason and Marci spent this morning gearing up and preparing for their wilderness hike into the Talkeetnas. Earlier they learned lots of packing tips and tricks, along with safety protocols for how to hike in Alaska. The duo is here from Arizona and are seeing lots of interesting things already. Currently they are driving to the trailhead to start their 4 day hike on trail-less tundra. This area is already dotted with fall color, wild blueberries aplenty, and if the weather cooperates, views of the Alaska Range.

AMS wilderness hiking crew: guide Simon Frez-Albrecht, Marci, Jason

Marci is ready for anything with her full backpack and bear spray! 

AMS collection from last week, photo by Simon Frez-Albrecht. Views of Denali from the Talkeetnas 

12 Day Mountaineering Course 9/1, Kayes

The AMS 12 day Mountaineering Course led by instructors Jake Kayes and Sammie Ellsworth has flown to the Coffee Glacier. As can happen this time of the year their flight was delayed by a day.

The team had a busy first day yesterday gear checking, packing lunches. Instructors Jake and Sammie gave classes fixed line ascension, tents.  Today, while waiting for the skies to clear they had classes building anchors, pulley systems and knots all here at the AMS HQ in Talkeetna.

Will, Claire and Nick are really fun and have been enjoying the classwork, now the are super excited to put these skills all to use in the mountains.

Instructor Sammie demonstrates tent set up.

Sammie teaching anchors.

Instructor Jake teaching 3:1 pulley systems, used in crevasse rescue.

Knots class

Instructors Jake Kayes, Sammie Ellsworth, Nick, Claire and Will

AMS Film Safety team departs

AMS Team Kirsten Kremer ( Safety) and Rob Gowler (DP) departed the Brooks Range to work on the TV show Life Below Zero for BBC Television aired on National Geographic Channel.  Kristen and Rob drove from Talkeetna to Fairbanks and flew to the location in the Brooks Range today.

Location

Kirsten and Rob, long time friends

Safety Consulting 8/30, Coombs

AMS is happy to provide safety consulting for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation with the native communities murre egg cliff collections crew in Point Hope, Alaska.  AMS guides Colby Coombs and Blaine Smith are happy to be visiting Point Hope.

Point Hope photo by Colby Coombs

Common murres breed in colonies at high densities. Nesting pairs may be in bodily contact with their neighbours. They make no nest; their single egg is incubated on a bare rock ledge on a cliff face. Eggs hatch after ~30 days incubation. The chick is born downy and can regulate its body temperature after 10 days. Some 20 days (wikipedia.org)

Murre egg

Murres on cliff

Custom Backpacking, 8/27-8/29 RETURNS!

AMS guide Simon, Sam, and Jake Greenburg

AMS custom backpacking led by Simon has returned after a fantastic 3 days in the Northern Talkeetnas with epic views of the Alaska Range, which includes Denali. The blueberries were ripe for eating and a good time was had by all. Thank-you to Simon Frez-Albrecht for the stunning photos. 

12 Day Mountaineering Course 8/16, Bomba RETURNS!

AMS instructors Chelsea Bomba and Sammie Ellsworth have returned to Talkeetna on Sunday the 27th with a great team of students from the Scandinavian Peaks in the Chugach mountains. Despite some tough conditions, this group covered some miles and practiced lots of great skills, all while keeping a positive attitude. There are many times in mountaineering where the conditions do not cooperate. Learning good decision making, route finding, and positive mental fortitude is key. 

Special thanks to Chelsea Bomba for these great photos: