AMS Expedition Availability

It has been a busy fall at AMS.  Our schedule is finalized and we are enrolling climbers! Great news the tuition now includes the NPS climber fee!  One less piece of paperwork for climbers to worry about.

If you have any questions we are in the office Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM AK time.  Give us a call or send an email.

We hope to see you this season!

Denali, West Buttress Expedition

$8,300, 6 climbers and 2-3 guides, 22 days

April 30- May 21,         

May 4- May 25,      6 spaces

May 7- May 28,      6 spaces

May 11-June 1,       2 spaces

May 14- June 4,      4 spaces

May 18- June 8,      6 spaces

May 21-June 11,    6 spaces

May 28- June 18,   5 spaces

May 31- June 21,   5 spaces

June 4- June 25,     6 spaces

June 8- June 29,     6 spaces

June 11- July 2,       6 spaces

June 15- July 6 ,      6 spaces           

June 18- July 9,       6 spaces

June 22- July 13,     6 spaces

June 25- July 16,     6 spaces

Denali Traverse:

$8900, 6 climbers and 3 guides, 24 days

May 25- June 17, 6 spaces

Denali Full West Rib

$9500, 4 climbers and 2 guides, 22 days

June 2-23,  4 spaces

Foraker, Southeast Ridge

$9500, 4 climbers and 2 guides, 22 days

April 29-May 20, 4 spaces

Photo by Mathiew Durand DWB 5/16

AMS 12 Day Mountaineering Course, Hoeschen 9/1- a few photos!

Everyone returned safely late evening on September 13th! Here are a few photos thanks to Donald Halvorsen: 

AMS guides Josh and Chelsea teaching a cooking class on the Kahiltna Glacier

AMS 12 day team buttoning up camp as the sun sets.

View from the glacier plane upon return to fall in Talkeetna

AMS 12 Day Mountaineering Course, Hoeschen 9/1

UPDATE:

AMS guides Josh and Chelsea are working closely with the air taxi to get picked the soonest possible. Currently it is sunny in Talkeetna, but low clouds in the Alaska Range. We heard from the crew today and they are in good hands. We will update as things develop.

The 12 day mountaineering course team will be happy to hear the airplane noise once they are able to get picked up. 

AMS 12 Day Mountaineering Course, Hoeschen 9/1

UPDATE from the field:

AMS guides Josh Hoeschen and Chelsea Bomba checked in this morning from the Alaska Range that is currently gathering 3 plus feet of snow in the last 24hrs while Talkeetna is soaking in the rain. Today is the course fly-out day, but as occasionally happens the weather is not allowing planes to safely fly. Everyone is doing great and weather days such as these are part of mountaineering and allow for some important skills to be learned. The team did get some good days to snow climb around Kahiltna basecamp. More photos to come. Everyone is staying warm, fed, and are hopeful to fly out tomorrow weather permitting. We work closely with the amazing glacier pilots to bring everyone home.

AMS 2016  photo of camp life in the snow kitchen tent. 

Webcams such as this one help get a visual for flyable days. http://www.sheldonairservice.com/Denali-cam.html
http://www.talkeetnaair.com/web-cam

AMS photo of Kahiltna air strip with low clouds. The AMS team and the air taxi are working closely together to communicate weather patterns for both Talkeetna and Kahiltna glacier. 

AMS archive photo of "radio tower" climb that this mountaineering course accomplished on their course. 

AMS 12 Day Mountaineering Course, Hoeschen 9/1

Our last Mountaineering Course of the season just departed for the airport. Instructors Josh Hoeschen and Chelsea Bomba were excited to be leading these great students to the Southeast Fork of Kahiltna Glacier. 

The students were happy to be going on a great adventure.  Last night some had the good fortune to see the Aurora Borealis.  They are hoping to see it again while in the range. 

Joe and Brendan packing

Instructor Josh Hoeschen teaches knots

Brendan Kirti, Nathan & Nona practice knots

Instructor Chelsea Bomba teaching fixed line ascension

Fixed Line

Front Don and Nona
Instructor Josh Hoeschen, Brendan, Nathan, Kirti,Joe, Instructor Chelsea Bomba

AMS Custom Backpack Hike, Bomba 8/26 RETURNS!

AMS Guide Chelsea Bomba and team just headed into the Talkeetna Mountains for a great adventure.  After a short helicopter ride they will be setting up camp close to Disappointment Peak.  The group was anxious to get into the wilderness for a a great adventure.

The family had fun gear checking, packing food and weighing gear.

Asha and Robin packing lunch

Tom getting his weight for the helicopter ride

Guide Chelsea Bomba, Vickie, Robin, Asha, Tom

Camp4Collective, Coombs Returns!

AMS Program Director and chief guide, Colby Coombs and the Camp 4 Collective crew have returned from the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.  The team flew last Friday for an overnight project....  Alaska weather turned it into a 7 day stay. This team was prepared for this and made the most of their time in the Alaska Range. We were excited to see them back and all smiles this afternoon.

Upon returning, the team got busy unpacking and hanging gear to dry.  They are currently relaxing and enjoying pizza here at the HQ while planning the next next few days events.

AMS director Colby Coombs and Freddie contemplate the dinner they would have eaten tonight in the mountains, a lovely leftover mush.

Leighan and Kirsten

Kramer and "Denaliraven" making art at basecamp/photo by Colby Coombs

Leighan and Camp4 film crew at baseacmp/photo by Colby Coombs

AMS making awesome film footage happen/photo by Colby Coombs

Beyer Custom Hike, 8/19 RETURNS!

AMS wilderness trip returns this afternoon after a wet but rewarding time in the Talkeetna mountains. Roland, Deb, and Aubrey have reports of sightings of caribou, brown bear with cubs, black bears, and even a mystical wolpertinger (german name for jackalope) They had a grand time with lots of laughter, but good to be back and drying out. Here is a photo of Roland hiking from last year's trip:

Beyer Custom Hike, 8/19 Departs!

AMS good friend and annual guest Roland Beyer and AMS guides Deb Ajango, Aubrey Morrison departed for a 5 day hiking adventure in the Talkeetna Mountains.

Roland has been returning to Alaska to explore the wilderness with AMS for more than 20 years.  He is always game to find new interesting things see and do.

We always look forward to his visits anf the great adventures we have with him!

AMS Guides Aubrey Morrison, Deb Ajango and Roland

Here is clip Roland's trip leaving Talkeetna!

12 Day Mountaineering Course, Hoeschen: AMS Photos from course!

AMS is proud to have amazing guides that can teach great classes and document it all in stunning photos. Enjoy the photographs below all taken by lead guide Josh Hoeschen of the recent August 12 day mountaineering course that started on the Pika where they worked on technical rigging, rock pro placement, glacier travel, route finding, winter camping, skiing and multi-pitch scrambling. They had rough weather (rain) but were able to climb the Plunger and get lots of travel and crevasse rescue practice in. They decided to transition to the Mat because of poor weather conditions and got lots of ice climbing, rock climbing and more rigging practice in the greater Mat Valley area. Graduates can be expected to have solid glacier travel/navigation skills, winter camping and pro placement skills.

AMS photo by guide Josh Hoeschen of ascending a route called the plunger on the Pika glacier. 

AMS students Sean and Zach atop the "plunger" rock route in the Pika

View from up high in the Pika glacier of a fin off Mt. Foraker in the Alaska Range

AMS student Sean ice climbing at the Matansuka glacier while guide Chelsea belays below.

AMS student Sean practicing crevasse rescue at the Matanuska glacier. 

AMS guide Chelsea teaching anchors to students Zach and Sean

Matanuska glacier beauty 

AMS climbing classes held at the matanuska glacier 

The team returned from the Pika Glacier on Wednesday.  They made the decision to return to Talkeetna a few days early due to heavy rain.  The rain conditions made it difficult to practice skills that AMS Instructors Josh Hoeschen and Chelsea Bomba were teaching.

Yesterday the team departed for the Matanuska Glacier.  As you can see from the picture Josh Hoeschen sent today, they are working on skills. Always good to have a plan B!

Rock Climbing near Chickaloon on en route to the Matanuska glacier.