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| Camping in the Alaska Range, Photo by AMS guide Dustin English |
Denali season 2020 is government-mandated postponed to 2021
On March 20th, 2020 Denali National Park Service (NPS) made the decision to suspend all climbing permits for the Denali 2020 climbing season. This means there will be no climbing expeditions on Denali or Foraker this year.
It is heartbreaking to hear the news that NPS is shutting down the Denali expedition season, but we trust it is for the safety and well-being of all of us. We also know how much work, planning, and sweat everyone has spent in preparation for your Alaska expedition and we plan to put it to good use next year.
All AMS Courses are postponed through June 1, 2020. Due to travel restrictions and state mandates for social distancing regulations. June and July are still on the schedule but are in a wait and see holding pattern to see how state and federal regulation develop. AMS has the ability to reasonably modify our camp life if domestic travel restrictions allow us to get to our course locations.
After 30 years of mountaineering, we have learned a few lessons that apply to this time during the COVID -19 Pandemic:
Patience: In mountaineering, we must make responsible decisions. If it is unsafe to travel, we do not travel. Some of the tactics we use to help have patience in the mountains are: keeping physically active, we build "bomb-proof " camps in the snow, reading, playing cards, telling stories, making and eating food, melting snow for drinking water to keep hydrated, and sleeping! You can keep all of this in mind as you navigate your home quarantine life!
Good Hygiene: In the mountains, we use hand sanitizer often! We are careful to avoid cross-contaminating with other people's food, we do not share utensils, water bottles or mugs, and definitely don't share your pee bottles. Ewww.
Respect: On big mountain expeditions and courses, we care for one another. Try to communicate clearly and understand that anyone can have a bad day, everyone has the opportunity to grow. We all have something unique and take the opportunities to get to know each other well and find that talent! Perhaps most important is to take care of your basic needs so that you can contribute to and take care of the team. To have the most fun each day we look to find commonalities with teammates, enjoy the moment, and absorb the splendor of the natural world.
STAY TUNED FOR 2020 SUMMER COURSES and 2021 EXPEDITION AVAILABILITY - more BLOG entries coming soon!
