7/19-7/30 12 Day Course heads into the field!

 

After a few days of rainy weather and classes in town, the 12-day course led by Simon Frez-Albrecht, Hannah Beutler, and Claire Bicknell is heading out toward the Matanuska Glacier to fly into the Scandinavian Peaks.  

This area is about 20 miles up the Matanuska Glacier in the Chugach Mountains. It's an excellent area to learn glacier travel skills, ice climb, and it has spectacular views.  

July 19th- Teen Backpacking Heads Back out on the Trail after a Resupply at Headquarters!

 

Teens were smiling after all those miles! This custom backpacking team started out with lots of sunshine and then... learned all about camping and backpacking in the rain.  They stayed in town for a well-deserved 2-day break from the rain here in Talkeetna, before heading out again today for their final 5 days.  They enjoyed the chance to dry out their gear, use a grill to cook lunch, and acquire some extra layers and waterproof gloves!  This is such a great group.  The skills they are developing are epic!

 

July 11th- Teen Backpacking Updates!

 

The Northern Talkeetna Mountains and part of the route where they are traveling.

The team checked in to report that they hiked 4.3 miles with an elevation gain of 700ft.  Che and Charlotte led the charge for the group for the day.  Some students and instructors even did a peak ascent south of Caribou Pass!  They are having a blast learning and being challenged.  We can't wait for the next update!

July 4th 6 Day MTC and Teen Backpacking Updates

 

The July 4th 6-day MTC led by Simon, Chelsey, and Claire has returned to Talkeetna in good style.  They had an alpine start this morning and started moving toward the skiway at 3:00am.  They got back to Talkeetna before the Eldridge clouded in and conditions became un-flyable.  They are currently washing and drying equipment and enjoying lots of coffee and snacks.

The 7/1 Teen Hiking Trip led by Fallon, Katie, and Keagan hiked five miles down Soule Creek to the Jack River yesterday and then continued up to Caribou Pass.  There are two big lakes in Caribou pass where they got a resupply of food, fuel, and other essentials from a float plane that met them there. 

They did classes on river crossing and are taking a rest day today. 

All good up here in AK.

 

July 4th, 6 Day Mountaineering Course - doing well

 This team led by Simon Frez-Albrecht is doing well on the Eldridge Glacier. Today they practiced working on cramponing, running pro, fixed lines and a small peak ascent.  Cooking dinner now.  They had a good day!

Climbers with an airplane at the drop point on the Eldridge Glacier where our courses begin. 

Teen Backpacking - checks in again and the weather is great.

The group is making steady progress. Lead instructor, Fallon Connolly texted in late last night: "...hiked 4.5 miles and went over two small passes. Used tripod method to cross E fork of the Jack River." They are enjoying fantastic weather out there as it continues to be warm and sunny with clear views. 

Today they will continue to make progress and hike to a new camp on an alpine lake. Most of their days will be packing up and moving their tents to new wilderness locations during this course. This will provide a next-level foundation of wilderness skills that will last for a lifetime.

The team at their trailhead on July 3rd!

Teen Backpacking - Checks in

Today, the team was able to check-in today via InReach text. They are doing well and are settling into their new routines in the wilderness!. They hiked 4 miles and gained over 1,600 feet in elevation in the trail-less Northern Talkeetna Mountians.  They are texting via satellite, so we won't get any photos until they return! 

The Northernn Talkeetna Mountains and part of the route where they are traveling.

July 4th - 6 Day Mountaineering Course begins!

This team of seven students and three instructors led by Simon Frez-Albrecht had a great start today. They checked gear, packed mountain trail lunch foods, and practiced fixed-line ascension prior to heading off to the airport and flying into the Eldridge Glacier with our friends at Talkeetna Air Taxi. 

Teen Backpacking hits the road!

The Teen Backpacking Course led by Fallon Connolly has begun! This morning, after a tasty breakfast, and a class on pack packing, the team packed their backpacks, filled their water bottles, and loaded up the AMS van to drive to the trail head. They will be spending the next 3 weeks in the Talkeetna Mountains. During this course, they will be re-rationed two times by a small airplane that with land with their food on the tundra. This keeps their pack lighter as they will only have to carry approximately one week of food in their packs during this climb.

Ready to roll!

AMS Instructors; Katie, Fallon, and Keagan

Teen Backpacking begins!

 We have a very special group of teens from North Country Camps and Patagonia Adventures here at AMS today as they prepare for a 21-day backpacking adventure in the Talkeetna Mountains. They spent a very busy day here at the AMS HQ here today, which included: gear check, lunch packing, re-ration drop packing, bear awareness, bear spray usage, route and orientation, and much more! Tonight they will camp here at the AMS HQ and tomorrow they depart for the trailhead.

This is a really fun group and we are so excited for them and this great adventure. 

Updates for our teams -the AMS 2022 Denali season is complete!

  ❄️  June 13 Denali Team  and ❄️  June 16 Team Grace 

Returned yesterday, July 1, from the Alaska Range. They were all tired from their overnight descent to basecamp and very happy to be back. They checked into their hotel and had a short nap, and enjoyed small town Talkeetna yesterday afternoon. The June 13 team will continue to celebrate tonight.

We want to Thak all of our fantastic expedition members and guides for the hard work they put in this year, Denali is a real commitment, both before and during the climb.  After the climb is a special time to reflect on this very special adventure.

The yard at AMS HQ is always full of activity when teams are returning!