Backcountry Skiing in Remote Alaska
April 14, 2013 - April 19, 2013
I went on this trip with Eli from ClimbingLife, who skillfully organized and guided us, making the entire experience truly enjoyable. Before this adventure, I had completed some avalanche training and backcountry ski courses with him in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Day 1 - April 14th
Flew from Colorado to Anchorage Alaska, then drove 2 hours north to Talkeetna. Got on a small ski plane with Talkeetna Air Taxi to fly us up to Denali National Park and landed us on a glacier. We set up our camp for the week, digging in for our cook tent so it was mostly below snow level (warmer out of the wind).
Day 2 - April 15th
Ski tour morning. Back to camp for lunch. Ski tour evening. Explored the north side of the glacier valley.
Day 3 - April 16th
Ski tour morning. Back to camp for lunch. Ski tour evening. Explored the south side of the glacier valley.
Day 4 - April 17th
A big ski day, with a summit climb up a remote, unnamed peak. Had to break up the ski back to camp into a few segments.
Day 5 - April 18th
Ski tour morning. Back to camp for lunch. Ski tour evening.
Day 6 - April 19th
The Talkeetna Air Taxi plane came back to pick us up. We then drove back to Anchorage to catch our flights back home.