Alaska Ski Mountaineering - Lake… (trip)
Alaska Ski Mountaineering - Lake Clark National Park
- Anchorage
- Active & Adventure
| from $4,500* per person | 12 Days | March-May |
| Comfort accommodations | Exertion level: 7 | |
| Operator: Alaska Alpine Adventures | 8 people max | |
In the last few years, backcountry skiing has surged in popularity worldwide. With rising lift ticket prices across the country’s ski resorts, and the wider availability of affordable and technologically advanced backcountry gear – telemark, randonee (aka alpine touring), and split snowboards –, riders of all skills and abilities are heading into the backcountry to "earn their turns!"
Remote, spectacular, diverse, and magical, are just a few adjectives that we've come up with to describe the Neacola Mountains. Located approximately 120 air-miles southwest of Anchorage, the Neacola Mountains comprise the southernmost portion of the massive Alaska Range. They have been best described as a heavily glaciated version of Washington’s North Cascades. At roughly 150 square miles in size, this small portion of Lake Clark National Park offers some of the finest ski touring and ski mountaineering potential in the entire state of Alaska. What’s even more enticing is the fact that the Neacolas have seen very little in the way of skiing or climbing activity. Given the latitude, these relatively low elevation mountains provide excellent skiing with great snow quality on a variety of terrain within easy touring of our base camps. Another great thing about the lower elevations is that it much easier to reach the top of the peaks and passes without contending with altitude issues! This means great skiing within your grasp. Furthermore, there isn't a heli ski operation within many miles so it is just you and your guides and the spectacular skiing terrain of this pristine winter environment. Except for an occasional reference on the USGS topographic maps, most of the peaks and glaciers in the Neacola Mountains remain not only unskied but also unclimbed and unnamed.
A small bush airplane equipped with wheel-skis will land us on a glacier in the heart of the range. We’ll spend the first 6-days out on the glacier operating out of a spacious basecamp. During this time you’ll not only learn the skills of winter camping, avalanche and crevasse rescue, efficient glacier travel and route finding techniques, but also the subtle art of ski touring including skinning, kick-turning, transition efficiencies, and pacing.
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Locations visited/nearby
United States
0 testimonials about this trip.
3 testimonials about the provider, Alaska Alpine Adventures:
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Reviewer: Caroline Seaman
"The scenery and routes were gorgeous – we loved the area. Food was fantastic and far exceeded our expectations. Guides were extremely knowledgeable and fun to travel with.”"
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Reviewer: Augie Spagnola
"This was a great trip, it truly exceeded my expectations."
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Reviewer: John Wargo
“As a seasoned backpacker worldwide, I would rate this trip as a once in a lifetime experience! I’ve never had better food in the field. Great weather, spectacular scenery. Overall – outstanding!”
Itinerary
Day 1: Today you are free to arrive in Anchorage on your own. We’ll be staying at the Susitna Place Bed & Breakfast, which is located close to the airport and adjacent to downtown Anchorage. After checking into the B&B, you’ll meet our guides by early afternoon. Tonight we’ll do an orientation dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, and upon returning to our B&B, we’ll pour over maps and discuss the trip and the route.
Day 2: Today, we’ll get an early start and begin the 3-hour drive to Kenai. Our route will take us down the scenic Seward Highway, and through the Chugach and Kenai mountain ranges. We’ll arrive in Kenai by 10am, and weather permitting will board our airplane and begin shuttling ourselves and our gear into the Neacolas. Our pilot has spent years flying in this area and you’ll immediately understand why we choose to fly with him. The flight will take about an hour and will take you over some of the most remote and beautiful country in Alaska. After our flight, we’ll begin the task of digging in to the glacier and positioning our basecamp. By late afternoon, we’ll rope up for a quick tour of the glacier and by early evening we’ll be back at camp enjoying our first of many fantastic meals.
Clinic: RESCUE
Day 2: Beacon School - including Beacon
Rescue and companion beacon rescue, crevasse rescue and packing for a tour.
Days 3-7: We’ll spend these days touring from our basecamp and exploring the surrounding peaks and glaciers. As we get used to our equipment and the nuance of traveling on glaciers, we’ll spend the first couple of days assessing the snow pack on differing aspects and skiing mellower terrain. As our confidence (as well as the weather and the snow stability) allows, we’ll slowly begin to venture into steeper country. The Neacolas offer suitable skiing terrain for all ability levels and we’ll travel in groups of three or four skiers per guide in order to accommodate people’s various abilities and aspirations. By day 6, you’ll be putting all the skills to practice on client led tours!
Clinics: TOURING FUNDAMENTALS; TERRAIN; GLACIER TRAVEL
Day
3: Safety, speed, efficiency lecture, transition efficiency,
skinning, kick-turns, pacing, downhill skiing in the backcountry
Day
4: Tour planning lecture, selecting a route, avalanche
stability evaluation
Day 5: Rope setup, navigating
through crevasses, prussiking, ski anchors, belaying.
Day 6:
Client led tour
Day 7: Client led tour
Days
8-11: After a healthy breakfast, we’ll pack up sleds and
backpacks and prepare to begin our 4-day tour of the Neacola Mountains.
There are countless options possible from our basecamp and we’ll likely
choose to head into new country on an exploratory expedition; on a route
that piques everyone’s interest and one that your guides deem to be
safe and appropriate for the given snow and weather conditions.
Regardless of the exact route, our objective will include an attempt of
at least one significant peak in the region and crossings of at least
two glacier passes. During this week, you’ll learn firsthand how to
move camp in a winter and glacier environment, safe campsite selection,
the art of snow shelter construction, safe route finding techniques.
Day 12: We’ll schedule a mid-morning ski plane back to civilization. We’ll make the drive from Kenai to Anchorage and plan on being back by late afternoon. If you are leaving Alaska on this day, please schedule all homebound flights from Anchorage for after 10pm.
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