The Adventure in Bozeman MT

I remember when I received an email from Urban Ascent this last winter stating that the gym would be closing in April of this year, and how devastated I felt. That ever looming feeling of what I would do next settled above me, my summer plans and job were not going to happen.

We have spent some time in Bozeman, MT the last couple of years, mostly visiting friends and spending at least a week ice climbing each year. Last summer I came here and hiked and enjoyed some amazing summer weather and views with friends, and each visit left a lasting feeling of longing to return.

How could you not want to live near this?

So this spring when I found out that my original plans would not be coming to fruition, I started to toy with the idea of trying to move to the place that could fulfill all my passions and still be somewhat close to home. Joe’s sister Melissa also was playing with the idea of possibly trying to go somewhere new, and after passing back and forth with her the idea of her, Joe and myself getting a place we decided to start making that idea into a reality.

I was quick to look into a job opportunity at Spire Climbing Center, the local climbing gym here in Bozeman, and had sent in an application and showed my interest of possibly getting a job here. In the meantime we all packed up our things and headed to Alaska for what was quite the trip, as many of you already know.

This somehow feels like it was forever ago, I can't wait to return.

After returning we all went our separate ways, Joe and Trav back to work, Melissa back to MA for her job, and I went back to Boise for some much need downtime. Though I have to say most of that time was spent trying to plan for the big move to Bozeman. I had heard back from the gym and made a quick visit, and was eventually offered the job. Somehow all our plans were magically panning out, not only did I get offered a position here at the gym (which I was completely over the moon about to be working at another climbing gym, and a great one at that) but Melissa also got offered a job at the ER working as a nurse.

I finally made the move up here at the end of June, and was living with our good friend Laramie while looking for another place for Joe, Melissa and I to rent. While balancing a new job, trying to find a place to rent, and finding the time to get outside and explore Bozeman it seemed like the days were never long enough, and even now we all agree that this seems to be the case every day.

Moving to Bozeman means you become a mountain biker, and commute to work with a bike too.

In mid to late summer we finally found an amazing place, near downtown and the bridgers. We really lucked out with such a great place and awesome landlords who also climb. Our move in date wasn’t until mid August, so I continued to live at Laramie’s place in the meantime.

Bozeman has a certain way up upping the outdoor activity level than any place I have ever been. For example, on a day out with some girlfriends, we opted to go and run the Bridger Traverse, which I had hiked last year and was thoroughly dead by the time I finished and even more so by the time we finished running it this year. Though on the flip side, being able to crush 20 miles and over 5,000ft of elevation gain with some super ladies was a great experience.

Melissa arrived to Bozeman at the end of July and a couple of weeks later we moved into our new house. Joe and I had made a quick trip to Canada for a friends wedding and arrived back to a fast and quick move in day. The fact that none of us had any furniture made the whole process go by really quickly. It was great to have Joe here to help us move in, he actually was in town for my birthday a month earlier and looked at the house with me when we offered to rent it. So to have him here for even a short period of time to join in on the process was excellent before he had to leave for another two months of work.

The Bridger traverse, with the best ladiies.

So now Melissa and I have been settling in at our wonderful place. Plenty of thrift store visits have already happened and I am sure there are countless more in the future. Slowly items have been finding their way into the house and starting to make it feel like a home. This whole process is new for all of us, and even though it is quite scary and intimidating, I think it's something we have thought of doing for awhile and to be finally doing it is exciting.

Big smiles all around at the beginning of the Traverse!

I think I have so far failed to mention how much I love my job. I never got the chance to thoroughly throw myself into the position at Urban Ascent, and regretted that immediately when I found out the gym would be closing. So I knew that I would try not to let that happen with this job, and to make it a goal to work and be available for this new job at Spire, and so far it’s really paid off.

On top of the job being so amazing, Bozeman has truly been a place where all passions can be fulfilled. One of the main reasons I moved here was because of the ice climbing, but the summer has proven to be just as amazing as the winter. Being able to run, hike, mountain bike, and other mountain sports close to home is about as close to heaven as you can get.

All the trails are unreal and close to home which is great.

Most of my time right now is spent working and trying to fit in all the things I want to in what always seems like not enough time in a day. But truly, Bozeman so far I think has exceeded my expectations by a landslide. And recently, we woke up to a dusting of snow on the Bridgers, only to add to the excitement of cold weather, snow and most importantly the ice.

This year the smoke was immense, so here's a photo from last year to sum up how beautiful it is here.

It may not be a giant adventure to a new country, mountain, or crazy ice climbing location but it is a whole new adventure in itself. There is a part of me that sometimes asks what the heck am I doing, and that I probably should have just gotten a van, but the other part of me is feeling really satisfied in the decision to stay in one place for longer that a month at a time. So with the process of moving, settling in at a new job, and finding the time to get outside and play in my free time, I have completely failed to keep up with the blog and updating all the people who care to see what I have been up to! So hopefully from here on out, things will start to feel and become more consistent again! Cheers to new things, and adventures…. And maybe even some adulting in there too!:)

The Alaska Range

Expectations are a big part of anyone’s goal. In my case, with this Alaska goal I was expecting to be challenged, physically and mentally. I was expecting for things to not go as planned, and for the team to have to adjust accordingly. I expected for there to be unpleasant weather, and to have to hunker down for a couple of days or even a few days. What I didn't expect is for our team to try to accomplish our audacious goal, in the worst May weather many have seen in years.

Morning of our flight, geared up and ready to go with Sheldon's Beaver behind us.
PC- JDSTYLOS

When the morning arrived for us to fly out onto the Kahiltna glacier, my heart pounded in my chest. The unknown was just ahead. It felt like you could grab the excitement out of the air and hold it in your hand. We packed up the small Beaver (plane) with all of our climbing gear as we waited for the frost to melt from her wings. When the time came to finally fly out, a million things were running through my head, hoping we had everything.

Ready to go! PC- JDSTYLOS

In the distance, the northern skyline came into view, the Alaska Range demanded everyone's attention. As the plane flew nearer and nearer the mountain quickly towered above us. I had heard others describe the range from the perspective of the plane but it’s hard to imagine something you’ve never seen. Foraker rose to the left, I squished my face as close to the window as I could to attempt to see the summit. I scouted the route as best I could but the flight seemed to go by so fast and before I knew it the plane floated onto freshly placed snow from the previous storms.

Blue bird day during our flight in, with Foraker in the background.
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Basecamp had fewer people than I had been expecting. Early season, and a five day storm had prevented many climbers from coming in, and we were some of the first to land for the season. We unloaded the plane quickly, making sure to place all gear on the side of the runway, away from any incoming planes. A loud roar filled the valley as a large icefall had caused a distant massive avalanche to come raging down the side of Mt Hunter. All urgent gear moving was put on hold as we admired a not so welcoming “hello” from the Alaska Range. We said our goodbyes to the family members who had flown in behind us, and we quickly got to business.

Headed up the West Buttress
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Shuttling gear, rigging sleds, digging the cache, and putting the finishing touches on our harnesses seemed to fly by but in reality it took the rest of the morning. By early afternoon we finally started down the east fork of the Kahiltna and headed right towards the West Buttress to acclimatize with Melissa in the lead.

Trav never failed to lower his optimistic outlook during the entire trip.
PC-JDSTYLOS

Our team was stop and go, trying to figure out what worked best to allow for efficient travel. Soon we passed the teams ahead of us, and Melissa broke trail, setting the route for the West Buttress climbing season. With fresh snow from recent storms, movement wasn't especially fast. Melissa’s snow shoes kept shedding their straps and quite quickly one of her snowshoes was without any straps at all. After a quick fix-it, we were back on trail with the other teams close behind us. With the light starting to fade we were left with the decision to keep going, and try to get to the base of ski hill, or camp where we were at. With the temperature quickly dropping we decided to make camp, not without a few learning moments along the way.


Who knew probing for crevasses with a sled dragging behind you would cause so many problems? Trying to secure the campsite was a world of issues, things we never thought about reared their ugly head. Frozen carabiners prevented us from disconnecting the sleds from the rope, cold temps made for frustrating camp building, and little light had us rushing to get everything done. By the time we finally climbed into bed, it was almost midnight. That night we fell asleep with a brewing storm coming our way.

Crosswords were a favorite. PC- JDSTYLOS

Little did we know, we wouldn't be making a new camp again for another 6 days. We woke up to a whiteout and raging wind for four days in a row. Joe and Trav created excellent walls. Even though we were in a fairly exposed spot on the glacier, it was hard to tell with a 6 foot wall guarding you from the freezing wind. Those days were spent moving around camp, only to dig out tents, make dinner and melt water, use the bathroom, and visit Melissa and Trav in the Hilleberg (their tent had a vestibule, and was used for all social occasions). Each night we listened to the weather forecast in hopes of clearer skies, only to be shut down. But finally we caught a break and were forecasted clear skies for at least a couple days.

Finally out of the tents, we headed up Ski Hill for a quick hike.
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We woke up the next morning to a view I find hard to describe. Denali was being illuminated from a morning sun behind her, while Foraker and Hunter basked in a sun that felt like it was hardly ever seen. Though the sun was out, it was by far our coldest morning. We took the opportunity given by a sunny day and packed up our gear to climb to the top of ski hill to try to get some acclimatizing in before moving to the base of Crosson.


I personally felt a bit sluggish after spending 4 days in a tent but was plenty happy to get out of the tent. Truly though we cruised up ski hill, because we had light packs. We passed our friends who were headed up the West Buttress. After reaching about 9,600ft we headed back to camp for dinner and to work on packing up any unneeded gear for the the next days move.

Our camp after the storm, the walls did an exceptional job to keep the blowing
snow out of camp.
PC- JDSTYLOS

The following morning we awoke to a small cloud layer, but warmer temperatures. Packing up camp was no quick feat, but we finally were out of camp and headed back in the direction we came by mid morning.

Trav
PC- JDSTYLOS

The recent storm had covered our tracks, so finding our way back was a bit tricky, and even scary at some points with the sound of settling snow making our stomachs drop. Once we arrived to a now broken trail from recent climbers coming by, we made great time. We cruised down the glacier to the point where we broke off and headed towards the base of Crosson and away from base camp. As we crossed the glacier the light became flatter and flatter. Joe lead the way but without much ability to see any sort of definition in the snow whatsoever. You couldn't tell if there was a ten foot drop off in front of you or a straight line. After slow moving because of poor light, Joe finally started to throw our wands out in front of him to see where they landed. And it was this technique that got us all the way to the hill that lead us to the access coulairs on Crosson. With the weather starting to sock in, and snow now falling I was hesitant to try to climb the hill. But alas, we persisted only to turn around after the sleds caused for slow moving and we decided to go find a camp at the base of the hill. After so much time to deliberate after our frustratingly slow camp building last time, we vastly improved on our second camp. With more daylight, there was less pressure and we could take our time each doing a specific duty.

Tent Life was a big part of this trip
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What was forecasted to be sunshine was actually snow. The weather was decent enough though we decided we would at least hike up the hill and get a good look at the access couloir to see what condition it was in. What felt like a beast of a hill the following day was quickly behind us on this one. Trav lead us to a point where we could all see the conditions of the snow and the steepness of the couloir, which had been on my mind since I had first read about the route. The couloir looked in great condition, though steep it looked doable and we all seemed like we were on board to give it a go the following day, weather permitting.

Melissa, with the reflections of the rest of the team in her goggles
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The following morning, Joe was up checking weather most of the early hours it seemed. By the time we all finally got out, the clouds had lifted just enough to where we could see where we wanted to make a cache, at about 8,600 feet on Crosson’s ridge. Though there was some snow falling, the wind was calm and there was little snow accumulation throughout the night.


We each packed 2 bags of food, except Trav who also brought along a completely full can of fuel. The goal for the day was to climb up the couloir and make a cache at what we hoped would be our first camp on Crosson.

Rocky section in the couloir
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When we arrived to the base of the couloir, the weather was holding. So we changed out our snowshoes for crampons, and with Joe in the lead we headed up. He placed running protection as the climb gradually got steeper and steeper. With fresh, dry snow, Joe was having to wallow through waist deep snow, making for slow progress. The couloir got to about 55 degrees at its steepest, but as we continued up the grade got shallower, but the weather got worse. The wind had picked up along with the snow, causing hearing each other to become increasingly more difficult. What appeared to be a large wind slab not too far ahead, required us to stay as much as we could on rocks. I yelled to Joe asking if we should be placing a cache in this weather, and was told he wanted to make it to the top of the ridge. It got to the point where truly no one could hear each other. We continued up and when he finally got to the ridge, he laid his entire body weight into the wind and it held him up. He pointed his axe down, signaling the meaning for “Go Down”. Going down, was just as slow as going up, but by the time we finally made it back to our snow shoes the weather was exactly the same as when we had started to go up. But this time when you looked back up the ridge you could see the wind raging.

Going back down in a whiteout. PC- JDSTYLOS

The following morning, on day 10 we woke up to a complete whiteout… a now familiar sight. Morale was kept high with all of us, by reading books (though my kindle had died and decided mountain life was not for it) playing sudoku, connect the dots, journaling, eating tons of candy, but probably the most entertaining part was working on crossword puzzles. Melissa and Trav would yell from their tent to ours, asking the clues. Each evening we worked on the puzzles, in hopes we could finish them (weekday puzzles were dominated, weekend puzzles… not so much).

Almost back down, with a little more snow than before.
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The next morning, I wrote this;
“Day 11, Would you believe me if I told you that we are still in the same place as 4 days ago, and there is currently ZERO visibility outside?!”.


The following morning I wrote this;
Day 12: “With great delight, I poked my head out of my tent to find sun blinding blue skies”.

Headed back to basecamp on a gorgeous day.
PC- JDSTYLOS

In only the second day of the whole trip where we finally had some decent sun we were faced with a very difficult decision. We knew that the climb up Crosson, and Mt Foraker would take longer than we had enough food for. After having to wait for the snow to shed and settle, and with a weather forecast calling for another significant storm coming, we were forced to make the difficult decision to pack up our gear and head back to basecamp with Foraker towering behind us. It was hard to go, to head away from the climbs major goal was not an easy task. I knew another storm was coming, but with perfect weather, all any of us wanted to do was to finally start making progress up the mountain.

Basecamp was a bit busier on the return.
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We arrived into basecamp to find a completely different scene. The planes that had gotten in the last 2 weeks had brought enough people to make a tent city. We were approached by other climbers asking if we had made it onto the Sultana Ridge, worrying about us. Only to answer with we never even made it onto Crosson. Our disappointed spirits were made bright again, when Tim, Sheldon’s Base camp manager had to head back to town to make a flight before the incoming storm and left us the basecamp tent to tend to. We pulled out the camp chairs and basked in the wonderful sunlight, and watched as fresh climbers with high spirits landed onto the Kahiltna glacier.

It was a luxury getting to enjoy the range in a lawn after days hunched
over in the tents.
PC- JDSTYLOS

We slept in the hut that night, but were quite cold so the following 5 nights we slept in the tents. Like the forecast called for, snow arrived and stayed for the rest of the time we were in base camp. We had figured out the radio system in the hut and were in contact with Sheldon Air Service trying to give them any good news, but whenever the sun would try to come out, it was quickly covered by an incoming cloud layer. We had originally planned on going to base camp with hopes to try to do our plan C, which consisted of climbing Mt Francis and other small peaks. But with the poor weather we were once again tent bound. Luckily this time, we could enjoy basecamp life and got to socialize with other climbers, enjoy the SAS tent, and learn the ins and outs of life in basecamp.

The SAS hut had a Coleman stove and cots, making for a five star hotel.
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A few false weather windows appeared and many on the planes attempted to land with little success. Only fooling us once, did we pack up our entire camp and move it down to the runway. We learned our lesson and when our plane finally did come get us, after another 6 days of weather we only had our tents and sleeping bags to pack up.


Flying out of the Alaska Range, was very hard. Foraker and all her beauty awaited the next climbers attempts. As beautiful as it was coming in, the range felt different this time heading out. As much as I was looking forward to a shower, clean clothes, some food that wasn't candy, in hindsight I also yearned for some good weather to try to go back and at least put in some true effort on the actual mountain.

The Arrival of the plane was bittersweet.
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When we finally landed, the excitement to be back was short lived, as I didn't realize how much I had been working to keep my morale up on the glacier. The disappointment of not getting to do any climbing, and having come so far, had come over me in a wave of emotion.


After having trained for months and putting in thousands of dollars, disappointment is to be expected. What I wasn't expecting was the feeling of wanting to return next year to try the climb so quickly. After weeks of sitting in a tent you would think that feeling would come with a little time, but for me it came almost immediately.

Back to Talkeetna
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After writing on Facebook I was home from the climb and a short synopsis of how it had gone, a friend had commented with this, “It seems like you have to build up a reservoir of suffering to be an experienced mountaineer”. While I don’t know if I would describe our time as suffering, I would describe it as a true test to all of our friendships, and mental strength. As a result, I am so happy to say, I think we came out of this trip stronger and closer in our relationships than when we went in. And maybe my suffering reservoir is a little more full than it used to be;).

Spending time in the Hilleberg was a common thing on the trip
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In climbing there is so much you can control. From training, to the food you eat, the gear you buy, the knowledge you learn, the skills you possess.... but the weather is that almighty being which ultimately controls all. I expected there to be bad weather, but I didn't expect the weather we got. I am looking forward to more years to come in the Alaska Range, and all the things that I won't expect that come along with them.

Thank you to all of you for your support!

The Hilleberg crew looking SHARP
PC- JDSTYLOS

Sending Off

And we're off!

We have packed our bags about three times, and will have to do it again before tomorrow. Drove 38 hours straight through from MA to ID. Spent a mere 3 days in Idaho before flying the 6 hours to Anchorage.

The trip finally feels like it actually happening. After months of preparation we have officially settled in here at the AirBNB in Talkeetna. We have a full house, including us four climbers and some of our family members. 

The Golden Raisin's, all together! PC- Kat Schick

We have been diligently watching the weather and the forecast is calling for plenty of snow. After talking to Sheldon Air Service (the airline set to take us into the glacier), we will be notified with little time when a window opens up to head out. Fingers crossed its sooner rather than later!

The last couple of days we have been finishing up with the 20+ food bags, sorting out the group gear for each person to take and touching up on all of the finishing tasks. We checked in with our air service yesterday and today we are scheduled for a climbers meeting with the park service. Now there is just the final touches on our gear and just a bit of waiting.

Home sweet home before the tent! PC- Kat Schick

I think I can speak for the entire group when I say we are all filled with pre climb butterflies. Excitement, some nerves and the unknown all lingers here in the house with us. 

If we strike out with weather we will be stuck here in town for longer than planned, and I can only imagine the nerves and excitement will only build. 

Picking up our sleds from SAS. PC- Kat Schick

So, with this I will officially be offline for a month while we are hopefully climbing on the mountain. At very least sitting in a tent waiting out some weather, reading lots of books, and playing suduko.

Cheers to us, the Golden Raisins, and to a good effort on whatever we find ourselves on in the next month! 

Going over the route with SAS. PC- Kat Schick

Preparing for Alaska

If you would have approached me two years ago and told me I would be training and preparing to go to the Alaska Range I would have laughed and turned my head.


Even now I find it hard to believe when I look at photos of those mountains that we will be there in less than a month. I have mentioned Alaska very briefly in the last few posts, and felt like it was time to properly introduce our next adventure.

Mt Foraker and The Sultana Ridge continuing onto Pt.12,472 and Crosson
PC- Fedor Farberov (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia)

When Joe first mentioned going on a expedition to the Alaska Range to me last summer, I was quite unsure about the whole idea. Maybe more on the side of thinking that it was not going to happen anytime soon. So when we decided to shoot for the month of May in spring of 2018, we slowly went to work on getting our team and logistics together. With our main objective being the Sultana Ridge on Mt Foraker.


Mt Foraker (the indians native to the land call the mountain Sultana) sits in the central Alaska Range located in Denali National Park. Foraker is a mere 14 miles southwest of her much more popular partner, Denali. At 17,400ft, Foraker is the second highest mountain in the range, and third highest in the United States. In 2016, Denali saw 1,126 climbers, of which 675 got to the summit. Mt Foraker on the other hand, saw a total of 16 climbers, of which seven made it to the top. Credit: NPS.Gov  Although we are going to Alaska with the main objective being to climb Mt Foraker, we have a few other possible climbs lined up if things don't go as planned.

The Camps mark the route, Pt.12,472 is behind camp three on Crosson.
PC- Daeshik via Wikiloc

Our intended route up the mountain is the Sultana Ridge. Though the climb itself is not overly technical, it is quite long and committing. Requiring you to climb two substantial peaks and then traverse a long exposed ridge, before making it to the mountain itself. Where a 5,500ft summit day awaits you.


I am a new addition to Joe’s prior expedition team. Joe, his sister Melissa, and good friend Trav all climbed and summited Denali via the Muldrow Glacier. This will be their second expedition to the Alaska range, and my first. Overall, each one of us will bring something to the team, from knowledge, humor, encouragement, and different skills.

Melissa and I on our climb of Mt Hood, summer 2017
PC-JDSTYLOS

One of the most exciting things about the trip thus far has been naming our expedition team. If you look up “Sultana” in google, the first thing that comes up is Grapes. So after a little more research we quickly realized that in some countries golden raisins are called “Sultanas”. That coupled with the fact that we are all blonde, and don’t fair particularly well in the sun, we decided that The Golden Raisins would be a perfect expedition name.


Along with learning about the route, helping naming our team, and getting permits, I have had to purchase a lot of new gear for this trip… from sleeping bags, mats, clothes, parka, and other essential items. Out of all the preparation we have done so far though, training has taken up most of our time. We started methodically training even before we got back from New Zealand.


As I said in my last blog post, “Training for the New Alpinism” has been our own sort of “Bible”. Referencing that book and the companion website (Uphill Athlete), we have been scheduling our lives around running, hiking with heavy packs, days of doing strength workouts, and somewhere in our free time getting some climbing in.

First day of Training, doing the Alpine Combine in New Zealand
PC-JDSTYLOS

The whole training cycle, if done perfectly goes over 25+ weeks. Since were in New Zealand, we started a bit later and shortened our training to be at a total of 18 weeks from the time we started training to the day we take a plane out onto the glacier. At this point in time we are less than a month away and are at about 156 hours of training.


It's been difficult to try to balance traveling, climbing and life in general with such a strict training plan. So when last week looked like it might be our last time to get some ice climbing in this year we took the opportunity to try to get one more day in.

First 30ft on Chouinard's Gully
PC-JDSTYLOS

The transition from only toproping to now leading has opened up a whole new door of possibilities of routes to get on. So we drove up to Keene Valley, NY and scouted out Chouinard's Gully. A 300 ft, WI3 ice gulley right off the pond. With a 70m rope you can do the whole thing in two pitches, with an easy walk off at the end.


The morning of my first multi pitch climb I was filled with fluttering butterflies in my stomach. We left the car just before 8:00am and were at the base of the climb in about 15 minutes. I had placed all the screws, slings, cordelette and carabiners on my harness before we left the car so when we got to the climb all we had to do was tighten our boots and rope up. I was the first to lead and I was nervous! Once I started to climb, and placed my first screw the nerves fluttered away. Once out of the short steep section of the climb I felt like I was cruising. So mentally focused on the task at hand, by the time I got to the top of my pitch my calves quickly reminded me of the low angle ice, as it felt like they had been placed in a raging fire. I made an anchor around a tree and Joe climbed the full rope length up to me. Where we high fived, switched the lead and he was on his way. The sun never hit the climb, but for a spring day, it felt warm and the ice was soft. Joe lead the last pitch with good technique and excellent screws. Once he created the anchor I was quick to follow and got to the top where both of us were ecstatic on our first ice multi pitch.

At the belay, Joe on the second pitch, with Chapel Lake below us
PC-JDSTYLOS

We were back down at the car before noon, and spent the rest of the day climbing in the canyon. Both of us high as a kite after a good day. Most importantly an excellent way to close this years ice climbing season. Climbing 50 pitches of ice, both of us getting our first leads in, and finishing up with an excellent first multi pitch. What started out looking like it might be an iffy season for us, turned out to be truly outstanding.


With us not having to shuffle around trying to fit in ice climbing between cardio and strength workouts, we have stepped up and really started focusing on the last few weeks of training and prep before the trip.

Following Joe on the second pitch
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With almost all of the gear gathered and purchased, we are moving onto food for the trip. With a projected 3 weeks of time in the Alaska Range, that means we will have to be packing 3 weeks of food for four people. You can get the idea how much that might weigh. So as we come up with each bag of food, we have to think of food items that will keep our appetites interest at 10,000+ ft. All the food you try to stay away from in everyday life with most likely be making an appearance in one of our food bags. Easily digestible, high calorie, low weight food items are the goal.


As the weeks start to countdown to days, our training intensifies before it tapers. This week consisted of over 16 hours of training. The following weeks will start to look more and more like what we will be actually be doing on the mountain.

After our climb, me on Chapel Pond. 300ft Chouinards is behind me.
PC-JDSTYLOS

After we all group together mid April for a last check over gear and big last training day, all four of us will be meeting up in Anchorage Alaska on April 26th.

Running laps on Hot Shot
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The training, planning and expenses for this trip have all been more than I was expecting, but I think we are and have been doing the best we can to prepare ourselves for the trip. If we haven't, we will quickly know once we get there.


I am excited to keep all of you in the loop and try to blog along as the process continues! Cheers!

Happy Camper after our first MultiPitch
PC-JDSTYLOS

Training, Climbing and an Avalanche Course

The leaves from last fall crunched under my feet as Joe, Melissa and I walked through a forest of maple trees towards Rose Ledge. It was hard to believe that not even a week before we were climbing frozen waterfalls on Lake Superior and now we were climbing warm gneiss in tank tops. The temperature swing from the upper UP was drastic, but we were far from discouraged. We put on rock shoes, slapped some chalk on our hands and went to the crag.

Double Helix (5.9) PC- JDSTYLOS

Being on the road, and traveling makes training a bit difficult. You take advantage of the resources you have… whether it be a playground or paying $5.00 for a day pass at a gym. So having the ability to settle in at Northampton and start to truly focus on training has been quite the relief.

Melissa on Beginner's Corner (5.7) PC- JDSTYLOS

The book “Training for the New Alpinism” [Steve House, Scott Johnson] has been our sort of “Bible”. We have read the book front to back, and reference it almost every day. Time seems to be flying by before we leave to Alaska, so we have had to shorten the training a bit… but I think we are making it work.



Our weeks revolve around training. Whether it be getting in an hour or more of running in, hiking with big heavy packs and a couple of times a week making sure to go down to the shed to get a strength workout in… all are so valuable for our objective.

Double Helix PC- JDSTYLOS

With all of the training, we find that we tend to feel pretty tired most of the time. For a bit, we were disappointed to see the weather up north in the Adirondacks and North Conway to have warm temperatures and rain, ultimately started to melt all the ice. So when a large winter storm system came into town we did not hesitate to put away our rock shoes, grab the tools and go north.



The ice was revived by snowy days and cold temperatures. Joe, Melissa and I drove into the parking lot of Chapel Pond to find it full with other climbers. A bit of a shock for a Monday, but nevertheless we hiked down through the canyon to find some ice and were successful.

FIRST LEAD! Quinns Eskimo WI2/3 PC- JDSTYLOS

When you talk to any other climber about leading on ice it's never really a light subject. Like I said before in my last blog, falling on ice has high consequence. So when I considered leading on ice, I told myself I wouldn't lead until I felt like I was not only physically ready but mentally ready. This season my mindset had a bit of a shift, going from there's no way I will lead, to considering it, then finally getting to the point of… “yes, I am ready for this”.

FIRST LEAD! Quinns Eskimo WI2/3 PC- JDSTYLOS

When the weather looked like it was not going to cooperate for the rest of the season, I wondered if we were going to be able to get one last climb in. So when our chance emerged, both Joe and I were looking for good climbs to do our first leads.

FIRST LEAD! Quinns Eskimo WI2/3 PC- JDSTYLOS

Joe started the day out on a 180ft climb called Midnight Cruiser. A WI3, with a thin and awkward start. Not only did he start the day on this climb, but he lead it. I gave him a belay and watched him climb out of sight. I heard him yell “off belay!” and knew he was at the top! First lead checked off for him! By the time I was climbing and got up to him, I congratulated him but also questioned if I actually wanted to lead the same climb.

Joe's First Lead Midnight Cruiser, WI3

By the time we all regrouped at the bottom of the climb, we looked to our right and saw a perfect 110ft climb called “Quinn’s Eskimo”. Without the weird awkward start, this WI2/3 was much more appealing, so I racked up and tied in. Before I climbed I didn't really know what to expect, but as I started to swing my tools and place the screws, it was as if a mental calm came over me. With the ice grade low, and not extremely challenging, it gave me the ability to really focus on safe, and accurate climbing. Once I reached the top, I gave out a hollar, made an anchor and came back down. Melissa followed, and Joe finished up the day with his second lead.

Melissa Climbing the Main Flow of Lion's on a Beach, WI4
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The next day we were the first climbers out into the canyon and set a top rope on a more difficult climb, that neither Joe or I felt ready to lead. Lions on the Beach is a wide WI4 flow, with plenty of options to climb. Each time I climbed I had climbed a different line by setting a directional above us. From mock leading the main flow, to delicate climbing on a thin smear far left that was never more than an inch thick, to climbing far right on some technical bulges and pillars. We all got a full days worth of climbing in. Even though there wasn't any leading like the day before, it gave us all a chance to have some fun on more difficult ice.

Climbing the 1/2 in smear, far left on Lions
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Anyone who has been to the backcountry in the winter, or when there is snow involved knows that one of the biggest concerns is avalanche danger. With our Alaska trip quickly approaching, Melissa, Joe and I all signed up for an AAIRE 1 course with Synnott Mountain Guides in North Conway, New Hampshire. With another big storm approaching, the snow conditions were going to be perfect, and we drove up to New Hampshire feeling excited.

Climbing Far Right, Lions on a Beach WI4+
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The first day was all classroom work. Learning terminology, heuristics, different types of avalanches, reading avalanche forecasts, and what to be prepared for in the backcountry. This class was a perfect balance of not teaching you how to run away from avalanches but learning how to safely travel through avalanche terrain. The next two days focused on this concept.

Joe Climbing Far Right on Lions
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We met up with our teachers and classmates at the lodge to do a quick day brief before heading out on the Tuckerman Ravine trail at the base of Mt. Washington on Saturday morning. With the fresh powder surrounding us, the place was packed with skiers and climbers looking for fresh new lines. We hiked along the trail and as we did, our instructors taught us about informal snow tests, and what to keep an eye out for. We took time to learn how to use our Avalanche beacons and about partner rescue.

The Belay... PC-JDSTYLOS

The next day we all met up once again, did a quick brief before planning to climb up into the base of Huntington Ravine. Our two instructors took us to where we could see all the climbs in the ravine. From Central, to Damnation, and Pinnacle, he pointed all of them out to us. We admired the possibilities of future climbing. Our teachers demonstrated digging a snow pit, and we all took turns feeling for different layers in the snow. After a couple hours working and learning in the snow we came to the conclusion to continue further up into the terrain. We practiced safe travel through avi terrain and once we got to our high point, us three snowshoers watched the skiers ski through gorgeous uncarved powder. I’m a skier, but I have never skinned our done anything in the backcountry. After watching them ski down away from us, I was quick to make a mental note to get me a good pair of touring skis someday.

Shake it out.... PC- JDSTYLOS

Overall the AAIRE 1 course was indispensable. We may not be in as much avi terrain as a backcountry skier, but as climbers we do find ourselves in similar situations. I went from being completely blind about avalanches to feeling like I now have the necessary tools to make an educated decision on whether today is a good day, or maybe to end on a good note and come back later.

Melissa... PC-JDSTYLOS

After many hours out in the wind and snow, we said our goodbyes to North Conway and made the drive to Eastport, Maine to visit with Joe’s mom. With less than six weeks till we fly out to Alaska, I think we are all feeling the pressure to get everything in line to go. From purchasing gear, to making a food list and tracking the route on topo maps. Everything is slowly coming together, but at the same time it still feels like we have so much to do! There has been a lot of things about preparing for this expedition that I haven't quite expected but also as we get closer, the excitement starts to build… The ice has made a rebound up north, so as we train, pack and prep for Alaska, we will climb too!


Cheers!

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