8-Day Alaska Course Itinerary

All eight days are spent on the mountain.

Day 1 We meet at the Alpine Ascents hanger at 8 AM to begin our gear check. After gear check, we have practice sessions for knots, prussiks, tie-in to a climbing rope, and prussiking crevasse self-rescue. A late lunch is generally eaten at the local Pizza place followed by a 4 PM fly-in to the Glacier landing strip. After arrival on the glacier, a brief orientation will be conducted about roped glacier travel, and then we move up-glacier a mile or so to set up our first camp. Building a comfortable and storm-resistant campsite, and cooking and operation of stoves will fill out the first day.

Day 2 Snow practice day. Snow conditions in the Alaska Range and Alaska in general are variable to say the least. The following is a typical preferred logical progression of skills, but sometimes the order in which certain practices are done will depend upon current field conditions: Snow climbing focusing on making good solid and efficient steps on both soft and hard snow surfaces, ice axe self belay skills, and self arrest skills both without and with ice axes. The balance of the day is spent on learning and practicing snow anchors, roped climbing, running belays, and rope team self arrest.

Day 3 Now that everyone can be a safe rope team member because they are able to self arrest their rope-mates, more work is needed on managing and using the climbing rope safely and intelligently as a rope team. This will be practiced in depth during a roped tour of part of the glacier for real instead of theoretically practice. The balance of the day is next spent learning and practicing the important skills of crevasse self-rescue and rope team rescue. Over the evening meal back in camp, preparations for a summit attempt of Control Tower Peak will be discussed and attended to. This will include instruction in how to produce a climbing plan for the day's climb.

Day 4 Climb of Control Tower Peak. Focus will be on having fun, of course! But also, almost all the skills so far learned and practiced will come into play for real! After descent around noon, more time may be needed to continue with learning and cementing rope team crevasse rescue skills.

Day 5 Today we pack up camp and move it through several miles of glacier travel to our next camp and climbing objective. Another good weather-resistant camp will be set up with focus on completing this camp faster and more efficiently than the first one.

Day 6 This morning we will do another glacier tour to observe and learn from some very different terrain and to look for ice climbing practice sites. Then we will learn and practice basic ice climbing including flat-footing, front-pointing, no tool, one tool and two tool climbing. This will then be mated with roped and belayed climbing and placing ice screws for protection and belay anchors. Back at camp, we will again prepare for a summit attempt tomorrow, including students producing the climbing plan for the day.

Day 7 Second summit climb. Depending upon weather and snow conditions, the possibility of a third summit climb can be discussed back in camp.

Day 8 Return trip to the glacier landing site. Afternoon flight back to Talkeetna.