We've Moved!

Hey Everyone,
Alaska Alpine Adventures blog has moved. You'll be able to find old content on this site, but if you'd like to continue getting great Alaska adventure news, surf on over to our new home on the web.

http://www.alaskaalpineadventures.com/easyblog/latest.html

Best Adventures,

Dan & Aaron

Gear Review - Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover

The other day we received a couple of Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover's in the mail. Purchasing the jackets was a knee jerk reaction to an email that I received from Patagonia, claiming a ridiculous warmth to weight ratio. Why not check it out, as I have loved all of my Patagonia pieces over the years. The verdict: Awesome. The packability, the weight and the warmth all have lived up to their claims. I think my gucci down pullover is getting jealous!

Here are the spec from Patagonia.com

Details

• Versatile 60-gram PrimaLoft® One polyester insulation provides excellent warmth and compressibility
• Ultralight face fabric sheds water and blocks wind
• Deep center-front zipper allows for easy ventilation
• Stuffs into a self-storage left chest pocket
• Elasticized cuff and hem seal out wind and trap warmth
• Shell and lining: 1-oz 15-denier 100% all-recycled polyester with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. Insulation: 60-g PrimaLoft® One. Recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program
• 266 g (9.4 oz)

Check out this review Backpacker Magazine, it sounds like their testers liked it as much as we do.

The Thinkery - Working hard on our new website!

Here in the Anchorage office of Alaska Alpine Adventures, we are working hard with the great folks at The Thinkery to develop a brand new website. Our goal - to build a website that is easy to navigate and full of amazing hiking, backpacking, rafting, and kayaking images and helpful information - is close to coming to fruition. Stay Tuned and check www.AlaskaAlpineAdventures.com often!

Andrew Skurka - BIG Plans

I've been following Bretwood Higman and Erin McKittrick for some time now, and have always had a HUGE amount of respect for these guys. Their trips are visionary, their motives are pure, and their style is impeccably simple. Andrew Skurka is following their lead as he prepares for an incredible journey in 2010. Believe me, this trip is NUTS, and we will be following Andrew as he attempts this endeavor. To complete a trip like this, one needs a strong will, incredible fitness, and a remarkable ability to truly suffer. Skiing through Alaska's interior in March - Andrew will suffer. And then he needs to complete the rest of the route! Whoa guy...good luck.

Joe Stock Get's a Mention on SkinTrack.com

As many of you know, IFMGA Guide Joe Stock has been doing some pretty amazing ski-mountaineering trips in Alaska over the past 10-years. Here, legendary skier Andrew McLean give's props to Joe and some of the visionary trips he's leading. We're proud to have Joe on the AAA Team!

Check out the interview on SkinTrack.com!

Alaska Photo of the Month - NOVEMBER

©Dan Oberlatz

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Welcome to photo #2 from our June, 2009 adventure into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!

On this trip we climbed the highest peak in the Brooks Range - Mt. Chamberlin - and rafted out the Hulahula River to the village of Kaktovik.

This shot was taken even higher than last month's photo above the Hulahula River - on our summit attempt of Mt. Chamberlin. Here, with the false north summit of the mountain dominating the backdrop, our group hikes a shale bound spur of the north ridge at approximately 7000'. We would eventually make it to the north ridge proper, and climb the snowy ramp pictured on the right horizon. It was an incredible day!

The views and vistas in the Arctic are like no where else on earth, and when you combine incredible solitude, 24 hours of summer sunlight, and diverse flora and fauna, it's easy to realize why a hiking and rafting (or even climbing!!!) trip to the Refuge is certainly one to put at the top of the life list!

As you begin to consider your vacation plans for 2010, Alaska is looking like the solid choice!

Click Here to view our feed and past Photo of the Month postings.

Dan Oberlatz
Alaska Alpine Adventures, LLC
1-877-525-2577
www.AlaskaAlpineAdventures.com

PS - We invite you to become an official FAN of ours on FACEBOOK. And you can also follow us on TWITTER.

AAA in Vogue Magazine.

So here you go folks! Get this - Vogue Magazine is featuring Alaska Alpine Adventures in an online article that came out yesterday. While the preponderance of Vogue Magazine readers may not necessarily get a kick out of adventure travel, I'm sure that at least one or two of the nearly 2 million readers might!

I think what's most important about this piece is that they single out the threat to Bristol Bay from future industrial strip mining!

IFMGA Certified - Joe Stock

Joe Stock joined the Alaska Alpine Adventures team in 2008 when he co-led a 14-day ski mountaineering adventure into the Neacola Mountains. Having recently completed the first ski traverse of the Neacolas, it was obvious that Joe's passion for this obscure sub-range of the Aleutian Range was as great as ours.

Joe recently completed the final portion of his American Mountain Guide Association certification, and now is officially IFMGA Certified. Here is the description of IFMGA certified from the AMGA website:

"IFMGA Mountain Guide status is awarded to guides certified as Rock, Alpine, and Ski Mountaineering Guides. IFMGA Mountain Guides can guide on any climbing or skiing terrain without limitation."

We look forward to exploring the Alaska wilderness with Joe, as well as hearing his stories from exploits on mountains all over the world.

Congratulations Joe!

Dan's trip to DC - Save Bristol Bay - Stop the Pebble Mine!

I just returned from my first visit to Capitol Hill as a citizen lobbyist, and was surprised to find that almost everyone we talked with has heard of the Bristol Bay region. Many know that it's home to the largest sockeye salmon fishery on earth, the largest king salmon fishery in Alaska on the Nushagak River, and that you can catch 20+ lb rainbow trout in the Kvichak River. But what was most astonishing is that most of the people on the hill, including members of congress, and various agency heads, had not heard of the proposed Pebble Mine! Considering the magnitude of the threat that this development poses to the Bristol Bay region, it's clear that advocates to SAVE BRISTOL BAY, though galvanized and organized, have a lot of work ahead of us.

Not to suggest that our week wasn't successful - and we actually moved the needle significantly and, in my opinion, convinced some very powerful people that the Bristol Bay is worth saving. Here's Trout Unlimited's press release announcing our trip last week!

Let me know if you have any questions by emailing me at Dan@alaskaalpineadventures.com.

First Ski Descent of Mt. Chamberlain - Powder Magazine

This summer, Alaska Alpine Adventures guide Joe Stock and Anchorage photographer Matt Hage completed the first ski descent of Mt. Chamberlain in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the highest peak in the Brooks Range.

Here's a great online article authored by Stock available on Powdermag.com. Well done guys!

Photo: Matt Hage

Hagephoto.com

Adventure Photography 101: Our National Parks

Check out this great interview from National Geographic Adventure with adventure photographer Corey Rich.

"For the past 20 years, ADVENTURE contributing photographer Corey Rich has experienced and documented the great landscapes of the world. Still he finds this home turf, America's National Parks System, electrifying. Here, Rich reveals his favorite places on Earth—all within the national parks (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Lake Clark). They're our American treasures, just waiting to be explored."

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure-photography/national-parks.html

His amazing photographs inspire the adventurer in all of us.

ANWR Ranks #6 in 50 Best American Adventures

National Geographic Adventure Magazine

Where Beasts Take Refuge

- Exploring ANWR

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/50-best-american-adventures/top-10-text/6

Pack Rafts make headlines in NY Times Online

River Craft Lite: Floats Great, Less Filling

By STEPHEN REGENOLD

Published: October 16, 2009

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/travel/16packraft.html

Wilderness Cuisine

11 years ago, Alaska Alpine Adventures began exploring the wilderness of Lake Clark National Park. While taking guests into the backcountry was somewhat new to founders Dan Oberlatz and Derek Nelson, eating gourmet cooking was not. Derek had quite the culinary resume under his belt by the time he first served up fresh Pad Thai on the shores of Turquoise Lake in the heart of the park. From there, his passion for delicious wilderness cuisine turned into a full fledged obsession to create a menu complete with filling breakfast burritos, fresh deli sandwiches and dinners typically found in your favorite downtown restaurants. And no dinner was complete without dessert, where Derek rounded off the menu with items such as the Mountain Cookie, named as much for a passion for the mountains as the sheer size of this tasty treat.

With the help of our vendors as well as the expertise of the kitchen staff at Snow City Cafe, we provide what we feel is the most amazing backcountry cuisine ever created. Here's a sample of a typical day. If this wets your appetite, you might have to head up to Alaska this summer to taste what we have in store!

Breakfast: Berry Pancakes

What goes better with a morning cup of coffee while watching the sun crest the ridge above camp than pancakes hot off the griddle?

Take your standard pancake mix (or make your own from scratch) and some organic freeze dried berries from Just Tomatoes. Add pure mountain water from your local stream and mix to a slightly lumpy consistency. Cook on a buttered griddle until golden brown! Top your delicious cakes with pure maple syrup (rehydrated of course) from Alpine Aire and enjoy!

Lunch: Italian Club Sandwich

Take 2 generous slices of Focaccia bread, add Pesto, Prosciutto, fresh Buffalo Mozzarella and julienned Roasted Red Peppers. Combine to make a hearty, delicious sandwich!

Dinner: Pad Thai

After a long day exploring the wilderness, a delicious meal is all that will quell the hunger inside. The perfect prescription for this backcountry ailment is a full, piping hot bowl of Pad Thai! Here's how we do it:

While your rice noodles are soaking, rehydrate your Alpine Aire freeze dried eggs and chicken, and organic freeze dried veggies from Just Tomatoes. Fry up a little scrambled egg; stir fry your veggies and chicken, add a little pad thai sauce (we use our AAA secret recipe here) and rice noodles. Fry in your pan until slightly browned and serve hot. You won't go to bed hungry after this meal!

Dessert: The Mountain Cookie

Need I say more. It's a cookie named the Mountain Cookie. This could possibly be the most action packed cookie in the Alaska wilderness. Here are a few of the ingredients, I'm betting you can imagine how it comes together: Peanut Butter, Rolled Oats, Chocolate Chips, Raisins and Brown sugar. This monster will keep you warm at night and energized throughout the next day. I could live on these things in the mountains.

After years of wilderness adventures eating a mix of mac and cheese, ramen noodles and peanut butter & jelly, I experienced my first Alaska Alpine Adventures meal in Katmai National Park. Surrounded by the austere landscape of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, the wilderness experience was finally complete: Amazing scenery, great friends and unbelievable cuisine - I've haven't been the same since.

Back from New York!

I'm back from New York city and what turned out to be a successful presentation at the Explorers Club! I had a turn-out of roughly 60 people to enjoy my multi-media show on Lake Clark National Park highlighting a big traverse that I completed in 2007 with Mark Stevens. Of course, this finished with a lively discussion on the proposed Pebble Mine and the threat it poses to Lake Clark NP. I ended the show by playing the trailer for the outstanding film RED GOLD, which was very well received!

I'd like to thank the Explorers Club and good friends Nik & Liza for their generous hospitality. New York is a wilderness all its own, and they proved to be outstanding guides!

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Unbelievably it's October 2009 already. The snowfall is slowly creeping down the hillside as a constant reminder that summer is over, and fall's end is not far behind. Alaska is about to settle into winter. Goodbye long days, hello darkness!

The arrival of winter is not necessarily a bad thing. There are an amazing amount of things to do in the winter, and the adventurer in all of us is sure not to stand still. I can't help but think of all the winter activities within minutes of our office! Nordic skiing on the miles of lighted trails within the Anchorage city limits, unlimited backcountry skiing just outside of the city, and world class ice climbing to top it all off. But we are not there yet. Soon enough, soon enough. We are keeping our fingers crossed for deep snow, cold temps and as many "Work Outings" we can muster. Ah Fridays!

As for the summer of 2009; Alaska Alpine Adventures celebrates another successful season leading trips to all reaches Alaska, to recap: Our multisport, road based adventures took guests to some of the most amazing road accessible parks in the state, often proving to be the best introduction to Alaska one could ask for. Our backcountry trips took us deep into Alaska's National Parks including Twin and Turquoise Lakes in Lake Clark National Park, The Goat Trail in Wrangell St. Elias National Park, and The Valley of 10,000 Smokes in Katmai National Park. We also ventured into new country this year, here is a brief look at our 2009 exploratory adventures!

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Mt. Chamberlain and the Hulahula River - In June, owner Dan Oberlatz and AMGA guide Joe Stock lead a group of five bold adventurers to the far north on a combined mountaineering / rafting adventure. They succeeded in climbing Mt. Chamberlain as well as floating the Hulahula to the Beaufort Sea, with a pick up at the small native village of Kaktovic on Barter Island. Reports from Dan described vast, beautiful landscapes, fantastic climbing, and a river that ran fast and cold. It was a true Alaska Alpine Adventure and we hope to further our exploration into the miles of seldom visited terrain that is ANWR.

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve - Aniakchak River - Also in June, Guide Seth Plunkett and I lead a returning couple on their second Alaska Alpine Adventure. On a quest to visit every National Park Unit, their last trip with us was an exploratory rafting trip down the Charley River in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. This year, it was the Aniakchak River in the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve.

Promising adventure, Aniakchak is the least visited of the National Park units, and we were among the 30 or so people that visited this summer. The Caldera was like visiting another planet; a 2500' deep, 6 mile wide volcanic crater whose desolate landscape is a result of numerous eruptions that shaped the Aleutian Chain. The Aniakchak River, flowing fast to the Pacific Ocean, was exciting and kept us on our toes from start to finish.

This seldom visited preserve is definitely a hidden gem within the National Park system!

Wrangell St. Elias National Park - The North Wrangells - Dan was again able to explore new terrain with a trip to the North Wrangells with 2 clients on their 4th Alaska Alpine Adventure. Traveling into this new country required a trip to Nebesna, and a half hour super cub flight to a remote strip on Tumble Creek. Under the watchful eye of Mt. Jarvis, the threesome explored countless valleys, ridges and mountain peaks. It was such an amazing place that we have launched a new trip, EXPLORING THE NORTH WRANGELLS - WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NP , a worthy adventure for 2010!

Lake Clark National Park - Neacola Mountains Exploratory Traverse - Veteran guide Andy Heath led two adventurous brothers deep into the Neacola mountains in search of unexplored valleys, high mountain passes and unclimbed peaks. Over the course of their trip, they traveled from Telaquana Lake south to Upper Twin Lake via an unexplored mountain route. Given the tired smiles on their faces, I would say that the adventure was a success! The Neacola Mountains in Lake Clark National Park continue to be one of our favorite places to explore in Alaska!

Alaska Range - Revelation Mountains Traverse - The Revelation Mountains are at the western tip of the Alaska Range, and make up Lake Clark NP's northern border. Dan scoured the maps for a route that would challenge him and veteran Alaska Alpine Adventures' client Mark Steven's, taking them to new country that was sure to leave them both speechless. This year, it was the Revelation Mountains. All I can say is, 13 days and countless passes, rivers and mountains later, Mark and Dan emerged from the wilderness with an expression that comes only from seeing the unbelievable, from experiencing the unimaginable. The Revelations are true wilderness.

Although we have closed up our summer base in Lake Clark, we are busy in the office here in Anchorage planning for 2010. Call us anytime, we are always looking forward to discussing the next adventure in your future and ours!

Katmai Coast

It's unbelievable to think that we are nearing the end of another season here in Alaska.  As we come into the final weeks of the summer and I look through pictures of another Alaska Alpine Adventure, I still can't believe how fortunate we are to spend our summers this way.  Whether it be completing amazing new backpacking routes, exploring new rivers or paddling coastline few people have ever seen, we always seem to embrace the explorer in all of us.  Sharing this unexplored wilderness is our passion. 

 

The Hulahula River and Mt. Chamberlain

I was looking through some of Dan's photos of his ANWR trip with a successful ascent of Mt. Chamberlain and a successful descent of the Hulahula River.  I'll let the photo speak for itself for now, and let Dan tell the story in a later post!

Lake Clark National Park featured in National Geographic Adventure Magazine

Pick up a copy of the June/July 2009 National Geographic Adventure Magazine and flip to page 55!  You won't see our smiling mugs (although the boater in the photo looks pretty happy), but you get a chance to read about our favorite park in Alaska, Lake Clark National Park.  Featured as one of the "Best of the Great Parks," Lake Clark was catagorized as the Ultimate Wilderness.  Not a bad place to hang out.

Alaska Alpine Adventures received a mention as the go to guides for the park.

It's a great issue, make sure to grab a copy!

 

Exploratory Adventures

Almost every year, we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity as a company to explore new remote places in Alaska.  From amazing backpacking traverses to paddling new water, it broadens our horizons and furthers our love for the Alaskan wilderness.

Earlier this week, Dan and I returned from exploratory adventures, on opposite sides of the state.  In ANWR, Dan and co-guide Joe Stock led a stout group of explorers up Mount Chamberlain (the highest peak in the Brooks Range) and floated to the top of the continent on the HulaHula River. Seth Plunkett and I traveled to the Alaska Peninsula with 2 returning adventurers to hike and paddle in the Aniakchak National Monument (the least visited unit in the National Park system), floating out through the Aleutian Range to the Pacific Ocean.

What are exploratory trips at Alaska Alpine Adventures?  For 10 years, we have been taking guests to the far reaches of Alaska's National Park's, visiting places seen by few people.  Places where there are no trails, no footprints, no people.  

On both trips, along with our clients, we experienced real wilderness, real Alaska.