Our Month in Alaska

There's hardly been any real time to sit down and do a post since our return. But that is a good thing because despite being back in the busy city, I've also been getting out every weekend - especially since the weather here has been so great lately! Here are my posts on the K2 Skis blog:

http://k2skis.com/news/2010/07/1-month-in-alaska-1st-half/

http://k2skis.com/news/2010/10/a-month-in-alaska-2nd-half/

I also have a YouTube channel with some videos:

http://www.youtube.com/chadbeeman

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Wrangell-St.Elias Ski Mountaineering

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Alaska 2010 - What About Food?

Probably the most common question we get is, "What kind of food will you be bringing?". Food for a month is a perplexing question but a couple months of packing like a squirrel have just about brought me to conclusion.

The challenge is to pack lightweight, nutritious food that will be appealing even after two weeks of it. I estimate consuming 5-6,000 calories per day over the course of a month with total needs growing slowly as the trip progresses.
Calories are of course the body's source of energy, and fat packs the most calories per gram that provides a perfect "slow burn". Olive oil, cheese, sausage, almonds and other nuts/seeds will provide high-quality fats that also work to keep our body's flame stoked deep into the night.
Fat does not burn as efficiently as carbohydrates though, and so carbs will be our main "lunch-on-the-move" energy source in the form of energy bars and gels, bread/crackers, M&M's, dried fruits and so on with, much of breakfast and dinners involving pasta, rice and lentils.
Protein is critical for sustaining muscles day after day and so we'll get that from powdered eggs and oatmeal at breakfast and from the dehydrated meats and veggies in our dinner.
Click on these photos to see some of what I will be bringing. There's the drinks/condiments/etc. and then the food for munching on throughout the day (minus cheese & sausage):

Alaska 2010 - Home Away From Home

So what does it take to have a reasonably "comfortable" time on an exposed glacier mountain landscape near the Arctic Circle?
Shelter comes to mind first - we will be using a hoop style tent made by Exped, called the Andromeda II. The hooped design is great for high winds and creates more head space inside the tent. This tent features a large vestibule which will undoubtedly be very handy for cooking and storing gear.
Also by Exped are the Down Mats that everyone who owns one raves about. These will pad, and most importantly, insulate us from the snow we will be sleeping on the entire trip. Bringing a mattress repair kit is a matter of survival because if one gets a leak, many frigid nights will follow without it.
Then there is the big puffy sleeping bag. I am bringing a Marmot 0-degree bag despite the likely fact that many nights will be much colder. One can always sleep in his clothes and/or munch on some almonds in the night to reignite the internal flame.
Of course there is no bathroom in the tent. A lightweight cotton rag and some anti-bacterial face wipes will be the closest thing to a shower. You can just imagine how much I am looking forward to thawing frozen clean-wipes inside my sleeping bag before I can wipe my face!
While it won't be anything like hanging out back at our warm homes in Seattle, these things go a long way towards providing us with a launching pad from which to start each day with refreshed motivation!

Alaska 2010 - Map Skills Test

Nasty weather abounds in the mountain ranges of Alaska. Specifically, raging winds and disorienting white-outs. So with our first major spring storm rolling in over the Pacific Ocean, we decided to test our skills with an effort to climb and ski from the summit rim of Mt. Rainier.
Map checking was not needed on Saturday as visibility was good in spite of the growing winds. At midnight, we awoke from our half-sleep and checked the weather. Winds were ridiculous at 10K which meant they would be insane at 14K and with zero visibility in the darkness and clouds, we exercised good mountain judgement by crawling back into our cozy down bags.
A few hours later as flat light filtered in, sure enough, we were at the onset of heavy snowfall in 40+mph winds! Would not have been a good time to still be going up...


After stuffing all the miniature comforts of home and glacier gear into our packs, the first items on any trip checklist, topo map and compass, stayed out. Plotting our first bearing downward, we witnessed firsthand the intense magnetic power an active volcano like Rainier attracts as our compass needle wavered slowly back and forth.
Fun little stories like, "I came to a stop on my skis but thought I was still moving, lost my balance and fell over", flourish under these circumstances. Another like "I fell down and suddenly thought I was riding on top of a small slab avalanche" are no fun so this drove us carefully onward.
So much fun and oh how perfect the snow was, if it had only been a sunny day it would have been the best day of the season! But we were there because it won't always be sunny in Alaska.

Alaska 2010 - Body Armor

Clothing is, of course, critical in an environment of radical temperature fluctuations like AK. On sunny days, the glacier and snow acts like a big mirror and can make it feel like a 90 degree day. On the other hand is below zero temps with 50mph blizzard winds that quickly forces snow and artic air thru any leak in your armor. Stay dry and you can generally stay warm. Sweat-wicking base layers that move moisture away from your skin and dry quickly are essential, as well as a solid wind/waterproof shell that can be vented when you heat up.
The standard expedition clothing system involves these two things as well as a mid layer as "active warmth" and a warm parka to throw over everything for snack breaks, setting up camp, etc.
Here is my packing list for Alaska with a question mark (?) by the items that could be left behind at Ultima Thule Lodge if deemed unnecessary, and an exclamation mark (!) by the items that I will be wearing as we are dropped off on the glacier:

BASE LAYER
Patagonia Active Sport Boxer Briefs (3 pair)
Icebreaker Merino Wool Boxer Briefs (2 Pair) !
Smartwool Sport NTS Bottoms
Smartwool Midweight Boot-Top Bottoms
Marmot Powerstretch ¾ Bottoms !
Patagonia Capilene 2 Short-Sleeve Crew Top ?
Patagonia Merino 2 Long-Sleeve Crew Top
Outdoor Research Sequence Short Sleeve Zip-Top
Outdoor Research Sequence Long Sleeve Zip-Top !
Patagonia R1 Fleece Pullover !

SHELLS
Marmot Cortina Softshell Pants !
Marmot ROM Softshell Jacket !
Outdoor Research Foray Gore-Tex Jacket
Outdoor Research Trio Gore-Tex Pants

INSULATION
Marmot Flurry Insulated Pants ?
Marmot Baffin Vest ?
Patagonia DAS Parka

HEAD
Outdoor Research Ninjaclava
Shred Alert Beanie !
Lightweight Wool Beanie ?
Fleece Ear Band
Sun Visor

HANDS
Outdoor Research Liner Gloves
Outdoor Research Omni Fleece Gloves !
Marmot Spring Glove ?
Black Diamond Patrol Gloves
Black Diamond Mercury Mitts

FEET
Liner Socks (2 pair)
Smartwool Ski Socks (3 Pair) !

EYES
Julbo Doglan Sunglasses !
Smith I/O Goggles

Big thanks to Yukon Trading Co. of Washington State and Alpin Sales of Colorado for their Marmot clothing contributions!!!

Alaska 2010 - The Goal

Plan: -Climb and then ski Mt. Bear and Mt. Bona as well as ski mountaineering on the untouched peaks in between. Bear and Bona are about 25 miles straight across from each other and we will likely attempt the larger of the two, Mt. Bona, first!!

Details:--Mt. Bear - 14,831' - 12th highest peak in Alaska
---------.----Mt. Bona - 16, 421' - 4th highest peak in Alaska
---------.----Wrangell St. Elias NP - Largest National Park in the US

Dates: -May 1st - June 1st, 2010

Alaska Sized Plans

Two years to the day after my first visit to Alaska, I will be returning to live a dream that has obsessed me for half of my 28 years – a month of exploring the remote Alaskan back country. Now before you think ‘cold’, and before you say “dangerous”, reflect on the biggest dream that you've kept alive throughout your life and fantasize of it’s fulfillment. That feeling is the substance of this trip!

Many ideas have come and gone while developing the most appealing version of the dream adventure: A climb of the tallest peak in N. America...no, too crowded. A ski traverse in the Chugach...no, who wants to hear helicopters flying around filming ski movies. A kayak trip through Prince William Sound...too much water and not enough mountain. Backpacking the Brooks Range...maybe next time!

Finally, version 2010 has taken shape through the somewhat random meeting of friends. 4 determined people have pounced on this single moment of opportunity. During a weather clearing (hopefully) in the first week of May, the baddest bush pilot in the world, Paul Claus, of Ultima Thule Outfitters will fly us in his Turbo Otter fitted with skis to the Upper Bernard Glacier dividing Mt. Bona and Mt. Bear. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park combined with Kluane National Park (Canada), makes up the largest protected mountain wilderness on earth and in 3 months, thanks to the skill set of Paul, we will find ourselves smack dab in the middle of it!

It is very difficult to find information & photos of this area as most people who visit Alaska head to one of the "less remote" national parks like Denali or Glacier Bay. There are no roads in the park and USGS maps provide the only real usable terrain info. A handful of trip reports printed in the American Alpine Journal from past mountaineers give us an idea of what challenges have been encountered while the remaining stories of this place go unpublished. This has only added to our drive to go there!

Over the coming weeks, I will detail our preparation here on this blog...