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1st Departure:
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04.11.2009
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Provider:
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Alaska Alpine Adventures
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Destination:
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North America > USA > Alaska
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Duration:
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15 Days
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Skill Level:
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Expert
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Challenge:
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Comfort:
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Remote, stunning, diverse, and magical, are just a few adjectives that we've come up with to describe the Neacola Mountains. Located approximately 120 air miles west/southwest of Anchorage, the Neacola Mountains comprise the southernmost portion of the massive Alaska Range. At roughly 150 square miles, 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. This means we will be skiing some beautiful first descents! Given the northern nature of Alaska, these relatively low elevation mountains provide excellent skiing with great snow quality on a variety of terrain within easy touring of our basecamps. Another great thing about the lower elevations is that it is much easier to reach the top of the peaks without contending with altitude issues! This means great skiing within your grasp. Also, there isn't a heli ski operation for 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 airplane equipped with skis will deposit us onto a glacier in the heart of the range. We'll spend the first week on the glacier operating out of a spacious basecamp for six days in search of first descents. Here, you'll spend your days skiing the surrounding peaks and glaciers while learning the art of winter camping, how to travel safely on glaciers, and how to assess snow stability. Our goal will be to nail down at least a couple of classic new lines during the week. The skiing in the Neacolas is as diverse as the Alaskan weather, and the conditions often vary with the hour. Our day-to-day itinerary will be based on that diversity, but the satisfaction of thriving in such a remote and mountainous environment will overwhelm you. You're idea of backcountry skiing will forever be altered.
During the second week, we'll tour for six days through some of the most spectacular and remote terrain in Alaska. This one-week ski tour is the perfect ski trip for the intermediate to advanced level backcountry skier looking to hone Alaska expedition travel skills. Our route will take us over a number of glacier passes and we'll move daily from camp to camp, eventually looping back to our basecamp from the previous week. During this tour, you'll put the skills learned during the first week into practice.
We hope to share with you the experience that few people ever get, and we hope you join us for either or both of these backcountry adventures of a lifetime.