Stories: Ski
Mountain adventures create the best stories, and we want to share some of ours with you. Dive into Alpenglow Stories to stay up to date on expeditions in the field, read blogs, and get tips and tricks from guides.
Episode 20 with Michelle Parker: Not Your Average Professional Skier
Michelle Parker has been a professional skier since she was 15 years old. Now, more than 2 decades later, Michelle is so much more than your every day professional skier (or athlete for that matter). From mentoring younger athletes to excelling at other off-season sports, Michelle’s impact on the sport and the people around her is admirable.
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Level Up Your Backcountry Skills: Why Alpenglow Expeditions’ AIARE Level 2 is a Must!
Traditionally, the AIARE 2 has been the entry-level professional course for ski guides, patrollers, and forecasters. Recently, it has been restructured to cater to advanced recreational users who want to enhance their decision-making abilities in more challenging avalanche terrain and scenarios.
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Big Mountain Dreams? Start on Shasta!
Alpenglow Expeditions’ owner and founder, Adrian Ballinger, recently went on a flight around Northern California on a scoping mission. He was met with sweeping panoramic (and snowy!) views of one of the more impressive volcanoes in the Cascade Range: Mt. Shasta. With over 7,000 feet of vertical relief from trailhead to summit, this peak is a phenomenal location for climbers of all experience levels. Whether this is your first glaciated peak or a party lap you take with your friends on skis every year, the mountain’s beauty–and challenge–is undeniable.
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All Hail the Atmospheric River!
Let’s be real, it’s been weeks and weeks of religiously checking the weather, and waiting for “the big nuke”. But it seems our luck might be changing for the better, as an atmospheric river is forecasted to flow our way starting Friday. Hold your excited horses for one more minute though, because as of now the forecast calls for higher temps, potentially meaning rain at lower elevations. Moving through the weekend, we see fluctuating snow levels from 8,900 ft all the way down to 6,500 on Monday. Wind is also in the mix.
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Breaking Trail: Interviewing Alpenglow Expeditions’ Outdoor Representation Scholarship Recipients
In 2024, Alpenglow Expeditions proudly awarded the Outdoor Representation Scholarship to two recipients, Gabriel and Jennah. Both took AIARE 1 Avalanche Courses and share their thoughts on the scholarship, backcountry skiing, and accessibility and representation in the outdoors in an interview below:
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Alpenglow Introduces Type 1 Fun to the Menu with the Japan Backcountry Ski
we’ve decided to take a refreshing step into Type 1 fun with our Japan Backcountry Ski Expedition. Unlike the intense experiences of high-mountain summits and technical climbs, this trip offers pure enjoyment in one of the world’s most picturesque winter wonderlands: the deep powder of Hokkaido, Japan.
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Episode 06: Jim Morrison – A Passion For Adventure
Professional Ski Mountaineer Jim Morrison joins Sam and Adrian for Episode 6. The three talk about Jim’s recent exploits in the Karakoram: a successful descent of the Great Trango Tower after he was unsuccessful the year prior. Jim talks about enduring some of life’s lowest lows and highest highs, and consistently coming back to the joy he experiences from any adventure, near or far.
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LABOR DAY SALE: 20% OFF WINTER COURSES
No frills, just deals. Between August 26 and September 2, 2024, use the code LABORDAY20 to save on: AIARE 1 (this includes AIARE 1 Hybrid, 3-Day AIARE, and Women’s AIARE 1)
AIARE Rescue
Lift-Accessed AIARE Rescue
BC 1.0 (North and South Lake)
Palisades Backcountry Tours
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Skiing Peak Lenin: Updates from the Field
It is commonly accepted that Peak Lenin is the most popular 7,000-meter peak, and for good reason: it’s beautiful, it’s tall, it’s accessible, and it’s not highly technical. Nonetheless, our Peak Lenin Rapid Ascent expedition the perfect training for bigger peaks in the 8,000m range, such as Cho Oyu and Mt. Everest.
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From Backcountry Skier to Ski Mountaineer on Ecuador’s Ring of Fire
If you’re looking to delve into the world of ski mountaineering, the Ecuador Ring of Fire Ski Expedition is an excellent opportunity to learn new skills while perfecting familiar ones in a unique high altitude environment. This expedition offers hands-on experience on some of Ecuador’s most spectacular volcanoes: Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo.
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