Blog

Written by Robert Kyte

Crampons are attachable traction devices designed to keep you upright and secure on technical terrain covered by snow and ice, thus making them an absolute necessity for almost all advanced mountaineering pursuits and glacier travel. However, not all crampons are made equal, and there are different styles designed to tackle various types of terrain that are best suited for specific activities. We’ve put together a guide to help you learn about the different types of crampons and ultimately choose what works best for you.

There are three main types of…

Written by Alpenglow Guide, Mike Pond

For all Mount Shasta Climbing and Skiing programs, we will provide breakfasts and dinners on the mountain. You will be responsible for providing your own food during the climbing day. We will not have a proper “lunch,” but will instead carry food to eat on the go during the day. A typical climbing pattern is to travel for an hour, rest for 10 minutes, during which you can eat, drink, adjust layers, etc. Individually packed items are great to stick in your pockets for easy eating on…

Written by Allie Ace, Alpenglow Guide

When people think of Lake Tahoe, they often think of it for our winter or summer season. Lake Tahoe is known for its epic mountain terrain with 13 ski resorts, endless backcountry, and averaging over 450 inches of snow annually. It’s even more popular as a summer destination with hiking, biking, climbing, and every type of water activity you can imagine. Northern California is certainly a mecca for outdoor adventure in the winter and the summer. However, my favorite season is spring!

Here’s why:

Deeper…

Oxygen. It’s what keeps us alive; especially above 8,000m. When it comes to climbing the biggest mountains in the world, the oxygen system that you’re using is vital to success. As we get closer to our 8,000m peak climbing season, we figured we’d take a quick deep dive into the oxygen system that Alpenglow Expeditions uses on all our 8,000m peaks.

For all of Alpenglow’s 8,000m peak expeditions, we use the Summit Oxygen System. The Summit Oxygen system is the lightest oxygen cylinder and regulator on the market, and we have been using the Summit…

As we transition into the spring skiing month’s here in Tahoe (with a few intermittent powder dumps, we hope!),  a few words of wisdom from a local legend and one of our favorite ski guides will surely enhance your day out touring!

Don’t know much about Glen? Learn a little about him in his bio on our Alpenglow Guides page! (I stress ‘little’- Glen is an elusive character with enough epic stories to last a lifetime of campfire sessions)

Gear Requirements: First off, your gear…

It is clear that COVID-19 will remain a challenge this winter, and that it will be important for us to continue taking precaution in order to keep our guests and staff safe. In an effort to do our part in limiting the spread of the virus, we will follow all local and state guidelines in regard to our COVID-19 policies and procedures. One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned during this time is that we need to be flexible and responsive to frequent changes as they arise. That being said, we will update our practices accordingly as things progress throughout…

Written by Matthew Beals

Welcome to Winter in October! While I usually loathe to jinx the season with over-optimism, the goods are here and this season has already over-delivered: the storm we just saw had the offshore barometric pressure of a hurricane, delivering record precipitation to some areas and instantly building a base to support October opening dates for Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth.

I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that an epic fire season is coming to a close with a solid dousing of precipitation (8 trillion gallons by some accounts). Weather nerds can’t help…

Looking for an opportunity in the outdoor industry?

Alpenglow Expeditions is looking to expand its office team this winter season! We are looking for someone who is hardworking and passionate about the outdoors. Joining our team means being surrounded with people who love the outdoors and want to share their passion with others. Whether you’re chatting about our avalanche courses or discussing how to stay safe in the backcountry, our goal is to provide a unique and excellent experience for each client who desires to explore mountains across the world. Our expeditions and treks were created to combine our guides’…

Written by Mike Pond

Mountaineering can be quite intimidating. Those mountains are huge! (And that’s kind of the point, right?) But how do you get into this wild activity? Where do you start?

Mt. Shasta is a perfect training ground to begin on your mountaineering journey. It has all the aspects of the great mountains, but just a little smaller and more easily digestible. Shasta mountaineering involves glacier travel, thousands of feet of ascent, camping, sometimes challenging weather, altitude, navigation – but almost all of these are at an introductory level.

This also makes Shasta a downright terrific ski…

Written by Emily O’Dean, Women’s Ecuador Expedition member

“Oh, should I have given you a hug up there?” the trip leader asked as I cried into the arms of man who had hiked up to meet us from base camp as we hiked down from high camp. The three of us stood in the middle of a snow-covered talus field at 17,000 feet of altitude in Bolivia. I gasped for more oxygen between my sobs.

Over the past few days, I had made a quick ascent from 12,000 foot trailhead to the 18,000 foot base camp with four of the…