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Alpenglow Expeditions is back in Bolivia for our annual expedition to climb three different peaks. Every year we head down to the landlocked country to explore it’s incredibly deep culture and of course to climb peaks that hold almost surreal beauty and adventure within them. Out of our South American expeditions, Bolivia is still one of the more wild places we explore filled with a unique culture and history all it’s own.

On their way to the mountains…

Early Sunday morning (July 29) the team led by Topo Mena left La Paz in their rear view mirror headed towards the mountains.…

Watch the Tahoe Via Ferrata in action!

After years of dreaming and planning, we are BEYOND thrilled to officially announce the Tahoe Via Ferrata at Squaw Valley! The Tahoe Via Ferrata will ascend the iconic 1000’ Tram Face in Squaw Valley, our home, and one of the coolest rock faces around. Construction of the first two routes begins within the next few weeks and we plan to be operational by late September. We’re excited to bring the first Via Ferrata to the Lake Tahoe region!

If you’re unfamiliar with Via…

Snow storm thwarts team’s summit attempt

Two nights ago our team of climbers was at high camp, preparing for their summit bid in the coming day or two. That night, 6″ of heavy snow fell in high camp and plastered the face of Alpamayo. The new layer of snow creates instabilities in the surface that are not ideal for safe climbing conditions. That morning, the team decided to pack it up and get back to base camp before more weather moved in.

An avalanche warning was posted the day after the storm and confirmed our team’s belief that it would…

Blue-green jewels tucked between the jagged peaks of the Peruvian Andes.

The team arrived at base camp on Thursday, July 5. They trekked past the spectacularly beautiful Santa Cruz Lakes, blue-green jewels tucked between the jagged peaks of the Peruvian Andes. Then the team turned up into the hanging valley that sits beneath Alpamayo, setting up their base camp at tree-line, approximately 13,500’/4,115m. The report from our team via satellite text:

“Team is feeling good- a couple small headaches (from altitude) but the team is stoked!”

The team is currently stationed at base camp. Yesterday they climbed to 16,200’/4,938m to set up Moraine Camp…

Lunch with a view at Laguna Churup.

We have arrived The calm and peaceful mountain hamlet of Huaraz!

Alpamayo (19,512 feet/5,947 meters) is the gem of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. Over the next two weeks, our team of 4 climbers will make their attempt at the iconic fluted Southwest Face.

Lead guide Nacho Espinosa: Nacho is a fully pinned IFMGA/UIAGM guide from Ecuador. He has guided dozens of high altitude technical peaks around the world and knows Alpamayo well. Nacho adds a wealth of authentic Andean…

Rock climbing is a rapidly growing sport in the United States. With the popularity of climbing comes a lot of questions about how best to go about learning the correct skills and techniques to rock climb safely and efficiently. Rock climbing guides in Truckee and Lake Tahoe can help you get off on the right foot to achieve your goals of ascending any cliff in the world.

Alpenglow Expeditions provides high quality rock climbing guides in Truckee and Lake Tahoe, giving you the best chance at learning how to rock climb outdoors the right way, the first time. Many…

The Tahoe Truckee area has many reasons why it’s an adventure paradise, and rock climbing is right up there with the best of them. From beautiful views of Donner Lake, to easily accessible cliffs for all ability levels, Donner Summit is a rock climbing paradise nestled right above Truckee, California. 

1. Easy Access – The cliffs and crags of Donner Summit are some of the most easily accessed in the nation. Drive right up Old Highway 40 (Donner Pass Rd) and you pass no less than 5 different crags, all easily visible from the road. Some approaches are literally…

Summit (19,347′ / 5,897m) at 7:30 am on June 12

The view of Cotopaxi from the drive in

At 7:30 am on June 12, in near perfect conditions, 4 out of 5 of our Ecuador Climbing School team reached the top of Cotopaxi at 19,347′ / 5,897m. Guide Topo Mena reported, “Great weather, awesome views- the conditions were just perfect.”

Behind the team, you can see the spectacular sight of the volcano’s caldera. Thanks to a window of crystal clear weather, the team enjoyed stellar panoramic views- which was a treat considering how…

Learning how to ascend a fixed line.

What will you do if your partner can’t pull through the crux, several pitches up a route? What will you do if you drop your belay device? This past weekend we hosted one of our regular self rescue seminars to teach climbers how to deal with the unexpected during a climb. Our guide Ray Hughes went over the basics of anchor building, rappelling, escaping a belay, ascending, and much more. He tailored our course to the level of experience of the students. This full-day self rescue course is designed to…

The first “big mountain experience” of the expedition was Cayambe (shown here).

The team chose to focus on building their climbing skills while on the glacier, instead of motoring straight for a summit.

In preparation for the next two big objectives – Cotopaxi (shown here) and Chimborazo, the team worked on skills including cramponing techniques and proper ice axe use.

The team also worked on how to pack a summit pack, tying climbing knots and hitches, roping up for glacier travel and rappelling.

Although much of…

Class is back in session in beautiful Ecuador! Our entire team arrived 5 days ago and since then everyday has been filled with exploring, acclimatizing and now they are moving on to the meat of the expedition – mountain climbing.

First Day in Ecuador

Our first full day is always spent exploring the sights, sounds and smells of one of the most gorgeous high altitude cities in the world. Quito is known for its vibrant culture and our team was treated to some traditional Ecuadorian music in the streets of the colonial section of town. While this might seem like…

Grand “Chomolungma” as it is known in Tibet. Standing proudly at el. 29,029′

122 Everest summits between this group!

“Office” view of our support crew with scope to watch climbers progress to the summit.

Although the new snow and sunshine looks pretty at Camp 2, it’s still really hard to convince yourself to get out of your warm sleeping bag in the morning.

Final blessings the day before the summit push

Everest Rapid Ascent Team on their way to Camp 3

Everest Rapid Ascent Team…