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Join us this season for some avalanche education. In addition to the Level 1 course, we are offering two new courses, the AIARE 2 and also a 1-day Avalanche Rescue course (which is a pre-requisite for the AIARE 2). See below for a brief description of all three AIARE courses we offer with Alpenglow.

AIARE 1 – This is a comprehensive, entry level avalanche course designed for those with basic ski / snowboard touring experience. There are no other prerequisites. This is a great course to take before heading out into the backcountry. This one day course will introduce you to the fundamentals…

Squaw Valley Ski Resort (our home ski resort) reported 13 inches of new snow on the upper mountain after the last round of storms. We’re gonna go ahead and call that a great start! Forecasts for the month of November are calling for a few more storms to swing through our region and by December we should be set and ready for a fantastic season of skiing and riding in the backcountry around Lake Tahoe and Truckee.

Whats New for the 2017/18 Winter Season at Alpenglow Expeditions

A skier harvesting fresh powder in the Tram Ridge zone of Squaw Valley’s backcountry.

The cold temperatures of fall here in the northern hemisphere reminds us that the Aconcagua climbing season is coming into view. This season Alpenglow Expeditions has eight different expeditions to South America – 2 in Ecuador, 1 in Patagonia, and 5 separate teams heading to the tallest peak outside of Asia, the one and only Aconcagua. We love this time of year as our South American expeditions are truly special to our entire program.

Ecuador is Next on the tick list…

Our first team arriving in Ecuador aims to climb Cotopaxi (conditions dependent, more on that in a moment) in 5 days…

Pictured climbing is lead guide, Gaspar Navarrete, before the team summited Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482′ / 5329m). Like its famous taller neighbors in Peru, Pequeño’s face is technical yet reasonable. The team is safely off the mountain and prepping to climb two more peaks.
The expedition team is acclimatized and getting ready for the next peak, Huayna Potosi (19,975′ 6088m). Pictured below is the team climbing Tarija. This glacier sits just below Pequeño Alpamayo. The team visited it for a full day of skills training, including crampon practice, ice axe use, self arrest techniques, ropes travel, and crevasse rescue. More updates soon!

For…

Our expedition team summited Mount Elbrus (18,510′ / 5642m) yesterday morning. Elbrus is one of the seven summits and it is the highest point in Europe. Despite the lack of a view from the summit, the team still had a lot to celebrate! CHEERS to a strong team and a successful summit!

On summit day the team woke around 3 AM for a quick breakfast and hot drink. A snow-cat took them to their previous highpoint at Pastukhov Rocks (15,000′ / 4572m). From there it was almost 4,000 vertical feet (1,220 meters) to the summit of Elbrus, primarily on open moderately angled glaciers. They…

Today the team begins their actual climb of Mt. Elbrus. Through a combination of ski lifts and hiking they arrived at The Barrels, cozy mountain huts at 12,300′ / 3750m on Elbrus. To ensure they stay well fed and healthy, they have a Russian cook with them at the huts preparing mountain food and making the stay more comfortable.

Lead guide, Zeb, reported that the food continues to be awesome. After their hike they had BBQ chicken kebabs, fresh tomato and cucumber salad, homemade bread and the local specialty: ice cold 5642 beer (the summit of Elbrus in meters). Also the team continues to enjoy good(but hot) weather. Tomorrow they will…

From Lake Titicaca, the team will attempt their first peak, Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482′ / 5329m). Like its famous taller neighbor in Peru, Pequeño’s face is beautiful and the climb is technical yet reasonable. It is the ideal place to increase mountaineering skills. The team will be practicing glacier and climbing skills, acclimatizing, climbing sub-peaks, before finally making their first summit bid.

Day 3: Our Bolivia expedition team had a great acclimatization hike on Isla del Sol which is on Lake Titicaca (12,400′ / 3780m)  They were able to see the Royal Mountains Range while hiking. They then visited the town of Copacabana, also on…

Photos: Zeb Blais

Day 3: The team took a short flight to Mineral Voldy and traveled by bus to Terskol in the Baksan Valley. This short flight should gave them excellent views of the Caucasus Mountains and their first peek of Mount Elbrus. The bus ride was 3-4 hours but passed quickly with the stunning views. The hotel in Terskol is next to the ski lifts, and has excellent local and international food. All is good so far!

Day 4: The team did an acclimatization hike up Cheget today, one of many before the they climb Mount Elbrus (18,510′ / 5642m) next…

Photo: Van Wombwell (Alpamayo)

Weather is a huge factor when planning logistics for international expeditions. Fortunately our recent Alpamayo (19,512′ / 5,947m) expedition had the most ideal conditions for their climb! The team reached the summit in full sun and had the mountain to themselves with perfect weather. Join us next summer, the dates for the Alpamayo & Quitaraju expedition are July 1-15, 2018!

In July we also had two private personal trips in Peru for Alpenglow guides/owners, Adrian Ballinger and Logan Talbott. Logan had a great time in Peru and climbed Alpamayo and Artesonraju with his climbing partner, Eric. In…

Day 10: CUMBRE! Our 2017 expedition team summited Alpamayo (19,512′ / 5947m) at 9am (7am PST). They had great views and the mountain to themselves! They are back at Col Camp (18,000′ / 5486m), everyone is happy and tired. Mañana is a rest day! CHEERS to a strong team and a successful summit!!

Alpamayo is known as the gem of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. Ever since it was first climbed in 1951, alpinists have been flocking to attempt its fluted Southwest Face. Many fledgling high altitude climbers consider this peak a culmination of their early climbing careers.

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