Stories
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.
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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Last Chance for Aconcagua ’24/’25
If your sights are set on the Himalaya, Aconcagua is the perfect training ground. Standing at 6,962 meters (22,841 feet), it’s the highest peak outside of Asia and an essential climb for those preparing for the world’s tallest mountains. Alpenglow Expeditions’ Rapid Ascent approach offers a highly efficient way to tackle this peak, utilizing advanced acclimatization techniques and a condensed schedule to prepare you for higher altitudes without requiring months away from home.
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A Game of Patience: Waiting for a Window on Cho Oyu
In 2024, after a five-year hiatus, Alpenglow Expeditions returned to Cho Oyu with a determined team—and despite a season marked by unpredictable weather, we secured a 100% summit success rate. Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest peak in the world, hasn’t seen us since 2019, but this year we were ready to face whatever the mountain threw at us. And it delivered.
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The Duffel Shuffle: A Mountain Podcast from Alpenglow Expeditions
Did you know that the Duffel Shuffle Podcast is your go-to source for behind-the-scenes stories from the world of adventure travel and high-altitude expeditions? Hosted by Adrian Ballinger and Sam Kieckhefer, this podcast dives into the unique perspectives of climbers, skiers, and adventurers who push the limits in some of the world’s most extreme environments.
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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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Adrian Ballinger Featured on The Rich Roll Podcast
In the world of high-altitude mountaineering, few names carry as much weight as Adrian Ballinger. As the founder of Alpenglow Expeditions and a professional mountaineer with over two decades of experience, Adrian has carved out a niche at the intersection of extreme adventure, meticulous preparation, and socio-environmental ethics. Recently, he had the opportunity to share his journey and insights with a broader audience by appearing on The Rich Roll Podcast.
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Obscure Classics in the High Sierra
One of my favorite mountain adventures is hunting the “obscure classic”: climbs that are just as good as the best in the range, but for whatever reason never got popular. Maybe they were put up recently and haven’t gained significant attention yet; maybe they’re a little out of the way and require a long approach; some routes used to have loose rock that’s been cleaned up after a few ascents, but nonetheless haven’t shaken the sub-par reputation. Sometimes, there’s no obvious reason for their obscurity – through some weird coincidence of guidebook selection and groupthink, a stone cold classic somehow slips through the fingers, avoiding classic status and living in obscurity.
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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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