Mountain Trip

Northwest Buttress of Denali

2011-02-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

The Northwest Buttress line of ascent in red, with the West Buttress line of descent in green.
Thanks to TAT for the use of this awesome photo!

I remember gazing up the Kahiltna with a cardiologist from Canada over a decade ago. We were camped on an airy perch on Mount Crosson, and I was vicariously tracing the numerous classic routes we could see on the south side of Denali. The Doc pointed off well to the left of the Cassin and The Rib, and directed my attention to the left hand skyline of Denali. Steep snow slopes led up and through rock bands to a long, corniced ridge that curved to meet the north peak of the mountain.

"That," he said in a voice from some other plane of existence, "is a most sublime line."

I knew that Gary Bocarde, my boss at the time and founder of Mountain Trip, had climbed that line, the Northwest Buttress, back in the 1980's to make the second ascent of the route. I mentioned this to my doctor friend and he said he'd like to give it a try some day.

A dozen years later, and after many attempts to sort out a team to attempt the NW Buttress, I am happy to announce that we have a team and will give the route a try.

Mountain Trip has historically had good success on the route, as we made not only the 2nd, but the 3rd and the 5th ascents of the line, adding significant variations each time. I've not yet been able to find out how many times it has been attempted, but I'd guess less than 20, perhaps much less.

Many guide services are content to stick to high probability, low risk routes, and that's fine. We at Mountain Trip have always identified ourselves as climbers, and the climber in me really wants to find out what that most sublime line is like, up close and personal. Numerous questions arise, from the esoteric to the practical. What will it feel like to drop off the north side of Kahiltna Pass, leaving the relative security net of the West Buttress behind? Will we be able to climb around the rock bands or will we need to climb through them? How will my mind reconcile my 5' 11" insignificance when we chop through a cornice to gaze down the 14,000' vertical drop of the Wickersham Wall, one of the biggest alpine faces on the planet? The power of the unknown is one of the driving forces behind why we all climb, and this route embodies a lot of unknown.

We have two climbers committed and are therefore going to launch the trip. We can accept two more fit climbers with solid alpine skills. This is a relatively unique opportunity , so if you are at all interested, please contact us. The trip details are as follows:

The Northwest Buttress
Dates: May 3 - 30, 2011
Team Size: 2 Guides / 2-4 Climbers
Trip Cost: $7000 per climber

Trip fees include: 2 nights lodging in Anchorage before the climb, round-trip scheduled group transportation between Anchorage and Talkeetna, glacier flights, all food while on the climb, all group equipment (tents, ropes, kitchen, etc), and our top-tier guides.

Give us a call or drop us an email if you would like to join the team.
T. +1-970-369-1153
E. info@mountaintrip.com

Limited Spaces Available for Mount Rainier Climb!

2011-01-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Mount Rainier Climb via the Emmons Glacier
July 17 - 21, 2011
4 climbers / 2 guides
$1650 per climber

Mount Rainier, the iconic volcano of the Pacific Northwest, rises 14,411' (4392m) above the very nearby sea. Climbers from around the world travel to Washington State each year to test their mettle on the heavily glaciated flanks of the mountain. Mountain Trip is happy to announce that we are offering a fully guided climb of the peak by its Emmons Glacier route in the summer of 2011.

Traditionally, mountaineers wishing to join a guided ascent have been limited to one, and just recently three, guide services. This year, the National Park Service has opened up a limited number of guided opportunities and selected Mountain Trip to lead one of those ascents.

We are offering a five day climb of the heavily crevassed Emmons Glacier route. We selected the Emmons because it is much more of a wilderness experience than the more heavily traveled Disappointment Cleaver route. Taking more time than the concessioned guide services allows us more of a window for weather and greater opportunities to acclimatize. Our leader for the expedition will be senior Mountain Trip Guide Chris Kerrick, who grew up in sight of the mountain and has over 25 ascents of the peak. We will be a small group of only four climbers and two guides, so this opportunity is quite limited.

If you have climbed with us before, you know that we make every decision based on what will provide you with the best possible experience. We bring that same dedication and personal service to this Rainier climb, and hope that you consider joining us this summer.

Climbers will need to be in Seattle on July 16th for a team meeting and equipment check. Mountain Trip will provide transportation to and from the mountain, all food for the ascent, all group gear, mountaineering and park entrance fees, and, of course, our top-notch guides.

If Mount Rainier has been on your "To Do List" or if you are a mountaineer looking to expand your skill set on a mountain with big, Alaskan style features, please give us a call or send us an email as there are only four spots available for this opportunity.

Adaptive Sports Adventure Gets Published!

2011-01-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

Sylvie Fadrhonc, a friend and education and development manager of the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program (TASP) just had an article published about a collaborative trip that we have been helping them run for the past two years. Spokes n Sports Magazine, a publication about wheelchair athletes, has a feature article article about our "Alaska Adventure" program. We've not marketed this trip, as we really want it to act primarily as a benefit to the athletes and the TASP, as we are ardent supporters of their work. With the publication of this article, I suppose it's time to pass along a bit of information about the program and how it has evolved over the years. Click on this link to download a pdf of the article from the Alaska Adventure.

Telluride Adaptive Sports Program has been an institution in the Telluride area offering ski instruction and year-round therapeutic and adventure opportunities to people with disabilities since 1995. In the fall of 2008 we approached TASP about helping them offer a trip into the Alaska Range for some of their disabled athletes as a very partial "thank you" for their helping my son become the ripping little skier that he is today. Their enthusiastic response and effort resulted in a collaborative "Alaska Adventure" that we led in the summer of 2009.

Such an adaptive trip into a glaciated environment as remote as the Alaska Range had never been attempted to our collective knowledge, and we knew that we would all have a lot to learn about how to safely and effectively manage the many levels of logistics. We therefore carefully selected the first year's participants and made certain to manage their expectations so that they knew we were all proceeding with this trip with the best possible intentions and planning, but that we'd have to figure out a lot of the systems while in the field.

The trip was a resounding success!

A team of 12 flew onto the Coffee Glacier and included three spinal-cord injuries and a traumatic brain injury. We set up a very comfortable base camp and, despite rough weather, had a great time exploring the area on skis and sit-skis. In an article in our local paper one participant reflected, "Being in remote Alaska restored my own inner vitality and belief that I could still experience what I thought was untouchable from a wheelchair.”

With one successful trip under our belts, we felt we could develop an even more challenging curriculum for a true mountaineering course and offered two such trips in the summer of 2010. Both teams flew onto the Pika Glacier, south of Denali and home to the stunningly beautiful area known as Little Switzerland. TASP staff and our guides worked together to develop efficient glacier travel systems which enabled wheelchair bound participants to become Alaskan mountaineers. One highlight was when Sylvie intentionally launched into a crevasse on her sit-ski, and the remaining participants with disabilities successfully extracted her! It just doesn't get any better than that!

We plan to continue developing this program and will send a team into the Range next summer with an objective to climb, in the hopes of attempting Denali in the very near future. Our dear friend and guide Heidi Kloos initially took the reigns of this program in 2009, and a scholarship fund has been set up in her memory. Enough donations came in to sponsor a wonderful young lady named Amanda Young, an athlete with spinal bifida. If you'd like to make a donation, information can be found at the Telluride Adaptive Sports Donation page.

Follow our January 10th Aconcagua team

2011-01-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

Follow the expedition updates and podcasts as our team attempts to climb to the summit of South America's highest peak. Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside of the Himalaya and one of our favorite destinations.

We have a blog dedicated to posting daily updates and audio files as the team members call in to report their progress and tell us about each day of the trip. We're really happy with our new dispatch blogs, and invite you to check them out.

Click on the link to read about our Aconcagua Expedition.

Denali Fee Increase - Public Comments Needed

2011-01-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Denali National Park is holding two public "open houses" to discuss their desire to increase the mountaineering fee for Denali and Foraker. Currently at $200, rumors abound as to how high they'd like it to be. The first number thrown out by the Park was $500, although Congressional voices have probably made that 150% increase improbable at this point. They call the fee a "Cost Recovery Fee" and feel that they spend more on climbers than they currently recover.

Though we are fundamentally opposed to any fees for using our public lands, we recognize that Denali poses certain specific challenges and accept that some form of fee will forever remain in place. How much that fee needs be is what is up for discussion.

The meetings are to be held as follows:

Seattle, Washington – Monday, January 17, REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Golden, Colorado – Tuesday, January 18, American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Comments can also be emailed to: DENA_mountainfeecomments@nps.gov

Climbing Denali is already an expensive endeavor. We encourage you to contribute your thoughts and personal commentary. Would a $500 fee prevent you from attempting the mountain? What services do you feel are necessary? How much are you willing to pay for those services?

Mountain Trip will be in Golden and we look forward to seeing you, if you can make it on the 18th. I'll buy a round at the Golden Brewing Company post-meeting! (Golden's 2nd largest brewer...)

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Todd Rutledge

Guide/Director
Mountain Trip
www.mountaintrip.com
info@mountaintrip.com

Follow our Mount Vinson Expeditions

2010-12-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Our second Mount Vinson expedition of the season is underway. We have a blog dedicated to their climb, and invite you to follow them through our expedition dispatches as well as podcasts from 78 degrees south latitude. Click on the link below to keep up with the team!

Mount Vinson Expedition dispatches

Our first team of the season was very successful, with all 10 of our climbers and guides reaching the summit. The depth of support we were able to provide allowed us to make three separate summit bids, to best accommodate all of our team members. We invite you to read about the expedition and listen to podcasts from the summit on our:

December 1, Vinson Expedition Dispatch Blog

We've really had a lot of fun developing our Vinson program, and the word from "The Ice" this season is that the quality of our expeditions has been without parallel. We're staying in the best hotel in Punta Arenas, have the nicest Base Camp facilities, are eating like royalty, and, of course, have our top-notch guides helping lead our teams to the top of the bottom of the world.

Please click on the following link for more information on our exceptional Vinson Massif expeditions.

Colorado Ice Climbing!

2010-12-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

While snow has been a bit sparse in SW Colorado, the ice has been coming into great condition! Three of us got out on Friday, December 10th and climbed the San Juan Mountain classic ice route, The Ribbon (600' WI4). The ice was in fatter than in the past few years and the route lived up to its classic status!

The Ribbon follows the cleft in the rocks for four pitches of great fun!

Todd Rutledge started us up the route, which climbs a short, thin bit of ice to a long stretch of snow and lower angled ice.

The second pitch was more engaging, and was steep, right off the belay.

MT owner Todd and our buddy and newly credentialed, IFMGA Guide, Eric Larson, having some fun at the second belay.

Eric took over the lead for the last two pitches. The third pitch was pretty cruiser and ended at a nice, sheltered belay before the steep pillar at the top of the photo.

MT "Rookie of the Year" Karen Kingsley, following the steep bit at the start of the last pitch.

Karen didn't have any fun at all!

Eric near the end of the second of four rappels to get off the route.

If you have aspirations of some steep ice classic or would like to learn the basics of how to enjoy this amazing sport, please give us a call at our Colorado office. We're located minutes away from some of the best ice in the state and would love to help you get up on some frozen falls!

Recaps from our 2010 Guides' Mega-Training

2010-11-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

We'd like to extend a special thanks to the 23 Mountain Trip guides who made the considerable effort to join us in Ouray, CO from October 25 - 31 to attend our 2010 Mega-Training. Six of us stayed on for another week to complete an AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) Rock Instructor Course, which wound down this past weekend.

Thanks also to our guide Kevin Koprek for the time and dedication he spent developing the curriculum for the course, arranging for lodging for all our guides and generally making this whole course happen. Instructors and IFMGA Certified Guides Vince Anderson and Angela Hawse spent the better part of two weeks with our guides and we deeply appreciate their help, insights and instruction. Thanks to high altitude medicine specialist Dr. Peter Hackett and Durango Search and Rescue team leader Leo Lloyd for presenting an amazing day of medical and rescue instruction. Dr. Hackett runs the Institute for High Altitude Medicine in Telluride. Click HERE for a link to their website.

We could post an entire blog about the past 14 days of instruction, which kicked off with a big barbecue before covering heaps of technical skills, principle-based decision making, pedagogy for teaching mountain skills, and much, much more. The Mega-Training concluded with a day of guide presentations on a wide variety of mountain topics ranging from avalanche considerations on Denali, women's issues on expeditions, physics for climbers, crevasse rescue, deescalation techniques for use with emotional teammates, and more. We booked a local restaurant for a dinner to celebrate our dear friend and guide, Heidi Kloos, who we lost to an avalanche six months ago and it was really nice to see her Mountain Trip family have the chance to meet some of her local friends.

John Duncan cuts big steaks out of prime rib while his daughter Brooke looks on hungrily. John owns and runs a local fly fishing and adventure guide service called Telluride Outside and is the husband of Laura Duncan, our amazing office helper.

An early snowstorm confined us indoors on our first day, where Vince and Angela discussed an array of technical skills and considerations that would lay the foundation for the rest of the week. Read more about Vince at his website HERE.

A heartfelt thanks to the Ouray County Search and Rescue Team for allowing us to use their "Rescue Barn" as our base for the course.

The weather improved and we took things outside to the beautiful setting of Unaweep Canyon, and it's granitic walls, some of which rise over a thousand feet tall. For more information on Angela, click HERE to see her website.

We interspersed technical instruction with plenty of hands on application. This meant getting to climb some great routes!

Evenings generally saw us congregating at the Rescue Barn for more topics of discussion and slide shows presented by our guides.

We opted to spend more time in Unaweep than planned, as cold temperatures did not let much snow melt around Ouray. This added some travel to our days, but provided a great venue for learning. Thanks to the Western Colorado Climbers Coalition for helping keep access open to these spectacular crags. Check them out at: http://westernslopeclimbers.blogspot.com/

Joe Butler belays a climber up on his bomb-proof anchor.

Chris Kerrick about to trust me to lower him down a route.

We returned to Ouray for a couple of days of short-roping practice and instruction. Here Angela models how to short-pitch and efficiently belay up two climbers at a time.

After the official MT Mega-training ended, six of us remained to complete an AMGA Rock Instructor Course, during which we climbed a lot more, including a day up a super-fun route called Otto's Route on Independence Monument, a 400 foot tower in Colorado National Monument.

Joe Butler battles the tricky overhanging off-width crack on pitch 2 of Otto's Route.

Jacob Schmitz belays Karen Kingsley up the exposed and fun last pitch.

The MT RIC team on top of Independence Monument
From left to right: Chris Kerrick, Karen Kingsley (in front), Joe Butler, Todd Rutledge, Jacob Schmitz and Peter Ingliss.

Jacob, having fun while being lowered to the base of the route.

Mountain Trip Everest Summiters Receive Honors

2010-11-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

Orange County Metro recently honored three Everest summiters from Mountain Trip's 2010 Everest Expedition: Cindy Abbott, Denise Fejtek and Paul Fejtek. Congratulations for this recognition and all of your accomplishments. Check out the full article: http://ocmetro.com/t-Cover_Hot25_24Everest_Climbers1110.aspx.

Mount Everest Expedition 2011

2010-09-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Summit of Mount Everest May 23rd, 2010

We are all excited and preparing for next year's expedition to Mt Everest!

Join us.... on one of the true challenges on our planet!

Namaste,

Bill Allen and Scott Woolums

Check out the Everest Dispatches and lots of photos from our 2010 Expedition at http://mteverest2010.blogspot.com

and find out about 2011 at
http://mountaintrip.com/International/everest.html

Our new Vinson Massif e-Magazine is live!

2010-09-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

We just launched our latest expedition planning magazine for our trips to Antarctica. We wanted a publication that reflects the quality of our expeditions, and will be converting all of our expedition booklets to this format in the coming months.

Read and enjoy!

7th SUMMIT FOR BILL ALLEN!

2010-08-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Mountain Trip co-owner Bill Allen just completed the Seven Summits yesterday with an ascent of Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe!

Bill, along with returning climber Ephi Gildor and fellow MT guide Con Sevaris reached the summit at a little after 8am local time. They had acclimatized for several days in the beautiful Cheget Valley before making their summit bid.

Bill is just a couple summits away from having completed the famed highest points on each continent twice, and has climbed most of the seven numerous times. In the past 13 months he has stood on top of Denali, Carstensz Pyramid, Aconcagua, Everest and Elbrus and with upcoming trips to both Vinson Massif and then Everest in 2011, he's not showing much sign of slowing down.

Special thanks to Ephi for choosing Mountain Trip for his go-to guide service for Elbrus as well as other climbs!

12 Year Old Climber Climbs 50 Highpoints in 43 Days!

2010-08-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

When the father and son team of Mike and Matt Moniz approached us about climbing Denali we quickly picked up on two things: they had seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm and 12 year old Matt was the driving force in the decision. As we worked together over a period of months on a plan for the expedition, Mike let me in on a secret, secondary plan that would be contingent on their reaching the top of Denali. I've not mentioned it previously, but would like to offer up a hearty congratulations on the two of them for their recent accomplishment.

The two climbers stood on top of the highest point on each of the 50 states in the US in a record 43 days!

The logistics involved were mind-boggling, but Matt's determination, combined with dad's planning and attention to detail resulted in things pretty much going as planned.

This amazing feat was fueled by Matt's desire to raise both funds and awareness for a dear friend's illness, Pulmonary Hypertension. They raised $25,000 and hopefully a lot of awareness in the process. You can read about their travels, find articles and links as well as some great video on their website HERE. (Yes, that is a Mountain Trip logo on the top left corner of their tricked-out van's window. Thanks for the props, guys!!!)

Denali 2010 Season Wrapped Up

2010-07-21T18:59:00.001-07:00

Our last team of the 2010 Denali season just flew off the glacier this afternoon. We had a great year, with lots of happy climbers. Weather was really challenging this season in Alaska and specifically on Denali, but we still managed to have 14 of our 17 Denali teams stand on the summit.

Each expedition had its exceptional moments and probably heartbreaks as well. Most teams spent their share of time camped in stormy weather, although a couple teams did manage to move up in mostly clear, blue sky weather.

Some highlights of the 2010 season:

We led the first ever guided ski descent of Denali to ski off the summit! Our goal was to travel on skis up to the 14,200' camp and perhaps make some turns in the big Genet Basin above camp. The climbers were fit, motivated and the weather cooperated enough for the team to carry skis up to high camp. Our guides did a great job of evaluating the climbers and the snow conditions and assessed that everything looked good for a descent from the summit!

We also ran a Wilderness West Buttress expedition for some adventurous souls in mid-April where they were able to experience Denali without any other teams on the hill one might have seen it 30+ years ago. They had a cold trip, but it was certainly a unique wilderness experience and the response from the climbers and guides was very enthusiastic.

Toward the end of the season, we led two "Alaska Adaptive" trips for disabled athletes. In conjunction with Telluride Adaptive Sports Program, we flew a number of wheelchair bound, traumatic brain injury and visually impaired athletes to the Pika Glacier, south of Denali for almost a week of skiing, climbing and instruction. Highlights included the athletes orchestrating a crevasse rescue scenario to raise a sit-ski "victim" out of a gaping crevasse! Kevin Koprek, lead guide on our first trip this summer said the experience was so rejuvenating and invigorating that it probably added five years to his guiding career.

Thanks to all the climbers who joined us for this, our 37th year of guiding in Alaska. Thanks also to the family and friends who supported these climbers, we realize it isn't only the climbers who sacrifice for these trips. Hopefully, we helped ease some of the stress through our Expedition Dispatches and podcasts.

We are enjoying a two week respite before the next expedition goes out the door. We're heading to Mt Elbrus (Russia), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Carstensz Pyramid (Indonesia) and Aconcagua (Argentina) all before 2010 is over.

Interested Everest climbers should contact our office, as we are looking to add further services to our 2011 Everest Expedition in the hopes that we can exceed the expectations of our climbers. The feedback from our 2010 expedition was great. Here's a bit of what our climbers have been saying:

"From beginning to end; Mountain Trip was professional yet friendly, organized but open for suggestions, and produced a safe, successful 60-day expedition that resulted in all the climbers, guides, and climbing Sherpas joining the elite ranks of those who have climbed the world's highest mountain. The thousands of details involved with such an endeavor boggles the mind, but almost without exception: it was a perfect trip."
-Cindy Abbott (Click HERE for Cindy's blog)

New Aconcagua Planning Booklet is live!

2010-07-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

We just posted our new Aconcagua Expedition Planning and Preparation Book on our website. It was a lot of fun to produce and we're quite proud of it, so please check it out. Click on the booklet below for a larger version!

Open publication - Free publishing - More seven summit

Denali Updates July 1, 2010

2010-07-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our Denali season has been full-value, with brutal storms interspersed with stretches of stunningly beautiful, clear days. Our last two teams to go high reached the summit and here are some podcasts from the climbers on the summit of North America.

June 7th team:

June 13th team:

Images from our 2010 Everest Expedition

2010-05-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Vivian James Rigney climbing up the Lhotse Face

The team negotiating the Hillary Step on summit day

Looking back across the South Summit of Mount Everest

On the top of the world!!
May 23, 2010

Descending through the Khumbu Ice Fall

The 2010 Mountain Trip Everest Team, back in Base Camp, safe and sound...

EVEREST SUMMIT!!! May 23, 2010

2010-05-23T09:47:00.001-07:00

We are thrilled to report that our entire Everest team stood on the top of the world at 9:30 am on May 23rd!

We were on pins and needles, waiting as our team moved up with a decent, but far from perfect weather forecast. Fortunately, the gusty winds predicted failed to materialize and the team enjoyed a beautiful, warm night and a clear dawn as they climbed to the summit. They made good time, even with having to negotiate a large number of other climbers, and returned safely to Camp 4 at 26,000 feet at about 3:30 pm.

Congratulations to our five climbers, two guides and 12 Climbing Sherpas!!!!!!!!!

Here is a podcast from Scott Woolums, our expedition leader, as he checked back in from Camp 4, following their successful summit:

Denali Weather Forecast

2010-05-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting widget that provides a nice, concise forecast for Denali weather. It should update daily, so check back and track what's blowing on Denali!

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Weather by meteoexploration

Bill Allen featured in Salem, OR newspaper

2010-05-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

I can only post this because Bill is over in Nepal, as he would be too self-conscious about it to let me. Bill's hometown paper, the Statesman Journal, covering all the news that's fit to print in Salem, Oregon, recently ran a front page story about Bill's Everest current expedition.

Bill and the other six climbers are currently waiting for the jetstream to shift, lowering wind speeds up high and presenting them with an opportunity to head for the summit of the highest peak in the world. They are roughly 40 days into their expedition and everything is set for their summit bid.

You can read the article from the Statesman Journal by clicking HERE.

MT Everest Team ready for summit bid!

2010-05-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Our 2010 Everest team has been resting in Dingboche after two rotations up high on the mountain to acclimatize. They are about to head back up to Everest Base Camp and wait for a favorable weather window in order to make their bid for the summit!

Everyone is doing well and all the requisite supplies are in place on the upper mountain, meaning our Camp Three is fully stocked and we have over 70 bottle of oxygen at High Camp! Our custom weather forecasting is the best available, so as soon as the team decides that the winds up high seem to be trending in the right direction, they'll make a push up high.

You can follow the expedition dispatch blog for our crew by clicking on the link to the right.

Good luck to all the climbers!

Annual Pre-Season Guide Training

2010-05-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Alaska season is well underway...and it's only the beginning of May?? Of the climbers currently on Denali, the Mountain Trip family makes up the majority by a long shot. We have groups all over the lower mountain biding their time so they will be prepared for the upper mountain when the time comes.

The previous two days have been busy around the MT house in Anchorage. We just finished our annual pre-season 2 day guide training. The group reviewed topics such as professionalism in mountain guiding, menu planning and design, risk management, rescue systems, systems for assisting struggling climbers, general physics in ropework, snow anchors, and of course a review of our medical protocols. We were fortunate to have Dr.'s Paul Anderson and Joe McLaughlin present on some current research in the areas of high altitude physiology and disease transmission in the expedition setting. It was an action packed two days topped off with an amazing BBQ.

The May 2nd team will gather on Sun and begin their journey here in Anchorage. Then off to Talkeetna on Monday morning. The Mountain Trip family is most excited as this looks to be one of our biggest seasons ever. Remember to check out the great blog posts and pod casts from each individual expedition as they make their way up the mountain. Until next time...happy trails!

Our first Denali team is on the glacier!

2010-04-20T23:47:00.001-07:00

Our first team of the season flew into the Kahiltna Glacier this morning. Six climbers and four Mountain Trip guides are headed up as some of the very first climbers of the 2010 climbing season. This expedition is a benefit climb, with all net proceeds going to support a program and school in southwest Colorado that helps special needs kids in the area.

Best of luck to all the climbers! You can follow their progress on their dispatch blog at: http://april182010denali.blogspot.com/

Mountain Trip's 2010 Everest Expedition

2010-04-06T18:11:00.003-07:00

The team has gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal for Mountain Trip's 2010 Everest Expedition. This is the 3rd year that Mountain Trip has been leading expeditions to this giant of a mountain. This year Scott Woolums has joined the Mountain Trip program as our Expedition Leader, and director of our Himalayan Programs. We are excited to have Scott's depth of knowledge and years of experience.

You can follow this expedition dispatches at www.MTEverest2010.blogspot.com

A Very Successful Event!

2010-02-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in our February 18th slide show in Durango, CO. By all accounts it was a success!

Dave Nettle entertained us all with amazing images and fascinating tales of his trip to climb the Eternal Flame route on Trango (Nameless) tower in the Baltoro region of Pakistan. He did a great job of showing how an expedition is about much more than just standing on the summit of a peak. while they did make the top of Trango tower, it seemed as if the time spent traveling up and down the Karakorum Highway and making friends in iconic places like Skardu and Islamabad.

We raised a good amount of money for the Skills for Living And Learning program in Bayfield, CO, but the highlight for me was when two fathers approached us about their young sons having "something going on." We listened, shared stories and then put them in touch with the director of the program, Susan Livingston, an Occupational Therapist who has made helping kids with Sensory Processing Disorder her life's work. It's not often that you can literally help change someone's life, and it give me shivers just thinking about it.

Special thanks to:

Pine Needle Mountaineering in Durango, CO for providing the venue. They carry a great selection of clothing and equipment for big mountain endeavors. You can find out more at: http://www.pineneedle.com

Osprey Packs for generously donating two very nice backpacks which we had a drawing for. We use their packs on Denali, so please check them out at: http://www.ospreypacks.com/

Carver Restaurant and Brewing Company for providing refreshments. If you're looking for good food and tasty brews in Durango, look no further: http://www.carverbrewing.com/

Dave Nettle and his sweetie Danika Gilbert (an accomplished guide and climber in her own right!) for all their help and support.

Cheers,

Todd

Check out our new Everest e-Magazine

2010-01-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is a "beta version," but we're pretty excited about it. Please let us know if you think this works:

Denali Benefit Climb!

2010-01-04T13:16:00.001-08:00

Every now and then you have the opportunity to do good work.

We are thrilled to announce that we are donating all proceeds from our April 18th, 2010 Denali climb to a small, non-profit school for kids with special needs.

The Piedra Learning Community is very special to us at Mountain Trip, as MT co-owner, Todd Rutledge's son attends their program, which provides an alternative education for kids with Sensory Processing Disorder and on the Autism Spectrum.

This expedition could be the first team to summit Denali during the 2010 season as we are currently the first team registered to attempt the highest peak in North America. We are offering special pricing for this opportunity, in the hopes that we can fill the team and raise enough money to help the Piedra Learning Community with a down payment on a new facility.

This team will head up glacier before the Park Service, and will experience a West Buttress climb in as close to a wilderness setting as you can get (outside of a winter ascent- brrr!!!). Late April conditions are a bit cooler than early May, but we have seen the same success rates on our past April ascents as during the rest of the season.

If you or someone you know is looking for an adventure with the added bonus of helping do something special for some really deserving kids, please contact us. Spaces are limited.

Please click HERE for more information on this climb, the school and on Sensory Processing Disorder, a challenge faced by perhaps 1 in 20 kids in the US today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2009-12-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

We had a great year at Mountain Trip and are enjoying Christmas at home! More trips head out soon, but all of our trips are home for the holidays this year.

Wishing you and your family a great Holiday Season and Happy New Year from our family at Mountain Trip!

Aconcagua Team on the Summit!!

2009-12-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

Our first Aconcagua expedition of the season is standing on the summit of the highest mountain in South America.

Congratulations to:
Vivian Rigney
Allan Frankl
Phil McDonald
Denis Autier
and their guides Zach Shlosar and Ariel Di Carlantonio

You can read the expedition dispatches from this trip at

http://mttripaconcaguadec09.blogspot.com

Colorado Ice Climbing

2009-12-11T12:25:00.001-08:00

Todd R starting up pitch 1

Cold temperatures and low snowfall made for some great early season ice in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Three Mountain Trip guides snuck out for some fun climbing near Silverton, CO last Sunday and climbed the three pitch classic, Whore House Hoses (WI 4). Jared Vilhauer, Dave Ahrens and I enjoyed the day despite chilly temperatures. A big dump of snow on Monday and Tuesday has made routes like this one off-limits until the avalanche hazard decreases.

Dave belaying Todd on pitch 1

Dave soloing up the short pitch 2

Jared approaching the hidden pitch 3

Dave enjoying the "plastic" blue/green ice of pitch 3

Dave and Jared getting ready for the last rappel down the route

Dave on the last rappel, about 50 meters from the bottom

Video of 2009 Denali Expeditions

2009-11-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

I've finally finished the slideshow/video from the 2009 Mountain Trip Denali Expeditions. I tried to include pictures of all of the climbers and guides who were a part of our year in Alaska, but I know I am missing lot's of you. If you were on one of our trips in 2009 in Alaska and have a great photo you'd like to share, send it to us at info@mountaintrip.com and I'll try to add it to the show.

Check out the video, or find it on You Tube

Mountain Trip guide to receive governor's award

2009-11-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

Mountain Trip guide Greg Nappi, whose efforts led to a successful rescue of another Mountain Trip Guide injured in the Alaskan back-country, is among the recipients of Alaska's Governor's Annual Awards for Emergency Medical Services.

The accident took place on the morning of April 9 when Greg and Joe Butler were ice-climbing above the Eklutna Glacier in Chugach State Park. Joe fell some 1,000 feet and came to a stop with a broken femur and various other injuries.

Greg, aka super friend, rappelled to find Joe and then hiked a silly amount of miles to a wilderness hut where a sled, tent and other survival gear were located. Greg returned with the gear and bundled up Joe, as night descended and a storm moved into the valley. Greg skied through the night to find a cabin locked and unoccupied where he kicked in the door to phone rescuers. Picture James Bond kicking in a door. Joe was evacuated within hours as the blizzard ensued.

We are all happy to know we have such skilled and determined friends in the Mountain Trip Family. Congratulations Greg, and Joe, we wish you a speedy recovery.

Check out the video below to see Joe's big break, pun intended, in the commercial industry.

Here is a link to an article in the Anchorage Daily News

http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/1012356.html

Travel Guard Trip Insurance Available Online!

2009-11-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that we can offer all of our US and Canadian climbers the comprehensive Travel Guard Adventure Protection Plan.

It is easy to set up, and can all be done from home via a link on our website that you can reach HERE.

The unfortunate reality for active outdoors people is that we often expose ourselves to the potential for injury while we train for our upcoming trips. A somewhat parallel reality is that most trips in the mountains are subject to a level of subjective hazard that is even higher. Injuries and illness are occasionally unavoidable in the big mountains. The Adventure Protection Plan is one of the better ways we've found to help our climbers protect their investments in their expeditions.

There are some valuable additional benefits that are included in the plan if you sign up within 15 days of making a deposit, so please consider that into your decision making. When purchasing a policy, also consider the cost of your flights and any additional travel expenses you might need when deciding on the appropriate level of coverage.

We have had several of our climbers use this plan over the past couple of years and they have expressed a high level of satisfaction with their experiences. Unfortunately, we have also had a couple of climbers injure themselves right before a climb who did not have any trip insurance as well. They all wish they had protected their trip expenses...

TRAVEL GUARD ADVENTURE PROTECTION PLAN

Our 2010 Denali season is filling up!

2009-11-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

It has been a very interesting experience to see how our pre-season bookings have changed over the past five years. "Back in the day," it was fairly typical to have a fair amount of space left on trips as late as a month before the season started. We began filling trips by February a few years ago, and our 2009 season was completely full by December 1st, 2008.

It looks like we are on a similar track for our 2010 season. We have space available on most dates, but are rapidly filling up. I'd encourage anyone even considering joining us on Denali to at least give us a call to talk about whether it would be a good choice for you or not. Any perspective small groups of even two or more friends should contact us very soon as trips with even two spots left open are becoming few and far between.

We will probably open our May 23rd Denali Traverse expedition up to climbers who want to climb up and down the West Buttress. This trip has some confirmed traverse climbers, but still has many spaces open, so we will most likely run a combined trip on that date. We have done this before and it works well.

Thanks for checking in, and we hope you are all enjoying the warm, "Indian Summer" that we are having here in SW Colorado.

Keep climbing,
Todd

Another Successful Carstensz Climb!

2009-10-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Bill called earlier today from the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

Carstensz expeditions are never easy, and can often be plagued by unecpected challenges that we have little control over. This particular climb was all that and more. We want to really commend our climbers for keeping faith in Bill and in the trip and for being flexible and committed enough to get their opportunities to reach the top. Patience, grit and determination are crucial for any expedition, and these climbers displayed those qualities in exemplary fashion.

Great work, team!!!

You can read about their climb HERE.

Denali Cuisine Cooking Class

2009-10-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

Mountain Trip Lead Denali guide Kevin Koprek is teaching a class on Denali Cuisine in Ouray, CO this Saturday. Kevin will instruct participants on the fine art of menu planning, meal preparation and how to handle the nuances of all the logistics of packing for a long expedition like Denali.

For more information or to register, please contact Weehawken Creative Arts HERE.

Bill and the team are at Base Camp!

2009-10-12T17:45:00.001-07:00

After some days of delay waiting for a helicopter repair, Bill Allen and our team are finally at Base Camp below Carstensz Pyramid. This trip is never easy, and this particular expedition is living up to that tradition.

Read all the dispatches HERE.

Getting Ready for Carstensz Pyramid Expedition

2009-09-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are settled back in to our beautiful home of Ophir, Colorado for a couple of weeks, but preparations are on for the upcoming Carstensz Pyramid trip. I am looking forward to going back over for my yearly trip to Indonesia for this adventure. I missed going over last year due to a knee injury that has healed up just fine now. I say it all the time, but it is always an adventure traveling to the remote island of Papua and navigating the logistics and politics that it takes just to get to base camp. This will be my 6th trip to Indonesia, and it makes it something like 10 for Mt Trip. It has been different every time.

This time we are going to be flying in by helicopter from the village of Nabire. It's over an hour flight to base camp from this village over some of the most remote jungle left on the planet. The island of Papua is split in half by the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The Surinam range runs East to West across the island, and Carstensz Pyramid is the highest peak in the range at just over 16,000 ft. The climb is a one day push from our base camp at a beautiful lake at the base of the mountain.
The climb is a fun outing climbing about 4,000 ft up a limestone peak. Most of the climbing is really pretty straight forward low 5th class climbing with a fixed rope for protection. The real excitement starts when we gain the ridge and need to pass over several gaps along the way to the top. The first of these gaps is by far the biggest, and we will be using a "Tyrolean Traverse" to get across it, instead of rappelling down 20 meters, and climbing back out the other side. The tyrolean is really pretty fun, but it definitely get's your heart beating fast as you look down several thousand feet while suspended by a rope (or two).

This spot is the technical crux of the entire 7 summit journey.

Most of the climbers coming to Carstensz are working towards climbing the highest peak on each continent, these peaks have been dubbed the "7 Summits" It's a great excuse to travel all around this planet to extremely different places for some fun climbing, and incredible cultural experiences.

The culture and people of the island of Papua are some of the most fascinating on the planet. I don't really claim to grasp the complexity of their varied cultures, but the island is home to the most different languages, and tribal groups left in the world. It is truly a sense of stepping back into the stone age when you get into some of the more remote villages, where there first contact with the western world occurred in the last 50 years or so.

This picture was from a small village outside of Wamena in the central mountains of Papua. They put on a bit of a show for us with their ritualized war ceremony. It's the real deal over there, as there are still local tribal wars that break out with some regularity. This is a Dani tribe, one of the largest groups in the highlands.

The Mountain Trip team for this adventure:
1) Ben Swart. South Africa
2) Elsi Bezudinhout. South Africa
3) Ephi Gildor. Aspen, Colorado
4) William Hanlon. Alberta, Canada
5) Chris Davenport (guide). Aspen, Colorado
6) Bill Allen (guide). Ophir, Colorado/Anchorage, Alaksa

We are meeting in Bali in early October for a day or two of surfing fun, and then it's off to Papua!

I'll be posting and updating a trip blog when the trip starts. We're planning to head back over for a couple of trips in March of next year if you are interested in heading over for an adventure of your own.

Cheers,
Bill

Dave Ahrens passes his AMGA Alpine Exam!

2009-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to guide Dave Ahrens for passing his AMGA Alpine Exam in the Cascades last week. Dave put a lot of time and effort into getting his Alpine certification which involves 3 separate courses and an intensive week long exam.

Good Work Dave!

Dreaming of the next trip...

2009-07-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

As we finish putting away the tents and cleaning up the gear here in rainy Anchorage our minds begin to wander and we begin to dream of the next expedition. Maybe one that involves traveling to Bali, hmm... Lucky for us Carstensz Pyramid is next on the list, we're going in October with one or two groups of climbers for this adventure. It is always an adventure traveling to West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) and getting to base camp is arguably the hardest part of this trip. Others might argue that the Tyrolean Traverse (pictured below) is the hardest part of the climb, but from a guides perspective, this is a much more manageable risk.

We've still got a couple of spots on our October trips.

Our last team of the season reached the summit!

2009-07-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Our last Denali team of the 2009 season reached the summit on a picture perfect, warm and sunny day!

Jacob Schmitz called to say that he was enjoying an amazing from the highest point in north America. The team made good time to the summit and the first rope teams found it so warm that they posed for some shirtless summit shots. Shirtless at 20,2030 feet in Alaska? That's almost unheard of...

Congratulations to all the climbers for their hard work and great effort.

This wraps up our 2009 season. we were able to put 11 out of 14 West Buttress expeditions on the summit, despite a month of horrendous weather in May and early June.

We'll post a 2009 season recap shortly. Please check out all of our expedition dispatches HERE.

Two more teams on the summit!

2009-07-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today two more Mountain Trip groups reached the summit of Denali. Our June 23rd team and a small, private climb both made it to the top of North America on what Mountain Trip co-owner and guide, Bill Allen, described as the nicest summit day he's seen in over 20 Denali expeditions.

16 climbers reached the summit today with Mountain Trip:

Ephraim Gildor from the US
Stina Glavind from Denmark
Sheri Bastien from Canada
Jaysen Armugmum from the UK
Scott McNaughton from the UK
Neil Hunter from the UK
Mirek Standowicz from the US
Shawn Dawson from the US
George Stewart from the UK
Patrick Turner from the US

Mountain Trip guides:

Bill Allen from Ophir, CO
Heidi Kloos from Ridgway, Colorado
Sebastian Grau from Santiago de Chile
Justin Buttrick from Anchorage, Alaska
Constantine Severis from Telluride, CO
Chris Davenport from Aspen, CO

Congratulations to all the climbers!

Joe Butler and Greg Nappi

2009-06-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

Two of our guides Joe Butler and Greg Nappi were on a climbing trip this spring up here in Alaska and Joe fell about 1000 ft. Their strength, experience, friendship, and determination brought them through alive, and Joe is recovering nicely.

Greg is currently out on his second Denali expedition of the 2009 season, and Joe is recovering quickly and is already walking with just a cane. This is a pretty amazing story and definitely worth a read.

Link to Article in the Anchorage Daily News

MT Chicas on the Hill!

2009-06-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Two Mountain Trip guides and a couple of friends are having a blast climbing and skiing on Denali.

Sonja Allen, (Bill's wife!) and Kim Grant are currently based at Camp 3 with friends Karin Kingsley from Ophir, CO and Kim Havell from Telluride, CO. The four have spent so many days skiing the Ophir and Telluride backcountry together over the years, they decided to take their infectious good energy to Denali.

They summitted in mid-June and have been waiting for the weather to clear so they can get some skiing in!

The slopes above Camp 3 offer numerous world-class lines to ski and if the conditions permit, I reckon the girls will shred their fair share of them. We'll keep you updated on their progress and will post some photos from their trip when they get back off the mountain.

Have fun, be safe and GO BIG!

Featured Guide: HEIDI KLOOS

2009-06-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

Heidi Kloos is a great friend and one of our senior guides. She has been working for Mountain Trip since 2005 and is one of our favorite climbing and ski partners when we're not working.

When not climbing, Heidi helps run an alpaca ranch in Ridgway, CO. Her responsibilities include looking after dozens of very valuable animals, helping shear their coats, birth their young, and milk Penny the Cow each day.

Heidi has participated on 10 Denali expeditions, nine of which were with Mountain Trip. Her level of care for her teammates is incredible, and is only rivaled by her strength of resolve, and strength on the uphill. In a nutshell, she's a sweetheart, but one tough cookie! Here she is riding her horse, Lady, in to climb Hayden Peak, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Heidi is a very seasoned international mountain guide. She has led many trips to Nepal and in South America. She'll help get you up your mountain, and also find the good "sanduche de pollo a la italiana" on that back street in Mendoza.

Boundless energy, enthusiasm and good will might start to sum up an experience with Heidi in the big mountains.

We should also mention that she is a very solid technical climber and one of the first women in the U.S. to earn the title of Certified Alpine Guide by the American Mountain Guiding Association.

Who, where, what and why?

2009-06-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

We often talk about the Mountain Trip Family. We don't talk about this as hyperbole, but because it really exists. Bill Allen and Todd Rutledge own the business, but the heart and soul of the company are our guides and the climbers we get to spend time with in the mountains.

Mountain Trip is a small guide service based high in the mountains of SW Colorado in the tiny hamlet of Ophir. Ophir is a community of about 190 folks, located at the end of the road for most months of the year, but accessible from both the east and the west when the 11,814' pass to the east is clear of snow. There are no paved roads down here, and with the long, tough winters, the town is full of hearty, adventurous people, and our local playground is often a zoo with the 60+ kids under the age of eight who are running amok.

Backcountry skiing, rock and ice climbing, mountaineering, hiking and mountain biking are all accessed literally from our front doors. It is a vibrant community that lives according to the principles of the traditional "village" and everyone helps each other out. It is a special place.

Todd Rutledge began guiding for Mountain Trip in 1994, and followed the lady who would soon be his wife to Ophir in 2001. Bill Allen joined the Mountain Trip team in 1995 and began frequenting Ophir in 2002, and moved to the town in 2006. We assumed the helm of Mountain Trip following the 2004 Denali season, when founder Gary Bocarde decided he was ready for some sunny rock climbing and cycling, instead of working away at a guide service.

Gary always fostered a feeling amongst us guides that we were all part of a greater fraternity and we took that feeling and have taken it a few steps further. Our guides are our best friends, confidants, climbing partners, and mentors. We take good care of them and challenge them to be innovative and to always strive to orchestrate the best possible outcome from any given scenario. They return to work for Mountain Trip year after year, after year, after year. Barring injuries and the occasional need to placate a girlfriend, we have almost a 100% return rate in our guide staff year after year, after year.

Years ago we decided to extend this feeling of inclusion and of being part of something bigger than oneself to those climbers who chose to join us in the mountains on our expeditions. An expedition begins long before you arrive at the trailhead and we strive to give unparalleled personal attention to our climbers from their very first email or phone call. We absolutely love what we get to do, and we love to share all of the knowledge gained over decades in the mountains with our climbers. There are no big egos around here, just passionate climbers who are eager to share that passion with you.

If you have big mountain dreams, or are curious as to what life on a big, cold peak might be like, give us a ring. Novice to the mountain world will find us to be attentive listeners, ready to give you advice as to where to start or how to proceed. Experienced alpinists will find us happy to talk about big, gnarly routes and help plan that next big adventure.

Why Mountain Trip? Because we do take it personally... and it shows!

Welcome to Mountain Trip!

2009-06-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Mountain Trip was born of an Alaskan daydream in 1973. We are now the industry leader for providing mountain guiding services on Denali and around the world.

We are a small company and we like it that way. It enables us to intently focus on providing the highest possible service on a select number of expeditions. Providing personal attention every step of the way is our goal, and our climbers often comment that they felt more like climbing partners than "just clients."

Hopefully the posts on this blog will provide you with some insight into our world. It's a pretty amazing place!