Alaska Gurus

We get quite a few questions about backcountry travel in bear country, which, safe to say, is really a good question for anyone traveling anywhere in Alaska.  While there are many schools of thought, and inevitably every Alaskan has their opinion on the best methodology - we've developed a practice that has allowed us to travel safely and comfortably in Alaska's wild places for over a decade without incident.  Here are some ways in which we safely visit the wild places that bears call home.

Awareness of Ones Surroundings - Alaska is big, and the wilderness is seemingly around every corner.  One thing we can't stress enough is being aware of our surroundings.  When we're in the field, we're constantly evaluating the terrain around us from a bear safety perspective. It’s critical to question such things as: what’s around the next corner, what’s that dark spot on the hillside, is the brush ahead thick enough for a bear to go unnoticed? Awareness of our surroundings goes a long way when it comes to safety, and is an integral part of staying safe in bear country.

Route Selection – Bears are everywhere in the wilderness! - That including rivers, drainages, ridge-tops, thick brush, glaciers etc. Choosing a good route goes a long way when it comes to bear safety. We try to choose routes offer better visibility, and opportunities to see bears at a distance, and that help avoid encountering or surprising a bear at close range. As we travel in the wilderness, we’re searching for wide-open country and routes with good visibility, which not only is more enjoyable to travel on, but also provides greater visibility when it comes to wildlife. Being able to spot a bear at a distance, and thus alter course accordingly, will go a long way in terms of avoiding a negative encounter. We try to avoid traveling through dense brush if at all possible.

Making Noise - Another key travel practice is regularly making noise when hiking in windy conditions, entering and traveling in brush, hiking in drainages or depressions, and anywhere where visibility is limited and a potential for surprising a bear is high. I tend to call out regularly and loudly, often a hoot and holler, and have been know to attempt to carry a tune at times – all of which are an effective way to alert wildlife that you are nearby, and giving them time to change their course if necessary. It definitely helps avoid surprises. We get asked about bear bells quite often, and it’s been my experience that they don’t make enough noise to make a difference, and tend to annoy fellow travelers more than alert bears.

Proper Food Storage & Keeping a Clean Camp – This cannot be stressed enough in a wilderness setting. Bears have an amazing sense of smell, and we do everything to eliminate the potential association of human food equaling a food source for wildlife. The first step we take happens before we set foot in the wilderness, as we prepare our food for our adventures. We vacuum seal most of our fresh ingredients and sauces, minimizing odors. The second step is to store all food in bear resistant containers, and along with our food, we place all odorous items in these bear resistant containers on a nightly basis. These bear resistant containers are placed well away from camp. The third step is diligence in keeping a clean camp, including picking up all trash and food scraps, and placing them in the bear resistant containers. Special consideration should be taken in regards to odorous items often forgotten in pockets, including wrappers, candy bars, sunscreen and chapstick. Don’t forget these items in your pack either, as bears (and many smaller critters) are more than happy to chew through nylon to get to the goods.

Traveling with Bear Deterrents – There have been quite a few studies done on the effectiveness of firearms and bearspray as bear deterrents. While there are advantages to both, at Alaska Alpine Adventures we chose primarily to travel armed. Our guides travel with and are trained to use high caliber handguns or shotguns. Of course, we chose firearms as a last resort in the event of a negative bear encounter. We’ve never had to use one, but feel a piece of mind in having one available.

Bears are an integral part of the wilderness experience, and are a pleasure to observe in their natural surroundings. While the precautions above are simply recommendations for traveling safely in bear country, it’s a methodology that has proven itself for over a decade of wilderness travel in some of the most amazing places in Alaska.

 

It's hard to believe that we are wrapping up another season here at Alaska Alpine Adventures. It seems like just yesterday we were prepping gear, looking over maps and getting ready for the the hectic schedule that comes every summer. Now, the house is mothballed for the winter, the van's are in storage, and Dan and I are settled back into our winter office routine. There is termination dust on the mountaintops, and it's only a matter of time until Anchorage sees its first substantial snowfall.

As I look back on our season, I can't help but smile. We took our guests to the most remote and spectacular places in the state, and explored corners of our National Parks that truly took our breath away. It is always amazing to share these wild places with new guests as well rekindling friendships with guests that are returning for their 4th or 5th trip.

We had a great crew this year, with the best batch of new guides I've seen in a long time, as well as a solid group of returning guides. They have all headed back to the lower 48, on to winter jobs, school or further adventure.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, and are looking to chat about past or future adventures in Alaska, swing by our Spenard office and pull up a chair.

Thanks for a great season!

Welcome to the first photo from my July, 2009 into the North Wrangell Mountains in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Longtime guests Mark & Joan Strobel, a couple from St. Paul, MN who likes to do long and difficult backpacking trips, joined me on this incredible trip into the northern most portion of Wrangell-St. Elias NP. Not only did we explore over 80 miles of breathtaking wilderness, we also enjoyed perfect weather and conditions not uncommon in this part of Alaska!

This shot was taken early in the trip, near the tundra clad mountain top where our Piper Super Cub pilot had dropped us off. The peak in the backdrop, one that dominated the southern horizon throughout our expedition, is Mt. Jarvis - 13,471'

If you're thinking about a guided backpacking trip in Alaska this summer, keep us at the top of the list! And, of course, if you have any Alaska related questions feel free to drop me an email or give me a call.

Dan Oberlatz
Alaska Alpine Adventures, LLC
1-877-525-2577
www.AlaskaAlpineAdventures.com

You know, I was out skiing on the trails in Anchorage on Sunday, cruising along the coastal trail just west of downtown, and had to pause. In front of me was miles of groomed trail, to my left wooded, inviting neighborhoods, and to my right Cook Inlet. Across the inlet, less than 50 miles away, was the snow covered skyline of the Neacola Mountains. Denali could be seen 300 miles away further north.

I was skiing in the 23rd Tour of Anchorage nordic ski race, where over 1800 participants came out on a beautiful Sunday to truly enjoy our trail system, and the uniqueness of our city. World Class comes to mind. Skiing through the heart of Anchorage without having to wait for traffic, navigating an amazing trail network that was groomed to olympic standards the night before the race.

As much as the race was the focus of my weekend, the happenings in Anchorage and Alaska this past weekend really prove that Alaska is a World Class destination, any time of the year. On Saturday, we celebrated the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, with dog teams racing through town with spectators lining the streets. Sunday, while we were busy skiing, the official start was happening 100 miles north, as mushers checked their gear one last time before heading out into the wildest wilderness Alaska could throw at them. It really is the last great race.

Alaska. World Class. Amazing trails, spectacular wilderness, the Iditarod! - and its the middle of winter.

Today we announced a new backpacking trip we're offering this summer in Denali National Park! We've finally found the transportation link to go from Anchorage in a floatplane with Rusts Flying Service all the way into the park, and eventually all the way out to Talkeetna with Talkeetna Air Taxi. This is going to be an AMAZING TRIP!

Click Here to check out the trip!

Here's the link to the press release.

New Guided Alaska Backpacking Trip in Denali National Park

The new Alaska Alpine Adventures website went live tonight, January 10, 2009 at 7:50pm PST. Aaron and I are proud of the effort and certainly want to give a shout out to The Thinkery for their unbelievable dedication and commitment to the project. The collective effort yielded a site that is 1) full of compelling imagery (all of which are from actual Alaska Alpine Adventure trips!) 2) easy to navigate and 3) an appealing place to hang out for a while.

While we still have some fine tuning to do, we're confident that you'll find the site worthy of a bookmark for those times when you just need an Alaska fix! We'll be sharing some of our favorite pages in the coming days/weeks, but in the meantime, just check it out.

Hey Everyone,
We've been in incommunicado for the last few days and wanted ya'll to know the reason why. Aaron and I are totally consumed with our new website, which we hope to launch (fingers and toes crossed) on Monday, January 11, 2010. We're really excited to share with all of our friends and fans the new AAA presence. Here's what you can look forward to in the new site.

- User friendly layout.
- Comprehensive destination information.
- Dedicated trip pages with slide shows for each trip.
- A simple, yet refined navigation structure.
- And of course, TONS of great photos taken on real Alaska Alpine Adventures.

Stay tuned...a bright new light will be soon shining in Spenard, Alaska!

Alaska Business Monthly (April 2008)
"Seeking Adventure? Look No Further"
By Heather A. Resz

It's a bit like spinning the globe and pointing a finger to select a destination the way modern-day explorer Dan Oberlatz, owner of Alaska Alpine Adventures, plucks expeditions from his imagination and then plots them using topographic mapping software. His love of Alaska's wild placed led him to start the business in 1998 as a way to help pay for his own trips into Alaska's backcountry, and in the company's second year in business it had two clients, Oberlatz said. "It took us a long time before we made a dime," he added. "It kind of started as a way to finance our aspirations to see the state."

New trips added to the Alaska Alpine Adventures Web site emerge from Oberlatz' teeming brain. Say he sets his mind to float the Charlie River. He loads the mapping software on his computer and plans a route. Then he adds the adventure to his Web site's list of possible expeditions and Oberlatz guides the trip if enough people sign up.

After 10 summers of showing visitors the wilderness he loves, he said he was finally able to hire his first full time employee last year. And, if his reservation list is any indication, Oberlatz said, Alaska Alpine Adventures is on pace to have its busiest year so far. His bump in business may be due, in part, to the company's inclusion in a National Geographic Adventure Magazine feature. In the November 2007 issue, called the "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth," Oberlatz' business was listed among the top 10 adventure travel companies worldwide, and was one of eight Alaska companies featured.
"We're on a pretty elite list," he said. Alaska Alpine scored highest on the client interview portion of the six month long review. Oberlatz said all of his clients gave the company the highest possible rating for customer service.
But those high marks only drive Oberlatz to work harder. "We really have to make sure we are living up to that expectation," he said. "We're challenging ourselves to be better and to improve."

Flat Screen
The majority of Alaska Alpine Adventures customers come from two places: Web bookings and repeat customers, Oberlatz said. He added that one client from Louisville, Ky., has booked eight consecutive trips. Increasing numbers of travelers are using Internet search engines to browse lists of companies offering Alaska travel options. For small companies, such as Oberlatz', the Web levels the playing field between big and small travel companies. "It's a flat screen," Oberlatz said of the way the Internet lets travelers make their own reservations with companies of all sizes.

The "Alaska Visitor Statistics Program V, Interim Visitor Volume Report," prepared for the State of Alaska by the McDowell Group, estimated that 1.7 million out-of-state visitors came to Alaska from May to September 2007. Visitation increased by 43 percent between 2001 and 2007, according to the report. Marketing materials for Alaska Alpine Adventures credit Alaska itself for pulling travelers back to experience its wonders again and again. Our guests are drawn by the magnetism of northern wildernes and its creature," the brochure says. "They revisit to savor the palpable emoution of solitude, and to immerse themselves in something that few are fortunate to experience - pure and untouched wilderness."

Oberlatz said the food is another reason clients return. Chef Derek Nelson has spent the last 10 years fine-tuning backcountry techniques, recipes and ingredients. His healthy, flavorful, filing and nutritious meals include fare such as steaming chicken satay on a bed of udon noodles followed by a homemade coffee-toffee brownie. "People know they are going to eat very well on our trips," Oberlatz said.

Although Oberlatz has spent nearly two decades adventuring through the wilds of Alaska, he stills remembers his first two years living at Lake Clark where he fell in love with the Great Land. Ultimately, it's that love of place that is Oberlatz' passion. "Once in awhile when I'm with guests and the float plane drops them off," he said. "I see the look in their eyes and I remember the first time a float plane dropped me off."

Pursuit of Happiness
Oberlatz said that looking back 10 years to when he started his adventure guiding business, he would never have guessed he'd be doing this, be married and the father of two. Flexibility to create his own schedule is the biggest benefit the business offers his young family. In fact, Oberlatz said, he was on his way to pick up his daughter from school. "I'm living my dream," he added. Oberlatz is not the sort of guy to measure his own success against stacks of hundred dollar bills - he's more a pursuit of happiness kind of guy. "We want to grow it slowly and live our lifestyle," he said. "We help people see a great place in a great way."

While Alaska Alpine Adventures offers trips statewide, Oberlatz said the majority of his expeditions are still within Lake Clark National Park. The company focuses on multi-day trips within Alaska's national parks and wildlife refuges, such as Katmai, Wrangell-St Elias National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Oberlatz said in addition to basics such as how to camp in bear country or how to paddle a kayak, the company's small groups of clients also learn about indigenous cultures and how to travel safely in Alaska's trail-less wilderness. "People want to come away not only having had a great adventure, but also having learned something," he said.

Survey results from the November issue of Adventure Magazine are online at www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure.

OK Folks - if you ever wondered what it's like to live in Valdez, AK, read this story in the Anchorage Daily News. Valdez has received over 6 feet of snow since Monday! Incredible. Considering that Valdez is situated at sea level, one can only imagine how much snow has piled up at Thompson Pass - which is 20 miles or so and almost 3000' higher than town. And it's only December! This bodes well for our April 8-12 ski trip! If you want to ski in Valdez and the mighty Chugach, and don't mind hiking for your turns (well, we may also consider a heli-bump for one of the days), give me a call or contact us on Facebook. Get yourself to Anchorage, and we'll take care of the rest.

Click here for a link to the ADN article on Valdez!

©Dan Oberlatz

 

 

 

Summit Day!  I took this shot of guide Joe Stock and client Nick Gilson from the 9000' summit of Mt. Chamberlin as we began our roped descent of the beautiful north ridge.  Ropes and crampons were necessary, as the last 2000' of Mt. Chamberlin is glaciated and crevassed.  The weather was so perfect, that we were able to spend nearly an hour sitting at the top of the Brooks Range enjoying lunch and a 360 degree view of the high arctic.  Looking north, the thin line white line at the horizon is the pack ice of the Beaufort Sea and represents the top of the North American land mass.  It's an astoundingly beautiful place.

 

 

Dan Oberlatz

Alaska Alpine Adventures, LLC

1-877-525-2577 

 

 

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Once again Lake Clark National Park has been surreptitiously snubbed by the mainstream media, and some have suggested and firmly believe that this is the result internal Department of Interior order to keep Lake Clark's incredible scenery, solitude, and it's growing reputation as Alaska's (if not the Nation's) greatest treasure a complete secret from the general public. So if you're inclined to believe people like renown documentary film maker Ken Burns (Have you seen his most recent film on our National Parks?) or read magazines like Backpacker or National Geographic Adventure (RIP - but thankfully they're still online), you may want to keep this blog post to yourself.

All kidding aside, click here for a pretty good article in Backpacker about some of of America's great National Parks. Do we still think Lake Clark NP is the best park in the system? Yes. Do we think that it's the most overlooked and under-rated park in the system? Definitely. But we're also big boosters of our nation's greatest natural resource - our wonderful public lands - and we always appreciate it when they are recognized and lauded by the influential. Enjoy.

Great News Folks! Alaska's board of fish yesterday voted unanimously to draft and send a letter to the Alaska legislature that says the area merits special protection. Despite some heated testimony from both sides, the Board ultimately did the right thing. This is really good news and gives us plenty of reasons to celebrate!

Here's a link to the story on KTUU.com.

Today the National Geographic Society decided to kill National Geographic Adventure Magazine. As longtime advertisers and friends of this publication, we're beyond bummed at this untimely demise. Not only was Adventure one of the few magazines completely dedicated to the life of adventure and exploration, they were also completely committed to furthering the virtues of sustainability. With the winds of National Geographic filling their sails, editor John Rasmus was able to bring to news stands a publication where photographers, writers, adventurers could share the wonders of our planet found through the pursuit of travel and exploration. Read this NY Times article for the details, and then read west coast editor Steve Casimiro's blog called "The Adventure Life" for a more profound obituary.

If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance you're like us: You spend at least a few hours a week scouring your favorite gear sites, pining over some piece of outdoor gear, looking for the best deals, hoping to catch a sale. The only way you would consider going out last week on Black Friday (essentially giving up a perfectly good day off of work that you could be spending in the mountains) would be for that percentage off of your "gotta have it" item. To some, shopping is an activity. To us, being in the mountains is.

We came across this site this week, and hopefully it will help you spend more time in the mountains, and less time looking for deals or elbowing your way to the sale items at REI.

We've added a link to it under equipment links, so it's never hard to find!