Kelsey

Alaska Mountain Forum is back up and running better then ever. Updated and all that good stuff. Thanks!

Hello Everyone, I am going to be assisting in getting speakers this year for the Natural History Symposium and we will be looking for speakers for this year. The Symposium is on April 22nd. The theme this year is "Alaska's Changing Landscapes and Cultures". This includes Volcono's, Plate Tectonics, Glacial Retreat, AK Native History, and just about anything else having to do with the changes in Alaska's history. We will be having Mike Loso speaking as our keynote speaker. We can also use people who would like to do flower or birding walks. If you have an area of expertise and would like to consider speaking please post here or send me a message and we can get talking. Also we need sponsors of any and all type so anyone willing to give something for sponsorship is, of course, always appreciated. Thanks, Kelsey prezwoodz@alaskamountainforum.com

BTW For all those who are curious or don't know yet, AMF was hacked and the hacker decided to delete the whole board. I am currently working on getting it restored but it may take some time. Kelsey

Glad to see the interest! On another note I will be moving hosts with hopes of that not happening again!

Excellent Job. My uncle has been trying that mountain and been thrwarted twice now i think!

Now up is a Eureka Backpack - Eureka Cloudburst Stormshield Backpack - Waterproof The ability of a backpack to resist water varies considerably among the hundreds that are available on the market today. Some are virtually water absorbent, while others are virtually waterproof. Traditionally, if you were on an outdoor adventure and expected rain, you brought along a rain cover for your backpack. Generally, these work very well at protecting the part of the pack that is covered, but the part that touches your back is not protected by the rain cover, and can sometimes get wet, in addition to allowing some water to get inside some packs. Also, there is the pain of having to carry the rain cover with you. For those outdoor adventurers who expect to face a lot of wet weather, and don't particularly like rain covers, Eureka has introduced a line of highly water-resistant and waterproof backpacks. They are made of 250D .5mm StormShield vinyl, welded vinyl seams, along with either a water-resistant zipper or a drybag-like closure, depending on the model. While Eureka offers several different models of their StormShield series, the focus of this article is on the Cloudburst model, which is essentially designed for single day adventures, including hiking, climbing, skiing, or snowboarding. Here's what makes the Cloudburst world class: * The top-loading Cloudburst carries up to 2,499 cubic inches and weighs in at about 2 pounds 11 ounces. This is more than enough for a full day's adventure, no matter which season. Fastpackers should be able to carry enough for a several day backpacking adventure. Considering the size of the bag, its weight is minimal, falling into the lightweight category. * As previously mentioned, the bag is made out of vinyl, making it impervious to moisture, for the most part. The only exception to this is that this bag uses a water-resistant zipper to close the bag, potentially allowing water to come through. In practice, if properly closed, it will not let rain or other moisture come through. Of course, I would not dump the bag in a lake and hold it down for an hour, as it would probably leak. While I wasn't personally able to test this, Eureka claims that the vinyl is pliable down to -40 degrees, and that temperatures over 100 degrees don't affect performance. I also found the vinyl to be tough and puncture resistant. * The Cloudburst's suspension system is lightweight, which means that you won't want to carry heavy loads in this particular model. I would recommend keeping the bag under 25 pounds for the greatest comfort, although some people might find 30 pounds comfortable. The suspension system is removable and includes a hip belt with single-layer high density foam and side stabilizing straps; a dual-layer foam harness; a HDPE stiffening sheet in the back; a lumbar pad; an adjustable sternum strap; and an air mesh backing for greater air flow and comfort. The pack only comes in one size, and is adjustable. Because of this, you will want to try on the pack before you purchase it to see if it fits you properly. * The backpack includes many extra features, such as a carrying strap on top, a carrying handle on its back, straps on the bottom to carry extra gear, a daisy chain for lashing gear, and compression straps. One added advantage of using clear vinyl for much of the bag is that allows light to come inside the bag, making it easier to see inside. If you remove the suspension system, you can easily carry the pack with you on a plane or other transportation. Information from worldclassgear.com The Cloudburst is an easy-to-use bag with most of the features you would want in a backpack, and most of all, it is highly water-resistant.

Heres the post i made with a link in it to the contest http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/442017/an/0/page/0#442017 And im a huge fan of St. Elias shots gotta love those.

Hello! Im writing this as a trip report and a question so its allowed to be here :-P right We have a photo contest going on right now which i have posted in the Personal Websites area and were giving away a brand new $200 climbing rope on the 21st of April and we hardly have any pictures submitted at all. Tis kind of a bummer being that it is free to submit and you can submit 2 and all that have to do is be of the Alaskan Outdoors. So if anyone can tell me how i can get more submissions and interest in the contest let me know!! Ok now to my trip report Skipped class today to hit the hills because it was such a beautiful day. It was a good idea but we still didnt make it to the peak! So again just another set of skinning pictures :roll: One day im gonna get some good use out of this thing in board mode!! There was a good snow the last few days which really slowed our progress and unfortunatly we had to turn back because of a time crunch. Doh. Danes happy to be out (he was driving around town with the googles on as sunglesses. No telling where we were going heh. The peak on the left was the objective. Breaking through the think stuff. There was a layer of crust underneath the soft stuff that would give away every now and then and make it twice as hard to break trail Another one close to the last shot. The mountain on the right has killed before. A group of college students had an accident on them and a few died at the same time killing the outdoor program at the college Objective #2 . But since we never made it to #1 than it really didnt matter! Some of the fun to navigate. On the way down we jumped off this just a little to the left of what you can see in the picture with splitmode and no skins. We both ate it heh. And that was about it. Unfortuantly nothing to crazy. In board mode the snow was so sticky we couldnt get any kind of speed going with the weak slope and spent another day mostly in skin mode :roll:

Rope is now up for grabs. Get it while you can!

Online submission is up now making it easier than ever to submit pics!

Clintoris you have to remember where most people are writing from. The reason that we dont mind REI is because they do have better prices than anywhere else in town. AMH will rarly make things cost less than REI and they dont have as many sales. And there really isnt any big competition to REI so we think its lower prices but in reality REI has no real reason to go changing its prices. I think it is an important thing to be able to say "that person is making to much money" but in reality they are turning profits. Sure they should probably let us share more in the profits but they are a semi-greedy company. They still do things for the enviroment and they still go about helping out with sponsoring here in town. I think REI should stay smaller. But how do you tell a company turning huge profits not to expand? Its just the way things go. Make lots of money, build more, lose money, close shops. It really is inevitable. I dont feel ripped off by REI and when i go to seattle i see plenty of people shopping in the store. If its so horrible to everyone than theres obviously people that either dont mind or are willing to take the punishment for a reason. There are lots of companies that treat there people like crap. The REI up here does not appear to be one of them. Most people i know that work at REI spend there paycheck there because they get such a great deal off of stuff, and most have worked there for a long time. Its the Demographics i suppose.

Ok so i figured this deserved its own post seperate of the Alaska Mountain Forum since it really is seperate And so i coaxed you into the post with the promise of the rope. The climbing rope will be up for grabs starting March 21st. So get your pics sent in now for this months and get your pics ready to win a Beal , 60meter , 10.2mm , GoldenDry ROPE! BRAND NEW! "ANY" pictures of the Alaskan Outdoors will be accepted. If its a climber, or just a plant we dont care as long as it was taken of the outdoors!! Click Below to Enter Contest: Poetry in Pictures : Alaskan Outdoor Photo Contest

Thanks much!

Photo Contest is Up! Send your Submissions Now!!

np Did you like the page? Any suggestions on improvements or ideas?

Hello! I am posting the new Alaska Mountain Forum (we have been around a few months) for all things having to do with Alaska. We are also starting a new photo contest which will be giving away monthly prizes and a big Yearly Prize. The current contest is slated to begin in the middle of this month (Feb.) and will end with the first prize at the end of March. The contest is open to all pictures about the Alaskan outdoors. Feel free to cruise the site and get those pictures ready! And while you are waiting feel free to come by the Alaska Mountain Forum! Alaska Mountain Forum: http://www.alaskamountainforum.com Poetry in Pictures Photo Contest: http://www.alaskamountainforum.com/photocontest Thanks!

As we know ice climbing in Alaska can be a cold venture. What is everyones suggestion for some good gloves to use. I used some last time that just didnt cut it!

Try WorldWind from Nasa. That program beats them all out!! It just may be the coolest program for maps ive ever used (by far)