weather in st. elias?

[elenska]

Does anyone know what is the best source for weather in st. elias mountains? I am searching the web but can't find anything for the mountains...

Also, could you recommend a charter flight company to fly onto a glacier from haines junction? they are all soooo expensive...

 

thanks a lot I would appreciate any hints!

[builder206]

Maybe the website for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park?

 

Maybe something on the Canadian side? Their weather service or the RCMP?

 

NOAA has zone forecasts for many areas. That is pretty remote for them to devote resources to but you might look at their website. It is not dead easy to navigate, but not impossible like, say , the USGS site.

 

At NOAA's site you can also find aviation forecasts. If you know a bit about meterology you can make some inferences from those reports, especially the data and patterns for winds aloft and wind currents at high altitude.

 

Flights: I think like any national park, aircraft are prohibited in the boundaries of the U.S park. However, I do know the Canadians allow aircraft to land in Kluane. So maybe you could fly as close as possible from the Canadian side. Then you would have to do the RCMP gear & radio drill, but that would probably beat having to spend all those days skiing up the icefields from the water.

[elenska]

Thanks for the ideas builder, I am now little closer...

[builder206]

I'm interested in hearing what you intend to do. Post a TR here when you get back. It's an area I have read a lot about and I'm very interested in several peaks there and nearby.

 

For an air approach from the U.S. side, there's a long-established service out of Yakutat. The name escapes me just now. I will see if I can find some notes when I get home this evening. Will PM you if I turn up something.

[fern]

Kluane Lake Research Station

 

Andy Williams flies a Helio-Courier to the icefields from the Yukon side.

[pindude]

Friends are on Fairweather right now: they're using Paul Swanstrom of Alaska Mountain Flying Service out of Haines. He's gone above and beyond to accommodate their constantly changing schedule because of weather and avy concerns.

http://www.flyglacierbay.com/

 

Sorry I can't help you with weather forecasting. Indeed NOAA doesn't have the same forecasting for St. Elias compared to what we're used to in the Cascades. You've likely seen the NPS page for St. Elias:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/wrst/eliasrng.html

 

I'd speak directly to a ranger at one of the phone numbers listed at the bottom of the page, and/or ask when speaking to one of the pilot services, including Swanstrom, to know what weather sources they use.

[mattp]

In Yakutat, Gulf Air used to do glacier landings in Wrangell St. Elias and Glacier Bay National Parks. Their glacier pilot, Kurt Gloyer, was killed picking up climbers on Mt. Kennedy in 2001. The last time I heard anything about it nobody was flying climbers in from Yak -- but times may have changed,

[elenska]

thank you! I didn't know about some of these, even after searching for weeks. all the links and hints helped a lot. now just to find the best one...

We are getting ready for logan, will surely post afterwards.