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drferling
Jan 10, 2004, 12:34 PM
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Ok, so here is my first post and I am hoping it will not get me branded as a troll. I am curious to findout what I can expect on my upcoming NOLS Alaska course. I will be heading to Alaska the middle of July and returning the middle of August. I have read the course description many times and I am looking for some feedback from people who have participated in the course. Thanks. Jay
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roughster
Jan 10, 2004, 2:16 PM
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roughster moved this thread from General to Alpine & Ice.
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marcel
Jan 10, 2004, 2:17 PM
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I have not taken the course, but a guy I know did. He said the best part of the trip was the scenery, but the rest was a waist of his time, as he got stuck with an idiot instructor. This was a few years ago, so I do hope they have improved.
Please post a trip report when you get back.
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jhump
Jan 10, 2004, 5:40 PM
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You're from Austria huh? Well then g'day mate. Throw another shrimp on the barbie.
I would say you can't go wrong with a month in AK. Enjoy.
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marcel
Jan 10, 2004, 6:05 PM
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In reply to: You're from Austria huh? Well then g'day mate. Throw another shrimp on the barbie.
I hope you are joking about the barbi! :lol:
I did purchase a T-shirt in Austria that says "No Kangaroos in Austria." The store owner insisted many people ask about the kangaroos.
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smellyhippie
Jan 10, 2004, 6:44 PM
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Jay,
I've taken the course and think it's fantastic. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. Glacier travel up the ying-yang. What do you want to know specifically? I can probably answer any questions you have, but am not sure what info yer lookin for.
Nate
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drferling
Jan 10, 2004, 8:00 PM
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No Kangaroos here...you would all be amazed at how many people are confused though.
Nate,
So many questions. At this point my biggest concern is training, and physical preperation. How much did you do? I run, lift, and hike with my pack, following a plan similiar to that in "Training for Peak Performace". How much 5th class climbing did you do? This will be my first experience on a glacier. I have been reading Freedom of the Hills, should I be preparing in other ways? How confident did you feel with the skills you had learnd after the course? Did you feel you could safely begin (continue) alpine ascents? Was the course broken into small sections with trips off the glacier(s), or (hopefully) one large section with gear drops, etc...?
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crushingfinger
Jan 11, 2004, 5:23 AM
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NOLS= Nimrods Occupying Lots of Space
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smellyhippie
Jan 12, 2004, 12:38 AM
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Jay,
Keep training, hiking with a pack is good. We didn't do too much 5th class climbing. Probably the most demanding part of the trip, for me, was long days of traveling with a 65-85 lb pack, then having energy to cook dinner, set up camp, attend a class, be social with peers, etc. Climbing days are much easier, because you're not humping the monster load around all day.
How comfortable you are climbing/mountaineering depends much on the skills you have going in. For example, someone who enters the course with knowledge and experience is going to have far more ability at the end of it than someone who has never roped up before. So it's hard to say. You instructors can give you a lot of feedback regarding future steps.
You're typically resupplied via airplane without stepping off the glacier, but it depends on route and conditions.
The great thing about NOLS, in my opinion, is that upon unleashing yourself on the climbing world you are at least aware of the hazards and how to avoid them. You may not climb at a dazzling grade, but at least you will know what to avoid.
Nate
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okinawatricam
Jan 12, 2004, 12:41 AM
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It amazes me how many people criticize guide service, when those same people would kill to spend all their time climbing.
Guide service contribute more good to the climbing world than bad.
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micahmcguire
Jan 12, 2004, 2:22 AM
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you'll probably be doing alot of hiking on the matanuska glacier (I believe this is the usual NOLS playground, or some similar glacier. you can expect lots of crevasse rescue training, some warm ice-climbing, lots of hauling heavy cold weather gear, lots of wet conditions, lots of good weather (mixed with some truly hellacious bad weather-it usually switches from the typically sunny early Chugach summer to the typically rainy late Chugach summer-so the weather could be either/or), lots of smaller peaks (under or around 10,000), lots of Chugach schwag-rock, lots of snowshoeing or X-country skiing, perhaps some good river crossing, ect.
Perhaps if you narrowed your question down a bit I could help you. I've never done the NOLS course up here, but I know most of the instructors, as well as many people who have gone through it, not to mention knowing the same sheit that they will teach you, and I am pretty intimate with the geography of the area. What is it you want to know?
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fbj
Jan 12, 2004, 2:41 AM
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Are you doing the course leaving July 17th or the one on the 20th?
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chugach001
Jan 14, 2004, 12:45 AM
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I did the course years ago (1989). There are good parts and bad, depending on you, your experience and what you're after will determine how much fun you have. I was strong, liked to suffer but didn't know jack about climbing or winter camping. I was bored stiff. The instructors were solid and did their best to segregate us into smaller teams where as an advanced team we could tackle more interesting objectives.
My best friend joined me who was a strong and tough college athlete but had a horrible time. We both entered at 225#, he lost 30 pounds and I gained 2. He shivered the whole time and I didn't. He had hallucinations and cramps and I was raring to go. We were both 22yo and I could not have predicted our dramatically different experiences. 15 years later, he's still mad at me for taking him on what he considers a hell-trip. I consider it just good luck that I had so much fun. There were kids who cried and broke down. One washed out and others wish they had. At the other end of the spectrum, there were experienced students who were far more bored than me.
As with any group, the pace is determined by the lowest common denomiator - and there is always some total wanker dragging everyone down. I blame group size, not NOLS, for my less-than-stimulating experience. To the instructors credit, they tried but there's a lot of baby sitting they have to do. If you are experienced with winter mountaineering and love it, you will have a tough time finding exitement and challenge. The Denali trip may be a better option? If you have had a sheltered and comfortable life indoors this may whip your ass.
AWESOME scenery is guaranteed. Even after spending 6+ years in AK with an addiction to climbing, very few trips went through such a great area for such an extended period. As someone said above, you can't go wrong with a month in the mountains of AK. You also can't go wrong hanging out with some experienced guides to learn from.
I may not have answered your question but hopefully gave you a fair range of the possible experiences.
Good luck,
Jeff
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