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MT. BLACKBURN
MOUNTAINEERING

Multi Day

MT. BLACKBURN MOUNTAINEERING

Climb the king of the Wrangells

Towering over the Wrangell Mountains in Alaska with irresistible allure, Mt. Blackburn (16,390ft) is the tallest peak in the remote Wrangell Mountain range and the 5th tallest peak in the US!

 

Since the true summit was reached in 1958, less than 50 parties have climbed the mountain. The wild nature of the route challenges climbers with exposure, steep snow and ice, wicked storms, over 8,000 vertical feet of climbing, and extended pushes with limited space for camping on the high, thin, and exposed ridge.

 

A feat of epic proportions, a successful ascent rewards climbers with some of the longest views in the state and the serious bragging rights at having tackled this untamed heavyweight of Alaska big-mountain climbing.

Learn more about mountaineering with SEAG

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Trip Details

Elevation
16,391′

Expedition Length
15 days
12 backcountry days

Total Mileage
 14mi

Total Elevation Gain/Loss
8,000′

Max Group Size
6

Difficulty
Alaska Grade 2+

Rates:
Private Solo
$20,925

Private 2 Participants
$13,075/person

Private 3+ Participants/Group
$9,580/person

Group Trip Dates:
April 29 – May 13, 2024

Private Trips with custom dates may be available. Schedule a call with our Expedition Coordinator to plan your Private Trip today!

Want to book a Private Trip or not sure if this is the right trip for you? Schedule a call with our Expedition Coordinator at a time that works well for you. She’ll help you narrow down which trip is best for you and answer any questions you have about our trips, the local area or surrounding logistics.

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FAQ

A unique grading system to help decipher the remote, cold, stormy nature of Alaskan climbing. It is important to remember that even Grade 1 may involve climbing on snow and glaciers in remote locations and cold weather.

Grade 1 - Single day, easy glacier route
Objectives up to 8-11,000’ with prominence of up to 3000’
Intro to Mountaineering Course, Chugach Backcountry Ski Basecamp


Grade 2 - Long day or multi-day, non-technical, but exposed to knife-edged ridges, weather, and high-altitude
Mt. Bear, Mt. Sanford, Mt. Bona

Grade 2+ (the + signfies increased technicality)
Mt. Blackburn, Mt. Steller

Grade 3 - Multi-day hard to difficult, with sustained technical climbing
University Peak

Grade 5 - Multiday sustained hard climbing over several thousand vertical feet requiring high commitment
Mt. St. Elias

Some of our mountaineering and ski expeditions, especially the objective-based trips, require participants to submit a climbing resume. A climbing resume lists out your relevant outdoor and climbing experience. We use these to get to know you a little better and to make sure you are signing up on a trip of an appropriate level for everyone’s safety and enjoyment.

This does not have to be a formal document with fancy letterhead, there is no particular format to follow and as long as the info is there, you can email this to us at any time. You can include mountaineering expeditions, rock climbs, ice climbs, alpine climbs, scrambles, and traverses – you can definitely include attempts that didn’t quite make it, but please make that clear in your notes and why. The important details to include about each outing are the name of the area or mountain, the route name, the difficulty rating, the month and year you did it, and your role on the team (was it a solo attempt, where you guided by a professional, were you guiding a group of friends?). You may choose to include other details about your climbs like the distance or elevation gained, how the climb felt to you (was it super easy or were you at your limit?), or anything remarkable that happened during the outing. It can also be helpful to know a little about your general fitness and outdoor experience so you can include information on your workout habits or other relevant athletic feats (extended backpacking trips you’ve been on or how many miles you run a week, for example).

We will review your resume and may have follow-up questions and from there we’ll be able to advise you as to which expedition is best for you!

Likely, at some point or another, at least a little bit, yes.

On a Rafting Trip, you can help the guides unload the boats, set up camp, and carry your dry bag(s) to your tent nearby. After breakfast, you can help take down camp and load up the boats.

On a Basecamp Hiking Trip, you will need to carry your gear about 5-20min from the backcountry airstrip to set up camp at the beginning of the trip and then pack up and carry it back to the airstrip at the end. Throughout the trip you will hike with a small day pack – this is usually 5-15lbs.

On a Basecamp mini-Backpacking Trip you will need to carry all your gear between the airstrip and your camp, which will be 1-3mi away. This means at least 2 one-way trips with the big backpack (usually 30-40lbs). After setting up camp you will enjoy day-hikes with a much lighter day pack (usually 5-15lbs).

On a Backpacking Trip, you will move camp almost every night and will need to carry everything you need with you. For a trip up to 4 days in length, you can expect packs in the 35-45lb range and for trips in the 6-8 day range, please be prepared for weights closer to 45-50lbs. The burly gear that is required for the Alaskan backcountry isn’t very light so forget “ultralite” and think heavy-duty!
For all Basecamping and Backpacking Trips, the pack weight will really depend on what you bring, so we do recommend having a minimalist mindset. In addition to your own gear, we will be giving you a bear canister full of food and supplies, potentially another item like a fuel canister or a stove, and maybe a part of a tent if you’re not bringing your own (we recommend sharing tents to save weight). Your guides are weight-conscious packers and will never burden you unnecessarily. It’s likely that over the course of the trip you’ll be able to start adding your own things into the bear canister and your pack should get lighter as you eat your food and use supplies.
If you would really like to do a Point-to-Point Backpacking Trip but are concerned about the pack weight, we also offer Porter services. Porters cannot take your entire pack for you, but they can help alleviate your pack weight significantly and offer other assistance as an assistant guide on the trip.

On our objective-based Mountaineering Expeditions, you will be required to carry all your own gear and some group gear between camps. Depending on the terrain, you may bring sleds with you for all or some of the route. Depending on the route, you may do stretches of the route multiple times, caching gear as you go, so you may not always have the full weight of all your equipment with you at all times. At maximum, you can expect weights of 80-160lbs to be split between a backpack and a sled and at minimum a 30lb bag for single-day excursions.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel before 45 days of the itinerary start date you are eligible to receive a 100% refund of your deposit.

If you cancel within 30-45 days of your itinerary start date you are not eligible to receive a refund of your deposit.

30 days before your itinerary start date, your balance payment will be due and this will be final. No refunds are offered for cancellations within 30 days of the itinerary start date.

* Instead of getting a refund, you can always choose to hold the entirety of your payments with us and apply them to a future trip if you prefer. (If you choose this option, you forgo the option to receive a refund later.)

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