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Nick Natoli

@nicknatol1

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Devils Paw - the top of the Juneau Icefield 7/21/25

We had no idea if this cliff actually would go, or if there would be a viable exit point. No usable beta online, minimal from the few who’d been back there. Just had to go and see.
The weather and work/heli schedule all aligned for early Monday morning. I call Craig Brown (Shaggy) and pitch the idea that it’s finally time to speedfly and potentially BASE jump it. He said as long as we bring @alangordonak and his apprentice @mate_saavedra on ground crew and get APD’s rescue/trauma kits. Shaggy’s had the dream for this one wayy longer than my 3 year inception.

@mattbyheli got us all sorted w @northstarhelicopters, Kevin Krein / @edshanley got us sorted with the rescue kits and come early Monday morning, Matt’s flying me, shaggy, Alan and Matteo way out to the edge of the icefield blasting some Ozzy through the mic on our headsets.

We had back up plans for other more straightforward exits in case the paw wasn’t doable so we packed slider down just to ensure that we’d be BASE jumping off something and not just eating this heli charter cost for nothing. Being a boundary peak, we’d also need to wrap back around to the icefield in order to stay on the US side of the border and not land below the cliff in Canada.

Hop off at the top, Shaggy and I get our stuff ready and Alan gets our anchors and ropes set up. Rap down. Rock drop. Looks good.
3 2 1 cya

After finding out Ozzy died the following morning, we agreed it only seemed right to name this exit on the mighty Devils Paw ‘Prince of Darkness’ 🤘 #ripozzy #basejumping #alaska #canada

Absolutely incredible work on the drone by Alan ✨🦇

and shout out to Gabe Hayden for the insight and photos over the past couple months, since he’s one of the very few people to actually climb up there by @nicknatol1

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a year ago

The end of this video is my favorite part #speedflying #alaska by @nicknatol1

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a year ago

Pretty special place
pretty perfect morning

#alaska #glacier #hockey #iceskating #homies #wildice #freshlyzambonied by @nicknatol1

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3 years ago

Every dash light on, 50% engine power, that’s what makes a subaru a subaru. Strong work by @kingofbrokenstrings getting the BASE jump shot his first time operating a drone (and all the other shots) by @nicknatol1

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2 days ago

Such a beautiful view 🫠 taken in Alaska by @nicknatol1

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13 days ago

Been a long time comin’ but finally got around to flying Max’s at Alyeska in the golden autumn sunset light. Thank you ANC crew ! Absolutely butchered the follow cam, sorry griffin.

It’s almost time for bridge/desert migration, but I just wanna keep footlaunching speedwings in AK 😢 taken in Alaska, USA by @nicknatol1

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16 days ago

Finally crossed Mt. Stroller White off the list. Unfortunately had to bail on the true summit launch and then abandon the plan of proxy flying the ridge all the way down due to terribly bumpy air. But still, it’s right around 5k ft. of vert down to a reasonable glacier landing, with a pretty alright hike out (sort of). #jeans&xtratuffs by @nicknatol1

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2 months ago

Hayden: ‘I think I’m gonna launch down here’
Me: ‘ok cool’
Me: ‘launching’
Hayden: 👁️👄👁️ by @nicknatol1

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2 months ago

It’s not often you gotta bust out the M83 Outro for an edit song…but double rainbow launch, flying with a covey of ptarmigan for the wrap around into the most golden of light, then flying down just as the rain starts, goggles off barely able to see…seemed appropriate.

#alaska #speedflying by @nicknatol1

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2 months ago

by @nicknatol1

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2 months ago

8/9/26 - 1st ever BASE jump off the Mendenhall towers

If you’ve been to Juneau (on a not rainy/cloudy day) you’ve probably seen the Mendenhall towers. If you’ve watched Marc-André Leclerc’s documentary The Alpinist, or the classic @standardfilms snowboard movie Totally Board 3, you know the Mendenhall towers. A massive, near vertical granite jagged ridgeline, with 7 high points rising straight out of the icefield, visible from parts of town. The North side has some mega steep, convoluted and fantastic spine terrain that snow can just barely stick to. The South side has some aesthetically beautiful trad climbing classic routes that overlooks the ocean channels and the distant Chilkat/Fairweather ranges. It’s an impressive piece of rock and ice.

Once again, the stars aligned and I’m flying out at the end of the workday with @mattbyheli + @edshanley and his son Callahan to finally get an up close look at the most feasible exit on the summit of the West tower. If you’ve climbed up there before, you know the exact spot I’m talking about. After a tricky one skid toe in hover by Matt, I found myself alone on top of something I’ve envisioned for years - in absolutely perfect wind conditions. The exit was better than I could’ve ever hoped. Almost a 6 minute canopy flight down to the south branch. Don’t land in a crevasse. High 5’s and hugs and hootin and hollerin. The first base exit finally opened off the towers.

Thank you all the pilots and local climbers (@dylanmiller639 ) who sent me photos and Gabe Hayden for flying me around in his plane to scout. And everyone else involved.

It was pretty special to share this moment with Matt and Ed, who were also there with me 3 years ago for the first speedflight off the north side of the 6th tower 🫡💙 #historythatdoesntmatter #basejump #alaska by @nicknatol1

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2 months ago

7/20/26 - Speedflying Devils Paw

We found ourselves once again on top of the Juneau icefield, on top of the N wall summit of the mighty Devils Paw. After we opened the first Base exit up here last year, Shaggy (Craig Brown) wanted to return to wingsuit it - but seeing as we had another sweet cliff to open on the way out of the icefield it made more sense to me to bring the baby skis and go for the first speedflight off the Paw.

More than strong enough gusty winds made it possible to sorta ridge soar the 8m all the way over to the closest gut off the main summit, which then allowed me to make it over to the tiny tarn lake for the glacier pond skim! While this isn’t the most aesthetic mountain to speedfly (steeeeep/wind factory) I’m glad everything worked out and that I got to get a more intimate view of the south side face (especially the Hatchett couloir ski line) from the air.

Stoked Shaggy got to do the first wingsuit basejump on the icefield. Stoked @darn_heli kept the flying logistics smooth, calculated and efficient. Stoked on the rest of the rescue/ropes crew shaggy assembled to get a nice weather day to be out on the icefield and help us out on this mission 🙏 ✨⚡️

#speedflying #alaska #BABYSKIS by @nicknatol1

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3 months ago