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Backcountry Adventure Guides

@bcaguide

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BCAG specializes in winter and summer guiding and education

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Had an epic day today in the backyard hills of Snoqualmie Pass working with Aly on getting her dialed in on alpine rock skills!
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For this practice, we went over to the West Ridge of Lundin Peak, which is a perfect objective to simulate the exposed 4th & low 5th class nature of many of the classic alpine rock routes in the world (think the Matterhorn, West Ridge of Forbidden, Triumph, Shuksan, etc). Commonly, I see it all too often that people either solo this type of terrain, or fully pitch out this type of terrain; both of which add significant risk to the experience, & don’t consider that speed is safety in the alpine. So with this, we talked about using terrain to reduce your risk, using horns, trees, blocks, etc to create opportunities to stay attached to the mountain while also maintaining the priority of speed & efficiency. We talked about shortening the rope to improve communication & reduce rockfall risk as well. Such a good time; & these are critical skills if you plan to travel in this type of terrain!
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Aly absolutely crushed! She literally learned (from me) to place trad gear this last Monday, but she totally basically guided me up & down this route, maintaining appropriate security throughout. Nice work Aly!!
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We’ve got rock courses like this on the schedule throughout the summer season every year, & even September & October like this is a perfect time to climb! Washington has epic alpine climbing as we all know, but we also have sick rock climbing! Hoping to learn these skills or climb something epic? Reach out if you’re stoked!
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@bcaguide @blackdiamond @arcteryxpnw @cripplecreekbc

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Decades of experience leading trips, one stop shop.

It was our pleasure to work with Matt Schonwald of BC Adventure Guides to reimagine his website, focusing on an intuitive, immersive experience for new adventure seekers and returning experts alike.

Click the link in bio to read more about our work with Matt and BCAG— just in time for the winter season!

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You took the course. You learned the skills. You haven’t practiced them in a while.

The new AIARE 1 Refresher is a one-day, field-based course for backcountry travelers with prior avalanche training who know that skills don’t maintain themselves.
Revisit the fundamentals, sharpen your decision-making, and get back in the field with partners who are on the same page.

Avalanche education isn’t something you finish. It’s something you practice. You can find a full list of AIARE providers offering the AIARE 1 Refresher course in the 🔗 in our bio.

Photo: @toddwilliamsusa Photo of wintery backcountry. Text “skills fade. The danger doesn’t. AIARE 1 Refresher Course.”

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❄️ WINTER IS COMING. ❄️

And so is your chance to gear up and support avalanche forecasting and education across the Northwest.

Our First Tracks Fest Seattle silent auction is LIVE! 🎿🏔️ Bid on awesome gear, courses, and experiences from some of the best brands and organizations in the outdoor community - with every bid supporting the forecasts you rely on for your backcountry adventures.

Browse the auction and place your bids online now at the link in bio.

Bidding stays open through First Tracks Fest Seattle at Reuben’s Brews next Tuesday, October 13, and closes at 9 PM that night!

Bid early. Bid often. See you at First Tracks Fest! 🍻🏔️

📸 @zachjx

🎁 Up for grabs from:
@alpineascentsinternational , @backcountryaccess , @bcaguide , @beaconguidebooks , @blackdiamond , @eqpdgear , @hydroflask , @jonessnowboards , @mykitworks , @libtechnologies , @mountain_madness_inc , @nokiantyresna , @ortovox , @outdoorresearch , @powderpigsski , @sahale_pt , @sparkrandd , @thenorthface , @thesprings.us @woollyclothing

Huge thanks to every partner who donated to make this auction possible! ❤️

Browse the auction and place your bids online now at the link in bio.

Bidding stays open through First Tracks Fest Seattle at Reuben’s Brews next Tuesday, October 13, and closes at 9 PM that night!

Bid early. Bid often. See you at First Tracks Fest! 🍻🏔️

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Had such an excellent time last week doing a car-car climb of Kulshan with @jordyn.prince through @bcaguide!!
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This climb was soo beyond awesome. Leading up to it the night before, I had just come off a recent climb, & was feeling pretty worked from that, as well as the summer season in general. I wasn’t really sure how it would all go. I knew Jordyn was a crusher though, so to deliver a great trip for her, I figured it was my responsibility to get over whatever aches, pains or exhaustion I was feeling in order to deliver a good day for her.
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We started into the climb at midnight, & travel started quite smooth. We cruised up to Sandy Camp in 1hr, 35mins & were already fairly ahead of our time plan. Things were shaping up to be really good, but given it was going to be a 8500’ vert day, I didn’t want to get cocky. Traveling on the glacier, our pacing continued to be very smooth, maintaining a 1500’/hr pace largely the whole time. Somehow to my surprise we were still cruising…it was a just around 5am & we got to the crater at 9600’. It was euphoric…the stars above in the night sky, coupled with the city lights of Bellingham, Vancouver & the greater Seattle area sprawled beneath us….even though we were just on Kulshan, we really felt like we were high above the surrounding terrain & floating amongst the stars around us ✨ what a euphoric experience that I had never had on any of my previous climbs.
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Because we still felt fresh, we kept making our way up the Roman Wall, continuing to make great time. Cresting the Roman Wall, we started to get our first glimpse of first light, & I realized it was kind of hard to believe, but we were on track to summitting at sunrise, on the car-car climb to boot!! Totally nuts. Seeing the sunrise over the North Cascades & all of WA state just felt surreal, & was definitely a sunrise worth waking up early for 👌
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I’ve climbed & guided Kulshan probably 150 odd times so far, but this experience surely was one of the best, & re-reminded me why climbing Kulshan is such a memorable experience for many ❤️ Such a unique day, with a super strong guest. Thanks Jordyn!!
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@bcaguide @blackdiamond @arcteryxseattle @cripplecreekbc

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It’s been a marathon of work lately, guiding with @bcaguide in the North Cascades!
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One trip that was very memorable last week was guiding the Sulfide on Shuksan with my new friend Bruce! Bruce is an absolute crusher, & such an amazing human being. He’s 73-years old & had climbed Kulshan a few years back, & reached out to us to climb Shuksan this year. Without having nearly any rock climbing experience, & living in Florida, he totally crushed this climb! He moved well on the rock, in mountaineering boots nonetheless, & had a great attitude towards learning & growing his skill set. One piece that warmed my heart: he’s an ex-fighter pilot in the Navy, & has clearly lived a long & fruitful life, yet he told me this trip was the biggest highlight of his life so far…much praise! ❤️ thanks Bruce; was awesome climbing with you! 👌
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I’m in the midst of a pretty solid work block, guiding Kulshan 3xs this week! After that though, my summer season is coming to a close, & it’ll be nice to slow down, reflect & adopt a slower pace. This summer so far has been good in general, but a few trips have given me pause that I need time to reflect on, & it’ll be nice to have the time to actually reflect. Friends, I’d love to catch up with you too!
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@bcaguide @blackdiamond @arcteryxseattle @cripplecreekbc @petzl_official @northcascsdesnp

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@john95724 @bcaguide for a great plan b! Amazing corn and a spicy exit to our September turns down in the #psw #skitouring !

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Had a really great time last week on a new route to me, the North Ridge of Eldorado Peak in the North Cascades!!
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This climb has it all: a rugged Cascadian approach, glacier travel, steep snow climbing, & best of all climbing amazing granite in a remote alpine setting. The longer I’ve spent in the North Cascades, the more I’ve found them to truly be the best climbing on 🌎; world-class alpine climbing in a remote mountain setting. You just can’t beat it!! Anyone hoping to climb the West Ridge of Forbidden but would like something of a similar style yet less exposed, this is a great option 👌
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My two guests were absolutely superb as well. Jonathon & Mike are both good friends from South Carolina, & last year climbed the North Ridge of Kulshan together. Impressively, this was Mike’s first ever outdoor rock climb, & in mountain boots nonetheless! Proper!! Ultimately, climbing is about the people & the partnerships you create through these experiences, & it was awesome to help facilitate a closer friendship between Jonathon & Mike, & help facilitate a successful trip for them both pushing their limits!
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Summer is starting to slow a little bit, which is nice, but North Cascades alpine rock climbing continues to be good through September! Reach out if you’d like to hop on one of these Cascades classics, or learn some skills to tackle your own climbs!
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@bcaguide @blackdiamond @arcteryxseattle @cripplecreekbc @northcascadesnp @petzl_official

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Just got back from another mega work block, guiding two back-back trips in Boston Basin with @bcaguide!
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Many years ago, I remember mentioning that the best work schedule would involve always guiding the West Ridge of Forbidden. This last work block was exactly that; two back-back trips in Boston Basin, with the goal of prepping clients for Forbidden. The West Ridge of Forbidden is a 50 classic climb of North America, & one of the most beautiful alpine rock climbs in the world. Climbing moderate rock moves over thousands of feet of exposure in the wilds of the North Cascades just hits different. There’s also few other peaks that combine so many skills in alpinism, climbing steep snow, 5th class rock & scrambling all in one setting. Being able to share that experience, & get people fired up about wilderness alpinism just feels amazing ✨
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Ultimately though, guiding is about the people. Both of my guests for these trips live in New York, & have experience climbing big, snowy mountains & rock climbs around the Gunks. They sought out Forbidden as an opportunity to combine all their skills, & do a more technical peak in a wilderness setting, with Forbidden being a stretch goal for both of them. They both climbed the route in style, & for both of them this route was one of the most challenging things they’ve done in climbing. Being able to facilitate that growth experience for both of them felt amazing, & is what keeps my fire lit for mountain guiding 🤟
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Climbing in the North Cascades right now is all time! We’ve still got a month & a half of summer left; who wants to get after it?
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@bcaguide @blackdiamond @cripplecreekbc @northcascadesnp @arcteryxseattle @petzl_official #alpinism #alpine

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Just got back from two back-back Kulshan (Mt. Baker) trips through @bcaguide !
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They were both totally awesome. Despite the challenging weather (low clouds & cool temps), both groups summitted in style! The first trip we accompanied some extremely fit & stoked Canadians, & the second trip was a group of motivated high schoolers from @campnorwester !
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These days, it’s so much more about the people that we get to climb & ski with, rather than where or what we climb or ski. Both of these groups were ultra motivated & stoked to work hard despite the challenging conditions, & that paid off in spades! Many of the kids from @campnorwester said it was in the top 10 life experiences they’ve had so far, which always means a lot. Being able to facilitate something so life-changing & impactful to many is what brings me back to loving this career ❤️
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The summer season is in full swing! I’ve got a few days off this week, then two back-back trips on one of my favorite mountains in the Cascades, Forbidden Peak! We do have some availability this summer for more Cascade alpine climbs, rock & alpine instructional trips & more! Reach out if you wanna get in on the fun!
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@bcaguide @arcteryxseattle @blackdiamond @cripplecreekbc #northcascades #baker #alpine

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