Alaska
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-Roped up on the Casement Glacier outside Haines, Alaska
"Thanks for your beginning mountaineering course. All 3 of the instructors are exceptional people and I was lucky to have them be the ones who introduced me to this "sport" (though it seems more like a frame of mind...)."
Thanks again,
-Trish M.
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Alaska
The vast expanse of wilderness, mighty mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife give credence to Alaska’s nickname as ‘The Last Frontier’. It is a land of towering peaks, massive glaciers, extensive boreal forests, and rich marine ecosystems. Alaska is the epitome of the term ‘wilderness’.
IWLS is based in Haines, Alaska, a small town located near the top of the Inside Passage. Haines borders Glacier Bay National Park. The park and the adjacent 27 million acres, including Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, comprise the largest protected wilderness area in the world. It is an extremely jagged and glaciated mountain landscape that includes the world's largest non-polar ice caps, pristine fjords, and wilderness rivers. Peak elevations in this region range up to 20,000 feet.
At 59 degrees latitude, summer days in Haines have over 20 hours of daylight. The long days make for great alpine starts, late night wildlife viewings, and account for the remarkable vegetative growth that is the basis for Alaska’s thriving ecosystem. Haines is situated at the northern end of the Tongass National Forest, the largest temperate rainforest in the world.
Bald eagles, salmon, orcas, grizzly bears, and moose are but a few of the unique species that make their home in Southeast Alaska. Nearby Admiralty Island has the highest concentration of Brown Bears in the world, due to the spectacular runs of Wild Salmon. Additionally, Haines hosts one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles on the planet.
The terrain surrounding Haines, Alaska is unique in North America, and offers world class climbing, sea kayaking, rafting, trekking, and skiing. Our expedition center in Haines is an outstanding gateway for accessing this unparalleled wilderness area
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