Talkeetna Air Taxi

2010-03-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Overcast day at the Ruth Gorge. Picture taken

3/27/10

2010-03-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Conditions of the Alaska Range in the Ruth, Tokositna, and Kahiltna areas:
A dry winter with relatively low snow accumulations especially from ten thousand on up. Most of the glaciers have six to eight feet of snow over the fall neve much if this coming from the wind releasing it from the higher peaks. There have been a few major events both in Junary and March from the north and easterly directions. The range saw cold conditions in November but have been relatively mild(-20F to 20F ) At the moment most of the snow is either packed wind blown snow or dry sugar and some pockets of powder. The only climb completed as of late March is Ham and Eggs and was reported in fair condition for March. The freeze thaw cycle on Ham and Eggs and Shaken has begun but the route is still more snow than ice.

Paul Roderick/TAT

mooses tooth

2010-03-30T13:51:00.001-07:00

Current Mooses Tooth photo

By Talkeetna Air Taxi

Glacier conditions update on the Tok

2010-03-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

A group just returned from the Tokositna glacier today.
They reported that the snow conditions were good to great on the glacier heading up to the West Face Couloir of Mt. Huntington.

Stay Tuned for up to date conditions in the Alaska Range

2010 Iditarod

2010-03-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Tokotna Checkpoint, the dogs are raring to go.

McGrath checkpoint where some dogs can bed down in some nice hay.

Lance Mackey heading into Nome to win his 4th Iditarod!!

Neal does the Moose Tooth in March 2010

2010-03-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Root Canal Report: Per Neal Spradlin March 22, 2010: There was a lot of snow on the route at first, packed it down as I went. The Steep ice sections have great ice. Lower portions are a mixture of snow and ice, more specifically, crust on top of rotten snow on top of brittle ice... Lot's of sunshine. pictures to come soon

VOTED BEST DRESSED DOG TEAM ! Is it Coco Channel ?

2010-03-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Dee Dee Jonroe and her well dressed dog team.

Flying and Climbing Mt McKinley is for the old and the young

2010-02-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

Pilot-in-Training (India flying IFR)

India skiing the Iditarod Trail...

Tatum heading out to climb Denali. Who needs an air service?

Kichatna Spires

2010-02-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Februaury 3rd....an incredible day to wind our way through the Kichatna Spires! After completing a fuel drop for the Iron Dog in both Rainy Pass and Rohn we were rewarded for our efforts with amazing lighting in the Alaska Range.

Photo by Paul Roderick

Alpenglow Mt. McKinley and Japanese Adventurers

2010-01-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

Masatoshi Kuriaki points out his next objective: Mt. Hunter. He plans to stay out as long as March 2nd... wow.

Norio is with Masa in this photo, Talkeetna Air Taxi dropped him off at the Ruth Glacier where he plans to stay until March 4th to capture Northern Lights photo's with Denali as the background. We flew aerials before he went to the glacier and he captured this lovely image of Mt. McKinley with a blue moon behind...

Stupendous Video Slide Show about climbing Denalis' Isis Face

2009-11-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

Bearfoot in Winter?

2009-11-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

Totally sold out show last night! Bunny Boots, Extra Tuffs, ties, short skirts, and cowboy boots filled with energy and serious talent. This band has Alaskan roots which explains the attire. We loved every minute of it! Doug Geeting opened the show and both he and Bearfoot recieved multiple standing ovations from the hootin and hollerin crowd.

Adam Richman Flies TAT

2009-11-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

A Side of City....Talkeetna!

Alaska Glacier Pilot solves mystery

2009-11-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

All of you faithful blog readers know of the recent home invasion suffered by our patriarch pilot Bill Post. The site of the forced entry was a mystery until this morning - an upstairs window with a beach ball sized opening. Being a true blue Alaskan, Bill enjoys fresh air but finds the timing a bit off as the temperatures have migrated below zero...
The perpetrator of this act was given a full pardon and released back into the wild but any similar acts will be dealt with harshly. Specifically, such felons will forthwith be eaten alive. Punishment will be administered by "Sky", the newest member of the TAT Team. Sky, a home protection specialist, now resides with Bill after being selected for the release program by the Anchorage Pound. Sky is large, has a ravenous appetite and welcomes all two and four legged miscreants to visit at their earliest convenience.

Spruce Hen Invades Alaskan Home

2009-11-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Look at the far right side of picture...

Here is a close up shot of the Spruce Hen...
Here is Bill Post rescusing (read: realeasing outside) the Spruce Hen...

A stunned (after spending a few hours inside the "Postman's" house)... Spruce Hen on Bill's front porch

Bill came home from work the other night, went upstairs to do some work at his desk, felt something at his feet, bent down to see what it was when an explosion of feathers and Bill started screaming (if you know Bill, you know what I mean..) Bill likened it to discovering (the hard way) an IED under your toilet seat!! ha ha ha...

The Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States does McKinley Flightseeing Tour of Denali National Park with Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-11-01T12:54:00.001-08:00

Bernardo Alvarez Herrerr, the Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States of America brought his family to Talkeetna for a flightseeing tour while in Alaska visiting tribal leaders.

350

2009-10-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Talkeetna Air Taxi showing it's support of International Day of Climate Action! If you don't know 'what the heck' we're talking about check out: 350.org

MAN v. FOOD

2009-10-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Adam Richman of the Travel Channel flew with Talkeetna Air Taxi recently. After being shown the nooks and crannies of Mt. McKinley, he commented on this experience, "Thank you for one of the most amazing moments of my life." Footage from his visit to Talkeetna/TAT will air around November 18th, 2009. Don't miss it! We look forward to meeting his Mom when she comes to Talkeetna to fly with us. :)

Getting Medieval at Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-08-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think they had planes back then, but these

folks were able to overlook that small detail and get up to a Glacier!

__________________________________________________

Dragon Slayer

2009-08-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Local artist Leighan Falley got ahold of some chalk and prettied up our walk... Unfortunatley the Dragon didn't stick around long because rain followed the beautiful sunny day.

Moose caught on Talkeetna Air Taxi Web Cam of Mt. McKinley

2009-08-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Time Travel with Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-08-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

Taking you where you want to go.....................

Mt. McKinley with Lenticular Cloud... or is it a UFO?

2009-08-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Child Rearing - Alaska Style

2009-08-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

If you can guess which TAT Staffer this is, we'll send you a hat!

(Employees, their families and past employees not eligible...)

How do Pilots at TAT Keep Their Pants Up???

2009-08-15T20:57:00.001-07:00

With our new snazzy Talkeetna Air Taxi belt buckles! Hot off the press, that's right TAT has designed our own belt buckle. Order now for a special rate of $25 including shipping. (Belt Buckle only.) Choose from or silver-colored finish or an antique bronze finish.

Belt Buckles Measure 3.5 inches by 2.75 inches. Be the envy of all your flying friends. Call us to order, or fill out our secure on-line form with Belt Buckle Silver/Bronze as the subject. Be sure to include your shipping address.

Park Service is Considering Raising the Climbing Fee to $500

2009-08-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Talkeetna Air Taxi signed a letter- along with several other flight services and mountain guiding companies- asking Lisa Murkowski and other Alaskan legislators to fully fund the National Park Service budget next year. This letter was composed in response to a comment made by the Park Service Superintendent in May 2009. Park Service Superintendent Paul Anderson stated that Park Service was considering raising the climbing fee for Mt.McKinley and Foraker to $500 in order to cover budget shortfalls.

We strongly oppose this proposal, and encourage others who also oppose it to make their voices heard. You can contact Superintendent Paul Anderson by his address:
PO Box 9
Denali National Park, AK 99755
Or by phone at this number by asking for the “Superintendent”: (907) 683-2294

No Clouds Rain on Our Parade

2009-07-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

As hard as the clouds try, they cannot block those beautiful peaks. Another gorgeous day in this ice age world, one that TAT refuses to miss.

Tales from the Whiskey Tango Saloon

2009-07-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Talkeetna Air Taxi rounded up quite a crew of Westerners for their annual celebration! Thanks to all who attended and dressed up for the Grand Opening of the Whiskey Tango Saloon.

Brits Bag New Routes

2009-07-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to Helliker and Bracy... Great Job in the Gorge, Talkeetna Air Taxi was happy to provide their air service within the Alaska Range!
http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/brits_climb_two_new_routes_in_alaskas_ruth_gorge/

Formal Day at Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-07-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Getting near the end of climbing season this is from an Alpine Ascents International group that flew out on Formal day at Talkeetna Air Taxi. I guess they did not realize that climbing boots are not formal. YEAH SLEDDER!!!

Dear TAT Staff:
We climbed with Alpine Ascents Int'l (Dave Kratsch) and last went through your Grand Terminal on June 25. You may better remember us as escorting Sledder, our trip mascot for a friend in the hospital (see the attached photos).
We are (finally) getting back to you to thank you for your great service, especially the beyond-duty assistance.
Thanks to all: pilots, management, staff and field crew, for being key players in our climbing adventure.

Best Regards,
David L. Richter

Tyler got help from his new navigator...SLEDDER

And They Said Walls Couldn't Talk...

2009-07-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

There is a section on our sign-in sheet that asks our clients,
"How did you hear about us?"
Halfway through the season we began tabulating people's answers, and here are the ten most entertaining/interesting responses we picked to share:

1. Life

2. Alaska for Dummies

3. Brad Washburn

4. Disneyland

5. Innkeeper

6. (ex) Governor Palin

7. Sportsman Show

8. University of Chicago

9. Yukon Don

And our personal favorite...

10. "Bathroom Walls"

Summer Fun on Ruth

2009-06-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Went up for a Base Camp and landed on Ruth Glacier. Not even all those clouds could wreck all that beauty--I could never have even imagined it. Ever felt so small?

Jump for Joy at Basecamp!

2009-06-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

We're So happy to be here, we're flightless!

Who's got all those Arms!?! A fun at a Night at Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier in front of Foraker.

Amazing Sheldon Amphitheatre Photo!

2009-06-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R1dYxVKL-14/SZXiAXXHftI/AAAAAAAAAJw/WkDg-_BFrbI/s1600-h/mountain+house+005.JPG

Incredibly Cool Video Clips from Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-05-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.authentictv.com/UPLOADS/DEVELOPMENT/DANIELLE-H.264.mov

Quote from our "Hollywood Deal" with Authentic Entertainment: "We are pleased to be working with you to develop a documentary series tentatively entitled "Sky Cowboys" based upon your business and your employees as on camera talent..."

You get the idea. Woo-Hoo, Sky Cowgirls ride again!

A little bit about Authentic Entertainment:
A television production company that works with an array of networks. Currently we have several high profile shows including: Cities of the Underworld (History Channel), Ace of Cakes (Food Network), Flipping Out (Bravo), Inside Extraordinary Humans (National Geographic), and My First Home (TLC). We have also done promotional videos and worked closely with military agencies.

Base Camp Lisa Gets Some Relief

2009-05-27T14:27:00.001-07:00

Lisa (on right) earlier this season up at Kahiltna Base Camp. Lisa coordinates all the climbers that fly in from Talkeetna ready to climb Mount McKinley (20,320 Feet).

Darryl Miller and Judy Anderson were able to relieve Lisa for a few days in May and Volunteer at Base Camp.

Here is Judy (third from left) with some climbers at Base Camp.

Avalanche at Base Camp.

Kahiltna Glacier, Mt. McKinley

2009-05-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Bacon and Eggs, otherwise known as the "mini" Mini-Moonflower. 5/20/2009

Snow conditions for the 1.5 hour ski to the base of the route were great at 5am. Easy skiing on a hard crust to the base of the route. A gentle 40 degree snow slope to the 'shrund brings you to the base of the actual route. The 'shrund was in great condition and easily negotiated. The route consisted of 8 pitches of mostly great "i.e. - above average!" quality water ice. Route is easily protected with screws and if you so desire the occassional piece of rock pro. V-threads all the way down the route in good condition. Have fun.

Sheila Gets Her Wings

2009-05-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Work on the new DeHavilland Otter is progressing nicely in the Talkeetna Air Taxi hangar. TAT is excited to add her to thier fleet for Summer 2009.

2009-05-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Team BLIND DATE let us snag these photos from their climb in the Ruth Gorge. 5 Tango Alpha a.k.a. "Precious" pokes her nose in the picture for her close up.

The escalator on Mt. Johnson.

Talkeetna Air Taxi Staff Hard at Work

2009-05-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Paul's daughter India, captain of 4TA running a test flight on the RAMP!

Danial tightening a prop... she loves her work!

Ted questioning knowledge vs wisdom on the summit of the wisdom tooth, Mt. McKinley in the background.

2009-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Most importantly, we are the weather trivia champions of the year. No one will ever get three correct answers in a row ever again. That's Angel Falls, 206 bones in the human body, and orca whale. Yeah! So I guess we're supposed to write about the conditions to fill all you prospective CMC'ers in. OK. We used up the luck the weather god's have to offer. It was unseasonably warm and we had a damn tea party on the summit when there was forecasted 30 mph winds.

Flightseeing McKinley - Happy Tours

2009-05-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

7,200' SE Fork Kahiltna Glacier - Ranger Tent

sleds at Base Camp, Crosson in the background

Hi,

Could you forward this photo to Lisa at Base Camp? I said I'd get it to her.

Just wanted to thank you all, and especially pilot Wil Boardman, for a great flightseeing trip this past Wednesday. My daughter & her boyfriend were really wowed by the sights.
I'd been to the area before, but it is always so very humbling to land on those glaciers.
You know you're in God's domain. Hope you have a good and safe 2009 season.

Frank Baker
Eagle River, AK.

Talkeetna Air Taxi Climbers in the Ruth Gorge

2009-05-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

A large snow storm around April 24th-26th followed by a very warm spell April 27th-May 1st caused a lot of wet slides and slushly snow conditions throughout the Ruth Gorge. There is a lot of snow on sheltered aspects still, but ice is forming in the chimneys and sheltered areas.

Once things settled down we managed ascents of "The Escalator" on Mt. Johnson which had lots and lots of snow and "Wake Up" on Mt. Wake which was in fantastic shape. Other parties reported good conditions on Freezy Nuts and the Root Canal climbs.

Alaska Range Spring Climbing

2009-04-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Root Canal, half way up the Mooses Tooth at the base of Ham and Eggs and Shaken Not Stirred with "Beckey", "Fred Beckey"...

Scoping First Ascents, or someone's woman?

Mt. Huntington Classics

2009-04-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

On the 13th kiwi Mike Madden and I flew into the Northeast Fork of the Tokositna with Paul Roderick, and three British guys. On the way into the range we dropped off two climbers at the Kahiltna Base camp at which point Paul said, "I don't think we'll make it into the Tok, anywhere else you want to go?" The five of us said no, we would rather wait until we can get into Hungtington at which point I'd resigned myself to beers and burgers at the West Rib, which sounded just fine, as I'd only gotten to Talkeetna last night late, and I'd been on the the road for a crazy month. One night of chilling out sounded great. That was, of course, until ten minutes later, after we'd taken off from Kahiltna base camp and headed over the pass into the Tokositna. I couldn't see much from the backseat, but after numerous steep bank turns, each one bringing us seemingly close to the steep granite walls on the north side of the valley, and Paul had us on the ground at the base of Huntington. No burgers, or beers, I guess.

Mike and I set up camp and the next day we spent skiing to the base of the Access Couloir of the Harvard Route. The Stegasauraus looming big above, and the ice looked nice and deep blue, where it wasn't covered by snow. We'd put a track up the climber's right side of the glacier. The guidebook showed a line up the steep, left hand side, but Mike and I had skis, and the right hand option was a low angle, forty minute skin from camp to the base of either the West Face Couloir (a.k.a. Nettle/Quirk) or the Harvard Route. We put the track up in a near whiteout feeling by braille for the contours and the next day which was clear, we'd seemed to go clear of any crevasses.

Day three Mike and I (team name, "New Zealand Sheep Ranch," although Mike resented any name referring to the sheep love habits of kiwis, I was the one who was at TAT's front desk when it was time to give them an expedition name) woke up around three and noticed a decent pressure drop, and in a hasty decision, driven half by fear of committment, and half but the desire for more sleep, we said hey, lets try the West Face couloir as a warm-up instead, so we went back to sleep until six, then got up and fired up the route. We made good time, Mike led the whole damn thing, he was on fire after a whole season of guiding in the Southern Alps, and by three we were on top of the couloir, though without any bivy gear, and we rappelled the route, and were back in camp by eight for dinner.

The lower snowfield was steep, as steep as anything I've skied, I'm guessing around sixty degrees, and the snow was reasonable for climbing. The route description says to go right at the top of the snowfield, then back left. But we went strait up through an ice couloir, then back left around a rock buttress, then right into the base of the actual start of the couloir. The ice was perfect except for one section that was rotten. There are two basic ways to climb the lower section, either the right hand or left hand variation. The left hand variation has a few steeper steps but both are generally in the AI3 to AI3+ range, with a few places you might call AI4. The upper couloir was pure, blue ice for the most part, ice screws sunk in nice and tight and every pitch went the full length of the rope. Though it is the West Face couloir, it actually has a more northerly aspect, so it doesn't receive much sunlight, at least not in mid-April. The decent was easy, V-threads down the climbers right side of the couloir courtesy of two guys who had climbed it a few days before us. We added a few in areas that had been buries with snow. We downclimbed the initial snowfield, which took about half an hour, then skied back to camp.

Two days later we started up the Harvard Route, with a plan to bivy on the Upper Park, then beneath the Nose, then to fire for the summit and return to camp on day three. The British Team was already on day three when we started on day one, so we expected to see them at some point. We started at a 9 am from camp, because we only had to make the Upper Park in the first day, around 8 pitches of snow and ice. We made it by 3, and found beatiful ice, some of which was covered with snow, a nice mixed ice and rock squeeze through a chimney (thought the topo said to go right here, the squeeze was easy enough and fun), then some rotten snow, and finally the bivy, which had been dug out by the Brits.

Around 5:30 they rappelled down passed us; one of them had gotten frostbite on day two because they had started too late and ended up finishing at the base of the nose at 4 am. So their trip was done. After they left we noticed the pressure dropping and those high dark clouds rolling in pretty quick after the three days of splitter sunshine we'd had. So we bailed, and got back to camp around midnight. We rested the next day, and then as the pressure was slowly and surely ticking its way up the barometer, we made our second go at the route, getting to the Upper Park bivy, and fixing one of the cruxes, the Spiral, that night. The next day we woke up to beautiful pre-dawn skies, ascended our fixed rope and continued on, choosing to take the right hand variation around the bastion, a C1 crack. Near the top of the crack I didn't like what the exit of it was looking like, so I lowered down and climbed and easy but thin AI4 corner ten feet to the right. I probably should have climbed that to begin with. The Brits said the middle variation, which on the topo is described as a 5.9 chimney, was beautiful AI4-5. After Mike ascended our line we cruised 4 pitches of snow and ice to the base of the Nose, I fixed it, we made camp on the beautifully exposed Nose bivy and spent a cozy night in our small tent.

Mike is about 6'5'' so he takes up most of the tent. The next morning we woke up at 5, jugged the lines and continued up two pitches before snow conditions turned us around. We were back in camp by 4 pm. I definitely regret turning around that early. The snow conditions weren't good, and the weather was also deteriorating, but who knows, I guess thats climbing and I'm here to tell the tale with all my digits. The descent is entirely rigged with mostly fixed rock anchors. As long as there are no hangups, climbers can expect the entire descent to take hours for a party of two.

We spent the next 5 days waiting for a pickup, skiing powder, and trying to beat our neighbors at cards. We just got back to beautiful Talkeetna today and so many people have already arrived for the season.

Good luck on your climbs!

Danny Uhlmann with Mike Madden, Team New Zealand Sheep Ranch

duhlmann@gmail.com

The Great Gorge Report 4/21/09

2009-04-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Shaken not Stirred: Conditions are good and the crux is stout. Left-hand variation is in now. First pitch is beginning to melt out. All rappel anchors are fixed and easy to use.

Kahiltna glacier: Snow on the SW ridge of Frances, faceted and hard to move in.

Mini Moonflower, Absolutely outstanding. All ice and GREAT. Crux pitch was thick enough ice to protect and In your Face steep.
---Team Tiny------

Alaska Range, Ruth Glacier, Great Gorge

2009-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

ham and eggs report- looks snowy, we have not had a climbing report yet. there has been some freeze thaw activity so the route is taking shape.

April Alaska Range Conditions Report

2009-04-14T13:50:00.001-07:00

Condition report:
Tokositna/Huntington- climbing conditions on the west face have been good. The ice pitches on the west face coulior are in. The summit snowfield has been thigh deep but plowable for you hardmen or women.
Ruth area- there is plenty of snow but not over the top. the ice pitches on the southeast side of Dickey were reported snowy and the ice was there but hard to find in some areas. There are no current reports from Ham and Eggs but a Norwegian team is poised and ready as of April 14th.
Peak 11300 is in good shape with some deep winter sugar layers.
Hunter- no reports
Denali- no climbing reports but the west butt looks good a bit wind scoured from 13000ft to the 14 camp.
Foraker- no reports
Little Swiss- no reports but it is very white in there, just looking for some attention.
Tordrillos- ashy! come with another plan
Kichatnas- no report waiting for Twid.

Talkeetna Air Taxi- paul

SUNDAY SUNDAY SOMEDAY.....

2009-04-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Danial is getting geared up for the Monster Truck Rally. Meet at the Chase gravel pit Easter sunday. Egg hunt to follow at high noon.....

Talkeetna Air Taxi reaching new heights....

2009-04-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Catching over 60 feet of sweet air........

First Bicycle summit of TAT Hill, training camp is coming soon.

Caught in the Act

2009-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

'Wild' Bill Post has been caught in the act using the company vehicle to transport materials for his dream cabin. The location is undisclosed North of the Alaska Range.

We are on to you Bill.

Reports from the Tokositna Glacier.

2009-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

This group flew in on March 26th and out today from the East Fork of the Tok; and this is the breaking news they had to report.....
There is a 14 inch wind crust on top of 2-3 ft of sugar snow. the alpine ice is in fat. Temps were close to zero during the day most days and the coldest we saw was -30 at night. wind was light most days with it picking up at night. when the sun came out it was beautiful. Not alot of avy activity but the potential was there.

Here we go........

Sheila is here

2009-04-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Our lovely Sheila has arrived from Broome, she has travelled 7,247 miles from the land down Under and has greeted us in Talkeetna.

The winter time maintainance crew at the airport finally gets their spring excitement.....

Beats the Rodeo because I don't have to wear a clown nose....

2009-03-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what a Denali National Park South District Ranger (or at least Daryl!) would do when they retired? Well for Daryl it is volunteering at the Bird & Learning Center in Alaska! http://www.birdtlc.net/

Talkeetna Air Taxi dramatic glacier pick up after Mt Redoubt Volcano Blows

2009-03-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Packing up a dirty ashy camp on the Hayes Glacier

Definitely "Ready to GO!"

Clear runnels amidst the ash on the Tordrillo Mtns

The ash was stirred up by the "Foxy" plane activity. There was about a one inch layer that had fallen all across the Tordrillo Range. then it snowed about an inch on top of th eash. When Paul landed it revealed the concealed ash layer beneath. the two climbers from Colorado woke up to the ash covering everything, describing the experience as a "mind ****". They weren't sure if the world was ending or ?? TAT wasn't sure if we would be able to pick them up that day or even for quite a while, so Paul prepared a food/map drop in case we couldn't land and they had to hike out to Finger Lake. Picking them up was uncertain because volcanic ash has a quality akin to sandpaper. Because of this, acceleration for take-off is very difficult. Congrats to Paul for completing a challenging mission!

Early Climbing Season with Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-03-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Masatoshi on day 49 in the Alaska Range, ready to go home to Seiko & Souko in Japan.

The South East fork of the Kahiltna Glacier feels remote, especially in the winter months

Dropped skiers on the Hayes Glacier in the Tordrillo Mountains.
New lines and lots of territory.

Talkeetna Air Taxi on the Iditarod Trail

2009-03-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Talkeetna Air Taxi is on the Iditarod trail! Our pilot, Wil Boardman, snapped these photo's from the TRAIL!

What a romantic shot of the Ophir sign...

See Spot RUN!

A lot of fresh hay to keep the doggies warm...

Talkeetna Air Taxi Web Cam

2009-03-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Tatum and India captured on Talkeetna Air Taxi's live 24/7 web cam of Mt. McKinley. We received an e-mail today from Al Collier: "I got lucky today and grabbed this photo - made me think of our grandkids! They live in Florida and would kill for a moment like this."

state of the art transportation

2009-03-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Kichatnas, Southern region of Alaska Range

2009-03-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Sam took a magic carpet ride on March 2nd over the Alaska Range on his way to McGrath. He snapped this shot of the Kichatnas to share with the world.

Talkeetna Air Taxi images from Iditarod

2009-03-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

The Iditarod is an incredible experience for the Mushers, the Pilots and everyone who touches it. Here are some images from talkeetna Air Taxi's archive: Ghost towns and the love of a musher for their dogs.

Up and Over the Alaska Range with Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-03-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Talkeetna Air Taxi pilot, Danial Doty, flew across the divide of the Alaska Range last week to deliver supplies to Mystic Lodge, a mystical place on the North side of Denali!

Talkeetna Air Taxi in Morocco

2009-02-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

TAT looks pretty good on the dune! Whitney, Lisa, Tatum and India sacrificed their shadows to the sand gods of Africa! woo hoo!

Clearing storm

2009-02-19T19:55:00.001-08:00

It started to Snow last night and late this afternoon as it moved out it left behind about 8 inches of new snow. YES!

Spring is almost here

2009-02-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Nice light powdery snow and 6 minutes more sunlight a day. what could be better than that?

Bath Day for Beaver at Talkeetna Air Taxi

2009-02-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Mountain House, Ruth Glacier, Alaska Range

2009-02-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

Flew into the mountain house on February 12th!

Talkeetna Air Taxi made the first landing there since last September. Mission? The Denali National Park service needed GPS coordinates. Snow pack is low at the Mountain House, the wind tends to blow it away at that site...

All seeing eyes

2009-02-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

5FK came out of the hanger this winter sporting a little more Bling- Bling.

The other end of the earth

2009-02-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Climbing in Patagonia by Mark Westman

Marks latest climbing adventure February 2009

Book of the month

2009-02-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

Winter - Mt. Huntington

2009-02-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

Look tempting? April/May is the best time to climb this beauty! Talkeetna Air Taxi can get you there!!!!!!!!

2009-02-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here we see Matt Szundy & Eric Parsons dragging their video gear to the plane for their return to Talkeetna after doing a film interview with Masatoshi at his base camp prior to climbing Mt. Hunter.

Moore Huntly Productions is producing a show about Masatoshi and his super-human efforts, cool!

WALL-E

2009-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Alaska Range

2009-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

Talkeetna Air Taxi

Paul Roderick shot these photo's - January 27, 2009!

2009-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

The West Ridge of Hunter is the final for a "hat trick" of solo winter ascents of the big three peaks of the Alaska Range for Masatoshi Kuriaki. He flew in with Talkeetna Air Taxi on January 27, 2009; shown below is his intended route on Mt. Hunter.

First Masatoshi climbs Denali, then Masatoshi climbs Mt. Foraker, next up climbing Mt. Hunter...

January 26 is a good day to go flying

2009-01-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

A & P tours got lucky! Their group is going to enjoy a spectacular Mt. McKinley flightseeing trip today, CAVU - Clear above, visibility unlimited... Calm winds as well!

pizza delivery

2009-01-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Norio wonted to share this picture he had taken the previous year of TAT pilot Jonathan kincaid & his wife Sara delivering a home made pizza to his camp .

Some people just make this world a better place

Time to wake up

2009-01-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

Heading back home

2009-01-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

After a long storm that dumped over 5 feet of snow on his camp site nearly covering his igloo, Norio is heading back to Japan.

Lets go Ice skating !

2009-01-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

The only thing good about rain in January is that eventually it will freeze and then it is time to break out the skates.

Telluride Mountain Film Tour hits Anchorage

2009-01-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Congratulation! on a job well done at the Telluride Mountain film tour at the Beartooth Theater in Anchorage

over the weekend. We all left there planing our next bike trip across Mongolia,China, Tibet & India.

No Trip would be complete with out stopping at the Fred Myer store to watch a little TV on the way Back to Talkeetna.

Snow report

2009-01-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

Beautiful day today so we jumped into the planes to check out how the snow pack weathered the last Storm in the talkeetna mountains on the east side of the valley. surprised to see even at 4200 feet the Snow had been rained on. there was about a four inch crust and when you broke threw it you would be up to your knees.

Busting out of the Hanger

2009-01-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

TAT mechanic Sean Rice getting ready to jump into his Stinson to survey the valley

warmed up quite a bit from last week. currently 35 degrees and rain-snow mix.

Yes I said Rain.

winter time project

2009-01-15T21:52:00.000-08:00

...2 years after starting to build her experimental airplane ,Danial (TAT pilot/mechanic)was able to sit in the RV-4 for the first time. so far she has spent over 1900 hours working on this plane.

Look out Red Baron!

2009-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

The intrepid "Sir Wil" is not oft recognized while undercover during secret summer missions... TAT pilots make the best operatives, they fly, they climb, they dress up and glaciers aren't all they know...

Tatum & India's Great Adventures

2009-01-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Tatum & India jumped into the the trusted Cessna 185 known as mighty mouse last summer and headed down to the peninsula in search of the lost key to the gates of Shangri-La which was rumored to be hidden where the ice covered mountains of the Alaska Range meet the Ocean.

Norio's Camp at 5,500' by Mt. McKinley

2009-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Keith Nix who did a flightseeing trip on January 5th with Talkeetna Air Taxi sent this message & picture the other day:
"Hello Norio… hope you are warm today :-)
I had the priviledge of flying with Paul (Talkeetna Air) shortly after Noon on 01/05/09 and wanted to share the attached photo I took as we flew over your camp.
While I captured some very nice images of the mountains, this photo will be a favorite to share with friends and family. For me, the photo speaks volumes about a man making his dream become reality, demonstrates bravery and makes a tremendous statement about what a person can accomplish with the right preparation and outdoor skills. Working with Boy Scouts in my home town, I Iook forward to sharing the photo with the Scouts and encourage them to pursue their dreams for adventure.
Great photographs on your website.Thank you for making them available for others to see.
Best wishes for many more beautiful days (and nights) enjoying our Maker's Creation."

Broken tooth

2009-01-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Crimes of the Heart

2009-01-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everybody who braved the cold and came out to support Randi last night at the Dramatic Reading and Art Auction .

Small Town with a Big Heart!

seeing double

2009-01-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

Putting in a strip up on a river in the Talkeetna mountains last March.

110 degrees warmer than here

2009-01-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

TAT pilot Tyler Westhoff Climbing somewhere obviously way warmer than Talkeetna.

Current temp -28 Fahrenheit

What happened to Steve House's postcard.......

2009-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

Steve House sent the postcard to ME!!!

NO!! he sent it to ME!!!!!!

Sandra and Lisa's cabin fever exposed!

East side of Moose's Tooth

2009-01-05T23:39:00.000-08:00

Bill Billmeiers Trip to the Buckskin Glacier

HydroMonster

2009-01-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

TAT pilot Cameron Lawson on route outside of Cookie City, Montana.

Once a month whether you want to or Not!

2009-01-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Rub a dub who the heck is in that tub?

Norio is IN !!

2009-01-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

After weeks of waiting for the perfect condition for some aerial work, Norio was inserted into the Alaska range to a secret location only known to a few Americans and a couple thousand Japanese.

He will dig in and live there for the next month waiting for the perfect picture of the northern lights with McKinley in the background.

That is one little bad ass dude!!!!!! :)

coldest day of the year so far

2009-01-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

-30 today on the bike ride into work. clear cold@ Dark !

new years 2009

2009-01-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

14 Camp Mt. McKinley

2008-12-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

To see more of Norio's photos of Northern Lights & Whales: http://www.noriomatsumoto.com/

Name that mountain

2008-12-29T21:02:00.000-08:00