Overcast day at the Ruth Gorge. Picture taken

3/27/10

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

Current Mooses Tooth photo

By Talkeetna Air Taxi

Glacier conditions update on the Tok

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

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

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 ?

Dee Dee Jonroe and her well dressed dog team.

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

Pilot-in-Training (India flying IFR)









India skiing the Iditarod Trail...












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

Kichatna Spires

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

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

Bearfoot in Winter?

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

A Side of City....Talkeetna!

Alaska Glacier Pilot solves mystery

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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Dragon Slayer

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

Time Travel with Talkeetna Air Taxi

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

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

Child Rearing - Alaska Style

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???

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.

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Park Service is Considering Raising the Climbing Fee to $500

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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!

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!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3zb8uSMgoYE134aZP8UY5wf5KK0Fxj_nCcd3eJ5pma8Q8Wmb7EQgJr7lOFrz7KbejgTWYspg3lGVLDa1l9-mzQQrdWAmKsxeVJZyV8xCmII2wNgaETpW24ap1RQ7KqcSsylS2A/s1600-h/mountain+house+005.JPG

Incredibly Cool Video Clips from Talkeetna Air Taxi

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.