Field Report - May 4, 2025

May 04, 2025 Posted by: Robin Pendery, Mountaineering Ranger
Unsettled weather continues, with intermittent sun and storm in the mountains. After a few days waiting around in Talkeetna, 14K Patrol #1 (Ramos-Leon and Guetschow) was able to make it to basecamp! The team has moved up to Camp 2 and is working hard breaking trail.

Reports coming out of the range indicate that there has been lots of fresh snow. If you are headed into the range, bring flotation to make travel to and from your climbs a bit easier. Monitor avalanche conditions closely and give your climb the time it needs to shed snow after a big storm.

When the weather changes quickly, having your kit dialed becomes essential. I plan for worsening weather by having my nose guard, goggles, extra buff, big gloves, and handwarmers easily accessible near the top of my pack. My packing changes a bit when I am pulling a sled, versus using just a backpack, but I like to think about order of operations. If the storm is setting in, I want to be able to quickly access first my warm layers, then my tent, without exposing my sleep kit to the elements.

Climb safe and enjoy the powder out there!

View of a snowy mountain against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds over the peak

The National Weather Service issues a daily recreational climbing report which can be found here (note: the URL has changed from past years and the old one is no longer operational). Many other useful weather products including temperature, wind, and snowfall totals can be found through Mountain Weather.

Last updated: May 7, 2025

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