By Andrew McLean
Known as the "Mountain Kingdom of North America," the 13.2 million acre Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve is the largest National Park in North America. During the first 3 weeks of April, a team of four friends-- Ben Ditto, Armond DuBuque, Lorne Glick, and myself--will use traction kites to cover miles of vast open terrain between pristine skiing objectives.
After getting dropped off at the U.S.-Canadian border directly north of Mt. St. Elias, we will work our way west on the Bagley Icefield. The St. Elias Mountains and Waxell Ridge beyond them extend for a combined 90 miles of pristine Alaskan peaks. Our plan is to travel by kite when wind and conditions allow, then ski as many first descents as possible along the way.
Listen to podcast updates from the Bagley Icefield 2008 tour. I'm updating this site regularly with our progress, so check back often.
A map of St. Elias and Waxell Ridge:
Meet the other members of the Bagley Icefield 2008 Team:
Ben Ditto: Salt Lake City, UT, Photographer, skiier, snowboarder, rock and alpine climber, Ben returns to Waxell Ridge for the 2nd time. Kite-skiied the Southern Patagonia ice cap.
Armond LeBuque: Leavenworth, WA, Entrepeneur, skiier, snowkiter, and inventor of the Ultimate Telemark Binding (UTB). First descent of Mt. Hunter in Alaska.
Lorne Glick: Park City, UT, Professional ski mountaineer, writer, photographer, and designer, Lorne holds the first ski descent of Mt. St. Elias.
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