Exploratory Snowkite Expedition to the Tazlina Glacier. Words by Obadiah Jenkins, Photos by Andrew McGarry

Obadiah Jenkins cutting snow blocks to save the tent on the upper Nelchina glacier.

Its 3 am and I think the tent is coming apart around us... slowly succumbing to the constant force that surrounds our little oasis of safety we call base camp. The wind outside is howling with a patient rage that only storm-bound adventurers can appreciate and respect. There’s nothing new in the sound of the freight train bearing down on our tiny world, but something woke us all up, something has changed in the world around us. We sit in relative silence in the howling darkness, all our senses focusing on finding the thing that doesn’t belong. It’s there, a new flapping sound of fabric and an obvious degradation of our tiny structures integrity. This realization leads to a grumbling of agreement and annoyance as insulated pants and mittens are pulled from the depths of sleeping bags and headlights are donned for the stormy shoveling ceremony about to begin.
With the long alaskan summer days, the first signs of daylight are not far off, but there are problems that must be addressed in this dark moment. Shoveling the drifts from our tent walls and cutting more, bigger, thicker blocks for the quickly disintegrating storm walls are on the list. Then shoveling out the tent vestibule, which doubles as our dug in kitchen and has now been reduced to a piece of flapping fabric with a tear running the entire length of the support pole. A gust had blown part of our storm wall, over a foot thick, through our vestibule rendering it a storm casualty and our kitchen a buried disaster. The irony of the situation is that we might be the only people who have ever come to this place specifically seeking wind, and wind we found in spades!

Mike Meekin flying a super cub into the Chugach mountains.

There is a place in the Inner Chugach Range, a place where few visit and none stay. A place where the average annual snowfall is almost 1000 inches, and you have 5.4 million acres of mountains and glaciers to play in relatively all to yourself. A place where 100 mph winds are common and storms can last for days,... or for weeks. Just a short bush plane ride out of the Matanuska Valley and you’re in snowkite heaven. Our plan was simple, our goals were achievable, and our hopes were grandiose. The plan: Explore the Inner Chugach and its potential for snowkite based expeditions in the future. The goals: Kite, every time the wind blows, kite until your legs hurt and you have tunnel vision, kite until its too dark to kite, then kite some more. The hopes: Kite everyday and explore the Tazlina, Nelchina, Upper Columbia glaciers, 3 of the biggest sheets of ice in the range. We had enough food and fuel for ten days of luxury glacier living, light enough rigs to travel, and some kites. What more could a young kiter like me ask for?

Looking out the window at Mt Vallhala.

Meekins Air Service. A Cessnia 185 and a Super Cub landing on the upper Nelchina Glacier..

Earlier the previous evening we landed smooth as silk on the upper Nelchina glacier at a place recommended by our pilot as having the best chance of being clear for a landing so we could get our ride home in 10 days. Always take advice from a seasoned alaskan bush pilot, this information turned out to be a pivotal location for our expedition as it was our landing, our first camp, and a very windy place. We set up camp under a long Alaskan sunset with the never ending alpenglow adding some of its own color to the mix. The wind was fickle as we set up our shelter and built what were surely adequate snow walls to protect us from the storm winds that frequent this place. There is evidence of wind everywhere, from a textured snow surface that looks like the wind brushed the top with her fingertips, to massive wind loading and cornicing along the ridges of the peaks popping up out of the glaciers. Yeah, these snow walls will do fine...

Panoramic view of the Nelchina glacier.

With no kiting to be had at the moment, Andrew began cooking dinner as Amy and I went on a ski tour to get in some turns before the darkness fell. As we gained a steep ridge, the full view of the range around us was revealed in all its glory. Below, Andrew had set up his kite and was doing slow tacks by the tent in a fickle evening breeze. Up-thrust mountains, glaciers, and alpenglow lit snow dominated the horizon in every direction except one. To the south, ominous clouds were rolling over the range from Prince William Sound with alarming speed. In no time at all, it engulfed Amy and I, obliterating all visibility. Our ski descent turned into a whiteout mini epic, but the brief view was worth all the bullshit, and lingers in my mind as one of the most amazing mountain views of my life.

Obie ski touring above the Columbia glacier.

Obadiah Jenkins Kite skiing on the upper Nelchina glacier,

That night marked the beginning of 3 storms that burned their way across the Chugach Range during our stay. It blew hard throughout the night and into the next day. As the storm stretched into its second night, then its third day, we began wondering if we were in for one of those long storm cycles the Chugach loves to dish out. Ten days imprisoned in a tent is common for this part of Alaska. We were there in May hoping the winter storm cycles had slowed but the snow would still be good at our elevation. Sure enough, the next day dawned grey bird with an excellent 20 mph wind, hair dryer steady, and enough fresh snow to cushion my hard landings. Kites were unfurled, harnesses were put on, skis were clipped into, and the kiting escapades began. Three kiters began taking advantage of the limited visibility to explore in every direction and test terrain features for later sessions. Our location turned out to be prime with lots of options just a short kite from camp. Eight hours of solid kiting and a few quick breaks later, it was time for an amazing dinner of glacier pasta, some whiskey on the rocks, and some much needed rest.

Obie Kiting on the Nelchina glacier.

Obadiah Jenkins jumping on the upper Nelchina glacier.

The next day we awoke to a bluebird morning with a similar wind pattern, just a little stronger, maybe 20 to 25mph. We had an amazing day kiting in the sun among majestic mountains with more options than skill, and for some of us, more luck than sense. Amy was a solid intermediate kiter and held her own whenever we traveled on our kiting outings, but usually stayed to the mellower terrain to developed her kiting skills. Andrew can handle just about any wind and terrain but plays it pretty safe, which is smart considering our proximity to any outside medical aide. I had a really hard time holding back on this trip. This was no place to take unnecessary risks given our location and limited methods of contacting the outside world, no cell service here for sure. Attempting to balance this knowledge with my motivation to kite, I still found myself kiting alone often, and trying many new things like some larger glides and mega loops. Often bored of kiting alone, I would jump over camp itself, spinning and laughing, in an attempt to coerce my expedition buddies out of their warm sleeping bags and back into the chilling wind.

Obie and Amy pulling gear across the Tazlina glacier.

Obie and Amy pulling gear across the Tazlina glacier.

Obie pulling his gear back to our landing zone.

Obie and Amy at basecamp, Nelchina glacier. Chugach mountians, Alaska

This expedition was very educational in the kiting realm as well. With so much room to kite and terrain to choose from, all our kiting skills ramped up with a major dose of the Chugach katabatics. For the past 2 years I have dreamed of kiting in a place like this. The location offered opportunities to explore the realms of possibility for kites to assist in glacial travel, dubbed Expedition Snowkiting. On a travel day, I was able to kite up-wind, up-glacier with a heavy pack and a loaded sled. It also offered perfect opportunities to explore Snowkite Mountaineering, as well as open a kiters mind to a whole new level of natural features and complex terrain conducive to snowkiting.

Obie climbing for the first big jump.

Obie gliding out over the Nelchina glacier.

Obie going bigger on the Nelchina glacier.

Amy and Obie taking down camp.

Obie and Mike Meekin loading up the ceccnia 185 on the Nelchina glacier.

The inner Chugach Range was an experience worthy of the time spent stormbound in the tent and that one day we dragged sleds instead of being dragged by kites. Getting to this part of Alaska took some planning and travel , but it was an amazing success overall. Staying safe in a location this remote and challenging, took a large array of wilderness skills covering glacier travel, winter camping, and ski mountaineering just to name a few. The ending tally was 7 days of kiting until i was sick, 3 glaciers kited upon, 3 storm cycles, 2 camps, and more airtime than is humanly healthy. The kiting was superb, the snow was deep at times, and of course, wind blown at others, the wind was steady when it wasn’t storming, and we made our walls a bit thicker than usual after that first storm.

Panoramic view of the upper columbia glacier. Chugach mountains, Alaska