Sleeping on a Glacier
An Ice Climbers Dream
Sleeping on a glacier is a fabled experience for many. I have been lucky enough to go on two overnight glacier trips in less than a week. When thinking about spending the night on the glacier, one’s mind would immediately think about how cold and wet the experience might be. Working with a long time local outdoor company, centered around professionalism, everything from your sleeping arrangements, to a piping hot dinner and desert is catered to.
Make the Most of your Time
An ice climbers ascends out of one of the more rare glacial features of the backcountry section on the Matanuska Glacier
The glacier overnight is a two-day ice climbing trip with one night spent on the glacier itself. A desirable feature of the glacier overnight is eliminating the hassle of getting to the backcountry on the second day. This gives you more opportunity to explore. You get two full days of backcountry climbing. This eliminates the time you would otherwise be spent hiking to and from the entry point of the glacier. Your morning on the glacier starts with fresh coffee and a gourmet breakfast prepared by your guides. Leave the details to your guides and make the most of your adventure.
On Top of the Ice and Under the Stars
Being in the backcountry and climbing on a glacier is an amazing experience in itself. The camp experience is another huge part of the trip. After a full day of climbing with our highly-trained professional guides, you can find a fully-furnished camp with a hot drink at the ready, waiting for you. At camp everything is already set up for you. This includes the gear and shelter that are necessary for a comfortable nights sleep, and what you might least expect on a glacier: a campfire!
After you get back from climbing and have a hot drink in your hand it is time to dry your gear and hangout for a little while at your camp and enjoy the views! You may want to explore the glaciers intricacies rather than scale giant ice walls. There is an advanced trek option that caters perfectly to this if you are looking for something a little different than the ice climbing option.
A group follows their guide further across the Matanuska Glacier
Once back from the late walk, dinner is ready to go and in your hands. We offer a brie mac-and-cheese with basil, roasted tomatoes, and pine nuts, or a jambalaya with Alaskan reindeer sausage. And a trip wouldn’t be complete without dessert at the end of a long day of climbing. The cheesecake is sure to satisfy that sugar tooth.
Sleeping on the glacier is amazing, many precautions are taken to ensure a warm, dry night out on the glacier. Listening to the glacier pop, crack, and move under you while you sleep is an amazing experience. Sleeping on a glacier, waking up to the smell of french press coffee and a reindeer sausage breakfast sandwich, surrounded by gorgeous glacier views is even better.
Written By: Julian Winston
