American Alpine Institute

Ready to take your mountaineering to the next level?

For many climbers, Alaska is more than a destination. It's where years of training come together on vast glaciers, remote ridgelines, and true expedition terrain.

Whether your goal is climbing Denali via the West Buttress, building expedition skills in our Denali Prep Course, exploring the Alaska Range, or skiing through one of the world's most spectacular mountain landscapes, there's no better time to start planning.

Denali West Buttress Early Booking Pricing
🏔️ First 4 climbers: $11,995 (only a few of these spots remain!)
🏔️ Book by September 1: $12,650
🏔️ After September 1: $13,295

Expeditions like these take months of preparation. If Alaska has been on your list, now is the time to start planning for your next big objective.

Learn more about all of our Alaska programs through the link in our bio.

There are a ton of fires burning. A rare earth company has staked a claim on the border of Joshua Tree National Park. And Mammut is being sold to a Chinese asset manager.

Read about this and a whole lot more in this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up:

Climbing, Skiing, Rescue and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 8/6/26 –After a successful season in Alaska, AAI is currently booking trips for the 2027 Denali (Mt. McKinley) season. Find discounts on select trips here.

🍉❄️ Ever seen pink snow on a glacier?

That’s watermelon snow, a bloom of microscopic algae (Chlamydomonas nivalis) that thrives in cold alpine environments. It may look strange, but it’s an important part of the glacier ecosystem, helping fuel the food web and feeding one of the coolest creatures out there: glacier worms. (Yes, those are real.)

A reminder before you scoop that pink snow into your water bottle: glacier meltwater still needs treatment. Filter or boil your water before drinking. 💩

Appreciate the weirdness of the alpine world. Just don’t drink it. 🏔️

Two Karelian Bear Dogs have been employed in the Tahoe region to decrease negative human/bear encounters. A new documenary is in the works about Aron Ralston, the subject of the film 127 Hours. And an attempt to block the national teams from Israel, Belarus and Russia from competing in World Climbing Association events failed.

To read about this and more, check out this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up:

Climbing, Skiing, Rescue and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 7/30/2026 –After a successful season in Alaska, AAI is currently booking trips for the 2027 Denali (Mt. McKinley) season. Find discounts on select trips here.

Some classrooms have four walls. Ours has granite spires.

Alpinism 2 is the next step after the alpine foundations introduced in Alpinism 1. It's where mountain movement evolves into long alpine rock routes, efficient systems, and the art of moving confidently through big terrain.

And there's no better classroom than Washington Pass.

The Liberty Bell Group is one of North America's iconic alpine climbing destinations. Clean granite, sweeping ridgelines, and thousands of feet of exposure create an unforgettable place to refine movement, build efficiency, and discover the rhythm that makes alpine climbing so addictive.

And if you can't make it to Washington Pass today, you can still bring a little piece of it home. Our new Liberty Bell Group t-shirts feature an original artist's rendition of these legendary spires and are now available in the AAI Equipment Shop.

When on a snowfield or a glacier, do you know how to tell what is actually underfoot?

If you are at a glacier terminus, did you know it can look and feel like you are walking on solid ground, but actually be glacier ice? If the dirt below your feet is suspiciously wet, you might be on glacier and still need to keep an eye out for crevasses or moulins.

Hear running water under you but don't see it? That could be a stream of melting snow, making the snow you are on thin and breakable.

Snow-buried tree, downed logs, as well as large rocks can cause weak snowbridges as well, causing you to plunge through!

Knowing how to interpret what the snow might be hiding is a quintessential skill when in the mountains!

AAI Guide Eli Spitulnik and friends put up a proud new route in Alaska! An AI generated news story falsely claimed that a woman rescued from a trail in Yosemite was on the hook for a $70,000 rescue fee. And there's a new multi-resort ski pass available. Read about this and a whole lot more in this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up:

Climbing, Skiing, Rescue and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 7/23/26 –After a successful season in Alaska, AAI is currently booking trips for the 2027 Denali (Mt. McKinley) season. Find discounts on select trips here.