Blanket Glacier Ski Trip March 10-18, 2001

Who Went

It seemed that everyone signed up for this trip in pairs (except for the cook and I), so that is the way they are listed here.

Rick Johnson and WD "Wild Dog" Frank - These two guys from the Yakima (WA) area were the only ones on alpine touring (randonee) gear and by far the most energetic. Their typical days were 8000+ vertical feet. Rick had planned to go to Fairy Meadows a couple years earlier but couldn't make that trip due to a knee injury. But it sure seems like a full recovery now!

Jim Baker and Jerry Vessollo - These two came from the Salem (OR) area.

Dick Tucker and Paul Frank - Although they are from the Albany (NY) region I've known these guys a while. They took an avalanche class which I taught in Utah a few years ago and we've skied once or twice in Utah since then. I've also stopped in to visit when I get back east. Good solid skiers without being too hard-core, and great fun to ski with. Dick came on my Battle Range trip the following summer also.

Steve Adamson and Karen Steer - From Portland (OR). I know Steve from when he lived in Corvallis, and he had been on the Fairy Meadows trip.

James Hamaker - James is from Tacoma (WA) and was our cook. In addition to being a good cook he was a strong and enthusiastic skier and managed to get out for quite a bit of skiing without compromising our meals at all. He later did the food planning for our Battle Range trip, although that was smaller and we couldn't hire him to go along and actually cook.

Jim Frankenfield (Me)

Our group of ten had the pleasure of some great company from two other groups of three:

Scott, Brian and Greg Wallace - From Connecticut, these were clients of Al's who he was guiding for the week. Greg had been accepted to RPI to start the following fall, which is my alma mater. So we had many interesting discussions. (As far as I know he still plans to go there, even after observing my model of an especially non-lucrative future!)

The Three "Swedes" - Sorry but I've forgotten their names, real and alleged. Ole, Sven and something else. In reality these three jokers came from Calgary and had booked some of the extra space we didn't fill directly through Al. Definitely the life of the party - there was never a dull moment if any of them were in the room. But they didn't just entertain, they had their share of long skiing days too. They had been to the Chalet before.

Climbing page

[Main Blanket Glacier Page] [Organized Trips Page]

Guiding page