Podcast

Ep. 8 - Fast Track: Planning An Alaska Expedition In Two Months with Kelsey Rex

Aaron Gerry

on Nov 22, 2023

• 2 min read

Planning for your first Alaska expedition... in two months.

🧊 About the episode

Sometimes opportunities arise which push you outside your comfort zone.

For Kelsey Rex, an out of the blue invitation turned a next year trip to Alaska into "we're leaving in two months". That accelerated timeline required a Matrix-like download of expedition planning and put Kelsey in her sweet spot as a lover of meticulous spreadsheets. It also meant confronting her tendency towards, as she puts it, "conservative progression plans" — and perhaps, even her concept of what she's capable of.

Not only was the trip unexpected, she would be going with someone she'd only climbed with once before. This would be an extended "second blind date", as she describes it. So how did it go? You'll have to listen to find out.

In this episode, we talk about planning for your first Alaska expedition, how good partnerships are complementary and foster growth, and what makes the Northeast special when it comes to training for bigger ranges.

Back in early February, I got a message from @allie.pine asking if I’d be her partner for an Alaska trip this spring. Alaska had been on my mind for future seasons, but I never imagined that an opportunity and a partner with experience, strength and psyche would line up this season. I pretty immediately responded abso-freakin-lutely.

🧊 Resources and links

This is the article by Bayard Russell that Kelsey mentions, which supplemented her own gear list spreadsheet: How To Remember Everything: An Exhaustive Alaska Expedition Packing List.

You can read Kelsey's 5-part recap of the trip on Instagram. Here is part 1.

This winter, Kelsey will be at the Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest, Smuggs Ice Bash, and Michigan Ice Fest, and if you'd like to try and book a day out with her, she guides with Cathedral Mountain Guides.

You can connect with Kelsey:

📸 @kelsey_rex.

🧊 Credits

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

🧊 Sponsors:

Thanks so much to Blue Ice for sponsoring this episode (and Kelsey)!

Blue Ice began in 2008 at the base of Mont Blanc with the idea of designing products that went back to the basics. That's led them to focus on functional, ultralight gear that just works. In their words, "we get to the point with a subtle blend of purism and daring."