We have exciting news! In spring of 2020 we will have two all women expedition teams in the Alaska Range. We have one going up the West-Buttress of Denali and the other up Sultana (also known as Mt. Foraker). Meet the four wonderful women who are part of the Sultana crew:
Mary Gianotti
Founder of AK Mountain Women. Trip Lead for Foraker, Wrangell-St. Elias and Stikine Expeditions
Mary grew up in Juneau, Alaska where she found her love for snow, glaciers (and rain) at a young age playing in her vast beautiful backyard. Mary is currently a mountaineering and backpacking instructor with NOLS and Alaska Mountaineering School in the summers and the Operations Manager for Alaska Avalanche School in the winters. In the past she has been the Program Coordinator of the Juneau Icefield Research Program. She has led and instructed day trips to eight-week glacier mountaineering, winter ski trips, and backpacking courses. Outside of leading the Stikine and Wrangell-St. Elias expeditions with AK Mountain Women, Mary has guided on Denali. She traversed the Juneau Icefield twice (2013, 2014). She attempted Mt. Jarvis but had to turn around because of a crevasse fall on her rope team. She planned a completely self-supported, 53 mile, 7 day ski mountaineering traverse to summit Emperor Peak on the Juneau Icefield. She has her Wilderness First Responder and taken avalanche level I and II courses and is planning to take her professional level I avalanche course this winter. Mary has unconditional love for mountaineering and for the harsh but breathtaking landscape of Alaska. She is excited to share that love with this amazing group of women.
Rebekah King
Foraker and Stikine Expedition Member
Rebekah King started exploring the mountains as a child in Colorado. Her desire to find bigger peaks and more wild places lead her to Alaska in 2010. She graduated from Alaska Pacific University with a degree in Outdoor Education, concentrating on Snow Science. Rebekah has spent the past 7 years working as a mountaineering instructor for both NOLS and Alaska Mountaineering School. Rebekah is a course leader for NOLS, has a current WFR, taken her level I, II, and III avalanche courses through Alaska Avalanche School. She is planning on taking her professional I avalanche course through NOLS this winter. Her work and personal trips have taken her into of Patagonia. Rebekah has been a part of several all-female expeditions in the the Alaskan, Chugach, and Wrangell ranges in Alaska; as well as to the ice fields past which highlighted the empowering, unique dynamic they provide. She is excited to continue to learn from and mentor other women in the outdoors.
Katie McCaffrey
Foraker, Wrangell-St. Elias, and Stikine Expedition Member
Katie McCaffrey grew up in Alaska between Nome and Fairbanks. She moved south to Juneau in 2015 for the University of Southeast Alaska's Geography, Environmental Studies, and Outdoor Studies program. Through the degree she took classes in both rock and ice climbing, backcountry navigation, sea kayaking, winter backpacking, glacier travel and crevasse rescue, and mountaineering. She also has her WFR and avalanche 2 certifications. She worked as a teaching assistant for the program for two winters, spending summers guiding tourists on the Mendenhall glacier. This past summer Katie was based out of Talkeetna with Alaska Mountaineering School guiding in the Alaska Range. Her time in the mountains has included two non consecutive weeks in the Taku Range of the Juneau Icefield, both trips spoiled with sunny weather and good snow. Three years ago, she traveled to the Chugach Range outside of Anchorage for an attempt of Mount Marcus Baker (over 13,000'). The trip was shutdown by a storm that kept them in basecamp for two weeks, but she still loved the time spent with friends in extreme elements. This summer she was a part of three expeditions on the West Buttress route on Denali (20,310'), with two summits. Katie's been a part of the past two Alaska Mountain Women projects and is excited to be back in the mountains with this all-female crew!
Kit Cunningham
Foraker and Wrangell-St. Elias Expedition Member
Kit Cunningham was born in Juneau, Alaska and her love of Alaskan mountains began at a young age. She obtained a degree in Biology from Montana State University-Bozeman in 2017, allowing her to work a variety of wildlife jobs outdoors. She has guided glacier, kayak, and bear viewing trips in Alaska, worked a variety of rural field technician positions and is currently working on a wildlife project with Weddell Seals in Erebus Bay, Antarctica. In 2016, she participated in the Juneau Icefield Research program, which is an 8-week scientific course traversing the Juneau Icefield. In 2017, she enrolled in the University of Alaska mountaineering class, which summitted Emperor and Snowdrift Peak. In the summer of 2017, she executed her first 3-week unsupported ski-mountaineering trip on the Juneau Icefield. In 2018, she spent 3 months backcountry skiing in Nagano, Japan, and successfully climbed Mt. Yakiyama and Mt.Asama. She is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Swift water Rescue technician, and Wilderness First Responder technician. She also has taken a technical self-rescue rock climbing class, crevasse rescue training, Sea kayak rescue training, and Sea Ice safety training, and has her Level 1 & 2 from American Avalanche Association. She is ecstatic about working with a group of awesome women.