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 The weather in this part of the world is infamous and sometimes horrendous. The St. Elias mountain range flanks the Gulf of Alaska to the North and East, while the Pacific, runs in a big arc, all the way to Japan. The St. Elias mountains tower to an incredible 18,000 feet, in just 12 miles from the ocean, making it the one of the largest vertical reliefs of any mountain range in the world. Moist air off the ocean is forced to rise and dry out quickly, resulting in a lot of precipitation and wind. Even without big weather frontal systems, the glacier’s cooling and warming cycles result in localized winds called katabatics. Universal to glaciated terrain, these winds are fairly predictable and perfectly manageable with modern day kites. Winds on the Bagley average 10-15 miles per hour and will allow us to progress at some point during most days of the expedition, except in the very worst of weather conditions.
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