This is the Otter we used, kitted out with skis, to ferry half of us and our kit to the South East fork of the Kahiltna glacier. The flight stayed low below 8000 feet and took us through the infamous One Shot Pass before a smooth landing on the snow-covered “runway”.

On this flight, packing sharps and flammable liquids and gases did not seem to be a concern, but the pilot ensured we had all our essential survival gear with us on our plane in case the other plane with the rest of the team and gear couldn’t make it.

We required a mountain of gear (pardon the pun), seen here packed, sorted and ready to load onto the plane. The plane in the background is not the plane used to land on the Kahiltna glacier- it has a distinct lack of skis! It is used for flights over the summit.

We were lucky to have an immediate weather window from Talkeetna, through the pass and onto the South East fork of the Kahiltna. Other groups had to wait days for the same opportunity.