The Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic (sometimes called the Alaska Wilderness Classic) is an adventure challenge that espouses purity of style and zero impact. Started in 1982 as a wilderness traverse, the Classic has crossed various mountain ranges throughout

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

with some routes covering nearly . Traditionally, the same route has been used for three years in a row, with each year being a different month (June, July, or August). The rules are simple: start to finish with no outside support, requiring that participants carry all food and equipment; human-powered; leave no trace; and rescue is up to the individual to resolve. The most common form of transportation is by foot and

packraft Packraft and trail boat are colloquial terms for a small, portable inflatable boat designed for use in all bodies of water, including technical whitewater and ocean bays and fjords. A packraft is designed to be light enough to be carried for extend ...

, although bicycles, skis, and paragliders have been used by intrepid participants. Beginning in 2004, participants have been required to carry

satellite phone A satellite telephone, satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. The advantage of a sa ...

s or Satellite emergency notification device like the

DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...

inReach to facilitate emergency rescues. The organization of the challenge is

grass-roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

, having no affiliation to any organization or group, while generally fewer than 30 people enter in any one year. The Classic is often perceived as a race, but most certainly not a race. It has had an influence on American

adventure racing Adventure racing (also called expedition racing) is typically a multidisciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. Some races offer solo co ...

, backcountry use of the packraft, and ultralight hiking is significant. In addition to the summer challenge, there is an even more low-key unaffiliated winter event, the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic, which has taken place annually since 1987 with travel through the Chugach Mountains,

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoar ...

Brooks Range The Brooks Range ( Gwich'in: ''Gwazhał'') is a mountain range in far northern North America stretching some from west to east across northern Alaska into Canada's Yukon Territory. Reaching a peak elevation of on Mount Isto, the range is believ ...

, and Wrangell-St. Elias.

Routes and Challengers

1982–1984

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

(

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

), * 1982 – Roman Dial * 1983 – Roman Dial and Jim Lokken * 1984 – David Manzer (course record: 3 days 12 hours)

1985–1987

Mentasta to

Denali National Park Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park, is an American national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The park and contiguous preserve e ...

(

), * 1985 – Hank Timm * 1986 – Hank Timm * 1987 – Hank Timm and Randy Pitney (course record: 4 days 18 hours 27 minutes)

1988–1990

Nabesna to McCarthy (

Wrangell – Saint Elias Wilderness Wrangel or Wrangell is a Germanic surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Wrangel family, or Wrangell, a Baltic German noble family, including a list of notable family members *Basil Wrangell (1906–1977), Italian film and television ...

), * 1988 – Roman Dial * 1989 – David Manzer, Adrian Crane and Tom Possert * 1990 – Brant McGee and Jeff Gedney

1991–1993

Gates of the Arctic Wilderness Gates of the Arctic Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, it is in area, the third-largest designated wilderness area in the United States (after the Wrang ...

(

), * 1991 – Brant McGee and Adrian Crane (course record: 2 days 6 hours 18 minutes) * 1992 – Brant McGee and Dave Dixon * 1993 – Gordy Vernon

1994–1996

Donnelly to McKinley Village (Alaska Range), * 1994 – Frazier Miller * 1995 – Clark Saunders (course record: 2 days 12 hours 20 minutes) * 1996 – Steve Reifenstuhl and Rocky Reifenstuhl

1997–1999

Hope to Homer (Kenai Peninsula), * 1997 – Gordy Vernon and Thai Verzone * 1998 – Gordy Vernon * 1999 – Jim Jaegar and Laura McDonough

2000–2002

Nabesna to McCarthy (Wrangell – Saint Elias Wilderness), * 2000 – Steve Reifenstuhl and Rocky Reifenstuhl * 2001 – Steve Reifenstuhl and Rocky Reifenstuhl * 2002 – Roman Dial (course record: 2 days 4 hours 24 minutes)

2003–2005

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

Talkeetna Talkeetna ( Dena'ina: ''K'dalkitnu'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 1,055, up from 876 in 2010. Geography Talkeetna is located at the confluence o ...

(

Talkeetna Mountains The Talkeetna Mountains (''Dghelaay tahwt’aene'' in Ahtna) () are a mountain range in Alaska. The Matanuska and Susitna River valleys, with towns such as Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Palmer, Sutton, and Chickaloon, roughly bound the Ta ...

), * 2003 – Hans Neidig, Chris Robertson and Paul Hanis * 2004 – Gordy Vernon and Thai Verzone * 2005 – Robert Schnell, Jason Geck, Tyler Johnson and Rory Stark (course record: 1 day 23 hours 29 minutes)

2006–2008

Chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

( Tanana-

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

Uplands), * 2006 – Robert Schnell and Chris Robertson (course record: 4 days 10 hours 42 minutes) * 2007 – Robert Schnell and Chris Robertson * 2008 – Butch Allen, Jim McDonough, Tyler Johnson and Craig "Chunk" Barnard

2009–2011

Gerstle River/Donnelly to McKinley Village (Alaska Range), * 2009 – Robert Schnell, Chris Robertson and Andrew Skurka (course record: 3 days 17 hours 54 minutes) * 2010 – Robert Schnell, Chris Robertson, Todd Kasteler and Danny Powers * 2011 – Tyler Johnson, Todd Kasteler, Luc Mehl and John Sykes

2012–2014

Thompson Pass Thompson Pass is a 2,600 foot-high (855 meter-high) gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska.Geographic Names Information Service"Thompson Pass, Alaska" U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed July 2, 2009. It is the snowiest place in Al ...

Lakina River Lakina River is a tributary of the Chitina River in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located in the Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Geography The stream rises in an area of glacial drainage of minor importance lying between the muc ...

Bridge (

Chugach Mountains The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain ...

), - * 2012 – Luc Mehl, Josh Mumm (3d 22.5h, Bremner Route) * 2013 – Lee Helzer, Steve Duby, Len Jenkins (Slowest first completion: 7 days, 8 hours, 44 minutes) * 2014 – Gerard Ganey, Todd Tumolo (course record: 3d 10h, Ice Route)

2015

Peters Hills to Red Shirt Lake via Rohn (Western Alaska Range, Susitna Valley), * 2015 - Josh Mumm (course record: 5 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes)

2016–2018

Galbraith Lake to Wiseman (

), * 2016 - Todd Tumolo and Luc Mehl (course & challenge record: 1 day, 10 hours) * 2017 - Tobias Schwoerer and Harlow Robinson * 2018 - Tom Moran and Jay Cable

2019–2021

Cantwell to Sheep Mountain (

), * 2019 - Tobias Schwoerer and Jeremy Vandermeer * 2020 - Sam Hooper * 2021 - Nick Treinen (course record: 3 days, 10 hours)

2022–2024

Little Tok River to

McCarthy, Alaska McCarthy is a census-designated place (CDP) in Copper River Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The population was 107 at the 2020 census, up from 28 in 2010. Geography and location McCar ...

( Wrangell–St. Elias), * 2022- Nick Treinen and Michael Versteeg (June, course record: 4 days, 13 hours) * 2023 - * 2024 -

Challenge Historic Documentation

* Most entrants: 1984 Hope to Homer * Lowest Completion:Entrants Ratio: 1:7.5 -- 2015 Peters Hills to Red Shirt Lake via Rohn (26 scratched) * Highest Completion:Entrants Ratio: 1:1 -- 1995 Donnelly to McKinley Village (everybody finished) * Fastest Completion: Todd Tumolo and Luc Mehl -- 2016 :1 day, 10 hours * Slowest Top Completion:''
Lee Helzer
Steve Duby, Len Jenkins: 7 days, 8 hours, 44 minutes -- 2013 Thompson Pass to Lakina River Bridge * Fastest Solo Completion: Bjorn Flora: 2 days, 1 hour, 20 minutes -- 2005 Eureka to Talkeetna * Fastest Female Completion: Lindsay Cameron and Ellen Martin: 2 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes -- 2017 Galbraith to Wiseman * Oldest Completion: Dick Griffith -- 81 years old -- 2008 Chicken to Central * Youngest Completion: Eric Cramer: 17 years one month old -- 1992 Gates of the Arctic; Leo Hicker: 17 years old -- 2018 Galbraith to Wiseman * Most Completions: John Lapkass: 20 * First use of a packraft: Dick Griffith -- 1982 Hope to Homer * First use of a packraft and skis: Roman Dial and Jim Lokken -- 1983 Hope to Homer * First use of a mountain bike: Hank Timm and Randy Pitney -- 1987 Mentasta to McKinley * First use of a paraglider: Chuck Comstock -- 1988 Nabesna to McCarthy

References

{{No footnotes, date=February 2012

Wilderness Classic Blog and Information

Video of the 2009 race by Roman Dial

2009 Race Report by Andrew Skurka
1982 establishments in Alaska Annual events in Alaska Recurring sporting events established in 1982 Sports competitions in Alaska