Flying above the Alaska Range in search of a spot to glacier camp for three weeks, it was clear that our options were limited by low tide conditions—the kind where you can’t really land a plane. Open crevasses and wind-scoured, rocky peaks marked the entire landscape. Nothing like normal Alaska. We kept pointing out spots that had potential, but inside they looked more like a toothy grin. Yet after a solid tour of the range, we found one spot that looked promising: Nautilus, an amphitheater of lines perched above the Dall Glacier. 

Nautilus was a shot in the dark, Google Earth pin scoped by Travis Rice during his filming of “The Fourth Phase” [2016]. Zones like this can be kept close to preserve private Idahos, but Travis was kind to share it. As we flew through its steep pearly gates and above its glaciated valley, the source of its name became clear: a shell-shaped basin that swirled into a hidden plethora of lines on every aspect. It was the only spot we saw that had enough potential and coverage to hike and shred; an anomaly that had trapped just enough magic… 

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