Welcome to the JIRP 2020 Virtual Traverse!

Join us this month for a Virtual Traverse across the Juneau Icefield! In the absence of our usual JIRP student expedition, we will be hosting a series of fun, interactive online events to take you on a journey from Juneau, Alaska to Atlin, BC - but without all the usual “character building” that comes with rainstorms, not-showering, fieldwork, and blisters!

Whether you’re a former student reminiscing about your favorite moments at JIRP, or someone who wants to learn more about the program, follow our route as we highlight our traverse and our remote camps across the Juneau Icefield.

Post your own photos and memories on social media using the hashtag #JIRPVirtualTraverse.

Event Schedule

*All events take place at 11:00 Alaska; 12:00 Pacific; 13:00 Mountain; 14:00 Central; 15:00 Eastern; 16:00 Atlantic; 20:00 United Kingdom; 21:00 Central Europe

Cookie Party + Virtual Traverse Kick-Off
Saturday, July 11th*

Our online Cookie Party, hosted by Allie Strel and Cathy Connor, is a storytelling event, open to everyone in the JIRP community. This annual event has long been a chance to connect with other JIRPers, hear stories of the icefield, learn about JIRP history, get stoked for the first traverse and munch on delicious home-made cookies. So go ahead and make some cookies, get comfy, and bring your most hilarious and/or heartwarming JIRP stories to share. Or just show up to listen and hear the tales of JIRP seasons gone by.

If you want to share a story, plan to keep it under 10 minutes. If you can't decide between all of our favorite JIRP stories, consider one of these ideas for your tale:

--> the JIRP story you haven't told your mom
--> the event that your friends from home are tired of hearing about
--> the MOST JIRP day on the icefield
--> a “character building” moment (aka sufferfest)

Can't wait to see you there!

Register here: Zoom Link

Facebook Event

Virtual Field Sketching with Hannah
Saturday, July 18th*

Join us for a virtual field sketching session with Hannah Mode!

Each summer we love pairing our scientific learning with artistic expression. We use field sketching to aid in observation and understanding of glacial features, to record information important to our research, to unwind and gaze at the view after a busy day of skiing, and to express ourselves creatively over the course of the summer.

While we are sad to not be able to practice these skills surrounded by the beautiful Icefield, Art Faculty member Hannah Mode will lead us through a series of short field sketching exercises that explore a few different drawing methods, based on some favorite photos of the traverse.

As always, this session is open to any and all, and there is no experience required! All you need to bring to Zoom is yourself, a favorite photo of the Icefield (or of your favorite place in nature), and some paper and pen or pencil. Bonus if you want to bring a marker, paint, colorful pens, or any other type of color.

Facebook Event

JIRPmas Celebration
Saturday, July 25th*

Every year at JIRP we take a break from our busy days of safety training, lectures and field work to celebrate the joy and silliness of being in the middle of (the most beautiful) nowhere! We festively decorate the cookshack, cook up a feast, dress up “fancy”, and write carols and poems to celebrate the peak of the JIRP season.

And the highlight of the evening is the annual JIRPmas gift exchange, with gifts ranging from the ridiculous to the absurd: a Stoke-O-Meter made of cardboard scraps, a trophy commemorating the best outhouse cleaner, a dictionary of icefield slang… the possibilities are endless!

This year we are organizing an online JIRPmas celebration and digital gift exchange! We encourage you to dress “Fancy” (think duct-tape bow tie) and show up for our Zoom event on July 25th. This year’s gift exchange will be digital. If you want to participate in the gift-giving extravaganza, come to the Zoom event with a digitally shareable gift - perhaps a silly poem, a hand-drawn picture, a sweet dance video. (Please keep these gifts appropriate for a wide audience). We’ll do a digital gift exchange and enjoy the hilarity of the season. You can also just come for the party and skip on the gift exchange.

Facebook Event

Micro Lectures from Faculty
Saturday, August 1st*

Join us for a series of short, fun science lectures put on by some of JIRP’s finest faculty! You’ll get to hear about the research that our academic instructors are involved in when they aren’t up on the Juneau Icefield. From Antarctica to Siberia, you’re bound to learn something new!

Lecture topics and speakers will be announced soon! Stay tuned!

Facebook Event