Attempt on Mount Hunter, South Ridge, Alaska Range. Our British Yukon River Expedition, Barrie Biven and I, took out time from navigating the entire length of the Yukon River. From Tanana we decided to reach the mountains by rail and air. We got to the village of Talkeetna a couple of days later, but were delayed from flying to the McKinley range with ski-plane glacier pilot Don Sheldon by nine days of bad weather. At last, on June 25, we were flown to the unexplored upper reaches of the Tokositna Glacier, south of Mount Hunter. On his flight, Biven acted as bombadier in an airdrop onto the south col of Hunter at 10,250 feet. One of the four packages finished up on a snow cornice overlooking a 3000-foot drop. The next three days were spent slowly ascending with heavy packs the glacier and icefall leading to the col. After much effort in warm weather and bad snow, we reached the col and excavated a snow cave. The high temperatures now served to defeat us. (Biven in a letter emphasized that he felt April or May were the only proper months. He states, "The slope from the col to the ridge was quite hairy. It’s the first time I have climbed in vertical slush.”—Editor.) A difficult and dangerous bergschrund led to a 60° snow slope. After several hundred feet of this, we came to extremely steep (about 75°) compact granite slabs covered with loose snow. These conditions appeared to go on for perhaps 2000 feet before the angle eased and the slopes became a ridge proper. After carefully weighing the situation, we reluctantly decided that to press on up such demanding ground was unjustified.

Tony Smythe, Alpine Club