Mount Sir Sandford, East Ridge, Selkirks. On our 18-day trip we made the first ascent of the east ridge of Sir Sandford and what is believed to be the second crossing of Austerity Glacier, by which Palmer climbed Austerity in 1911. We followed Palmer’s route toward Austerity but were forced to limit our objective to Iron Man due to extremely icy conditions. The ascent of Sir Sandford began from the Great Cairn Cabin. Chuck Loucks, Art Fitch and I as the summit party and Jim Ingham and Earlyn Dean in support packed to a high and windy camp at 10,000 feet. On July 10 at 6:30 A.M. we left camp, crossed over the Footstool to the bergschrund, which we crossed on the left. We climbed the corniced ridge on firm snow to the first rock band. The first rock pitch led straight up the gully left of the snow ridge. The third pitch continued up a 70° gully of mixed ice, snow and rock and required four pitons and nut wedges for protection. Unlike most of the Selkirks, the rock is an unstable grey, coarse, grained conglomerate. This pitch took well over an hour and was severe climbing in crampons. Another 50-foot-pitch up the gully ended with the first solid belay around a large block of rock. We continued up 20 feet to a 20-foot traverse to the left to arrive at a sharp ridge which we ascended à cheval to an uncomfortable notch in the ridge. This required four pitons and one or two slings. The second and steeper snow ridge was double-corniced and 450 feet long. We climbed continuously with the protection of pickets or knots placed in protruding rocks. The last difficult rock pitch maintained our interest with a 30-foot hand-jam followed by a friction slope, where the leader carved handholds with his fingers. The remaining 75 feet to the summit ridge were easy. Although corniced with mixed rock and snow, the summit ridge was comparatively easy, and the summit was attained at eight p.m. We descended the standard route, bivouacking at the Hourglass.

Theodore H. Church