Throne, Dragon’s Spine and Other Peaks, Little Switzerland. Pete Pollard, John Rich and I spent 17 days on the Pika Glacier in June. Our first goal was the southwest buttress of the Throne, still unclimbed after previous attempts. Our first try ended in a snowstorm, but we were able to leave most of our gear at the top of fixed lines. We returned the next morning in brilliant sunshine. Six pitches of mixed aid-and-free climbing, followed by a 500-foot comer system put us on easier ground and, three pitches later, on the summit ridge. It took seven more pitches to reach a point two pitches from the top and the rappel point on the heavily corniced ridge. Continuing along the double-corniced ridge might have prematurely shortened our lives. We got to camp tired and happy after 23 hours of continuous climbing. (NCCS V, F9, A2.) As we wanted our next to be a “day climb,” we picked a line on the southwest face of the Dragon’s Spine. We started up a chimney system that we hoped would put us on the face but were forced into a loose gully for three pitches until we could traverse right onto the 65° rock face. Devious climbing up to F9 led us to dirty cracks where the leader had to stand on a runner to clean the crack enough to free climb for a few feet and repeat the process. Pollard finally led the last section on the face: a beautiful F10 crack. From there several pitches in a gully led to the summit. Our “day climb” took us 30 hours of continuous climbing! (NCCS IV, F10, A1.) Two days later Pollard and I made what we think is the first ascent of a small peak just east of the Royal Tower: the “Munchkin,” c. 6200 feet, via the northwest ridge. (NCCS III, F10, A1) Pollard and Rich also climbed a new route variation on the clean rock of the south face of the Middle Troll. (NCCS III, F9.) All in all this was a great trip, blessed with fine weather and good friends!

Reese Martin, Unaffiliated