Mount Blackadar, St. Elias Mountains, 1983. On August 18, 1983 Bob Blackadar, Jim Brock, Michael Dixon and we two made the first ascent of Mount Blackadar (2035 meters, 6750 feet; 59° 51’ N, 137° 54’ W) on the east side of the Alsek River. The base of the climb was reached after a week in kayaks and rafts down the Alsek. The range viewed from 1000 feet on the river is impressive, above which peaks such as Kennedy and Hubbard rise 14,000 feet. Major glaciers, including the Lowell, Tweedsmuir and Alsek terminate in the river, calving off large blocks of glacial ice which are washed downstream. Mount Blakadar was named for Dr. Walt Blackadar who solo first ran the treacherous rapids of one of the world’s most famous stretches of whitewater, Turnback Canyon. This is located where the Tweedsmuir Glacier squeezes the Alsek River against the walls of Mount Blackadar. Dr. Blackadar was drowned in an Idaho kayaking accident in 1978. The ascent started from the confluence of Dyke Creek and the Alsek River and followed the north ridge. The first 2500 feet were through an impressive jungle of devil’s club and stinging nettle. We reached the first snowfields at 4500 feet, although hanging glaciers on the impressive north face descend to within 100 feet of the Alsek. Kathy Daly and Darcy Dixon accompanied us to the snow. The ridge route was mixed snow and loose rock, with great exposure but mostly of 5.3 difficulty and some 5.4. After we reached the second col on the northwest ridge, we climbed a gradual incline between two glaciers that dropped off to the north and south. The final pitch was 5.4 on loose rock. We climbed the northern of the several summits. On a boulder a few meters from the summit, Bob Blackadar left an ice axe inscribed with Mount Blackadar in memory of his father.

Jerry Dixon and Ron Watters,

Idaho State University Outdoor Program