North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park, Denali, Mascioli's Pillar, New Route

Publication Year: 1998.

Denali, Mascioli’s Pillar, New Route. On June 15-16, Steve House and Steve Swenson made the first ascent of what formerly was known as the Radio Tower on the South Buttress of Denali, renaming it Mascioli’s Pillar in honor of their friend, Steve Mascioli, who had been killed on Mount Hunter’s Moonflower Buttress shortly before (see above). The pair first attempted the climb in early June, climbing 15 pitches to a prominent chimney system high on the left side of the pillar. Instead of the ice they had hoped to find, the chimney contained only poor dirty rock. They retreated to the base of the pillar, then to base camp. On their next try they followed a large corner system up the right edge of the pillar Their nearly 4,000-foot route involved both hard rock and mixed climbing, and was climbed in a 30-hour push with short stop. It was House’s third difficult new route on the mountain in the last three years. A full account of their climb appears earlier in this journal.