North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park, Mt. Barille, East Face, Attempt

Publication Year: 1998.

Mt. Barille, East Face, Attempt. Silvo Karo (Slovenia) and Jerry Gore (U.K.) attempted a new line on Mt. Barille’s east face. They landed below the face on June 2, but bad weather prevented them from climbing until June 11. They fixed some ropes on the lower part of the route. The lower pitches provided hard aid climbing with hooks, bird beaks and copperheads. They graded it A4; Karo reported it as the most demanding aid climbing he had ever done in the real mountains. On June 18, while fixing the last two ropes, a rock/ice/snow avalanche swept down the face, injuring Gore. He was unable to climb farther and the pair retreated. During the descent, another avalanche damaged their ropes. They left the mountains by plane on June 19.

Miha Peternel, Planinska zveza Slovenije