Thunder Mountain, Walk of the Schnitzelkings. On April 6, 1999, German climbers Christoph Duepper and Thomas Traxler climbed the right-hand fork of the split couloir to the right (east) of the central spur—the Lightning Spur—on Thunder Mountain’s south face. This is the couloir starting at the “3” on p. 205 of the 2001 AAJ. After 1,000 feet the couloir forks. The route Deadbeat ascends the left fork, while the German route goes right. Duepper and Traxler climbed much of their 3,000-foot route unroped, encountering mostly 50-degree snow except for four short pitches of 80- to 90-degree ice. After about six hours of climbing, they reached the narrow col atop the couloir and rappelled.

Talkeetna Ranger Station files and High Mountain Sports 232