Sune Tamm-Buckle (“The Young Swede”) and I departed late for a bivy in the moraine, where we proceeded to “get dizzy.” Sune, bringing only a bivy sack, shivered the night away while I slept, warm and cozy in my down bag.

We woke at 3 a.m. on September 1, made our way to the Lower Saddle, crossed the Valhalla Traverse, and arrived at the Enclosure Couloir at 6 a.m. to find it, despite popular opinion, full of ice. We climbed three 60m pitches up the couloir, with some simul-climbing, and arrived at the start of our proposed route.

Four pitches of high-quality, chunky golden granite led to a mixed pitch that exited onto the ice apron of the High Route. We recommend a standard free rack; we left three pins and two heads in place. We proceeded to the top of the Enclosure via the standard High Route finish, topping out in the dark (IV 5.10X M4- AI3).

John Kelley