Dragontail Peak, Dragonscar. Blessed with easy fall access to the Stuart Range, Jens Holsten and I managed a new route on the northwest face of Dragontail Peak on September 6. Starting to the west of the Boving Route, on the opposite end of the broad slab, we climbed two pitches off the glacier to the top of a small pillar. From this comfortable perch I watched Jens cruise up a beautiful stretch of crack and face climbing. The next pitch would not go so smoothly. Faced with several equally intimidating options, we were left with the crux of the route by a grueling process of elimination: a strenuous bulge through microwave-size blocks and off-size jams. One more long pitch brought us to low-angle terraces. Relieved, we took off our climbing shoes and put away the rope. Unsure of the route to the top, we wound our way through a thousand or more feet of fun alpine scrambling to the west ridge, then continued with a short hike to the summit. We dubbed the route Dragonscar (2,500', IV 5.11R) after the golden patch of exfoliation, easily spied from the lake below, that we climbed through.

Max Hasson, AAC