Northern Pantheons, first ascents and exploration. On July 24 Markus Raschke, Mickey Schurr, Don Serl, and I flew from Bluff Lake to the northern Pantheons. Our pilot, Mike King of White Saddle Air, dropped Mickey, me, and the extra gear on a knob at 51° 43' 3" N, 125° 24' 7" W, elevation 2,250m. He dropped Don and Markus north of Demeter. They traversed Demeter north- to-south and explored south around the head of the valley, gaining our base camp on the 27th.

Mickey and I established camp and climbed Peak 2,543m on the 24th. We propose the name Friga (wife of Odin) for this peak. Our attempt on Dionysus (2,575m) on the 24th was blocked by a step broken by a wide crack, but on the 29th Don and Markus climbed it (at 5.8, with an aid move at the start), to make the first ascent of this peak. On the 27th Mickey and I climbed two peaks south-southeast of camp. We climbed the closest peak (2,350m, 2km distant) by its northwest ridge, and propose the name Mahisha (the buffalo demon). We climbed the farther peak (2,494m, 2.75km distant) by curving south and east around the cirque to a col and then to the summit by the west ridge. We propose calling this peak Durga (the slayer of Mahisha). On the 29th Mickey and I climbed the 2,477m peak just east of Friga, for which we propose the name Friga East. The morning of the 30th Mike King flew us out.

Aside from a cairn that Don and Markus found on Demeter, the area seemed untouched. Our base camp was comfortable, with nice views though with limited access to the peaks that Don and Markus scouted on their loop south from Demeter. More routes and peaks beckon.

Peter Renz, AAC