North America, United States, Alaska, Kichatna Spires, Citadel, Variation, and Various Activity

Publication Year: 2009.

Citadel, variation, and various activity. For two weeks in late April and early May, Chris Nance, Dave Ahrens, and I visited the Shadows Glacier. We think we did a new variation to the 1972 route on the 3,400' north face of the Citadel. The route was mostly 40-60° snow and ice, starting with the obvious couloir to a hanging snowfield, then climbing several mixed pitches through rock bands (probably left of the original route), and eventually gaining the summit ridge.

We also made an ascent of the previously climbed Northwest Couloir on Gurney Peak, which starts from the top of the pass separating the Shadows Glacier and the Sunshine Glacier. On one of last days Dave and I went for one more route, the unclimbed west face gash on Vertex Peak. After a bit of climbing we bailed due to rope damage and lack of protection in the thin ice and polished rock. This route, however, would be a good, hard mixed route in a more favorable ice year.

Dave thanks Mountain Trip for funding his share of the trip expenses.

Jared Vilhauer