Dragon’s Spine, Two Towers

Alaska, Little Switzerland
Author: Zach Clanton. Climb Year: 2014. Publication Year: 2015.

In July, James Gustafson and I returned to the Pika Glacier of Little Switzerland, hoping to complete a traverse of the Dragon’s Spine [The Dragon’s Spine is a long ridgeline that culminates in a 7,490’ summit. It lies three miles down glacier (north-northwest) from the Trolls and other formations.] This trip resulted in more stepping stones. We first added a new starting pitch to Green Couch, a short route we put up last year (AAJ 2014). About a week later, in a 48-hour “sunny” period, from July 19–20, we made a 36-hour push on our intended traverse. We did not even come close to finishing the traverse but did top out on the first major tower, completing a new route in the process. We climbed about 20 pitches—a mix of slabs, steep cracks, and scrambling—and bivied once: Two Towers (IV 5.10). We descended climber’s right, from a notch below the tower, via many rappels.

Zach Clanton



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