On July 4, Gabe Hayden and I made a speed ascent on the Mendenhall Towers classic Solva Buttress (1,250’, 5.8) We started at the West Glacier trailhead, north of Juneau, and took off for the 15-mile glacier hike to the base of the towers. We climbed the route in one long simul pitch, hung out on top and enjoyed the view for an hour, then made the return trek home, arriving back at the trailhead 16 hours and 57 minutes after departing. In all, we covered around 30 miles and 7,000’ of gain, and dubbed the journey the Mendenhall Marathon. 

A few weeks later, Gabe Whecter and I repeated the hike into the towers, this time climbing the Mountaineer’s Route (1,400’, 5.7) on Main Tower in 18 hours and 34 minutes round-trip. These are the fastest known car-to-car times for these mountains. 

– Dylan Miller