In May of 2013, David “Whiskers” Hertel and I launched our plan to explore and attempt new routes in the Mt. Emmerich Cirque, just outside of Haines. Our pilot Drake Olson, wasn’t even sure if landing in the Emmerich Cirque was possible at that po...
A lot of things had to come together to get Ryan Johnson, Gabe Hayden, and I all on the tarmac at the same time on a sunny autumn afternoon in Juneau. I had been in town for almost two weeks, testing my short-lived Coloradan patience for waiting o...
In the first week of March, John Kelley and Ben Trocki established another new route on the Heritage Wall, a seldom-climbed, 3,900’, Scottish-like wall located outside of Anchorage [see AAJ 2005 and AAJ 2013 for more information]. The new route, B...
On May 19, our group of five—Greg Encelewski, Galen Flint, Hannah North, Ben Still, and I—flew to the Ultima Thule Lodge with pilot Paul Claus. The next morning Paul dropped us at a ca 8,500’ base camp on the northeast fork of the Bear Glacier. Th...
The 2013 climbing season in the University Range proved to be challenging. Dangerous snow conditions and temperamental weather brought close calls, false starts, and more failures than successes—and just plain tough climbing.However, on April 20, ...
In April, Samuel Johnson soloed the southeast face of Mt. Hayes (6,500’, AI3 M3) in 18 hours round-trip from a base camp on the Trident Glacier. He and Ryan Johnson (unrelated) had hoped to attempt a more north-facing line on Hayes’ east side, but...
In March, Chad Diesinger, Andy Ducomb, and I made our fourth trip to McGinnis Peak, the easternmost peak in the Hayes Range. A 14-mile approach brought the three us to the east face and provided easy access to a col on the northeast ridge, our obj...
After enduring the fury of a 10-day Alaskan storm, we were rewarded with one six-hour period of sunshine during which we established a new four-pitch route on a small, unclimbed wall in Little Switzerland. Green Couch (III 5.10a) was a fun and hig...
On April 25, Eitan Green and I flew into the Ruth Gorge with a good forecast and three weeks to get something done. Our first five days in the range were productive: We set up camp in the Root Canal, knocking off Shaken Not Stirred and Ham and Egg...
“I just simply say, ‘Don’t spend your time doing something that’s horribly dangerous, just to make a first ascent,’” Brad Washburn said late in life, on the occasion of his 67th trip to Alaska. “Enjoy making the second and third ascents of thrilli...
I flew into the central Alaska Range on April 23 to meet Dusty Eroh in the Ruth Gorge, where he was camped between Mt. Dickey and Mt. Bradley. The next three days consisted of condition-scouting trips to the base of a line we eventually climbed: N...
In May, Todd Tumolo and I completed a new route on Mt. Johnson (8,460’). We first saw the new line, the Fire Escape (4,000’, V 5.6 AI4 65°), while scouting conditions in the lower gorge. We began on May 6 at 5:30 a.m., climbing up a 70m smear of ...
From April 20–21, Silas Rossi and I established a new climb on a ca 7,500’ satellite peak of Mt. Johnson (8,460’): Twisted Stair (2,300’, V WI6 R/X M6+).We flew into the Ruth Gorge on April 10 with the goal of climbing something and not sacrificin...
When Alex Bluemel and I (both Austrians) arrived in the Ruth Gorge on May 19 it was wintertime. However, things began to change immediately as an extraordinary weather window lasting more than a month established itself. The mountains started to s...
On May 31, Peter Haeussler and I, both from Anchorage, reached the summit of Broken Tooth (9,050’) via a major variation to the west ridge route (Bauman-Lewis, AAJ 1988). [Cody Arnold, Peter Haeussler, and Jay Rowe first completed the lower part o...
After the first ascent of the east face of the Mooses Tooth in 1982, Jim Bridwell wrote of his return to base camp: “The cards were played and we had drawn aces. Finally I collapsed into prone paralysis. Just before unconsciousness, the memorable ...
Mark Allen and I had an excellent and fruitful expedition into the Central Alaska Range in May, making the probable second ascent of Mt. Laurens (10,042’) via a new route on its northeast buttress (4,650’, V AI4 M7 A1).Mt. Laurens is a prominent p...
In April, two Japanese climbers, Daizo Watanabe and Tani Takeshi, reported a possible new route on the south face of Mt. Frances, right above the Kahiltna base camp. Their route climbs one of several obvious, large gullies on the south aspect of t...
The eastern aspect of Pico Milluni (5,500m) features rather nice rock, and the following routes, all of which end on one of Milluni's summits, are likely new.In May my wife, Sal, and I climbed the main summit by the central, northeast-facing buttr...
Jared Vilhauer and I spent all day skiing up and down the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier and looking for an inspiring, safe line to give our all. Our original objective was sporting a new look—its summit snow slopes had cracked open to reveal a han...