North America, United States, Alaska, Denali National Park, The Fin, Fin Wall to Summit Ridge; Rogue Peak, First Ascent, Northeast Face; Mantok 1, First Ascent, All Talk Couloir
The Fin, Fin Wall to summit ridge; Rogue Peak, first ascent, northeast face; Mantok 1, first ascent, All Talk Couloir. In early May on the northeast fork of the Yentna Glacier, Peter Doucette, Ben Gilmore, and Freddie Wilkinson climbed the remote and previously untouched south-facing Fin Wall (3,800', AK Grade 6, NEI 5+) on a ca 13,300' peak informally known as “The Fin,” located along the Southwest Ridge of Mt. Foraker, about four horizontal miles southwest of Foraker’s summit. The team climbed the impressive wall and retreated from the ridge at ca 12,900', approximately 400' below The Fin’s summit. Reaching the face involved a long and adventurous approach up the complex icefall in the right-hand fork at the head of the Yentna’s northeast fork. They also made the first ascents of two peaks in the left-hand split of the Yentna’s northeast fork: ca 8,900' “Rogue Peak” via the northeast face (3,500', M5, Doucette-Wilkinson), and ca 9,300' “Mantok 1” via the east-facing All Talk Couloir (3,500', M5, Doucette-Gilmore-Wilkinson). See Wilkinson’s feature earlier in this Journal.