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First Ascents in the St. Elias Range
Story and Photos by AAI Guide Ben Traxler
An unnamed peak attempted during the expedition. The proposed route
lies on the left ridge line.
AAI guide Ben Traxler and three climbers
explore the alpine climbing of the St. Elias Range, west of the Yukon Territory, and make first ascents of several peaks.
The trip was part of the American Alpine Institute Alaska First Ascents and Alpine Mountaineering program,
which has been a tradition for 20 years in this vast range of eastern Alaska.
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This past June, climbers Phil Tatman from Bellevue, Washington,
John McQueston of Portland, Oregon, and Mike Craft from El Segundo, California joined me for an exciting fourteen days of
exploration on the peaks in one small section of the immense St. Elias Range. It was a treat to experience
one of the most remote Alaskan mountain wildernesses and find out how expansive America's largest National Park really is.
We were mostly lucky with the weather which, though it whited us out for a couple of days, the rest of the time gave us "splitter" type conditions.
We spent the first three days of our trip on the Matanuska Glacier near Palmer, AK.
We used our time to review snow and ice climbing technique and glacier travel procedures,
as well as to fine-tune some of our technical expertise on the friendly ice cliffs. This area is probably one of
the most accessible glaciers in Alaska - I'd say it's a four-minute walk from the campground.
We had a blast climbing with stellar spring ice conditions.
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The Matanuska glacier from the campsite.
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Ben bouldering on the Thule Cabin while waiting for the pilot to arrive.
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On our fourth day we headed further east and then south on the Glen Highway
to the little settlement of Chitna where our glacier air taxi would pick us up. Chitna is only well known for
its widely distributed bumper sticker, "Where the hell is Chitna, AK?" Our pilot, Paul Claus picked us up,
and we flew southeast to an area near Mt. Tom White that we believed had not seen previous expeditions.
After about a one-hour flight, we circled the area and Paul and I agreed on a great landing site that
would give us exceptional route objectives. It also looked like it would give us a perfect base camp with easy access
to a small peak that we could use to further develop our teamwork and to refine skills.
Our flight from the airstrip was very exciting,
as it is interesting work with a map on your lap to select objectives from the air. From our research
we had a couple of candidate areas picked out, but they sure looked different from the air.
And while we knew we would be looking at hundreds of peaks as we sought our objectives,
it looked like double the number when we saw them in person. The other thing I would say about our arrival is
how instantaneous life changes when you land on a glacier. You enter a different world,
and all the stress of logistical planning and the complexities of life disappear with the airplane.
All that is left to do is absorb the beauty and go climbing!
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On our arrival we immediately pulled out our rope,
harnesses, crampons, and ice axes for a quick ascent of a small peak south of camp which we named Phil,
labeled after one of our more ambitious expedition members. This peak afforded great views of the objectives
within our immediate reach as well as further east down glacier, towards a large horseshoe shaped massif
that would become one of the largest summit attempts during the trip. From the summit of Phil, we interpreted our map,
inspected the area in detail, and chatted excitedly about possible routes and an itinerary for the coming week.
During the next few days we continued to develop skills
in preparation for an ascent of a peak immediately north of our camp. This glacier and ridge route was interesting glacier
travel with an easy snow and rock ridge finish, much like many of the climbs found in the North Cascades of Washington State.
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Basecamp showing the team's first route objective in the background.
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On summit day, the team was excited to find
most of what it had expected. Perfect crampon conditions on frozen snow over the lower glacier led to 700 feet
of exciting ridge climbing to the highpoint of a large ridgeline. After our intense skills sessions,
I was excited to see that the team was able to share leads while route finding both on the lower glacier as well as
somewhat higher on the route. Along the high ridge we encountered a rather short and steep technical snow and ice slope
leading to the final section of the summit ridge. Here I found the climbing to be somewhat exciting on the cold,
unconsolidated snow lying over rotten alpine ice. It required protection with a creatively placed picket and belaying climbers
from above. The team made it over this section with ease and made quick time up the rest of the ridge to the summit!
Our total time was only eight hours from camp and back with an easy descent of our route requiring only one small lower/rappel.
[First Ascent. Peak 8940. III, snow to 70°].
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Interpreting the map on a high ridgeline.
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On the approach to Peak 8940.
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Nearing the summit of 8940 just below the steep technical section.
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After experiencing stellar weather during the previous days
of skills and summit climbing, we woke up the next morning to whiteout conditions. This enticed us to explore ice climbing
potential on ice slabs just north of our camp because navigation would have been difficult through unknown terrain for
another summit attempt. The team was excited to find interesting and varied ice on the slabs up to
two short pitches in length with a rappel from v-threads to exit the cliffs from the top.
We found that an unexpected crevasse blocked access to an easier walk off from the high point of our climbing,
which made our descent significantly more technical than one would have expected! But it was another great learning experience
for the team.
We devoted the next three days to an expedition-style-attempt on a peak approximately
four miles east of our base camp, which we had scouted from peak Phil. The objective was a large horseshoe shaped massif
comprised of a beautiful snow and rock ridgeline on the west and a large glacier and summit ridge on its more eastern flanks.
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Scouting the route from a high ridge.
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To climb the peak we decided to pull sleds up
to a new camp with four days of food and gear to explore route potential. When we arrived at what the team labeled "Camp Central,"
our route became somewhat obvious but presented some potential objective hazard along the way. We found an alarmingly huge icefall
that routinely raked the lower glacier with huge ice debris only safely passable by using excellent route finding
around the far eastern (climber's left) flanks of the glacier and ridge. This route was significantly larger
than our last objective, and unfortunately on summit day, another period of whiteout conditions moved into the area for the day.
After climbing a short distance that morning, I made the decision to return to camp because of the hidden
dangers lurking above our route and the uncharted terrain ahead.
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Our proposed route from Camp Central.
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Large ice fall that threatens the route.
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The following day we found similar weather conditions,
but decided to make bold move for the beautiful and seemingly mellow ridge that flanked the opposite side of our mountain.
On inspection of the first pitch of climbing on access to the ridge we found large heavily faceted snow grains
lying over a kitty litter like rock. Unwilling to climb this section I deemed the pitch "hairball",
as I have experienced this type of climbing before in other ranges in Alaska where climbers may feel like
swinging an ice-axe at the rock for purchase. We opted rather to tour down glacier and explore another more appealing route and
ice climbing for the remainder of the day.
We then headed back to our base camp where we prepared for a single day,
a light and fast attempt on a peak south of our base camp cirque with one of the most spectacular summits we had seen.
On inspection while on our "kitty litter ridge" day, the final route seemed to be a long mellow glacier climb
to the spectacular summit point seen from camp. The approach would require crossing the flat glacier east of base camp and
then up steepening terrain and increasingly broken glacier to below the summit pinnacle.
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Climber Phil Tatman standing in front of the groups's new objective.
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Late the next night our team set out
for the peak armed with small alpine racks, food, many layers, emergency bivy gear, a small stove,
appropriate personal climbing gear, and snowshoes. The walk on the lower glacier proved to be pleasant
in the cold partial darkness at 1:00am. As the sun rose we encountered steepening terrain and difficult route
finding through heavily crevassed terrain, but all was somehow strangely pleasant because of the pink glow
cast by the morning sun. The team took a break below a steep headwall of frozen snow that seemingly
led to easier terrain above and to the summit pyramid. After climbing the small headwall we encountered a
large crevassed section of glacier, which on inspection looked very unstable. There appeared to be one way to pass
the section, but it was a rock-fall-prone-traverse under decaying rock/ice cliffs, and we said, "No thanks."
We were disappointed but recognized that this is part of the adventure of trying to make first ascents.
Nobody has been there before and nobody knows if it is possible. It's one of the very few instances
in the modern world where you can do some true exploring.
The following day we had the pleasure of climbing a summit just west of camp.
It offered nicely diverse snow climbing and a 3rd class rock scramble to a beautiful summit. We enjoyed expansive views
the whole way up, and the team was excited to reach another summit. The views were amazing, and we couldn't help
but start looking for routes for "the next time." It's an incredibly complex range with seemingly endless climbing possibilities.
Those possibilities make you wish you were on a month long expedition.
Very happy with our success, we made an uneventful descent to camp,
and after only a few minutes there, we were surprised by the hum of an airplane breaking the constant silence
we had experienced throughout the trip. A red and yellow airplane came into view, circled, and
landed on the section of the glacier that was packed down by the plane over a week ago. Paul
had returned for us a day early in anticipation of a large storm cycle approaching from the west.
We instantly set to breaking down camp, stuffed everything into the plane, and launched for civilization.
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The final summit for the expedition.
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Ultima Thule pilot Paul Claus arrives to pick up the team.
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Happy to be back in town,
the team was able to relax in Chitna for the night and take time to reflect. In conversation, the team members expressed
that they felt extremely successful. Although turned around on a few objectives, we had accomplished two first ascents,
completed portions of new routes on several rather formidable peaks in the range, and had explored larger objectives
that we thought were attainable on a future visit.
I found that an extremely valuable part of the experience
was to connect with a remote, pristine, and seldom visited mountain wilderness - truly a rare thing in modern times.
It was also extremely rewarding to work with Phil, John, and Mike - to see them become more confident and
advance their skills and mountain judgment in a major way. I look forward to being with these three great guys again
and to future explorations in the St. Elias Range. In addition to laying plans for a climbing trip next year,
I'm convinced we need to form up a team for some ski mountaineering. I think crossing part of the Bagley Icefield and
skiing some of the peaks among the hundreds that rise above it are things we "have to do."
There's nothing like having hundreds of square miles as your private climbing and skiing playground. I can't wait!
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AAI guide Ben Traxler.
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This article is from the August 2008 issue of AAI's Enewsletter.
Get a $200 "Thank you"
Submit a report and photos from a trip you did with AAI, and earn $200 towards another trip
(up to 25% of total trip cost). Contact Ruth Hennings for details at ruth@aai.cc or 360-671-1505.
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