When you tell most people you didn't really climb anything and spent almost three weeks in a tent, with no shower, eating shitty food and digging snow caves for fun they think you're crazy. Well maybe they're right, but at least I didn't start the trip crazy, the 18 days of snow did that!
Chase Nelson and I flew into the East Fork of the Tokositna Glacier on May 7th with Talkeetna Air Taxi for a shot at the West Face of Mt. Huntington. The year before in the Ruth Gorge we resolved to go check out the Harvard Route the following year. We ended up discovering the Colton-Leach and it became our primary objective. The huge ice coulior comprising its first 9 pitches and the moderate mixed climbing across the west face really inspired us.
Our trip was plagued by bleak forecasts, and equally miserable weather conditions, but one day of epic climbing got us 16 pitches into the heart of the west face, possibly one of the coolest places in the Alaska Range. Blizzard conditions and spindrift shut us down. We chopped a small snow ledge out behind a boulder which offered some protection. We spent two hours huddled together wrapped in our bivy tent. I dozed off for a while hoping to pass the time more quickly but eventually our soaked layers and cold toes forced us to descend as the weather refused to give us any hope.
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| The ubiquitous fog |
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| The ice coulior |
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| Chase on the approach snow slope |
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| Looking up the first pitch of the epic coulior |
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| Looking down the first pitch |
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| Stoked |
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| Chase leading pitch two |
The ice coulior comprises the lower half of the route and is 8 rope stretching pitches of WI3-4 with a cornice battle at the top
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| Chase follow pitch 3, cruiser 65 degree ice and neve |
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| Looking up at the coulior's ice crux |
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| Denali in all its glory just over our shoulders |
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| Chase fight cold hands on the WI4 ice crux |
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| Chase leads into the sky! |
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| Chase gets first dibs on the cornice! |
6 hours after crossing the Bergshrund Chase began battle with the cornice at the top of the coulior. It wasn't a big cornice by Alaska Range standards but still gave us some issues. We both went to battle with the conrice but eventually found the right side to be a straight forward belly flop right on to the West Face, Chase ventured out left to a rock slab that required tons of digging and creative gear placements, I wouldn't recommend this way. Just dig and go for the belly flop!
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| Over the conice with the runway below |
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| Finally a chance to take packs off and grab some food! |
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| Looking at the top of the West Face Coulior |
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| We soon wrapped ourselves in our tent hoping to stay somewhat dry |
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| The first of many many V-threads and raps |
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| Waiting to fly out |
After a long descent back to the glacier and a couple days of rest we were stoked to try the Colton Leach again. We made some adjustments to our kit and rack, to streamline our ascent but another opportunity never came within the time and resources we had.
Alaska Range! We will be back!
