New Hampshire Ice Climbing

Every time I get new ice tools I feel like a kid at Christmas time. I want to run out and climb the closest chunk of ice I can find. Perhaps it is because I am a guy and guys like tools.

first day on the new Fusions

Josh Hurst in the Mica Mine

When I started ice climbing, a friend Eugene Woody, took me to the North End of Cathedral ledge for some top roping. One time and I was hooked. By the time the following winter came around Eugene had moved out of town and I was stuck as the only ice climber I knew. Sure I lived in the Mecca for East coast ice climbing but I was too insecure to ask a stranger to climb with me. I got my self Yvon Chouinard’s Climbing Ice book and went from there. The first ice tools I owned were a combination of an aluminum mountaineering axe and a sawed off Humming Bird from IME’s consignment shop. They worked fine for all the slab ice and even the North end pillars in March.

Phil and Nico Walsh testing their new tools

Now it was Christmas and I had no partner and I wanted to climb. I set out on a cold xmas morning to climb the North end pillars solo. I had done them many times the previous season on top rope so I figured it must be like rock climbing, if you are familiar with the route soloing is not that bad. I started up the bulletproof ice and instantly struggled to get good sticks with my mountaineering axe, the aluminum piolet would bounce off and I would swing again. Being too stubborn for my own good I persevered and soon found my self thirty feet up clinging with frozen hands onto inadequate tools trying to get a stick in the final bulge. Down climbing was not an option. I had blown the first rule of soloing: never climb something you can’t down climb, unless you can get to the top. Several moments passed while I alternated between warming my hands and trying to get a better tool placement. Fear crept in like the cold, slow and steady until it started to overwhelm me. I was too inexperienced to know my options. All I knew was, don’t fall!

As fear and cold mingled in my body I discovered something about myself that I never knew. I could consume the pain of the cold and get stronger and I could inhale my own fear to gain focus. I diligently continued inching my way over the bulge and topped out. Ice climbing had hooked me hard but my ice tools sucked!

new fusions on diedre

The very next day I walked into IME and bought a brand new set of Grivel Super Courmayeur tools. With new tools in hand I could not wait to climb everything in the valley. Still with no partner I systematically climbed most of the routes in Crawford notch one grade at a time solo.  I gained new found confidence in my climbing and my self.

New tools on Thin Air

I still want winter to last longer and new ice tools inspire me to climb.  I just took my new Black Diamond Fusion tools out for a week of fun and loved every swing.

Variety is the spice of life they say. Well I am no expert on life’s seasoning but I do know a little about livin’. In the past two weeks I have had a plethora of variety; roofing on icy mornings, falling off a roof, ski guiding, guiding ice, snow science workshop, cutting down and trimming a Christmas tree with my girls, X-mas brunch in a cabin in the mountains, and X-mas dinner for the Mahoney clan (actually Claire did the last one and many others as well).

John Kim Gulf of Slides

Mark Renson on Lions Head

Test pit

With my new office complete life just got a lot simpler. In the past when I had to switch gear from carpentry to guiding I had to shuffle things around a bit in my shed and dust off the sawdust from my climbing kit. That was okay, but when I switched from ice guiding to ski guiding then to doing overnights in the backcountry I would have to root through six different bins in three different locations and wonder if the transceiver batteries were still good and search for the lost Thermarest pad. Basically I had no system. The thing about climbers and backcountry skiers is they have their system. A system is critical when you live out of a 40 Liter rucksack and you have 50 liters worth of gear you need to bring.

When I worked for NOLS and lived out of a van I had my system dialed. I had everything I needed and each thing had to have multiple uses or it was sent to the thrift store (where it may have been purchased). My system was so dialed that when my girlfriend Claire (now my wife) put dishes away wrong I would correct her (how did I convince her to marry me?). Over the past ten years of being a homeowner and now being a father and running a business my system was absent. Every time I couldn’t find something I would mumble under my breath, with tension in my voice, “I need to get my system together.”

Dick Katzman Hobbit Coulior

Dick Katzman Pegasus rock finish

Now I have a garage and man space/office up stairs. This has been critical to my development of a new system. The goal is to bounce from ice guiding, ski guiding to overnights seamlessly. However the size of the space you have to work with alters the type of system it takes to be organized. When I lived out of my van the space was approximately 60 square feet now I have more than ten times that space with a 640 square foot office and enough gear for nearly ten people to be doing just about anything in the outdoors. My system is not complete but it is getting there and now frustration in looking for gear is replaced with creative solutions for how to make my new system work better.

Man Cave/ Office

Who would have thought that a holiday road trip could be far more challenging and dangerous than alpine climbing!  I barely survived an epic road trip to South Carolina for Thanksgiving. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention as Claire’s uncle said grace, but by God; I am thankful.

It all started with my family reunion in Sunapee, NH.  Always super fun to catch up with extended family.  After a long day of packing we finally arrived at the quaint New England inn. We were up late visiting family and I swear my crazy Uncle Duffy must have been doing caffeine shots with Annika in the kitchen. At 11:30PM Claire was at the end of her rope and Annika was still wired. I found myself sitting on the floor teaching her how to tie Figure 8’s on a byte. Hell, I guess it worked; she finally got bored enough and passed out in my arms around midnight.  Eliza (2yrs) was up at her usual 6:30AM eager for breakfast.

Often the biggest challenge for big alpine routes is the lack of sleep and dehydration.  Family reunions and family road trips simulate this as well.  After a fun day and nice dinner we enjoyed the traditional “Yankee Swap” with gifts, drank too much and played games. Another late night.  This is where the dehydration and sleep deprivation begins.  The next morning it was time to drive south. 

Our strategy was simple: the driver would drive and the passenger would entertain the kids.   However this lasted only about two hours before entertainment was not entertaining.  We pushed on.  The overall effect was a less than relaxing two days on the road to get to Pawleys Island, S.C.  The normal relaxing atmosphere of the Low Country was replaced with the frantic pace of Thanksgiving prep and excited grandchildren wanting attention. 

After the challenge of the drive down, we were on-line booking one-way tickets for Claire and the girls to get home.  Our new plan was for the girls to fly home while I drove solo and would time it perfectly to meet them at the airport in Boston.

I had visions of fast driving with rock & roll and lots of coffee while I set the speed record for the north bound trip.  Feeling like Gilmore and I had had these same thoughts in Alaska a few years back.  The first hint that things were not going to go as planned should have been when the departure was much later than planned.  Next was when I realized that my CD selection ranged from Old MacDonald Had a Farm to the Hokey Pokey. I was trying my hardest to see the humor in this small problem. My mother-in-law had made me a delicious leftover turkey sandwich that instantly created the need for a nap three hours into the drive.  The lack of quality sleep for a week was catching up.  The time crunch was starting to set in when a flat tire threw me yet another curve ball.   At this point, I had given up the speed record and simply wanted to get to the airport on time.  It reminded me of sacrificing the “free ascent” just to make the summit. 

Slightly north of Baltimore during a lane change, all was lost.  An eighteen-wheeler was much faster and much bigger than me and made it to the lane before I even saw him. I was crunched!  It was more of a sideswipe at 75 MPH that wrecked a tire and ripped both driver side doors.  It left me stunned like an avalanche that breaks your skis but leaves you alive.

The hours ticked away as I tried to get towed at midnight during Thanksgiving weekend to get a new tire.  By 11AM the next day I was driving again.  A bit shaken to say the least, I continued north. The airport pick up was out.  Now I just wanted to get home. 

Once on the Jersey Turnpike all remaining optimism was lost.  Stand still traffic slowed my average speed to 25 mph until NYC.   I would have thrown in the towel and bailed if I could.  I have read accounts of alpinist being committed to the point of no return, where going up was the only option.  Barry Blanchard calls this failing upward.  I have often thought there is always a way down.  Now I believe sometimes the only way out is straight ahead even if it is slower than ever imagined.  The epic continued all the way home ending with a near miss with three deer in the road a mile from home where the power was out from a windstorm. 

I was physically, emotionally, and automotively ruined and thankful to be home!

November on Mt Washington can be just about anything.  I just returned from three days staying at Hermit Lake shelter and climbing.  Mt Washington is by far the best mountaineering destination in NH and is really only rivaled by Mt Katadin in Maine in the North East.  The great thing about Mt Washington is one day you can be ice climbing the next you can be rock climbing and you can follow either up with a windy stomp up to the summit to round out the mountaineering experience. 

Early season ice in Tucks

Bryan on pitch 2

This recent trip was with Michael and his son Bryan.  Climbing has been a tradition for them while Bryan was home from the Army where he is in charge of a unit that dismantles bombs (climbing does not scare Bryan).   Their goal was to spend some time in the mountains and have fun.  The plan was to go up and set up camp at Hermit lake shelters and be equipped to climb either ice or rock and let the conditions steer us.

Our first climb was a fun ice route left of center on Tuckerman’s headwall.  The route was thin and mellow with a few steep bulges but a good early season warm up.  Once we topped out we descended back to camp via Lyons head trail to our camp.  November is great for camping since we were the only ones at the shelters that night aside from the fox that befriended Bryan whenever he went for water. 

Michael on one stick ice

Bryan on the east side slabs on Pinnacle Buttress

The next morning was a casual alpine start at 7am and a walk over to Huntington’s Ravine where there was very little ice to be seen.  We had already made the decision to rock climb due to the warm weather.  Our sights were on Pinnacle buttress.  Michael and Bryan had never rock climbed before so we would take variations to the classic line and stay on the crest for much of the route then avoid the crux pitch by skirting to the East.  The route goes for about six pitches the way we climbed it and has difficulties up to 5.5.

Michael topping out.

After topping out we packed up our gear and headed towards the summit.  Mt Washington did not let us down.  Despite the mild temps that allowed us to climb the rock barehanded we were getting blown around as we strolled to the summit.

Heading to the summit.

We hiked down the Lions Head trail, which delivered us to our shelter at Hermit Lake and to a hot supper, and down sleeping bags.  November on Mt. Washington can be just about anything.

Summit shot

Ah…Fall! It is the season to wrap up rock climbing projects finish up the yard projects and batten down the hatches for winter. It is also the season to train. The spring transition from ice climbing season to rock climbing season is always a shock. Your big muscle groups like your quadriceps and latissimus dorsi muscles are strong but your fingers are fairly weak. In the winter the opposite is true. Your body is not accustomed to carrying a pack with the added weight of ice tools, crampons, extra clothing, thermos, and often a wet rope. Not only the extra weight on your back but there is extra weight on your feet with big boots and snow to contend with. Another consideration is the ski season. I am not a resort skier; I think it is a great place for the masses but I prefer to ski backcountry and the quieter the better. But to enjoy the backcountry you have to have the fitness to skin up then ski down. Often the down is in variable conditions that require more fitness and a survival technique that is very demanding.

The Start of the Laura Foundation trail challenge.

With all this in mind training for the winter season is very different than the summer season. For me, it all starts with the legs. The quadriceps will get you there but the calves will get you up the climb. For me there is no better way to work these muscle groups than to trail run. Not only will it increase fitness it also engages your mind and stabilizing small muscles that get worked while front pointing. I am fortunate to live in the mountains and thus I have access to many trails. If finding a trail is hard to do, then save it for the weekend and hit the pavement. The bottom line is you have to do the work to get the results. Other options for the gym enthusiast is aggressive workouts that hit a variety of muscle groups. I am not a gym rat but I spent some time hitting the iron and sand bags at Mountain Athlete in Jackson WY. Rob Shaul is the owner and “coach” as he likes to be called. You can find him on the web at www.mtnathlete.com not only does he list his workouts for free on line, but has work descriptions and great advice. Rob uses the theory of beat your body up in as many ways as possible and the results will follow. His climbing workouts cater to both the rock climber and ice/mixed climber based on the season. I dry tool on my home woody and generally spend time hanging off tools and add my pack to the mix to bump up the fitness. His dry land training for skiers is absolutely brutal. If you can make it through a “leg blaster” routine the first time without cheating then you are all ready for the season.

Whatever you choose to do to prepare for the next season the critical component is to do it!

The Grand Traverse! In Grand Teton National Park there is no better way to experience the alpine climbing that the Park has to offer. I have just returned from completing the traverse in three days (which is the classic way to do it) with Barry Olson.

3 am start

Teewinot first summit of ten!

The Grand Traverse completes the continuous chain of mountains that encompass the Grand Teton. The peaks include Teewinot, Mt. Owen, Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Ice Cream Cone, Gilkie Tower, Spaulding Peak, Cloud Veil Dome, and Nez Perce; in that order. Depending upon the time of year you attempt the Traverse conditions can range from snow and ice requiring boots, crampons, and ice axe to dry rock requiring only approach shoes. The challenging route finding inherent in the Tetons and a tremendous amount of loose rock that exists in all young mountain ranges complicates the Traverse.

West ledges bivy

rappelling into Gun Sight Notch

Over fifteen years ago the late great Alex Lowe knocked the Traverse down a few notches by completing it in 8 hours and 20 minutes, when he found out that he had no work one day with Exum Mountain Guides. That record stood for over ten years until Rolando Garibotti (also an Exum guide) completed it in the time most people take to hike up to the Lower Saddle, in a mere 6 hours and 40 minutes.

Italian Crack

Barry and I set out at 3:15 am to have a great adventure and climb a bunch of peaks. The Traverse starts out by grinding up the Apex trail on Teewinot. Most people continue up the East face route scrambling to the summit but Barry was hungry for something different since he had done that route. We crossed the East face and started up the Black Chimney, a variation to the East Ridge. The Black Chimney offers four pitches of interesting 5.6 climbing complicated this year with lingering snow and ice. From the top of the chimney it is only a short scramble to the summit of Teewinot.

Mahoney leading out of Gun Sight notch

After Teewinot is completed the traverse truly begins by connecting the serrated ridge between Teewinot and Mt. Owen. The first bump requires three 30-meter rappels, or you can down climb it like Alex Lowe did on his historic tromp. From this point you typically stay to the North of the crest and pick your way through the loose rock, steep steps, and snow. Eventually you arrive at the top of the Koven couloir and you follow the Koven route to the summit of Mt Owen. At this point your first day is almost complete; you just have a few rappels and some down climbing to reach the West ledges of Owen for a bivy.

Day two starts with a rappel into the Gun sight Notch followed by two stellar pitches of 5.6/5.7 rock climbing that are steep and full of jugs. This begins the North Ridge of the Grand Teton. More scrambling and a few more pitches lead you to the Italian Cracks 5.7 variation (a much more enjoyable variation since it is in the sun for several hours in the morning). Exiting the North Ridge on the second ledge you rap around to the west and gain the Owen-Spaulding route to tag the summit. This year the exit was guarded by a 30-meter pitch of mixed climbing which we had to tackle with aluminum crampons, light ice axes, and no ice screws. Relieved to be back on rock we reached the summit by noon and headed towards Middle Teton.

unexpected mixed terrain

The North ridge of Middle Teton is easier than the Grand however the exit crack was running with icy water so the 5.6 felt a lot harder. After completing the fourth peak of our traverse we headed down into the south fork of Garnett Canyon to find a bivy spot.

Rock snow rock

summit of Ice Cream Cone

The third and final day of the traverse gains the most summits with six peaks however it is the least challenging, fortunately. The day starts with a scramble up South Teton and a down climb. Then onto Ice Cream Cone, named for its symmetrical upside down cone shape shrouded at the base in snow. It is only 50 meters tall above the col but it is worth climbing. The next summit is Gilkie Tower, a twin summit peak that is one pitch shy of being a scramble. Down climb, traverse snow, scramble to the summit of Spaulding peak. The same routine for Cloud Veil Peak. Down climb, rappel then boot ski snow to get to the base of the final peak of the Traverse, Nez Perce. Nez Perce, named for one of the regional Native American tribes, is a complicated summit with three to choose from with the middle the highest. You can scramble to the summit but we choose to add a few more quality pitches of 5.6 crack climbing to finish the traverse.

coming off Spaulding Peak

going up Nez Perce

After ten summits it is only a 6-mile hike to the trailhead and completion of an all time Teton classic!

team Traverse

Statistics:

12,000 feet of vertical gain

36 pitches of rock climbing (35 m pitches)

12 Rappels

Endless short roping.

A whole bunch of miles.

Ten Down

Rick and Dawn at the base of Kor

     It has been a while since I have written a Blog.  Time flies when you are having fun.  Since my last post I have been on the road to Wyoming via Colorado to rock climb at Lumpy ridge in Estes Park.  Once here in Jackson Wyoming I have skied on Mt. Teewinot, climbed Symmetry Spire twice, climbed Middle Teton, had several days of climbing above Hidden Falls in Grand Teton National Park, I have gone on several great trail runs, and suffered thoroughly at Mountain Athlete

Sunrise in Colorado.

     I would have to say life is good.  I feel fortunate to be able to offer my wife and two girls’ summers in the Tetons and the rest of the year in NH.  Who knows one day maybe we might switch it up for variety sake. 

On the road!

     To elaborate on my travels a little bit.  In mid June I left a very rainy N.H. and started the three-day drive to sunny Estes Park Colorado.  Some people may blast the drive in a 32-hour push but I prefer to break it up so I can get the chance to bivy in the passenger seat (believe it or not it is part of the alpine training regimen, the theory is to be able to tolerate bad bivies one must train their bodies to sleep any where.).  Once in CO. I set out for a trail run and struggled to loosen up my tight hamstrings as I gimped along my run.  The next day was much better as I set off early on one of the many “Open Space” trail networks that pop up every where in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.  After a day to loosen up I was rock climbing at Lumpy Ridge above Estes Park with Rick and Dawn.  They were training to attempt the Grand traverse ( a link up of the main Teton peaks including: Teewinot, Owen, the Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Gilkie tower, Cloudveil Dome, and Nez Perce) in the Grand Teton National Park.  It was a fun day of rock climbing and hiking.

Entering Teton National Park.

     Next was 10 hours of driving to get to Jackson Wy. .   I arrived three hours before Claire and the girls arrived at the airport and the summer started.  Right away I was on Teewinot to guide a ski descent.  Peter and I didn’t make the summit our priority was the skiing so we skied from where the conditions were best.  After that was Middle Teton with a great family.  Then on to a Symmetry Spire which I guided twice, once with a father and son and once with a father alone having a great day to him self.  I have also spent several days instructing at Hidden falls, a great training area that Exum Mountain Guides use to train individuals for the Grand Teton and other peaks in the park.

Hiking up the East Face of Teewinot.

Spring skiing on Teewinot

    It is great to be back in Jackson for the summer.  The girls love the swim lessons and the art classes and Claire loves to get crushed by Rob Shaul at Mountain Athlete  I look forward to some great days in the mountains and some fun with my family in Grand Teton National Park.

going up the S.W. Couloir of Middle Teton

Summit of Middle Teton

Ron on the S.W. ridge of Symmetry Spire

Reaching the summit of Symmetry Spire

where is the skiing?

     Big mountain skiing is elusive.  There is no other way to look at it.  I recently returned from Alaska where I attempted to ski the South Face of Denali with my friend Dan Corn.  Our attempt was just that, an attempt. 

South Face of Denali

     The beauty of big mountain skiing is that even if you cannot ski your objective you experience skiing in a away that is completely different then simply hitting the slopes at the local resort or the quick backcountry strike.  You wake up with a job to do and your every decision is based on the work at hand and the safety that is required to pull it off.

     The thing about expeditions is that the job starts when you commit to the objective.  You train you body to be fit and resilient, you hone your skiing to be precise, smooth and powerful, and you train your mind to be present in the moment (a critical aspect of expedition life when you have a beautiful family at home). 

     Our expedition started May 11, my 40^th birthday, a fitting gift to myself.   The start was typical Alaskan style, hurry up and wait.  The wind would not allow us to fly but we had to be present at the airstrip in case the wind settled down.   Flying is one of those experiences in life where you have no control, unless you have your own plane, you pay your money and take your chances.  You have to have faith that the pilot is not suicidal and that the plane can handle the load that you squeeze into it.  Crashes happen, in fact earlier in the season there was a Sesna lawn darted into the Kahiltna glacier.  No one was hurt but that is not how you would like to start an expedition.  Our wait was only one day, which gave us a chance to stimulate the local economy, passing the time with burgers and beer and more beer.  Perhaps the flight service gets a kick back from the Fairview.

Megamid Livin

     Like I said before the expedition really starts once you commit and an injury could alter your trip.  Four days before ours was to start Dan was skiing in the Talkeetna mountains doing a first descent.  While skiing back to the car isothermic snow caused an unplanned pole plant right into a buried stump and subsequently a shoulder separation.  Dan, being young and strong, figured by the time we are actually skiing the steeps he would be healed. So once we landed we packed our sleds and started off.

mmmm food!

     Our stradegy was simple, approach up the East Fork of the Kahiltna glacier set a base camp and acclimatize with a few scouting missions then climb the S. Face and ski it.  The problem with big mountain skiing is that the conditions and the weather always trump stradegy.  The weather was perfect, too perfect, it was warm and the S. Face was getting baked.  We needed a storm to coat the face and by us some time to acclimatize.  The forecast was for more sun and increased winds from the north changing to the south. 

     The writing was starting to be on the wall as hints of blue ice started to appear.  We had been on the glacier for only four nights but it was time to try.   We packed up and started out.  Our thoughts were to at least scout the face and if we could go for the summit and ski it we would.  Our base camp was at 11,300 feet and we both felt pretty good there.  We skinned up to the shrund and strapped our skis to Speed 40L packs and started the climbing.  The climbing was good which did not bode well for the skiing.  Packs were heavy with our bivy gear and skis strapped on but the firm snow under foot was secure.  After about twelve pitches we chose a bivy site to put up out Firstlight tent.  When you are climbing steep snow and ice the bivy options are simple, you pick a reasonably protected spot and start to dig snow and chip ice until you can set up a tent.  That is why you chose the smallest foot print tent you can fit into and the Firstlight was just that.  The problem is without x-ray vision you never know when you may encounter rock.  We hit rock, but we had enough of a ledge to call it good.  With the tent over hanging into space we crawled in and brewed up.

Room with a view!

going up!

  I am an alpinist, I say that because when I day dream my mind wanders to far away lands with big mixed faces and blue skies.  Here I was in Alaska and the conditions were perfect for climbing yet I was torn.  The objective was to ski Denali but the conditions were prime for climbing.  Dan and I talked about bailing on the skiing and taking advantage of the prime climbing conditions.  The reality was 60 degree snow was all Dan’s shoulder could handle, terrain any steeper and he would have limited strength.

      By morning we were both feeling the reality set, 60 degree slopes were best skied with softer snow not crust.  Our packs were heavy with our bivy kit and the snow was crust or ice so we decided we needed to change our plan and go around to the West buttress and ski with out a bivy kit and maybe if we were lucky we would get some snow to ripen the conditions. 

     We started down.  The first pitch off our bivy I belayed Dan as he skied but to call it skiing would be to say pond skimming is skiing, yes you have skis on and you are moving but skiing is more then equipment and motion it is rythem and flow.  Dan would hop turn and scrap awhile then hop and scrap again.  When skiing no fall terrain you have three options, first is to ski and not fall the next is to ski with a belay and last is to put your tail between your legs and rappel.  The sound alone curled my tail between my legs.  Over the next 6 rope lengths we rapped.  V-threads and one stubby screw were left as anchors.

     Finally the slope dropped to 56 degrees and that was all it took to put our ropes away and click into our skis.  With forty-five pound packs on and steep firm snow we were not ripping it up like our dreams had envisioned but we were skiing and that put a grin on our faces.

     Our end run around the Kahiltna peaks and up to the 14,200’ camp on the West Buttress route went smooth and we installed.  At first there was a bit of an adjustment time for to get use to people.  Our time up the East Fork was true wilderness now we were in the thick of the climbing season with many aspiring summiteers.  As we let our bodies adjust to the thinner air and prayed for snow all we got was a sun tan and wind burned. 

     Ultimately we had our skis on for about 65 miles and 15,000 vertical feet of up and 15,000’ of down but we only skied 1,000 feet of the South face and we never went to the top.  

     The hardest part of going home is the questions that race through your mind “what if we…” there are no answers but without the questions there would be no insight and learning for the next time.

Base camp on the Root Canal.

Ham and Eggs on the West face of the Mooses Tooth was first climbed thirty years ago but it has only been in the last ten years it has become popular, and for good reason.  I am not the authority on the Alaska range, but I believe it is the most accessible moderate climb to a super cool summit in the range.

The flight into base camp leaves the sleepy town of Talkeetna and carries you over what would take 5-6 days of hiking/swimming/wallowing/climbing/skiing to get to.  You sail past 5,000 foot monolyths like Mt Dickey and cornices blending into smooth granite ridge lines on Mt Johnson and mystifying lines leading to the summit of Mt Bradley.  The half and hour it takes slips by while you wonder if you are there to climb or just site see.

Dale and Dori on the Wisdom Tooth

After the flight you land on the Root Canal glacier and set up camp just below the the West face of the Mooses Tooth.  Ham and Eggs is the most obvious line on the West face.  I was there working for Alaska Mountaineering School (AMS) to guide Dori and Dale Schmidt on the route.  Dale had climbed Ham and Eggs before but Dori had not.   After a warm up day we set out on the route in marginal weather.  Dale turns back at the Bergschrud due to a pulled muscle from snow shoeing.  Dori and I continue into the building storm hopeful that it will end soon.

After six pitches and endless spindrift we decide to turn around and join Dale. Spindrift on Ham & Eggs.

Spindrift on route.

After a few days of tent time and stomping down the runway Dori and I return to Ham and Eggs, while Dale stays in camp with a 400 mm zoom lense to record  our progress.  This time the weather was perfect.  Pitch after pitch of fun climbing fell away from us as we worked our way up the sixteen pitches to the summit ridge.  The climbing on Ham and Eggs is perfect for the winter enthusiast, it has a variety of snow conditions, fun ice climbing and some interesting ice climbing, a little rock climbing and a few scratchy mixed climbing moves and the last ten minutes to the summit follows a corniced ridge looming above the 4,000 foot East face.   The descent is straight down the route, sixteen rappels and a little walking finds you back at camp enjoying an Alaskan Summer Ale.

Half way up Ham and Eggs.

Dori on the summit ridge.

Climbing Ham and Eggs is the best way to finish with winter and hang up your ice tools for the season and move into rock climbing mode.

Sunrise over the Ruth Gorge.

Unexpected bivies are notorious for being cold and uncomfortable that is just part of the deal. I have had only one unexpected bivy in my 18 years of climbing and that was in the front country. However I have had a few planned bivies that were cold and uncomfortable. One was this past fall on Kangtega when we planned to go a little too light.

Have potty and van will travel!

The most recent cold bivy occurred this past weekend when we were on a family camping trip. Family camping trips are always fun and full of surprises. This trip was no different. We were camped out lakeside with my brothers family. The fun was the kids running around playing in the water and collecting pinecones and generally being kids.

Ceili, Annika, and Claire hanging out on the upper deck.

Annika and Ceili and one butterfly net.

The surprise was sleeping cold. The weather had been great but the rains were coming. Our camping trip was a quick strike on the last of the good weather. The night brought a sky full of stars and the moon was bright. The temps dropped down to somewhere in the 20’s. Our family camping system is a VW Westfalia Vanagon. I sleep above with Annika and Claire and Eliza stay below on the lower bed. Annika and I use a double sleeping bag zipped together and Claire and Eliza make the bed up with sheets and blanket. The problem was the on our previous outing our system worked great with temperatures only in the 50’s at night.

The girls and Claire went to bed early while I stayed up with my brother. We did the usual brotherly thing while camping. We drank too much beer and made a huge fire and threw a Khukuri (a Nepali Gurkha knife) at a tree until late at night. When I crawled into bed Annika joined me in the upper deck. I was asleep instantly while Claire felt the heat loss of the of Annika Mahoney furnace being gone settle in. Soon Claire was calling for me to give up one of my two sleeping bags. Any one who has ever bivied along side of me knows how sound I sleep. There was no waking me to retrieve a sleeping bag. Claire’s maternal instinct wrapped herself around Eliza to keep her warm and she shivered the night away. Eliza slept fine, Annika slept fine and I slept fine. Claire did not.

Morning finally came. We had a huge breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fruit with lots of coffee. Guess who cooked and did all the dishes.

Hanging out with Eliza over a cup of Coffee.