Trip Report
Silverthrone West Face
|
Saturday May 4, 2013 1:56pm
|
|
1 day from park entrance to the McKinley river.
1 day to the foothills.
1 day to McGonagall pass.
1 day across the Muldrow and up the Traleika to base camp about an hour from the route.
Day 1 on route: Left 6 am, headed to the end of Traleika Col and ascended the couloir tucked back in there that goes directly to the summit. Summitted around 7 and dug a snow cave.
Day 2: left 6 am, back to camp at 1:30pm.
Beautiful country.
elliott.will
|
|
About the Author
elliott.will is from Wasilla, AK and Sacramento, CA. |
Comments
Jay Hack
Trad climber
Detroit, Michigan
|
|
Awesome! A proper Alaskan Adventure...well done lads.
|
|
Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
|
|
Very nice, Thank YOU!!~!!!
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
|
|
holy sheep deep that's a long ways in
|
|
10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
|
|
TFPU
|
|
Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
|
|
Bump.
|
|
Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
|
|
Thanks for the real deal . . . nice effort!
|
|
Nohea
Trad climber
Living Outside the Statist Quo
|
|
Very cool, such beautiful country.
|
|
Peter Haan
Trad climber
Wyoming
|
|
Thanks Elliot. Add more of your gorgeous and valuable photos please!!
|
|
climbski2
Mountain climber
The Ocean
|
|
What a great and uncommon trip. What time of year was this? September?
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
|
|
thanks.
|
|
Alpinista55
Mountain climber
Portland, OR
|
|
Nice work, guys. I loved the Traleika when I was there in 1983. Definitely one of the most isolated spots I've ever been. We approached a bit differently, and much earlier in the season, skiing from the Anchorage/Fairbanks highway up the Chulitna River to the West Fork glacier, cross Anderson Pass onto the Muldrow Glacier, and finally crossing into the Ruth from the head of the Traleika. It took us 7 days to go from the highway to the head of the Traleika. Here's our TR:
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Mt-Huntington-West-Face-Colton-Leech-route/t10483n.html
These days overland approaches are becoming a rarity. Great to see that the foot-powered expedition is alive and well!
Jk
|
|
labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
|
|
Nice! I don't even want to know what your packs weighed.
OK. I lied. How much did they weigh? Did you hike in, in your summit boots? No way I would have used plastics!
Erik
|
|
nutjob
Sport climber
Almost to Hollywood, Baby!
|
|
Beautiful and magnificent!
|
|
vieroski
Trad climber
Pleasant Hill, CA
|
|
My first thought was, Man that's a long way to carry climbing gear.
And then I scrolled...
Amazing!
|
|
elliott.will
Mountain climber
Wasilla, AK
|
|
|
Author's Reply
|
May 8, 2013 - 09:08pm PT
|
You walked to Mt. Huntington from the Parks Highway?! That's amazing. I was born in '83 and grew up about 50 mi south of your start point. I posted these pictures because it's such a beautiful area, but your story is the real deal.
A couple snippets, in case anyone missed the link:
"I was alive and uninjured after the 100 foot fall."
"I kept the radio inside my bag to keep the batteries warm, and my toes outside the bag to keep them frozen."
|
|
slidingmike
climber
CA
|
|
Fricken awesome. Damn I miss Alaska!
|
|
Alpinista55
Mountain climber
Portland, OR
|
|
Hey Elliot,
Thanks for the shout out. We actually skied in and out three times; once as described on the ill-fated trip in '83 to Mt. Huntington, once up the Buckskin and out through the Peter's Hills in '80, and once up the Kanakula in '85. They were all excellent adventures, but the 1980 trip was the most ambitious and covered the most ground. We were 80 days in the range and skied over 200 miles. Here's the TR link:
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/West-Fork-Ruth-Glacier-Mt-Huntington-East-Ridge/t10480n.html
But for the record, my old partner Scott Woolums pulled off the most mega foot-powered Alaska Range excursion... Scott was part of a group that did a ski traverse of the whole Alaska Range in 1981. They started at Mentasta Lake near Tok Junction, and finished in the Kichatna Spires. It took them 45 days to cover the 350-400 miles of the range. And when they got to the Kichatna’s they spent a couple of weeks climbing there.
Jk
|
|
|
 |
|
An overview of the line. Photo: Joe Puryear
Recent Trip Reports
- The Kohala Ditch Trail: 36ish hrs on foot... to and from the headwaters. [5 of 5]
May 31, 2019; 11:57pm
- A Winter Traverse of the California section of the PCT Part 8
May 31, 2019; 11:18pm
- Supertopo,A trip report for posterity
May 31, 2019; 11:00pm
- Balch Fest 2013. Two Days in and Around and On The Flake. The Official Trip Report
May 31, 2019; 10:57pm
- TR: My visit to the Canoe
May 31, 2019; 10:24pm
- Death, Alpine Climbing, The Shield on El Cap
May 31, 2019; 4:07pm
- Andy Nisbet (1953-2019)
May 31, 2019; 2:11pm
- Drama on Baboquivari Peak
May 31, 2019; 1:19pm
- Joffre + The Aemmer Couloir: ski descents come unexpected catharsis [part 2]
May 31, 2019; 7:45am
- Lost To The Sea, by Disaster Master
May 30, 2019; 5:36am
- My Up And Down Life, Disaster Master
May 29, 2019; 11:44pm
- Halibut Hats and Climbers-What Gives?
May 29, 2019; 7:24pm
- G Rubberfat Overhang-First Ascent 1961
May 29, 2019; 12:28pm
- Coonyard Pinnacle 50 Years Later
May 29, 2019; 12:24pm
- Great Pumpkin with Mr Kamps and McClinsky- 1971
May 29, 2019; 12:02pm
- View more trip reports >
|
