Kraken

good on ya rad, that's a cool route...I'll have to come back and finish it next summer. BTW, did you have any difficulty finding the ledges on the descent?

Taken from the Alaska Mountain Forum Update On Possible Denali-Foraker Fee Hike -From the AAC email newsletter: In first quarter of this year, rumors began surfacing that Denali National Park Superintendent Paul Anderson was considering raising the current $200 special-use fee to attempt Denali or Mt. Foraker to $500, if not $1,000. When this idea was floated at a concessionaires’ meeting, it quickly spread to websites and climbing magazines. Letters of objection to the park office and Alaska’s congressional delegation soon followed. In response, the AAC took an investigative approach, which ultimately led to several meetings with Denali’s superintendent and Alaska’s regional director of the National Park Service (NPS). In addition to communicating the club’s opposition to any fee increase, AAC President Jim Donini and Treasurer Charlie Sassara explored with the NPS leaders the deeper questions regarding the park’s budget shortfall and what the AAC could do to help in this effort. Going forward, the AAC’s approach is to continue the dialogue with the NPS while keeping Alaska’s congressional delegation and state and local representatives informed. The club is hopeful, but also prepared to fight any fee increase. Some of the points the AAC feels strongly about include: * The AAC maintains that mountain climbing is not only a legitimate visitor use of Denali National Park, but also is specifically one of the purposes for the expansion of the park in 1980 and not a special use, as the park maintains. * The AAC supports a self-reliance ethic, which calls for climbers to pay their fair share. * The AAC has never asked for any special services from Denali National Park and Preserve, nor the expansion or development of the South District Ranger Station. The AAC is opposed to climbers paying the cost of normal park operations, which are covered by federal taxes. * The AAC believes that an increase in the fee will preclude access for low- to medium-income climbers. * The AAC believes that an increase in the fee will result in raising expectations that rescues are guaranteed. * The AAC believes Denali National Park’s senior management is expanding the scope of fee recovery program beyond its original intent. * With the current $200 fee, Denali and Foraker climbers already pay the additional special services identified under the fee program, as associated with mountaineering on those peaks. * The AAC is opposed to an increase in the mountaineering special use fee because it is unfair, inequitable, and overreaching. Feel free to move this to a seperate forum location if it fits better there.

Thank God I always fly red eye and never have to worry about hot girls flying on my flights...Luckily I always feel safe and get sat next to some fat old lady with a 'stache.

call the bunkhouse. they have a lost and found. (360) 569-2439

Free climbing is dangerous!!!!!!!!!1111111 Awesome guys, congrats on such a good year Colin! Glad to see you guys got a little press in the Climbing Mag...right on.

I was wondering if anyone had any new information on the documentary being filmed about Fred Beckey. When it is supposed to be released...yadda yadda yadda?

likewise, i found a blue BD trekking pole at the base of the serpentine arete on dragontail peak last week. its still there if it belongs to anyone here.

did this the other day with a couple buddies. It was good. Enchantments are my new favorite place. No one else around except for one party on the Backbone. Route is in great shape, no snow really except for part way down the pass over the river. Pics...maybe coming soon. North Ridge of Stuart...soon? I hope. EDIT: move to alpine lakes section pleeze

climbed Olympus several weeks ago. Rangers told us only one other party had successfully climbed it this year. glad you guys had fun too. We camped at the col just above the moraine of the blue glacier. Great little bivy spot.

beer is cheap at Suvers...if you like Rainier or a six pack of Miller tallboys. Speaking of which....

For those of you who haven't heard, the Fairview is BACK IN BUSINESS! It reopened 10 days ago...Talkeenta residents and climbers alike can now once again tip 'em back in one of the best bars in the world. Makes me wish I was up there right now.

you will be issued a ticket if caught climbing the mountain without a pass

we're heading out to the royal columns today. I'll keep my snake vision up. Friends saw 5 out there about a week ago, I didn't see any when I was there 3 days ago but it sounds like they're everywhere.

Cool to finally see a picture of that. I'd heard about it while at Muir that day. I've heard of bears being spotted at elevations up to 14,000 or so on Denali as well...

the DC is still in good shape. only three crevasses up high that are all solid and thin. not much evidence of rockfall and we dug out a solid trail on the shoulder on the way down the DC. Soft snow, but not too bad. The ID is very broken up. going back up next week on the DC, if conditions change I'll post htem here.

Sweet Billy. I've seen taht one before but just didn't know it's name. Portage is a place I want to explore more mountain wise. Bard, Byron, Explorer, Carpathian...all peaks I want to do out there. I'm leaving the state tomorrow night though to head down to Rainier. I don't know if and when i'll be back this summer. It depends on if I get the job or not. BTW, when are you flying down to do the Liberty Ridge? I'm hoping to find a few days in May to do it or possibly Ptarmigan, but it depends on my schedule.

dude...that's killer! It had it all...speed, great weather, conditions, and intensity. Bad ass. I'm jealous.

Donde esta?

Billy, that might be one of the greatest first sentences I've ever read in a trip report. Another congrats on this trip. BTW, How is Bard Peak looking? Talk about ridgelines...YOWZA! But BTW, I don't know what you are talking about...I was outside all winter long!

not really John, we only had the camera out during the tamer stuff. The steeps aren't really the best places to take photos. Besides, it was a big camera (Canon Digital Rebel XT) and very expensive and spent most of the time in my pack. The steeps weren't ever more than 200 consecutive feet, but some were run out. You can see the steep stuff in the pictures below us. If I could go back and climb it again, I'd bring a few snargs, as the 4th to low 5th class rock was very mossy and would have been nice to protect. Those portions were the most technical. Lots of mountains to ski around Moose Pass. We saw many point release slides on mostly eastern and southern aspects but no slabs. There were some pretty gnarly old avalanches that were very big from probably a month ago or so. The climb ended up costing me a new phone, but that POS was about to die anyways. Billy...about Hunter...there's this photo at the shop of a super HUGE corniced ridge section on the West Ridge and there was this part of the climb that looked just like it...only much smaller. It was just the formation of the cornices in relation to that picture that made me say that. This climb wasn't quuuuuiiiiiiiite as hard as I would the West Ridge would be...but close, close.

right on boys! Glad to see things are starting to pick up. Nice work!

Topo map: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=6&...amp;layer=DRG50

oops...pictures posted. Enjoy.

On Friday night, we were ready to go to bed and wake up at 4 AM to head down to Moose Pass, where we would attempt a new route on what we believe to be an entirely unclimbed face on LV Ray Peak. (No amount of digging could bring anything up, please let me know if you know of any previous ascents!) We went to a few parties and a half-six pack later I was still awake at 2 AM. I got a call from Ben who admitted that he also was awake as well. We agreed to meet up and just leave straight from there instead of sleeping for a few hours. After getting some food at Huffman Carrs, we drove South for two hours before finally arriving at the base of the face. Thinking (and hoping) to do some mixed climbing or 5th class climbing, we brought a few screws, a full set of stoppers, some pins, and a few small cams up to a #3. We negotiated deep snow pockets for the first quarter mile before finally reaching a nicely froze avalanche path, which we determined posed no threat at all, from above or below. We made quick time up the first 2000 feet in a narrow avalanche gully with several minescule sections of grade 2 alpine ice, which we negotiated without roping up or placing any protection. By 9 AM we were already more than half way up the face. The sun however was burning bright and once we were free of the gully, the snow went from very packed to very very loose and deep. Ben began experiencing minor leg cramps at around 9 or so, so after some Cytomax, Gu, and a deep tissue massage, we kept going and I kept post holing so he wouldn't agrivate the problem any more. The best climbing began at about 3000 feet on the Spur. The slope angle steepened from 45 degrees to more than 70 degrees at times, and the 4th class rock moves made things quite fun and tricky enough without being overly dangerous. We encountered numerous narrow snow corniced ridge traverses. The consequences were always high, but we felt confident enough to climb without protection or a rope, as we felt strong in both our abilities as well as the avalanche conditions. We topped out on the summit at 1:15 after 7.5 hours of climbing. The summit was a quadruple corniced point only big enough for me to sit on while Ben sat just below. We enjoyed a nice summit lunch and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, took pictures, and discussed other BS, before eventually traversing back down and downclimbing the South face to Carter Lake. The hike out was so hot we stripped down and hiked out without shirts on. Unfortunately, the college co-eds were apparently in the other valley, and we didn't see another soul the entire day. After a quick hike up the road to our car, we ate a monster hoagie and I lost my cell phone. All in all, a great day, new route, and one hell of a sunburn. It ended up not being quite as technical as I had thought it would be, or hoped it would be. There were several sections of this climb that resembled The West Ridge of Mount Hunter or Rainier's Liberty Ridge. A beautiful route with an amazingly easy approach and tremendous climbing. The views are pretty damned good too. LV Ray Peak: 4,840 feet; Kenai Mountains - Alaska North Central Spur: 4,300ft; AI2; 70*+; Grade 2

right on. I'm flying down from AK in a week. If I'm free I'll be there.