Mt. Hunter Routes

[Chad_A]

Looking for information on Mystic Jewel, or Rattle and Hum. I used High Alaska and Alpinist 9 as references, but the info seems to run out there.

 

Looking for an Alaska Grade 4ish route on Hunter to cut my teeth on, without defaulting to the West Ridge. These two routes appeal to me, but I'm having a hard time finding information on them. I tried Googling them, but to no avail. Any information would be helpful; gear, weather, etc.

 

Descent information would be nice, I'm assuming that the West Ridge would be best, but again, I'm open to suggestions. Also, if anyone has any specific pertinent information that I haven't thought of, I'd appreciate it.

 

Highway of Diamonds on Foraker is another option. Leave the spray in the spray forum; I'm not looking for a smart assed opinion on this one; just the facts, ma'am. Thanks for your support.

[DPS]

What about the SW Ridge? It offers good, varied climbing. The down side is it does not top out on the true summit. And the initial couloir is prone to avalanching after a storm.

[joepuryear]

vw4ever- Both Mystic Jewel and Rattle and Hum have an extremely dangerous approach that cannot be recommended to anyone. It might be understandable how a first ascentionist might take the risk for such aesthetic lines, but I’d say its definitely not worth repeating. Climbers are faced with several hours of direct exposure beneath many very active (and very large) hanging glaciers with no chance of escape. In fact the approach has already claimed the lives of two climbers trying to make a second ascent.

 

Anyways, I don’t have time for a lengthy response now, but I’ll try and post more info after the holidays. Merry Christmas all.

[DPS]

I would listen to Joe. He knows his stuff when it comes to Alaska.

[Chad_A]

vw4ever- Both Mystic Jewel and Rattle and Hum have an extremely dangerous approach that cannot be recommended to anyone. It might be understandable how a first ascentionist might take the risk for such aesthetic lines, but I’d say its definitely not worth repeating. Climbers are faced with several hours of direct exposure beneath many very active (and very large) hanging glaciers with no chance of escape. In fact the approach has already claimed the lives of two climbers trying to make a second ascent.

 

Anyways, I don’t have time for a lengthy response now, but I’ll try and post more info after the holidays. Merry Christmas all.

 

Thanks for that information; that's the pertinent stuff I was looking for...the stuff that you don't read about, and from the pics, well, it seems ALL of the routes are exposed at one point or another to hanging glaciers.

 

So, does the Lowe-Kennedy get done often? Any recent route information on that one would be great as well. I know High Alaska states that you're exposed at the base of the route to the hanging glaciers above (but seems to play it down a little.)

 

I'll have to look into the SW Ridge, Dan, though I was trying to stick to the Northern aspect, as what I've derived is that much less time is spent approaching, and more time climbing, from that side.

 

Thanks for all the help and input, and oh yeah...have a great Holiday, everyone

[DPS]

[quoteI'll have to look into the SW Ridge, Dan, though I was trying to stick to the Northern aspect, as what I've derived is that much less time is spent approaching, and more time climbing, from that side.

 

 

You fly right to the base of the route onto the Thunder Glacier. It is actually a shorter approach than you would do for the Norther Routes.

Edited December 25, 2005 by danielpatricksmith

[joepuryear]

The Kennedy-Lowe does not get done often, and I believe there hasn't been a recorded ascent in over a decade. (Would love to hear about it if someone knows otherwise.) The problem with the route is that the lower approach slopes have become terribly broken - although this seems to change year to year and at least one year it actually looked pretty good. If I remember right, two guys actually made it to the base of the triangle face a few years back, but couldn't overcome the bergschrund at the bottom of it. It also looks like the hanging glacier that sits at the end of the knife-edge ridge at the top of the arête is pulling back which will eventually (if it hasn’t happened already) create a formidable obstacle in the route. The approach slopes are not nearly as threatened as R+H and M. Jewel and there may be a fairly safe way onto the route on its left side.

 

What Dan says about the approach to other routes is right on. You can also land on a southwest fork of the Tokositna to access some of the southeast side routes with not too bad of an approach.

[Chad_A]

The Kennedy-Lowe does not get done often, and I believe there hasn't been a recorded ascent in over a decade. (Would love to hear about it if someone knows otherwise.) The problem with the route is that the lower approach slopes have become terribly broken - although this seems to change year to year and at least one year it actually looked pretty good. If I remember right, two guys actually made it to the base of the triangle face a few years back, but couldn't overcome the bergschrund at the bottom of it. It also looks like the hanging glacier that sits at the end of the knife-edge ridge at the top of the arête is pulling back which will eventually (if it hasn’t happened already) create a formidable obstacle in the route. The approach slopes are not nearly as threatened as R+H and M. Jewel and there may be a fairly safe way onto the route on its left side.

 

What Dan says about the approach to other routes is right on. You can also land on a southwest fork of the Tokositna to access some of the southeast side routes with not too bad of an approach.

 

Joe- I really appreciate your input, and your taking the time to post it here. I realize that it's all too easy to be at the local bookstore, and choose high goals from a guidebook after one has a few steep Cascade routes under their belt.

 

So, when is it time to turn up the heat? If a person is comfortable on WI4, can slog just fine, and deal with exposure on steep terrain (knife edge ridges, etc), then would you say "hell, go for it." Or, is it still better to do something much more gentle and just deal with the learning curve...and turn up the difficulty later?

 

I don't want to get myself killed on my first trip, and I don't want to cut myself short, either. Maybe it would be better to try something on Huntington and/or Peak 11,300, instead...I had just always had my eye on Hunter, and it's hard for me to turn away from that.

 

Thanks much for the input, again; just trying to understand the "Alaska Factor" the best that I can. Sheesh...maybe I should go to Peru, instead

[joepuryear]

I’m not one to really give out advice on how or what people should climb based on their experience, but I’d be inclined to say “hell, go for it”. You’ll find out real fast whether or not it is right for you once you get there. Your right, there is a big difference between looking at a route in a guidebook and standing at the base of that same route in Alaska. Assuming you have some basic sense about objective dangers, generally it will either feel right or it won’t. Nice thing about AK is if you don’t like the looks of your intended route, there are a ton of other routes very easily accessible.

And as far as the Mt. Hunter goes, the West Ridge is not an easy route. It has gone many seasons with out an ascent (at one point in recent times, 4 years in a row). 8,000 vertical feet of climbing over 4.5 miles, including rock, ice, mixed, and extensive cornicing – it’s a handful for being the “standard” route.

I’d say go up there with a lot of time and open mind. Warm up on a few easier routes, get used to the venue, and go from there. If you don’t go – you’ll never know.

[Chad_A]

Fair enough, I get where you're coming from. Thanks again!

[Jedi]

VW:

Go for it! Like Joe said, if one route does not work out, you have more options all around you. I wish I was going up this coming season. 07 is too far off, boo hoo for me!

Jedi

[Chad_A]

Thanks much for the enthusiasm! Tonight, I'm meeting up with the friend that is the potential partner, and we're going to hash things out. Since we're pretty new as partners, we've been saying "lets see how things go". But, May isn't far away, now, and we can't really keep saying that to ourselves. If we can't come up with a viable itinerary, logistics plan, etc, then I may end up waiting for '07, myself And, I'm sure he'd feel the same way.

 

I received a good present for Christmas this year that will help out, if I end up down there: a set of binoculars. Although, I'd be surprised if I could actually understand the scale of things my first time down there

[DirtyHarry]

I did the SW Ridge a couple years ago. PM me if you want beta.

 

It doesn't hurt to just go with all your gear then determine what route when you get there. Kahiltna is like Camp 4 on ice anyway. Its good to have some objectives in mind, but no reason to settle on one before you go, atleast not for your first trip there anyway.

[Chad_A]

I'm slowly coming to grips with that; something that, well, here in the Cascades, isn't the usual. Most trips here have a specific destination, for sure...and if that doesn't work, you're back at the pub early.

 

I may just have to do that, and take a look at things when I'm there, and just suss out my feelings on a route when I'm at camp. Guess it doesn't matter much, anyway; the beta will likely be swirling, and if the rangers tell me that my chosen goal is out of shape/too high of objective hazard, I'll be choosing another. Thanks for your thoughts; feel free to post your impression of the SW Ridge here, if you like.

 

Regards,

Chad

[DirtyHarry]

SW Ridge is a classic-stlye Alaska ridge climb. Not super technical except for the one steep headwall. But it was remote and doesn't get done very often. Reichert thought no one had climbed it for 15 years or something. Long approach from basecamp too. Good introduction to Alaska alpinism, however.

[Kraken]

We're talking the Waterman route here right? I just read "Breaking Point" by Glenn Randall about this climb, pretty amazing stuff. Some of those bivy spots are pretty hairy looking from the pictures i've seen.

[DirtyHarry]

That's the South Ridge or something. You mean the one Waterman soloed over the course of 3 mos. or so right?

[Kraken]

yeah, i think it is called the southeast ridge/spur or something. I was asking because it seems like a route that has probably only seen a few other ascents besides that of Waterman and Randall/Athens/Other guy. Come to think of it I am almost positive it's the southeast spur.

 

 

clint

[DirtyHarry]

That sounds right. But I think the route Athens and Randall did is different than the Waterman route. I may be wrong.

 

Hunter is featured in Alpinist IX. I should check.

[Kraken]

You should read Breaking Point. Waterman did the route originally (i think with a partner) then came back and soloed the route in 145 days. Athens, Randall, other guy repeated the route, doing the first alpine style ascent of it in 13 days with 6 days of rations.

 

It is all covered in the Alpinist, talks about Johnny's climb (which is nothing short of amazing...the guy is a major hollywood motion picture waiting to happen...even though he is dead (supposedly?!?!?!)).

 

I actually just had a slideshow series with Dave Johnston, who had the second ever ascent of Hunter. It's a pretty amazing mountain. Still amazes me that it is so overlooked when compared to Denali.

 

Hunter saw something like 10 or so ascents last year, whereas Foraker saw only 2, I believe. Pretty amazing compared to the 500+ from Denali.

 

 

Thus, we digress...

[DirtyHarry]

Yeah I remember reading about the Athens / Randall ascent. That ridge LOOKS fucking gnarly, inconsistent, annoying, and long.

 

Waterman is a pretty interesting story. He was definitly cookoo.

[Chad_A]

That Hunter issue is my favorite; I should pick up "Breaking Point". I can't imagine being strung out and stressed like that over and over again on difficult, remote climbs. Guess that's why Glenn decided to back off after those outings.

 

Pretty amazing stuff, and it reminds me how far I have to go. Those guys did so much with much less technology than most people out there today.

[DirtyHarry]

Being committed like that is pretty scary. The story of Donini and Tackle's ascent of the Diamond Face on the east side of Hunter is pretty rad too. They had to make the climb, summit, and come down the west ridge in order to get off the peak.

[W]

Johnny Waterman climbed the south ridge in 1973 with three partners- Carman, Black and Rau (Rau did not summit). After the climb they determined that they actually did not reach the south summit but reached a small spire near it while in a whiteout. Waterman later made the first ascent, solo, of the southeast spur. Both of these routes, after considerable stretches of difficult climbing, join on the ridge crest and then share the "Happy Cowboy Pinnacles", a horror show of double corniced knife edged terrain. The south ridge was repeated in 1986 alpine style by two British climbers, then Forrest Murphy and I made the third ascent of this route in 2003. The southeast spur was repeated alpine style by Athens, Randall and Metcalf, and received its third and only other ascent in 1997 by Jeff Benowitz and Rick Studley. In 2001 a California team climbed a large, 4500 foot buttress in between the two routes and continued along the Happy Cowboys to reach the summit after 10 days.

 

The southwest ridge mentioned above is often confused with the south ridge and southeast spur and is considerably easier than either. The southwest ridge begins from the Kahiltna whereas the latter two routes start on an arm of the Tokositna Glacier.

[Chad_A]

Not that I plan on attempting to repeat the South Ridge, but since you've done it, how do you feel about that particular route? Any thoughts, or is it worth repeating?

 

From what I've seen/heard from others, there's some routes that are obviously left unrepeated out of unnecessary risk.