Jump to content

[TR] MOVIE: Mt. Foraker - Sultana Ridge 4/27/2011


Damntall

Recommended Posts

Trip: Mt. Foraker - Sultana Ridge (Movie)

 

Date: 4/27/2011

 

Trip Report:

So rather than make you guys all read through pages of the same old thing, I decided I'd put together a movie instead. It ended up being about 40 minutes long, and documents the trip at a high level pretty well.

 

Here's the link:

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Standard Alaska expedition climbing gear... come heavy, come warm.

Edited by Damntall
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 16
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Thanks for watching... good luck on Denali! AND BE SAFE! There have already been a number of deaths high on the mountain in unsettled weather this year, including a couple that happened the day after we came out of the Range...

 

and a death from a earthquake that caused a serac to fall off the top of the Root Canal area. Ugh... such a bummer.

 

Maybe we should share war stories when you get back! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Juan... glad you liked it. I had fun climbing (obviously), but making the movie was fun, too. I produced the whole thing in iMovie, actually.

 

Side note: the song at 23:12 is my band Trip Device from the new album we released a couple months ago. It's all over the web, including here on iTunes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice job. We flew in to try Foraker the day your party got out. We hauled all our gear over to the base but after dodging rockfall, falling in a bergschrund and not having big enough balls to climb 60 degree frozen gravel with a whippet we bailed and jumped on the West Butt. Good job getting up through what was a super shitty entrance this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice job. We flew in to try Foraker the day your party got out. We hauled all our gear over to the base but after dodging rockfall, falling in a bergschrund and not having big enough balls to climb 60 degree frozen gravel with a whippet we bailed and jumped on the West Butt. Good job getting up through what was a super shitty entrance this year.

 

Thanks, man :-)

 

Wow, that's hard work schlepping that much gear across the glacier and up to the toe of Crosson, only to pack it in for the route. Bummer... but cooooool you got onto the WB!

 

But yeah, I know what you mean... even sitting at Crosson base camp two weeks before you guys came in, we had more snow and even some ok ice in the gully, but it was still like the mountain was falling apart all along that slope. It was pretty much just crumbing on that aspect, and generating constant rockfall.

 

Seemed like mostly smaller stuff tumbling off, but we had a few pretty good noises, and even a slightly scary one or two.

 

As an aside, it seems like there's some weird backlash against the classic routes in AK, with a lot of folks doing quick and committing 3-5 day in-and-outs these days, but I'm definitely a devotee of the classics... they're classic for a reason :-)

 

Glad you liked the vid... I'm definitely coming back at some point to try that summit again, and by that route for sure.

 

Everybody here knows Foraker via the Sultana--especially expedition style--doesn't give itself up easily. It's long, with some HEAVY ASS carry days, and definitely committing in places with huge drops, steep traverses, and big cornices, not to mention crevasse danger for almost all of the upper route. Not to be taken lightly.

 

The idiots who say it's boring are just jealous they don't have the grunt to get up it. ;-)

 

As of today, there have been 29 attempts on it in 2011, and still zero summits. She's a fickle one.

 

Did you get up Denali??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we were there we walked past numerous microwave sized blocks that had recently rolled down - so it wasn't just small stuff coming down. I've been up Crossan before and it was shin deep mellow 40 degree snow to the ridge - so I was happy to give it up and save it for another year. There was just too little snow this year for a safe ascent of the SE couloirs.

 

As for people not doing the long route - not really true. Routes like the Muldrow still sees a handful of climbers every season and this year the even NW buttress got climbed. Most people can't commit to 2-3 week trips so the 3-5 days trips are always going to be more popular. Still - the longer routes continue to see a handful of climbers every year.

 

We only had 2 weeks for the Buttress and only made it to 17 camp before running out of time (after spending 8 days at 14). Weather was terrible and conditions were worse. Oh well. Nothing like 8 days in a tent to make you appreciate those 3-5 day in and out trips!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we were there we walked past numerous microwave sized blocks that had recently rolled down - so it wasn't just small stuff coming down.

 

Yuck! Not good...

 

As for people not doing the long route - not really true. Routes like the Muldrow still sees a handful of climbers every season and this year the even NW buttress got climbed. Most people can't commit to 2-3 week trips so the 3-5 days trips are always going to be more popular. Still - the longer routes continue to see a handful of climbers every year.

 

Naturally... I'd like to do a few shorter ones to AK, too... but even those can be tough. It just takes a lot of effort to get in there haha My mind is always blown by that incredible place EVERY TIME I get up there, though... LOVE it.

 

We only had 2 weeks for the Buttress and only made it to 17 camp before running out of time (after spending 8 days at 14). Weather was terrible and conditions were worse. Oh well. Nothing like 8 days in a tent to make you appreciate those 3-5 day in and out trips!

 

Holy crap! 8 days in a tent... ACK! I thought I had it bad at 3... Bleh. It does make you appreciate the good stuff! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...