Thick clouds rolled into the Alaska Range overnight and when we woke up shortly before 3am, we found ourselves in the midst of a thick fog bank. It was thick enough that we even needed our headlamps to get around camp, an uncommon occurrence in Alaska this time of year. The fog bank acted like a thick warm down comforter, keeping the temperatures hovering around freezing, even at the coldest part of the night. We caught several glimpses of breaks in the clouds above and decided to venture out of camp to see if we could find some colder temperatures and more supportable snow above the valley floor. We set out through the mist, following the track that we scouted yesterday evening, and navigating the crevasse field that guards the entrance to the side valley leading up to 747 Pass.
The scene was awe inspiring while we climbed the valley. As a flat light began to illuminate our surroundings, we passed the foot of huge rock faces that stretched vertically into the air above us until they disappeared into the clouds. At the head of the valley loomed the headwall and seracs that mark the top of the pass. The views would come and go with the clouds, occasionally spitting hail and almost rain on us. After climbing a little more than a 1,000' up that pass we were dismayed to find that the temperatures had not cooled and we were sinking to mid thigh in the soft isothermic snow when we climbed the steeper pitches. Around us running water ran down the cliff faces, telling us that even the snow slopes high above had not frozen overnight. With more clouds blowing in and spits of rain coming down, we knew that today wasn't our summit day as the conditions made for exceedingly slow progress and the warm temperatures and rain increased the chance for rockfall and snow sluffs above us while also weakening the snow bridges that allow us to cross the heavily-crevassed glacier.
We pulled our climbing skins from our skis and descended back down our route, making a few fun turns in the soft, punchy snow and returned to camp. We spent the rest of the morning catching up on the few missed hours of sleep from our early start, reading, and keeping a general light-hearted banter going in the tent.
By mid afternoon the clouds lifted a bit and we decided to stretch our legs with a little tour across to the east side of the Ruth Glacier before returning to camp for the evening.
We are hoping that the clouds will continue to lift and bring in some cold temperatures to provide a good freeze for the glacier. If we get a cold night and a good freeze of the snow surface, we will make another attempt on Mt. Dickey tomorrow morning. If the weather stays warm we'll pack up camp and move back up the glacier towards Mountain House to get some ski touring in on some of the more gentle slopes in that area.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team
A thin covering of clouds rolled into the Ruth Glacier last night just low enough to brush the summits of the surrounding peaks. The clouds acted as an insulating layer, preventing the previous day's heat from fully dissipating overnight and we awoke early to relatively mild temperatures. The warmer temps softened the blow of waking up early and breaking camp - not the most pleasant experience when the thermometer hovers in the single digits - and soon we had everything packed into our backpacks and sleds and were skiing down the Ruth Glacier as the first ray of sunlight reached us. We spent the day traveling downhill, dropping from Mountain House northwards into the center of the Ruth Amphitheater before veering to the east and making a large 180-degree turn until we were eventually headed south down the Ruth Glacier and into the heart of the Ruth Gorge. This early in the season the glacier is still covered in a thick layer of winter snow, smoothing over the crevasses and undulations in the glacier and among the travel very smooth and straightforward.
Soon we entered the Ruth Gorge proper, a "narrow" stretch of glacier (still almost a mile wide) that is reported to be close to 3,000' deep, and walled by massive rock walls on both sides, the highest being the East Face of Mt. Dickey which rises an impressive almost 5,000'+ above us, whose summit remained shrouded in clouds. We traveled down the Gorge, occasionally stopping in awe to admire the landscape around us, until we reached an altitude of about 4,600' at the entrance to a side valley that is framed by "747 Pass" - a gap in the rock walls purported to be large enough to fly its Boeing namesake through. Here, we established our camp, just as the temperatures warmed enough to begin softening the surface snow and slowing our progress across the glacier. We spent the remainder of the afternoon establishing our camp in the center of the flat glacier that runs through the Gorge and brushing up on various climbing skills and techniques. If the weather holds, we are in a good position to make a push through 747 Pass and climb the glaciated West Face of Mt. Dickey tomorrow morning before returning to our camp here in the Gorge.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team
The little town of Talkeetna, Alaska, was beginning to wake from its quiet winter slumber when we arrived yesterday evening. The long warm evening calling out locals and climbers alike to relax on the outdoor patios along the main strip. After dropping off our gear we grabbed a quick bite at the legendary West Rib Pub, enjoying some excellent caribou burgers as our last meal before heading into the mountains.
The morning was perfectly clear and calm and after checking in with the National Park Service we headed over to the airplane hangar at the Talkeetna Airport to finalize our gear preparations - spreading warm clothes, bags of food, skis, and climbing gear across the floor of the hangar, taking careful count of everything, and then miraculously packing it all back up into our bags. By early afternoon we were ready. We traded out our jeans and flip flips for high tech synthetic shells, pulled on our boots, and clambered into the ski plane - a turbo prop with skis known locally as a Beaver - and took off for the Alaska Range.
As soon as we climbed above Talkeetna, the incredible mass of the Alaska Range loomed in front of us over the dash board of the plane, crowned by the recognizable summits of Denali, Mt. Hunter, and Mt. Foraker. We flew above the landscape of thinning forests and lakes and gradually the formidable wall of mountains began to fade into series of valleys, ridges, peaks, and glaciers. When we reached the toe of the Ruth Glacier we made a gradual turn to the north and flew right up the center into the Ruth Gorge - a stunning stretch of glacier lined by the massive granite walls of Moose's Tooth, Mt. Dickey, and Mt. Braille. North of the Gorge stands the Ruth Amphitheater - a huge glacial cirque surrounded by massive peaks, including the summit of Denali high above. After making a few extra circles because the views were simply too stunning to pass up, we landed on the glacier near the Mountain House, a small hut perched on a rocky outcropping in the middle of the glacier.
We unloaded the plane, said goodbye to the pilot, and opting for the true McKinley experience, set to work establishing our camp on a shallow ridge to the west of the Mountain House. After getting ourselves settled in, we took advantage of the good weather to spend a few hours reviewing glacier travel skills and crevasse rescue techniques. Once the sun finally began to creep behind the nearby ridgelines, the temperatures began to sink and we found ourselves pulling out our parkas and adding layers - despite the warm weather it is still early season in the Alaska Range.
We are all settled into camp after an excellent dinner and getting ready for bed despite the sun still being high in the horizon, not much darkness up here this time of year. We are planning on leaving our Base Camp here early tomorrow morning and traveling back into the Gorge to scope out some potential climbing objectives before we set up camp. We are all doing well and very excited to be in the mountains!
RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team
The ability to measure your gains throughout a training program is a great way to stay motivated and identify areas that you want to work on more. In college I raced on the cross-country ski team. On the team, we had several different benchmark sessions throughout our summer and fall training seasons. These sessions helped measure strength, anaerobic threshold, race speed, and endurance. While the demands of nordic ski racing are somewhat different than mountaineering, these categories still apply directly to mountaineering. If you incorporate tests into your training plan early, you’ll have a benchmark to compare each subsequent test to. With a tool to identify your progress, you’ll be amazed at the progress you will make in getting faster, stronger, and fitter!
As food for thought, a couple of the events that we used were:
A Strength Test: The test encompasses three different core exercises that isolate different muscle groups: sit-ups, push-ups, and dips. Starting with sit-ups, do as many complete sit-ups as possible within a 1-minute span, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat. We did the same with both push-ups and dips, keeping track of the numbers. When repeating the test later in the season, you are able to track your gains in core strength.
3000-meter running test and time trials: Both allowed us to compare times over a consistent course and test aerobic thresholds. The 3000m is long enough (7.5 laps of a standard track) to attain a good idea of how you can push and maintain over an extended distance. Time trials are the same, though distance and mechanism can vary (20 kilometers on a bike or a 45 minute uphill run). Longer courses focus on aerobic capacity (endurance), while shorter events move more towards the aerobic threshold (the ability to process lactic acid and maintain aerobic respiration).
Uphill sprint test: Running uphill as hard as I could pushed me into the anaerobic zone and measured maximum performance. Alpine ski areas, a local uphill grind, or even a long set of stairs are a great place to do this test. Find a section 2-3 minutes long, duck your head, and give it all you have.
Be creative with creating your own benchmark tests! Enter a 5k race periodically, use your local stadium stairs as an anaerobic test, and create a strength test that works for you. The options are pretty limitless, and when you see how much time you’ve dropped on that uphill run, or how many more sit-ups you can do over the period, you’ll be that much more psyched to keep getting after it. As always, be careful, especially at the beginning. Training only works if it’s making you stronger so train smart and stay injury free!
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Pete Van Deventer is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions. A former collegiate nordic skier, Pete climbs and guides around the world, from the Andes to Alaska. Pete is leading an expedition on Denali's West Buttress in May. Also an avid skier, Pete has sailed and skied on several occasions through Norway's Lofoten Islands, read about the adventure on the RMI Blog.
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
This is the last day of the trip for us. We've had a really nice day here in St. Petersburg. We kicked off the morning by beating the crowd to the Hermitage Museum. Once we got in we disbanded and everyone took in the seemingly endless art works at their own pace. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the experience there.
Now we've all met up again for a boat tour on the canals. The weather is really nice here with plenty of sun and just a little crispness in the air.
Tomorrow we'll all head to the airport for our flights home. It's too bad the weather kept us from getting to the top of Mt. Elbrus but this group has really made the most of the situation. Pete and I feel really lucky that everyone had such a positive attitude throughout the trip.
Thanks guys!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Greetings from St. Petersburg, Russia. This has been one of the two days without rain on the trip and we are psyched! We really had a great tour of the city with our local guide Tatiana. We visited St. Issac's cathedral, Peter and Paul's cathedral and fortress, and the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood.
Tomorrow we'll be touring the Hermitage museum and then taking an evening canal tour for the last day of the trip.
Here's a photo from St Issac's.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
James and Pete…Different kind of summit…Did prez ask to meet the famous mountaineers - you and crew ?...Enjoy the sights…Best Waltero
Posted by: Walter on 9/6/2013 at 5:27 am
Janet & Peter, Random says 4 hooves up for the summit tomorrow! Resting and relaxing at home, Gretchen says “I could have done the 1st 17 miles with you!” We are hoping the weather will be perfect and that you have a great climb to the top. Cheers!!!
Pat & Jeanne
Checking in from Kisklovodsk! We managed to get out of Mt. Elbrus Base Camp today even though the roads were a bit slippery. The weather had a bit more in store for us as we all awoke to thunder and rain early this morning. After breakfast we waited out the soggy conditions and with just a bit of delay we loaded the 4x4's and made the trip back to town. After a well deserved shower we met up for a great dinner. The next stop for us is St. Petersburg which should be great!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
James and team, no luck with weather, no summit, but you do have great stories to share! Just admiring you for the hard work for the preparation and climbing. Thankful that you are well. Have great time in St.Petersburg.
Hi, this is Seth. We're all back down at basecamp. It was a bummer to walk down today without the summit but that's the way it goes sometimes. Everyone was in good spirits even though we didn't top out.
The weather has just not cooperated with us for a summit bid. We were never able to reach high camp and that forced us to try to go for the top from Camp 1. Even then the winds pushed us back after just a few hours.
Like I said, that's the way it goes sometimes. The important thing is that we've all descended safe and sound. We have some great stories that is for sure.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
I just returned from Burning Man where we battle wind and dust instead of wind and snow. I’m sorry to hear that Elbrus has been throwing up roadblocks for you guys. Sounds totally different than when I was there in July. St. Petersburg is a fabulous city. You’ll all love it.
Seth - Looking forward to seeing you and Dave down at Vinson in 3 months.
-Larry Seaton
Posted by: Larry Seaton on 9/3/2013 at 12:31 pm
James and team
I hope you have a wonderful time in St. P!
I am rEally looking forward to hearing your stories, learning more about the partcular challenges you faced and safely addressed, and hearing about your next mega-goal and adventure. Your couageous acts and actvities are very inspiring and motivational to me!!!
Hey there, this is Seth checking in from Camp 1 on the northside of Mount Elbrus. We tried to go to the summit tonight, last night, but that was not to be for us. The wind is out of control, you might be able to here my tent flapping in the breeze. Although calm when we woke up, the snow had stopped about a foot to two feet, where it had drifted in. Pete Van Deventer and I broke trail for a few thousand feet towards the summit. The winds just steadily grew and grew as we climbed. And just became to where we couldn't really see too far in front of our faces anymore due to ground blizzard conditions and decided it just wasn't safe. The winds have been decreasing on our descent and back down here at high camp, we are all hunkered in all safe and sound. Tomorrow brings a new day and we'll check in then. Ciao.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall checks in after the Mt. Elbrus summit attempt.
James and team, based on your blog, time is running out for your climb to the summit. Trust that you will follow team’s prudent decision putting your safety a top priority. Hanging in there together.
Posted by: Soonja Choo on 9/2/2013 at 7:55 am
James and team
I suspect you are disappointed not being able to achieve a very important part of your trek. It’s hard to be in great shape, pumped-up and ready to reach a summit.
From reading your blog it doesn’t sound like your weather and conditions allowed you to safely reach the top of Mount Elbrus at this time. Many of us who choose to climb with RMI appreciate, admire and want guides and leadership that are able and willing to always put our safety first. I am sure I am not alone in thanking Seth and Pete for using such sound judgement. You are all so important to us.
Hang in there, support one another, focus on descending safely, and really try to enjoy the history, architecture and other beautiful aspects of St. P.
It's just another day in the tents here on Mt. Elbrus. We've been getting snow since about 3am last night. Fortunately we have not had much wind so that has kept our sanity mostly intact.
We are nearing the end of our trip now. With only a couple more days left before we need to be back in basecamp, we're trying to come up with a plan that could still put us on top without risking us missing our flights to St. Petersburg. What we're thinking of right now is a single push from Camp 1 to the summit and back tonight. That will allow us to descend to basecamp the following day. Barring that we may have to return home safe and sound but without the summit.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Seth: A comment you taught me could be appropriate at this time: the three P’s, perserverance, patience and a positive attitude along with a bit of luck will get you there! Best on a safe climb!
Posted by: phil usher on 9/1/2013 at 6:33 pm
Choo and team,
Bit bummed to read about the weather stalling things but I’m sure you’re still making the most of it! Only a success if you make it up…and back down…so be safe!!! Fingers crossed and sending wishes/thoughts/prayers for it to open up and give you a chance if it is right!!!
James and Pete…Different kind of summit…Did prez ask to meet the famous mountaineers - you and crew ?...Enjoy the sights…Best Waltero
Posted by: Walter on 9/6/2013 at 5:27 am
Janet & Peter, Random says 4 hooves up for the summit tomorrow! Resting and relaxing at home, Gretchen says “I could have done the 1st 17 miles with you!” We are hoping the weather will be perfect and that you have a great climb to the top. Cheers!!!
Pat & Jeanne
Posted by: Pat & Jeanne on 9/5/2013 at 9:23 pm
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