Mount Fairweather Trip Report, May 7th, 2011 - May 25th, 2011.

THIS TRIP REPORT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, PLEASE VISIT AGAIN.

Before the Trip, The team.

I was invited to join this expedition by Gerry Roach. Gerry lives in Boulder Colorado and he is perhaps best known as the author of the best and most widely used guidebook for the famous Colorado 14'ers, "From Hikes to Climbs". Gerry is 67 years old and has climbed mountains since his early teenage years. Currently, he is (among other objectives) interested in climbing peaks that are among the 50 most prominent on the planet. Mount Fairweather belongs on this list and Gerry had already attempted this climb 3 times without success.
The second senior member of óur team was Chris Kopxxx (Kop), from Spokane Idaho. He was the first American climber to climb the North Face of Eiger in 19xx. He was also part of the expedition that made the first ascent of xxx on Everest. The 4th member of our team was the 20 year old lad Bryson Williams from Spokane. He climbed Denali at age 17 and was eager for another adventure in Alaska.

A very brief overview of Mount Fairweather

Mount Fairweather at 4671 meter, is the highest mountain in British Columbia and also regarded as one of the highest costal mountains of the world. With a prominence of 3961 meter it ranks 26th on the prestiguous list of the most prominent mountains in the world. It was named back in 18xx by captain Cook on one of those exceptional days with good weather.

Regulations and Reservations

No reservation or permit is required, however it is recommended to register with the ranger station in Haines.

Clothing, Boots, Huts and Climbing Gear:

This is Alaska. Full winter gear is needed. The temperature may drop into minus 20 Centigrade or below as late as May. Double plastic climbing boots, 4 season tent and sleeping bag. There are no huts. Besides normal gear for winter climbing, one should bring a good set of wands for marking the route as well as a few extra ropes for fixing the route across possibly difficult crevasse crossings. Ice screws as well as deadman (snow flukes) and snow pickets.

Food and Cooking:

Normal cooking based on Primus 4-season isobuthane-propane mix is recommended. Food should be mainly of the "add boiling water only" kind.

May 7., Day 1: Travel to Juneau.

I left home at 0500 and arrived at Juneau Hotel (via Amsterdam, Seattle, Kitchican, Sitka) at 1900 local time. That is, exactly 24 hours of travel. The hotel provided a free shuttle to/from the airport, a service highly appreciated at the end of a long trip. I checked in, then walked along the seaside to the Hangar, a restaurant with harbor view that seems quite popular.

May 8., Day 2: Visit Juneau.

Attempted Mount Juneau, brunch in Juneau (beagle place), then shopping.

May 9., Day 3: Travel to Haines.

Got to the ferry, met Gerry Roach. Arrived in Haines.

May 10., Day 4: Bad weather, a local hike.

Went hiking with Paul and Annie. No weather for flying.

May 11., Day 5: First attempt to fly in.

Tried to fly in, but Mount Fairweather was in thick clouds.

May 12., Day 6: Bad weather, a local climb.

Climbed Mount Ripinsky, still no weather for flying.

May 13., Day 7: Second attempt to fly in.

Tried to fly in, but had to turn around.

May 14., Day 8: Third attempt, we succeed.

Finally, we flew in and established Base Camp. Did a carry to ABC.

May 15., Day 9: Establish ABC.

Established Advanced Base Camp on the Mezzanine.

May 16., Day 10: We establish a route to the col.

Navigated up the icefall and fixed ropes to the very top of the col.

May 17., Day 11: Bad weather.

Bad weather, stayed in camp.

May 18., Day 12: Bad weather.

Bad weather, but did a hike down to Base Camp.

May 19., Day 13: Bad weather.

Gusty winds, we improved the snow walls.

May 20., Day 14: Bad weather.

Lots of new snow. We went to practice ice climbing.

May 21., Day 15: Bad weather.

White out conditions, when do we get improved weather?

May 22., Day 16: Improving trend.

Better conditions, but a small blizzard from 1200 until 1500. Nice evening.

May 23., Day 17: Summit attempt.

Started out at 0415 for the summit. Hit by a blizzard at 0900. Lost our cache. Turned back.

May 24., Day 18: I fly out.

I flew out with Drake, continued to Juneau with Wings of Alaska.

May 25., Day 19: Travel home.

Left Juneau at 0800, Seattle then Amsterdam.

May 26., Day 20: Arrival in Bergen.

Arrived in Bergen at 1400.

May 29., Day 23: Gerry and Chris climb to the summit!

Budget, what does a trip like this cost?

Further information, Contacts and Links:

Here follows a list of internet links and other appropriate contact information that may be useful for anybody that wants to plan and organize a trip to Mount Fairweather.

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