View of 14 Camp, looking SW towards Foraker (R) and Hunter (L). Photo: @mike_poleto
It’s climbing season on the Great One. Denali Park officials are lamenting a variety of newish climber behaviors they say are leading to bad outcomes. It surprised me to hear that climbers are often forming impromptu teams when the companions they began their expedition with go down for the count, sick or whatever. I suppose that might be okay if your new friends were actually old friends. Otherwise, shew, I can’t imagine picking up a random partner for a Denali summit. Though tying in with a team for the glacier travel to 14,000 feet would probably be reasonable. After that you could just go solo.
Another action that concerns the Denali climbing rangers is the growing trend of summiting in one push from the 14,000-foot camp (as our WildSnow team did in 2010). They say going for the 7,000-vertical-foot summit blast leads to accidents. I’m sure it does. The question is, does it lead to more safety incidents, statistically, than for climbers tenting at the brutal 16,000-foot high camp? Show me the numbers. Details here.
Lisa and I just purchased a pair of Radpower e-bikes. We’ve been zipping around like a couple of teenagers, doing errands and the occasional 30-mile plus ride. After seeing how these things took over cycling in Europe, I was waiting for the electro-wind to hit here. It has, albeit with a few concerns. I was amused by the USFS stating that technology has bypassed their land-use policies. Not the first time something disruptive has come along. ATVs and tech bindings come to mind. I’m well aware that policy makers are constrained by law, but they do have powers of interpretation and rule making. Maybe they can adapt to e-bikes? I mean, we’re not talking Sherman tanks here. Get the skivvy.
Up for a dose of gloom? This article in High Country News puts numbers on the outdoor recreation explosion of last summer. Quite sobering. Though I felt a little left behind — having seen only two people outside our group during our six day Wind Rivers backpack last August. Maybe that didn’t count as summer? In any case, mainstream outdoor fun is now a reality of North American culture. I’m not one to advocate limiting someone else’s fun. But there’s plenty of ways the land can be preserved while still used for recreation. And let’s not forget: If you don’t like crowds, just invoke a tiny bit of strategy. Like backpacking in August.
Back to Alaska. Apparently the first ascent of Denali included elements of advocacy and social-gospel. In “A Window to Heaven,” the author, Patrick Dean, writes that first ascentionist Hudson Stuck had several goals beyond summit fever. First, he was Episcopal clergy who cared greatly for Alaska’s native peoples, and wanted the ascent to call attention to their needs. Along those lines, Stuck also hoped the climb would help his cause of renaming the mountain, then known as McKinley, to its Native “Denali.” Review here.
And I’m still on Alaska… Check out what’s happening to the “Into the Wild” bus. They airlifted it out of the bush some time back, and are now in the process of installing it in a museum. That’s sad in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. On the other hand, the decrepit thing has apparently been an attractive nuisance since Krakauer informed the world of its history. Probably best it’s out of there and under loving Alaskan hands. More.
Alaska National Guard airlifts “Into the Wild” bus from Stampede Trail. Image courtesy of Alaska National Guard.
Avalanches are not a big concern for summer skiers, but don’t let your guard down. Fragile cornices are a never-ending concern. And even when it’s sun-softened, summer snow can be so firm and slick that stopping a sliding fall is next to impossible. A Colorado skier just died in such circumstances. Condolences to all. Report here.
Oops, I’d better throw in some ski touring news. I don’t know if I’ll ever jam the Patrouille des Glaciers ski touring race into my bucket and join the 1,600 teams who tackle the 110-kilometre Swiss alps contest every two years. But fantasy is fun — and I hope to at least spectate some day. Apparently the race was in danger of obviation. Sounds like things are good now — the organizers claim “the future is guaranteed.” Terrific news. Report here.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain. For more about Lou, please see his personal website at https://www.loudawson.com/ (Blogger stats: 5 foot 10 inches (178 cm) tall, 160 lbs (72574.8 grams).
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lou.dawson.writer
13 comments
Ebikes are wonderful! It allows my wife and I to ride together again, she on ebike, me on pedals. And I use her ebike in the spring for locked-gate roads to access big ski lines way before the gates are opened.
It is disturbing though how backward thinking many hard-core bikers are when assessing ebikes. On a recent trip to Durango I was dismayed that most trail-heads had signage declaring “NO EBIKES!” Ebikes do not have the physics to tear up the ground. Trail damage is inflicted much more by untalented pedalers descending too fast then locking brakes and skidding. That alone rips a trench in the dirt. An ebike is incapable of spinning its wheels the way a KTM Exc 350 moto Bike does, as suggested by the Durango mtn bike brain-trust.
More ebikes! Open all trails and the mind will follow!
“ Trail damage is inflicted much more by untalented pedalers descending too fast then locking brakes and skidding.”
yep, and untalented pedalers were previously limited in the terrain they could access by their lack of skills and legs and lungs. Now they can use their motorized bicycles to inflict their lack of talent onto many more trails
alas, it’s a losing battle. The sheer number of lazy motorcyclists hiding behind the fake age/disability/access-for-all shield is overpowering. Time to start buying some downhiller body armor just to navigate the previously safe bike paths.
Buck, I might be old (59) but I can still out-pedal (non-e-assisted) most the young-bucks, especially XC and uphill, and, while I’m not into DHing (break a few bones and you’ll clue in), my bike handling skills are much better than the kids I see. Skidding is for Red Bull Rampage, not for the heavily used public trails such as SLC’s Bobsled, et al.
OMR, even more than your formidably unassailable cycling prowess, your ebike cheerleading enlightens all of us.
E-bikes are engine-powered machines with no barrier to entry (license, training, etc.) and are a growing safety challenge (i.e. unmanageable shitshow) wherever they are found because they allow anyone to do more than they are physically capable of doing and will do much to enrich the “faster-further” mania…that is doing exactly what for the environment? As far as trail access goes, the question is essentially whether or not we want to be opening the trails to powered cycles. It seems like a pretty simple choice and the “pro” crowd should ditch the green enviro-charade posturing and line up alongside the rest of the intrepid trail-road-home-commercial infrastructure developers out there chanting their “buildbuildbuildbuild” mantra. I’m sure Colorado will lead the way in allowing folks the experiential freedom to roam free throughout the hinterland and deep into whatever pristine ecosystem the justly entitled wish to exploit…truly can’t wait to see all the FKT’s start popping up with the ebike asterisk.
I’ve been to a few “new” trail opening day celebrations and, strangely I guess, I never noticed a single person mention any shred of guilt or regret that the celebration was for nothing more than a new road through a previously wild place. (rails to trails notwithstanding).
are you talking about a pedal assist e-bike or what is basicly an electric motor cycle?
pedal assist only assits your pedaling while an Electric motor cycle has a throttle and requires no pedaling.
The manager of a legitmate bike store chain told me they do not sell electric motor cycles becuz they are not legal, so
electric motorcycles may not be legal on trails or even the road becuz they are not licensed/ not tested/ not registed/ not insured as an MV and can’t be, often the user does not have the correct license to ride what the law considers a motorcycle so how you find this out is when John Law pulls you over and writes a ticket for 600$ worth of violations
Now argue amongst yourselves
Al gets to the heart of the problem. It’s easier for the land managers to just blanket ban all e-bikes than to differentiate between the classes, the highest of which is essentially a dirt bike. There are some cool aspects of e-bikes, but come on, folks that pretend e-bikes are the same as regular bikes are a bit disingenuous. They are faster and can cover much more ground in a day. Like Buck said, they are coming, and prognosticator Lou called it early, just like he did with Dynafit bindings:)
Re: Denali, If you are fit and get a good forecast, I say go for the summit from 14k, but you better be sure your body can perform at altitude. I agree with Lou that tying in with an unknown partner is sketchy. I’ve seen some people up there that looked like they’d never put on a harness and crampons.
Mechanization increases access, reduces wild areas, increases pressure on wild areas and their wildlife.
Years ago I was bothered by the “no mechanized transport” of the Wilderness Act. What harm could a bicycle do? I now applaud the foresight of the broad ban.
Our Denali summit took the 17k stop, but we made the mistake of not continuing down after summiting, and got pinned for days at 17k in brutal winds as a result.
One day acclimatizing, prior, I soloed a ways up the West Rib and felt like I could go on, but later after summiting I was so spent I fear what the result might have been.
For decades and much longer, the wilderness was a mystery that was approached and learned about only through desire and hard earned experience typically starting with the Scouts or Military. With training and increasing levels of experience, exploration and goals would be increased.
Now we have masses of urbanite hipsters flooding into the Rocky Mountains and they have been marketed that this is a Lifestyle.
With their mobile phone apps, newly purchased gear, and snowmobiles or e-bikes, they can charge off immediately to the most difficult dangerous objectives. Run into a problem? No problem! Just activate their satellite rescue beacons because many unpaid volunteers will risk their lives, sacrifice their vacations, free time, and resources to bail them out.
I spent many years volunteering as a high altitude ranger for the USFS. Over time, it got grim. People shouting obscenities at you because their dogs were chasing wildlife, threatening to sue you in the middle of a rescue, and masses of unprepared clueless well above tree-line. The worst was the woman in a cotton sun dress and flip flops with her poor hostage parrot on her shoulder and a violent approaching storm.
Commoditization of the backcountry has been a grave problem. The stewards and caretakers should be heard from more.
Colorado 14ners saw 410,000 climbers last summer, 2020, up 44% from previous year. (see Colorado Fourteeners Initiative report)
It is far safer to go from 14 with acclimatization, than go to 17 to camp before the summit, and a much higher chance of success as well. So many wander up to 17 after a couple heavily laden forays to stash stuff, the weather hits, they psyche out, and down they go.
If one has the fitness for Denali, which one probably has already demonstrated by hauling sleds and getting to 14, then the only thing required at 14 is patience to get very well acclimatized and to get the right weather window. A MUCH smaller one is needed than a climb to 17, camp and then summit. Plus one can travel much lighter in the summit attempt.
You have perpetual daylight after all, can stop, brew up, etc. Sheesh, this isn’t cutting edge or radical.
Listening to the Park Service pontificate is always funny since they don’t really follow most of their own advice on their own ranger and support staff excursions.
Nov ’77 – powder mag editorial – ouch!
https://features.powder.com/powder-6-3/?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&em_hash=14eeb6ff52f053eaba0e76d32961a5bf
Hi Tom, you haven’t been reading your WildSnow back issues (smile). Here is the lightly edited and annotated article, the first thing of mine ever published, excluding a poem in the school yearbook (ha). Enjoy. https://www.wildsnow.com/430/powder-magazine-35-year-anniversary-out-of-bounds-and-out-of-luck/
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