Mount Sanford Expedition May 2017
Seven members succeeded in reaching the summit of Mount Sanford, 4949m, in the magnificent wilderness of the Wrangell-St Elias range in Alaska. Despite being considered a classic of North American ski mountaineering it is probably climbed less than once a year, so the team were alone on the mountain.
Yearbook entry https://www.eagleskiclub.org.uk/yearbook-articles/2017/club-expedition-to-mount-sanford-alaska
Party: Susie Amann (co-leader), Andy Collins, Okke Kiviluoto, Howard Pollitt, Anna Seale, Dave Smith, Jack Waters (co-leader). Photos: Anna Seale
Added 19 Jan 20 by CathyOdowd
Big American breakfast to set us up
Susie getting ready to fly
View of our objective - Mount Sanford, just under 5000m — in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve.
Camp 1 after hiking across morraine to the toe of glacier
Big packs and haul bags..
Relative low snow year - BIG unfilled crevasses lower in mountain
Camp 2 below ice-fall, pre-snow
Camp 2 post snow - lots of digging out. One day tent-bound
Heavy work breaking trail after new snow
Jack Waters - getting some food on-board - very important on this trip!
Evening camp 4 - more gorgeous views onto the flat-lands
Onwards and upwards to camp 5, smaller distance but a crucial day for acclimitisation
Digging tent platforms at camp 5 (highest camp)
Anna at camp 5
Bad weather arrives & a day hiding in the tents and digging out
Back over the icefall -this time more snow. The wands previously placed were very helpful!
Belaying over some of the larger crevasses
Sweaty glacier lower down the mountain
Sting in the tail -hiking out to the landing strip which was on the morraine in the distance...more exhausting than summit day!
Waiting for the plane -it arrived the next day giving us a further night in the tents with beautiful views!