PERFECT WEATHER AND THREE NEW ROUTES IN A REMOTE RANGE

After Ian Welsted, Kris Ir win and I won the John Lauchlan Memorial Award grant in the fall of 2013, I knew I was in for a great tr ip. After al l, Welsted had recently won the Piolet d’Or and Ir win is one of the strongest ice climbers I know.

When we f lew into Anchorage, Alaska, it was my f irst time and ever yone reported that the weather was going to be prime. We landed at 1 a.m. on April 2 and booked into the hotel for a night of restlessness. We awoke early to buy a few items at the shop and for a bite at the Middle Way Café, I had a tasty breakfast burrito. We downed our coffee and headed over for our shuttle to Talkeetna. Gar y from Go Purple Shuttle picked us up on time and we crammed our duffel and skis into the van. We headed north to Wassilla to stop for groceries for our three-week stay in the Revelation Mountains.