The Sum Of Its Parts (Alaska Grade V, AI6, M7, A2, 4,000’)
Heavy Mettle (Alaska Grade V, WI5+R, M6, A0, 4600’)
Expedition Report First Release – May 1st, 2012
Peter Doucette

Silas Rossi and I just returned from the Ruth Gorge where we established two new climbs on Mount Bradley 9,104’. The first, completed on April 17th, was a 49 hour (camp to camp) effort that resulted in “The Sum of Its Parts,” Alaska Grade V, AI6, M7, A2. The route climbs 4,000’ to the summit on Bradley’s southern aspect via an obvious large cleft just right of “The Gift” (Blitz-House-Twight, 1998).
Our line begins on a steep ice and mixed ramp that leads into a beautiful mixed corner that is capped by a roof at ~800.’ Mixed climbing to M7, and some creative aid out the roof allowed us to gain the major chimney system that continues the full height of the wall.The climb meets the west ridge just 300 vertical feet below the summit. After leaving camp at 4:00 AM on April 15th, we topped out Bradley at 9:00 PM on the 16th with the sun low on the horizon and promptly began our descent via the Bradley/Wake Col. The descent lasted through the night and deposited us back as base camp at 5:00 AM on the 17th. A faulty stove added to the appeal of an immediate return to basecamp.
The quality of the climbing was exceptional and offered many varied challenges. Because of the nature of the cleft we followed, however, route finding was not one of these challenges. “The Sum Of Its Parts” was climbed in 28 pitches, to a brilliant rope-stretching finish, we dubbed “The Mind Shaft” due to its straight-forward appearance but mentally jarring exit. One of the climb’s defining sections included climbing the left wall of a wild chimney for 500’ that went at AI6 (AI5+ R). These pitches involved past-vertical “snice,” nearly show stopping anchoring, and a fair number of exclamations by both of us on lead. It was one of the most amazing single features we encountered on the trip.

Ample rest, a fresh foot of snow, and casual ski touring days affirmed our intentions on an impossible-to-miss line of ice that we’d stared at from camp since our arrival. On April 25th, we clicked into our skis at 2:00 AM to approach the striking line with a sizeable rack and plans to beat the early morning sun on the lower portion of this independent line located on the north side of Bradley’s East Ridge. Our second route, “Heavy Mettle,” Alaska Grade V, WI5+R, M6, A0, 4600’ begins by ascending the major couloir through short bands of rock (M6), between the prominent East Ridge and “Welcome to Alaska” (Charon-Faure-Moulin-Ponson, 2002).

From high in the couloir we traversed left into a large corner system just below half height on the wall. Our route follows this corner for 1800’ of “snice” and water ice spackled into the back of the corner to eventually meet the East Ridge at ~8300’, (800’ below Bradley’s summit). Upon meeting the east ridge we continued up and over the summit by what we felt was the path of least resistance. This included one rappel to cross a gap in the ridge and avoid large cornices.

We climbed “Heavy Mettle,” basecamp to basecamp (below Mt. Dickey) in 43.5 hours with a 3 hour “rest stop” between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 AM on the 26th. We summited at 1:00 PM and again descended the ridgeline, west, down through the Bradley/Wake Col, below the south face and eventually back up the Ruth Gorge to camp. We returned to camp at 9:30 pm. The final eight hours of post-holing reaffirmed our belief that skiing is a far superior method of travel no matter how rewarding the line of post holes looks over your shoulder.

“The Sum Of Its Parts” and “Heavy Mettle’’ are excellent and sustained in their quality. An incredible stretch of good weather and a deep desire to make the most of our first trip to the Ruth Gorge contributed to great outcomes. Silas and I are extremely grateful for the support of a 2012 Polartec Challenge Grant, and the sponsorship of Sterling Ropes, Outdoor Research, Brooks-Range Mountaineering, and Snap MyLife. We thank everyone for the generous backing. Also, we’d like to thank friends in the climbing community for sharing their experience, photos, and other helpful information. This trip would not have been possible without everyone’s contributions.

Thank You,

Peter Doucette
www.mountainsenseguides.com

Silas Rossi
www.Alpine-Logic.com

I sit surrounded by piles of gear, some new, much of it worn from seasons of use, as I jot down thoughts about my upcoming Alaska trip. The tiny living room in my studio apartment is full of empty boxes, ice tools, skis, boots, tents, stoves and every other piece of climbing equipment imaginable. The cheap plastic rack against the wall sags from the weight of hardware and ropes. Sorting has begun. The “coming with” mound of nylon, carbon fiber, and steel occupies one corner of the room. Rejected items litter the couch and chairs. If my neighbors had any idea of the value of all this stuff I’d probably need a deadbolt on the door. Since January, many of my days of ice and ski guiding have been followed by evenings spent preparing for a three week climbing trip to the Ruth Gorge this April.

Peter Doucette and I have been talking about returning to Alaska for another climbing trip for a few years now. The past three Alaskan climbing seasons have seen us committed to the completion of our respective IFMGA / AMGA International Mountain Guide certifications. We are hungry for a trip that, as Peter has said, is “on our own terms”. With the help of the Polartec Challenge grant we will attempt a new route on either Mt Bradley or Mt Dickey. Both have a good deal of virgin terrain and tower 4-5000 feet above the floor of the Great Gorge. Read: “big”. Our exact line of ascent will be dictated by what we find for conditions. Temperatures, and snow and ice conditions have yet to be seen, and will steer us to specific aspects and weaknesses on these impressive peaks.

The gear surrounding me represents a tangible piece of the planning process for Peter’s and my climbing expedition. Our ultra light Sterling half ropes, prototype tents from Brooks Range Mountaineering, and Neoshell jackets weren’t chosen by accident. But my thoughts shift from the gear to the more ambiguous “behind the scenes” planning required for this trip. These pieces of the equation are gritty and way less sexy than all the new equipment. For one, the twelve years of my life that I’ve devoted to climbing, guiding, and training, slowly working my way towards being a well rounded mountaineer. I’ve spent tens of thousands of hours in the mountains over the past decade. In good weather and bad, on wet rock and rotten ice, crossing endless glaciers and granite ridges, some days for fun and many for work, each one created a broader base from which to launch future adventures. I’m not an exceptional athlete, nor am I accused of being a genius. I have, however, put my time in. The foundation has been set, so to speak, and I finally have the skill and confidence needed to tackle objectives of this magnitude. Or at least I think so. Only time will really tell. Despite the years spent directly and indirectly working towards such a trip, Peter and I certainly don’t have all the answers needed to achieve “success” in Alaska. What we do have going for us, is that we know which questions to ask. And we know how to work. If you boil any expedition down to fundamentals you’ll find that they all share these two principals – recognizing what you don’t know, and doing the work. It’s really that simple.

Remembering this puts the yet unfinished tasks and errands in perspective. Ultimately we have done our homework and are well prepared. I take a breath and refocus. With less than two weeks before we fly to Alaska, the seemingly infinite number of small tasks seems a bit more manageable. And, in the end, if something does fall through the cracks we’ll chalk it up to being part of the adventure. Adventure, after all, is the reason for going to Alaska.

IFMGA mountain guide Silas Rossi guides climbing and skiing trips throughout North America and beyond. He is owner of Alpine Logic, LLC and teaches professional guide training courses for the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA).