A Halloween special presenting three spooky stories of close calls, mountain ghosts, and unexplained sounds in the night.

The Snow Coffin

Evan tells the story of a 1996 winter attempt, and subsequent narrow escape from a remote Alaskan peak.

The Ghost of Aconcagua

Mountain endurance athlete Sunny Stroeer tells her tale of completing the first female solo speed-circumnaviagion and ascent of Aconcagua, only to have a run-in with the fabled “Ghost of Aconcagua” on her way out.

Visitors In The Night

Montana climber Justin Willis tells the gripping tale of unexplained sounds in the night during a weekend climbing excursion to Comet Mountain.

Links:

• Searching For Adolfo – Rock & Ice
• Visitors In The Night – Mountain Project
• Evan Phillips Music
• Pod Peak

Sponsors:

• The Hoarding Marmot
• Alaska Rock Gym
• Patreon (Listener Support)

The post Tales From The Firn Line appeared first on The Firn Line.

Last week I sat down for a remote chat with Valdez, Alaska-based ice climber, Ryan Sims.  Ryan is an Engineer with the Valdez Fire Department, but when he’s not putting out fires, both literally and figuratively, he’s part of a new generation of crushers in the ice mecca of Valdez and Thompson Pass, where some of the best ice climbing in North America exists.  

But last month, Ryan teamed up with another Alaskan, the seasoned alpine zen-master, Sam Johnson, to do some exploratory first ascents far from Valdez.  Supported with grants from Xplore Alaska and Summit Sealants, the team started out in Sam’s hometown of Seward, Alaska – where they made the second ascent of Blood Moon, and the first ascent of Varcolaci – which are both technical 245 meter routes.

From there, the duo flew down to Juneau, where they chartered a helicopter and flew into the Suicide Basin – a remote ice and mixed climbing arena on the Mendenhall Glacier.  It was there in February 2012, that Sam, Tim Banfield, and the late Ryan Johnson, established a classic grade V ice route called Bathtime For Toaster.   Sam and Johnson returned again in 2018, 6 weeks before Ryan’s passing, climbing a route called Path Of The Fallen – which turned out to be Ryan’s second to last first ascent.

This time, Sam and Ryan Sims headed into the Suicide basin, to see if they could establish another new line.  Landing in the shady and bitterly cold amphitheater, the team quickly set up their basecamp, then headed for the rime-coated wall.  Here’s Ryan’s account of the route they climbed. A route they named Infinite Jester, in honor of Ryan Johnson.

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Music by Evan Phillips
www.evanphillipsmusic.com
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Links:
www.patreon.com/thefirnline
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Sponsors:
www.alaskarockgym.com/
www.hoardingmarmot.com/

The post Trip Report: Infinite Jester appeared first on The Firn Line.

A check in with The Firn Line community during the Covid-19 pandemic. These conversations and clips were gathered between March 22-28, 2020.
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Stay safe and take care of each other.
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Music by Evan Phillips
www.evanphillipsmusic.com
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Links:
www.patreon.com/thefirnline
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Sponsors:
www.alaskarockgym.com/
www.hoardingmarmot.com/

The post In It Together appeared first on The Firn Line.

The Cascades of North America are a beautiful and diverse range of mountains. These peaks, which range from sharp, granitic towers, to glaciated and crumbly volcanoes, extend all the way from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon – all the way to Northern California.

And if you live in the Portland, OR area – there’s one Cascade peak that dominates the horizon – Wy’East or Mount Hood as it’s commonly known.

The mountain, which is a dormant volcano – is a literal playground for outdoor enthusiasts, from skiers, snowboarders, hikers – and of course, mountaineers.

Although Wy’East is climbed thousands of times every year up it’s easier routes, some lines offer a more challenging experience – like the Eliot Glacier, and Sandy Glacier headwalls. But no technical route is more sought after, and perhaps feared, than the Yocum Ridge.

First climbed in 1959 by Fred Becky and co., The west-facing serrated, knife-edge ridge – which splits the Reid and Sandy Glaciers, is a route for experienced alpinists – as it requires glacier travel skills, in addition to advanced snow and ice climbing techniques. The ridge is made up of 3 distinct gendarmes (or towers) composed of crumbly, volcanic rock. The top of the route is blocked by a massive, rime coated headwall, which is often skirted to the right or left.

Of the unique conditions needed to climb the Yocum Ridge, Jeff Thomas, author of Oregen High: A climbing guide, writes, “Rotten rock towers guard it’s crest. They cannot be climbed unless they are covered with a thick layer of rime ice.” He goes on to say, “Contrary to what common sense would dictate, rime ice is more solid than the rock on the Yocum Ridge. The catch is that rime is often impossible to protect. Take your ice tools, pickets, and other technology, but know that on this route the old advice still holds true; the leader must not fall.”

So it was with this mindset, that pacific northwest based alpinists Nick Sweeney and Kyle Tarry, set off to climb the Yocum in early March of this year. I recently got a chance to speak with Nick about the route – which turned out to be a significant, and once in a lifetime experience.
(Cover Photo: Kyle Tarry)
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Music by Evan Phillips
www.evanphillipsmusic.com
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Links:
www.patreon.com/thefirnline
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Sponsors:
www.alaskarockgym.com/
www.hoardingmarmot.com/

The post Fast Times at Yocum Ridge appeared first on The Firn Line.

With love to the families, friends and community surrounding Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjörg Auer

The post The Mountains In My Life appeared first on The Firn Line.

AK Mountain Women is an all-female group that loves human powered expeditions in Alaska. The goal of the group is to cultivate a strong community of local women dedicated to challenging and educating themselves and others about glacial mountaineering and big remote mountains.

Music

Evan Phillips

Links

AK Mountain Women
Support The Firn Line
Evan Phillips

Sponsors

Alaska Rock Gym
The Hoarding Marmot

The post Alaska Mountain Women appeared first on The Firn Line.

Narrative

Sometime in the days after March 5 2018, Ryan Johnson and his partner, the brilliant Marc Andre Leclerc, lost their lives after completing the stunning first ascent of the north face of the Main Tower in The Mendenhall’s, just outside of Juneau, Alaska.

The route, which was a dream line of Ryan’s, epitomized what he looked for in alpinism: Elements of the unknown, physical and mental challenges, as well as an aesthetic, direct and pure line.  One can only imagine what it must have felt like for Ryan to be on that summit after what had surely been one his best experiences in the mountains.

Although I had never met Ryan, we’d corresponded in the months before his passing, and had planned on sitting down for an interview this April.  So in a way of honoring Ryan, I decided to talk with some of his best friends and partners, to talk about their memories, experiences, and the ups and downs they shared in and out of the mountains.  

Music

• Hard Times  / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2018)
• Silhouettes / Evan Phillips / Silhouettes (2015)
• The Search / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2017)
• Something To Believe In / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2018)
• Pick Yourself Up / Evan Phillips / Lonely Mountain (2017)
• Guess I Was Just Young / Evan Phillips / Silhouettes (2015)
• Her Glorious Morning  / Evan Phillips / Goodnight My Dearest Stranger (2012)
• Hard Times  / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2018)

Links

GoFundMe

Sponsors

Alaska Rock Gym
Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzaria
The Hoarding Marmot

The post The Spaces Between: Ryan Johnson appeared first on The Firn Line.

Narrative

On this special bonus episode of The Firn Line, I sit down with Alaska-based mountain and backcountry ski guide Joe Stock. I first met Joe on the Kahiltna Glacier back in 2002, and was immediately taken with his enthusiasm and infectious positive attitude. That’s why it was nice to sit down and catch up a few months ago. Our conversation covered topics including Joe’s early experiences guiding, his backcountry ski guidebook “The Alaska Factor“, as well as his thoughts on the importance of creativity in life. Enjoy!

Music

• Augusta 2018  / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2018)
• Northeast Face / Unreleased (2018)
• Space Walker / Evan Phillips / Silhouettes (2015)

Sponsors

Alaska Rock Gym
Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzaria
The Hoarding Marmot

Links

Evan Phillips
Joe Stock
The Alaska Factor
Support The Firn Line

The post A Conversation with Joe Stock appeared first on The Firn Line.

Narrative

In March 1999 I found myself wedged in a sandy chimney, fully-gripped and trembling, five hundred feet off the deck.

Me and my partner Scott were attempting to climb The Thunderbird Wall, a grade VI backcountry behemoth in Zion National Park’s Kolab Canyon.  The face, which is among the highest sandstone walls in the world, had only been climbed twice since Jeff Lowe and Cactus Bryan made the first attempt in 1971.  Scott had been to Zion once before.  I had never stood in a pair of aiders.  In hindsight, I can only blame the ignorance of youth for leading me to believe I had any business being on The Thunderbird Wall.

Music

• Always Came Back To You  / Easton Stagger Phillips / Resolution Road (2014)
• Stay /Easton Stagger Phillips / Resolution Road (2014)
• Lost Again / Evan Phillips / Goodnight My Dearest Stranger (2012)
• Thru The Clouds / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2017)
• Lonely Mountain / Evan Phillips / Silhouettes (2015)
• Stormy / Easton Stagger Phillips / One For The Ditch (2009)
• Denali Dreams /Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2017)
• Infinite Spur / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2017)
• Waterman / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2017)
• Fairbanks 1975 / Evan Phillips / Unreleased (2017)
• Red Bandana / Easton Stagger Phillips / One For The Ditch (2009)
• The Fox / Evan Phillips /Silhouettes (2015)

Links

Support The Firn Line
Evan Phillips
The Alaska Rock Gym
The Hoarding Marmot

The post Desert Delusions: Friendship and Failure on The Thunderbird Wall appeared first on The Firn Line.