[MCR] Mount Logan, St-Elias Mountains, Yukon

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Hello ski mountaineers!

I just returned from guiding a successful
 ascent of Mount Logan via the King Trench (May 26th-June 10th). Despite
 mixed weather and various snowfalls we managed to climb to the main 
summit on June 6th.  Being there on the tail end of the season meant 
that Logan was rather quiet. We saw 2 other people over two weeks, it 
felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. That being said the spring 
ski mountaineering season was busy and successful this year with many 
parties reaching the main summit.

Conditions on the King Trench 
seemed normal this year. Temperatures hovered in the -5C to -10C during 
the day but often plummeted down to -30 at night, particularly higher 
up. The snowpack was well settled and stiff with a few very hard crust 
layers in the upper 100cm. Over 60cm of new snow fell during our two 
weeks there, most of which stayed dry and provided good powder skiing 
conditions above 4000m. This new snow generally bonded well to the 
previous surface (May 30th interface). We did not see any unusual 
natural snow avalanches however we saw many ice avalanches from active 
serac areas.

The snow coverage on the glaciers was greater than 
200cm with deeper protected areas measured at well over 300cm. The 
icefall above King Col (Queen Icefall @ 4200m) was more complex this 
year, the top crevasses provided only one way through. The crevasse maze
 leading to the football field (4900m) was best tackled on the climber’s
 right side near the southern edge of this feature. A few handy wands 
left in place from previous parties helped us get through this area more
 efficiently, thanks! The combination of hard upper snowpack, cool temps
 and new snow help maintain adequate crevasse bridges throughout our 
trip. All in all we had a great trip. Our small group and experience 
guests made for a fast trip up and down the mountain.  

Of note, 
we access the mountain from the west (Alaska side). We flew to the 
Alaska/Yukon border from Chitina by ski plane with pilot Paul Claus of 
Ultima Thule Outfitters. This access adds an extra 9km to the regular 
Canadian itinerary but is a good option with a more predictable and 
timely access. Chitna was actually the starting point for the 1925 King 
Trench first ascent expedition to Mount Logan by Albert H. MacCarthy and
 crew. Folks have been climbing Logan with Paul’s assistance from the 
west for many decades now.

Unlike previous years, it was very 
difficult this year to get pre-approval to enter into Canada from the US
 at this uncensored border crossing.  It sounds like Canada Border 
Services Agency (CBSA) is tightening the rules around this and it may 
not be possible to legitimately do this sort of remote crossing at all 
in the future. This is a bit disconcerting considering the number of 
other peaks that lie along the Alaska/Yukon & BC border that require
 similar access (Mount Fairweather, Devils Thumbs, etc.). If you are 
planning a trip in these areas, I would recommend checking-in with CBSA 
as soon as you can. I am planning on further investigating this issue 
for future trips.

Let’s hope this is just a glitch in the system 
and that the Canadian government will see the value in allowing remote 
border crossings privileges for the purpose of mountaineering.

Time to put the skis away and go rock climbing, finally! Have a great start to the summer season!

David Lussier
acmg mountain guide
www.summitmountainguides.com


 		 	   		  
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