Climb The Iconic Southwest Ridge Of Peak 11,300

While not the most inspiring of mountain names, Peak 11,300, a reference to its elevation, is small compared to the towering neighbor Denali, but on its own it is a prominent peak rising over 4,000 ft above the landing strip on the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier. Once considered the perfect preparation climb for the infamous Cassin Ridge on Denali, the Southwest Ridge of Peak 11,300 is a worthwhile climb in its own right and is on many aspiring alpinists tick list. In fact, a former owner of Skyward Mountaineering, Steve House, even selected this route as his route of choice in the book 50 Favorite Climbs in North America.

The climbing is mostly moderate, with a few sections of 5.8 climbing interspersed with steep and exposed snowy ridgeline. Traversing this ridge is never desperate, but involves much tedious negotiating of spurs, gendarme and cornices. Being a ridge climb, the overhead hazards are relatively low and the the rock quality is mostly very solid. This is a fantastic moderate Alaskan alpine adventure in a remote area with absolutely mind-blowing views in all directions.

Advanced technical mixed climbing and steep snow in an alpine environment with overnight backpacks

Multipitch ice/mixed climbing and alpine snow climbing experience required. Climbers must be efficient WI4 and 5.9 climbers with a high level of fitness

8 day itinerary (Anchorage to Anchorage). The climb typically takes 3 twelve hour days, camp to camp

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Exposed Corniced Ridges, Challenging mixed climbing and incredible bivys

The Southwest Ridge of Peak 11,300 climb begins with an alpine start and an easy 30 minute walk to the toe of the ridge. The lower portion of the route is defined by short steps of mixed climbing and multiple steep snow pitches. Guarded by a final steep snow slope called the S-Couloir, Grey Rock bivy is a large rock cave offering shelter from the wind and can comfortably fit two alpine tents. This is typically our preferred bivy spot for the first night and offers an incredible protected location conveniently located just under halfway up the route.
The upper route is defined mostly by traversing an exposed corniced ridgeline and a few steps of mixed terrain, including the crux pitch (a short, steep rock face capped by a chockstone to surmount). There are several small and exposed bivouac options along the ridge that we may utilize, though weather permitting we often aim for the second night's bivy to be on the broad, but spectacular summit of Peak 11,300.
The final day is spent negotiating the descent, a complex affair requiring down-climbing moderate snow slopes and rappelling a broad rocky ridge until reaching a glaciated basin below the route and navigating multiple large crevasses while walking back to camp.
As with all expedition alpine climbing, it is necessary to have some flexibility and be understanding that weather and conditions dictate the schedule. The expedition to the Southwest Ridge of Peak 11,300 is often planned as an 8-day itinerary, taking into account the time to fly into the West Fork of the Ruth Gorge, establish camp, recon the approach/route and allow for weather contingency. The climb itself is typically done over the course of 3 days with two bivouacs on route.
Our first day can be a jam-packed whirlwind. Your guide will pick you up from the airport or your hotel in Anchorage and transport you to the town of Talkeetna, a 2 hour drive. After organizing equipment and weighing gear for the flight manifest we play the “hurry up and wait” game for a flight into the mountains. We’ve been using the highly reputable Talkeetna Air Taxi for almost 30 years and fully trust their pilots, we wouldn’t fly with anyone else! The flight into the Alaska Range is incredible, a highlight of all trips. We land in the West Fork of the Ruth Gorge, a remote area directly below Peak 11,300 and with breathtaking views of the north face of Mt. Huntington.
Depending on conditions, we may opt to recon the approach and entrance pitches on the route on day 2 or let snow settle from recent storms. Our summit day starts with an alpine start, we’ll approach the base of the route (only a short 30-45 minute walk with some crevasse navigation) and start steep snow climbing right away. We have several extra days built into the itinerary to allow for stormy weather to settle to set you up for success.