The Firn Line – Details, episodes & analysis

In 1978, an iconoclastic climber named Johnny Waterman spent 145 days soloing (and traversing) Mount Hunter. It was one of the boldest and strangest mountaineering feats of all time. But what could have been a launch pad into acclaim and prominence, turned into a descent of infamy and madness.  Meanwhile, a group of 3 young gun alpinists prepared to attempt the same route in alpine style.

Thanks to Jon Waterman and Glenn Randall for their help in creating this story.  For more on the story of Johnny Waterman, check out Jon's book,  In The Shadow of Denali.

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Recorded and produced by Evan Phillips
Music curated using Artlist. 

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While working on an upcoming 2-part series, I stumbled onto this interview with Alaskan author and adventurer, Roman Dial. We recorded this back in November 2017 and for some reason, I never got around to publishing it. Roman is a natural storyteller, so I’ve decided to leave this pretty raw with minimal editing. If you enjoy stories of adventure and unique characters from Alaska, this episode is for you.

Read Roman's book, The Adventurer's Son: A Memoir

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Recorded and produced by Evan Phillips
Music curated using Artlist. 

Check out Evan's new single NOT OVER YOU!

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Begguya - Mount hunter - at 14,537 feet tall - a massif that is dominated in scale by its neighbors Sultana and Denali - but a mountain that dominates the minds and hearts of many a mountaineer.

And this was the case for Alaskan alpinist Clint Helander in the spring of 2021 when on a hunch, he called August Franzen - a young Alaskan climber who’d been making a name for himself on the frozen waterfalls of Valdez - with a proposition.  To attempt a monolithic line on the unclimbed West Buttress of Mount Hunter.  

Franzen agreed instantly, and in May of 2021, the duo flew into Denali Basecamp.  The route, which starts with a 9 mile ski from Denali basecamp, weaves its way up and through the broken labyrinth of the Ramen Icefall, up to a dicey corniced ridge, then through a plum line up the golden granite buttress, before finally topping out on a plateau below the south summit.

But on that first trip, many lessons had to be learned.  First, Helander took a 30 foot crevasse fall in the icefall.  Able to extract himself, the team was shaken, but continued on.  19 hours later, they shivered through a miserable night a few pitches up the crux buttress - a lone soggy sleeping bag shared between them.  Mentally and physically exhausted, they retreated the next morning.  But as they took the edge off with whisky in basecamp a day later, the duo made a pact.  They would return to finish the west buttress.

Links:

Climbing Magazine

The Firn Line Website

In the summer of 1995, John Climaco and Andrew Brash were young dirtbag alpinists looking for the adventure of a lifetime.  The duo certainly got that and more when they flew to Pakistan for an attempt on  Chogolisa (7,665 m / 25,148 ft).  Turns out, the climb was only a small part of the journey.

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Special thanks to John Climaco

Learn more about John and Andrew's 1995 expedition to Chogolisa:

Dangerous Liaisons

Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak

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For mountaineers and adventurers, there’s a rich history of exploration in and around Alaska's Denali National Park.  And although the park is mostly known for the hordes of people who attempt to climb Denali each season - few have ever thought about circumnavigating the Denali, Foraker (Sultana) and Hunter (Begguya)  massifs - let alone in winter.

The first circumnavigation-like explorations, of non-indiginous people, came around the turn of the century, around the 1900’s.  These trips were fueled mostly by the hunt for scientific knowledge or, of course, gold.  

In 1899,  the first non-native overland traverse of the Alaska Range was made by 1st Lt. Joseph Herron's Army expedition. They took a route via the Yetna and Kichatna Rivers.

In 1902, USGS geologist Alfred Brooks first explored the southern aspect of  the area on a mapping expedition, traveling through and eventually naming Rainy Pass.

Then, in 1903, a 6-member expedition led by Dr. Frederick Cook attempted Denali’s Northwest Buttress, reaching an elevation just under 11,000 feet. Starting in the small village of Tyonek, the team completed the expedition by circumnavigating, possibly unintentionally, the Denali-Foraker massifs.

In the ensuing years, most of the exploration focus in and around Denali National Park was on mountaineering.  

Then, in 1978, the first circumnavigation on skis of Denali was made from April 7-28 by Ned Gillette, Galen Rowell, Alan Bard and Doug Weins via Kahiltna Pass, Peter’s Glacier, Muldrow Glacier, Traleika Glacier and Ruth Glacier.

But it wasn’t until 1995, that a complete circumnavigation of the Denali-Foraker massifs - in winter - would be made.

On February 17 of that year, Daryl Miller and his partner, Mark Stasik, embarked on a journey that would last 45 days, and traverse 350 miles.  The route, which started in Talkeetna, followed the winding Chulitna River, to the massive Muldrow Glacier, to an area north of the Wickersham Wall known as little Siberia, across the Yetna, Lacuna and Kahiltna Glaciers, on and around toward the Peters Hills and finally back home to Talkeetna.  The duo would endure bone-chilling temperatures and relentless wind, waist deep sugar snow and terrifying glacier terrain, as well as unrelenting hunger.

But when it was all said and done, the journey would become an Alaskan classic that is yet to be repeated.  

Here’s Daryl Miller’s retelling of this amazing story.

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Map Artwork by Mike Clelland

Special Thanks to Daryl Miller

Written and produced by Evan Phillips
Edited and mixed by Pod Peak
Music by Evan Phillips

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You know that saying - “they just don’t make em’ the way they used to”.  I guess you could call it a quintessential American expression.  In the climbing world, It conjures up icons like Lynn Hill, Jim Bridwell, Catherine Freer, and Royal Robbins - just to name a few.

You know you have someone like that in your life.  It’s someone who’s tough.  They have a determination and resolve that’s made of granite.  There’s something about them - maybe you can’t quite put it into words - but they just have an aura or presence around them - that’s larger than life.  

When you meet these people, they leave an indelible mark on you.  And that’s exactly how I felt this last spring, after spending a few days with a guy named Daryl Miller.  

If you spent any time climbing on or around Denali back in the 1990's and early 2000’s - surely you came across Daryl - or at the very least, you knew who he was.  Back then, Daryl was the Chief Climbing Ranger on Denali - and even then, he was larger than life.  His aura was equal parts military, mountaineer, and Marlboro Man - a steely gaze with a perpetual squint in his eyes from too much glacier sun.  

But Daryl wasn’t just known for his daring mountain rescues.  In February 1995, he and his partner Mark Stasik walked out of Downtown Talkeetna, and embarked on one of the wildest expeditions in Denali Park history.  When the grizzled and emaciated duo returned two months later, they had become the first party to circumnavigate Denali National Park in winter - a rugged 350 mile journey that has never been repeated.

But Daryl’s life journey didn’t end with Denali.  In 1997, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease - a condition that ultimately forced him to shift gears in his career, and eventually retire from the Park Service in 2008.

These days, Daryl lives a simpler life in Anchorage with his wife Judy and their two dogs, Raven and Jago.  When I came to visit Daryl for the first time in March, he led me to a back room where we would conduct the first of our three interviews.  The room is adorned with relics of a life well lived: photos of climbing expeditions near and far.  Military medals, black and white stills of a young Rodeo clown.  And a young man, barely out of high school, in combat fatigues in Vietnam, circa 1965.  

I quickly realized that I didn’t know much about Daryl.  But what I did know is that he’d probably lived 9 lives.  The only question was where to start.
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Cover Photo: Daryl Miller after a 30 hour search for a patrol member above 15,000 feet on Denali, May,1994

Special Thanks to Daryl Miller

Written and produced by Evan Phillips
Edited and mixed by Pod Peak
Music by Evan Phillips and Tim Easton

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Today we head into the Kichatna Spires - a compact subrange of monolithic granite towers located just south of Denali.

In early June, North American climbers Graham Zimmerman, Dave Allfrey and Whit Magro, headed into the Kichatna’s - their sites set on a new line up the beautiful northwest face of the ranges namesake - Kichatna Spire.

Although many parties attempting lines in the Kichatna’s get hammered by bad weather and poor conditions, the trio was blessed by the mountain gods - which allowed them to make a first ascent in an enjoyable and safe manner.

The climb, which the team named ‘The Pace of Comfort’ - takes a steep line left of the 1979 Embick and Bridwell route, and goes at Grade VI  5.10, A3+, M6, 70° snow.

Here’s Graham Zimmerman’s account of this amazing journey.

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Special thanks to Graham Zimmerman

More info about 'The Pace Of Comfort' on Kichatna Spire:
Explorers Web
Climbing

Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak

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Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak

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The western Chugach - the mountains surrounding Anchorage and the Mat-su valley to the east, are a veritable playground for hikers and climbers.  Although the rock is predominantly poor in quality, the peaks are striking, sometimes rising 5,000 from the valley floor, with a variety of snow and ice lines penetrating their faces.  Historically, these peaks have been scaled by mountaineers of all skill levels.  But in recent years, skiers have started exploring some of the larger objectives - and one of the most sought after lines, is the north couloir of Mount Rumble.

Resembling a lower-elevation K2, Mount Rumble rises nearly 5,000 out of the headwaters of Peter’s Creek Valley - it’s symmetrical walls forming an almost perfect pyramid.  The North Couloir nakes it’s way up the mountain, and is consistently 40-50 degrees for almost 4,500’.  Suffice to say - it’s an epic climbing or ski line - depending on conditions of course.

In April, local Anchorage skiers and endurance athletes, Brian Harder and Lars Flora, skied the line - but the did it incredible style - making the 26 mile round trip, with over 14,000’ of elevation gain, in 13 hours round trip.

I recently caught up with Brian to hear about the experience, what he learned along the way, and some future objectives that he might explore.

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Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Music & Sound Design by Evan Phillips

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Call me old school, but nothing gets me more fired up than adding a new adventure, climbing or mountaineering book to the collection.  So I was excited last month, when Valley Of Giants: Stories From Women at The Heart of Yosemite Climbing, arrived at my doorstep.  This anthology, edited and curated by Lauren DeLaunay Miller, is a collection of 39 stories - written and told by the trailblazing, often-times under the radar, women who have been at the center of Yosemite climbing over the past century.

While the book of course features stories by well-known valley climbers such as Lynn Hill and Steph Davis, DeLauney Miller has gone to painstaking lengths to include older, more obscure - but equally important stories - as well.  The result is a rich and inspiring history of female climbing and adventure in Yosemite Valley.

I recently spoke with DeLaunay Miller, to talk about her process for putting this important anthology together.  What struck me was the amount of work, and dogged determination required - just to find the stories for the book:  Basically a combination of internet sleuthing, scouring the white pages of physical phone books, writing and sending hand-written letters, and cold-calling strangers across the country.  It’s an impressive feat, and left me feeling that DeLaunay Miller is equal parts climber, librarian, and investigative journalist.  

So i hope you enjoy my conversation with Lauren DeLaunay Miller - talking about her new anthology Valley Of Giants: Stories From Women at The Heart Of Yosemite Climbing.

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Special thanks to Lauren DeLaunay Miller 

Purchase Valley Of Giants

Produced by Evan Phillips
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Original Music by Evan Phillips

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