• Winter in the Wrangells

    Wrangell - St Elias

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Delayed Opening of Kennecott Visitor Center

    Due to lingering snow conditions and frozen water supply lines, the park has postponed the opening of the Kennecott Visitor Center until June 1. Even though the visitor center is closed, Kennecott MInes NHL and local businesses are open. More »

« Back to Wrangell-St Elias Backcountry Ranger Homepage

Mt Drum Patrol

May 24, 2011 Posted by: Evan Olson

Volunteer climbing on the Southwest Ridge

Ranger Evan Olson and two NPS volunteers just returned from a mountaineering patrol on the southwest ridge of Mt Drum.  The patrol made it to about 10,000 ft before being turned back by bad weather.

Mountaineering patrols are conducted to gain familiarity with the climbing route, to assess human impacts to alpine areas, and to contact park visitors. Two groups of park visitors were contacted on this patrol.

The patrol encountered challenging weather conditions throughout the climb with bad visibility and high winds.  The southwest ridge had numerous crevasses right along the ridge crest which made route finding more challenging.

Volunteer with Snider Peak

Retreating in stormy conditions

 


Post A Comment

Submit Comment

Did You Know?

Bison

Two herds of bison, the largest land mammal in North America, roam Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve.  A mature bull, at 6 feet in height and 10 feet in length, can weigh more than a ton.