PROBABLE CORNICE COLLAPSE, WEATHER Yukon Territory, Saint ...
PROBABLE CORNICE COLLAPSE, WEATHER Yukon Territory, Saint Elias Range, Mount Logan On May 10,1987, a party o f six w as flown into the Sew ard G lacier on the base o f the H um m ingbird Ridge. Four of the party crossed the glacier and clim bed M ount A ugus ta. The other two, Dave Cheesm ond and CatherineFreer, began w orking on the H um m ingbird Ridge o f M ount Logan. Later, the M ount A ugusta party cam e back to the base cam p and w ere flow n to the east ridge o f M ount Logan. They clim bed it, and were flown back to K luane Lake. On M ay 20, A ndy W illiam s, the pilot, talked w ith C heesm ond and Freer at their base camp. They said that they w ould not be in further radio com m unication as they were leaving their radio in base cam p, and setting off to clim b the H um m ingbird Ridge with 16 days o f food. T heir next radio contact w as to be about June 7. T here w as a flight into the Icefield Ranges on June 2, but the w eather prevented further flights until June 14. M eanw hile, there w as no radio contact with Dave and Catherine. On June 14, three park rangers flew into the Icefields as far as the east ridge of M ount Logan, but clouds prevented them from going to the south side. They talked to clim bers who had been unsuccessful because of m assive am ounts o f snow. One clim ber even rem arked that the fresh snow w as so deep that he w as afraid o f drow n ing on the ridge. On June 15, at 0500, they w ere able to fly to the south side of M ount Logan, and found a tent and two packs hanging from a part of the H um m ingbird Ridge known as the Shovel Traverse, at 4000 m eters. They also found some fixed line strung along
the ridge, and visited the base cam p on the Sew ard G lacier at 2000 m eters. They searched both sides o f the ridge and the proposed descent route, but there were no signs of life. A sled and ski poles w ere found near the ascent route. A nother search w as carried out the next time w eather perm itted, on June 20, but nothing m ore was found. On June 23, a Jet Ranger helicopter flew to the ridge w ith park rangers and a friend o f Cheesm ond and Freer who had clim bed w ith them on K2. The tent had been blown apart since the previous sighting, and any contents em ptied. The packs w ere still there and an ice tool w as visible. The clim ber said that the rem ainder o f the traverse was desperate clim bing, and that C heesm ond and Freer w ould not have attem pted it w ithout the equipm ent still at the site. N othing could be seen in the outrun gullies. The plateau of the m ountain w as m eanw hile searched by a Twin Otter, again w ith no success. Finally, back at K luane Lake, grim realization set in; the friends who had com e up returned hom e and the search w as called off. (Source: Lloyd Freese, Kluane N ation al Park)
Analysis A great am ount of fresh snow fell during the tim e of this expedition. It appeared that large chunks o f cornices had collapsed from the Shovel Traverse. Perhaps the clim bers w ere sw ept away w ith one o f these. (Source: Lloyd Freese, K luane N ational Park)
the ridge, and visited the base cam p on the Sew ard G lacier at 2000 m eters. They searched both sides o f the ridge and the proposed descent route, but there were no signs of life. A sled and ski poles w ere found near the ascent route. A nother search w as carried out the next time w eather perm itted, on June 20, but nothing m ore was found. On June 23, a Jet Ranger helicopter flew to the ridge w ith park rangers and a friend o f Cheesm ond and Freer who had clim bed w ith them on K2. The tent had been blown apart since the previous sighting, and any contents em ptied. The packs w ere still there and an ice tool w as visible. The clim ber said that the rem ainder o f the traverse was desperate clim bing, and that C heesm ond and Freer w ould not have attem pted it w ithout the equipm ent still at the site. N othing could be seen in the outrun gullies. The plateau of the m ountain w as m eanw hile searched by a Twin Otter, again w ith no success. Finally, back at K luane Lake, grim realization set in; the friends who had com e up returned hom e and the search w as called off. (Source: Lloyd Freese, Kluane N ation al Park)
Analysis A great am ount of fresh snow fell during the tim e of this expedition. It appeared that large chunks o f cornices had collapsed from the Shovel Traverse. Perhaps the clim bers w ere sw ept away w ith one o f these. (Source: Lloyd Freese, K luane N ational Park)
