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FEATURE ARTICLES – SOUTH & NORTH ●

I have visited Alaska for several times before, but what was extremely luxury this time is we didn't meet anyone while our month stay on glacier. That luck gave us superior time we could face each other, to nature, to earth, or to mountain more directly. Without any noise, we could choose our lines with purer feeling and could touch severe but beautiful nature.

KEI TANIGUCHI

Four New Routes in Northern Part of Ruth Glacier, Alaska

Team Wasabi 2014 – Kei Taniguchi and Junji Wada

● JAPANESE ALPINE NEWS 2015

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“Prelude”

―Dan Beard, south face variation / V, snow & ice / 7hrs.1 1/2 hours from our Base Camp, crossing bergshurnd right side of south face to start.Snow and ice gully with some rock band, using snow pickets, rocks, cams, and ice screws. Right side of head wall, crawling chimney to icy plateau leading to summit.

“Concerto”

―peak11,300 East Spur, east face to Point KJ / AI4+, M5+R / 18.5hrs.Lower couloir with rotten ice and rock and dry snow. When sun rise and hit shine upper wall, avalanche starts through couloir. Upper rock wall with wide cracks, slabs, chock stones, lose rocks, and ice. Very enjoyable mixed way. Last part is snow and ice wall to Point KJ, peak 11,300 east spur.

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FEATURE ARTICLES – SOUTH & NORTH ●

“Nocturne”

―Dan Beard, east face / WI4, AI5, M5 / 12hrs.Avoiding seracs, choose the way from very right side of east face. Ice gully to rock and snow face, then to icy ridge. Very top part, needed to cross huge crevasse which is Alaskan like way we enjoyed. Descent to our "prelude" in full moon.

● JAPANESE ALPINE NEWS 2015

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“Sonatine”

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FEATURE ARTICLES – SOUTH & NORTH ●

―peak11,300 East Spur, east face to P3 / WI4, M4 / 10hrs.Invisible face from anywhere, we researched several times, and also need to avoid avalanche timing. But very beautiful ice line to upper couloir with side rocks.From the top of ice couloir, fun mixed climb 5 pitches to P3.

Data

date：2014.April 21 - June 6Place: Alaska, Denali National Park / Ruth Amphitheater, Ruth West ForkFirst ascents:① Dan Beard（10,260ft）South Face variation “P

プレリュードrelude” / V, snow & ice / 7hrs.

② Peak11,300（11,300ft）East Spur, Point KJ “Cコンチェルト

oncerto” / AI4+, M5+R / 18.5hrs.③ Dan Beard East Face “N

ノ ク タ ー ンocturne” / WI4, AI5, M5 / 12hrs.

④ Peak11,300 East Spur, P3 “Sソ ナ チ ネonatine” / WI4, M4 / 10hrs.

Gear:60m rope × 2, snow picket × 3or4, ice screw × 8(19cm × 1, 16cm × 4, 13cm × 3), piton × 3(K2, A1), rocks #4-11, camelot#0.4-2or3, tricam #1-3,4, alpine drew × 12, 5mm rope, bivy sack, jetboil sol