It was a big day for the members of our June 9th West Buttress expedition. Jacob Kupferman called in from 3,200′ higher than where he at breakfast this morning!
The crew packed up their camp at 11,000′ and shouldered hefty packs before starting the long climb up Motorcycle Hill, a thousand foot slope at the NE side of the basin. Using crampons and ice axes, they then made their way up a series of even steeper slopes collectively known as Squirrel Hill and then up gentler slopes to pass around the infamous Windy Corner, a steep rock ridge that climbs up and up from about 13,400′.
They traveled in a whiteout for much for the day, as about a foot of snow accumulated. Fortunately, the wind was moderate, so they could push up through, despite the challenging conditions.
Arriving at Genet Basin, a broad basin at 14,200′, they had to continue to work hard to establish their camp. They cut blocks of snow which were then stacked to form walls around their tents and they had to dig a deep hole over which they erected their kitchen tent. All in all, it was a long, hard day, but everyone did great.
Here’s Jacob!
