Adrien’s Trip to the Alaskan Range
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Adrien, I am 26 years old and living in Bozeman, Montana. In a past life I raced road bikes professionally in Europe. Shortly after quitting, I found the mountains and within a year had an accident in the Sierra Nevada and have been an above-knee amputee since 2018.
What got you into climbing/how long have you been climbing?
I initially was attracted to travel in the mountains on foot as a cathartic outlet while living in the Alps; the solitude, peace, and closeness with nature had me hiking lots, which quickly turned into scrambling, and upon returning to the States, I knew I had to learn how to climb with ropes. I’ve been climbing for about 6 years now, the last 5 as an adaptive climber.
Could you give a little bit of an outline or details about your trip?
Our original intention was to fly into the Kahiltna Glacier and spend a week there trying world-class objectives like the North Buttress of Hunter and the Mini-Moonflowers, before heading up to Denali to attempt a route on its steep south face.
Weather was quite unsettled and conditions were not the most ideal at basecamp; we managed to put up a few new pitches on the nearby Radio Control Tower on our first climbing day, then bailed off the Dempster-Wilson route a few days later before starting the slog up to Denali.
Higher up on the mountain, we acclimated to 18,500ft on the West Buttress, then climbed the Upper West Rib to the summit plateau a couple days later. Up there though, temperatures dropped to -60F and with neither of my partners able to feel their toes, and the margin for error being so small, we decided to forgo the summit.
The weather appeared unsettled for the time we had remaining, so we decided to head back to basecamp in hopes of trying Mt Hunter. However, after one of my partners fell in a crevasse, and myself getting very ill as soon as we made it back to basecamp, we headed out of the range a week early.
Leaving early was a tough decision to make, but in the end it proved to be the right one, as I spent the next two weeks mostly in bed fighting off one of the nastiest colds I’ve ever had!
Was this your first big climbing objective? Can you tell us more about what the planning process looked like for this trip? What about training?
This was my first “expedition” climbing experience involving such complex logistics in such a remote and inhospitable environment.
My partners and I planned extensively for the trip, from dialing in our kit to be as light yet warm as possible, to researching all the different routes we might try, to not forgetting any crucial piece of gear!
Personally I had to plan for any contingencies related to my prosthesis, carefully packing spares of crucial items like bolts, socket valves, liners, even a spare knee… Thankfully I had no issues, but it’s always better to have the peace of mind knowing you are prepared!
Training looked like lots of climbing with my partners throughout the winter, enjoying classic ice climbs and a handful of first ascents in our local mountains. Closer to the trip, I had to work a lot more, and focused primarily on cardiovascular fitness through lots of ski touring at our local resort as well as gym sessions focused on strengthening my leg and upper body.
What did you learn from this experience?
I learned a lot of little tips and tricks about expedition life on a glacier, but am happy to report I was probably over-prepared in that realm.
Most importantly though I learned that climbing big routes in the mountains takes patience. We went in with quite a set idea in our minds of what we would climb, but in the future I think a lot more flexibility and openness to changing plans based on conditions would have served us well. I also learned that when the stars align and you do get to start climbing a route, you must commit to the endeavor fully, because you never know when you’ll have another crack at it. For instance, I think that knowing we were in for a slog on Denali made it a lot harder for us to commit as a team to the Dempster-Wilson on the Mini-Moonflower, which likely would’ve required climbing late into the night. In retrospect I regret not “toughing it out” a bit more and seeing how far we could’ve made it. All of this being within reason of course, always maintaining a margin of safety.
I also learned that it is totally okay to pick and choose objectives that fit your skill set and stoke. Personally, going up to Denali and embarking on a two-week acclimatization program was a bit tough. I like to climb, not hike uphill in crampons. So I look forward to returning to Alaska in 2025 and focusing my sights on glaciers with less people and more climbing options.
What would you tell an adaptive climber who is looking to get into mountaineering/expedition climbing?
Firstly, at the risk of sounding pessimistic, I would say that getting into mountaineering and especially expedition climbing is a long, costly, complicated process for anyone, let alone an adaptive climber. Even able-bodied folks have to dedicate a significant amount of time to training and preparation. I think that being at peace with this is half the battle, and embracing this long-term, committed approach can be quite a liberating and empowering process.
Then I’d say the second most important thing is getting in lots of mileage in the alpine terrain that’s most accessible to you. Learning your strengths and weaknesses will not only allow you to start tailoring climbs to what you enjoy most and are best at, but will also give you the repertoire of knowledge of the specific adaptations you need to make for your own body. Figuring out how to minimize as many points of failure as possible while in the mountains will only come through trial and error and the inevitable epic. Do not try to skip through these crucial learning experiences by going straight for your big prize. This process takes patience.
It’s also extremely important to reach out to folks in similar situations as you to see what they are doing or what they’ve had to figure out for themselves. This builds solidarity and confidence, knowing you are not alone in this quest, and most folks are usually very eager to help out however they can.
It’s then very important to start building a network of climbing partners, as most climbing is done in teams and becomes increasingly team-based the more committing the objectives become. Finding folks who accept you and support you how you are is crucial.
One must, equally importantly, never forget to be a good partner yourself, someone who brings something to the table, be it in morale, humor, helping with chores around camp, or putting up the rope on hard pitches, or best yet all of the above!
Finally, remember that you can and will continue to surprise yourself with what’s possible given continued perseverance, dedication, and hard work. It’s an incredibly rewarding journey to be self-sufficient in the mountains and to challenge yourself in the vertical world.
How did the Adaptive Adventure Fund support you during this trip?
An expedition to Alaska is extremely costly, and I am incredibly grateful to have had the support of Paradox’s Adaptive Adventure Fund. With all of the additional challenges that come with being an adaptive climber, this support went very far in making this trip happen.
I thoroughly commend and appreciate the very existence of the grant, which demonstrates Paradox’s belief in and support of adaptive climbers going on meaningful, life-changing trips and the impact these can have on both individual and community levels.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I hope that sharing my story inspires more adaptive climbers to challenge themselves to redefine their own possible and head into the mountains. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any help, guidance, or support!
Adrien received an Adaptive Adventure Fund from Paradox Sports to help fund his trip. If you’d like to learn more, apply for a scholarship, or donate directly to the Adaptive Adventure Fund to help others create impactful experiences in the outdoors, you can find more information here.
Photo Descriptions:
Photo 1: Adrien is leading a pitch on the Radio Control Tower. He has just left the belay and the photo shows his partner facing him as he lead belays Adrien while he climbs. Adrien’s harness is full of cams and draws. The photo of Adrien is taken from the side and the rock wall is on the right side of the photo, you can see 4 ice climbing axes in the bottom right side of the frame, resting on a ledge. The valley below is covered in snow and in the background are large, snowy peaks. The sky is blue with wispy clouds.
Photo 2: A timeless moment, sunset on the Upper West Rib before topping out to -60F temps on the summit plateau. Adrien is taking a selfie and smiling at the camera. Behind him is a snow covered mountainside and you can see snowy peaks sticking up out of the clouds that are covering the Earth below.
Photo 3: One of Adrien’s climbing partners, Paul, climbing on the crux pitch on Radio Tower. The photo is taken from above, looking down at Paul. He is climbing in what appears to be a dihedral high above the ground below. Below him is a snowfield where windblown snow accumulates into piles that are covering the snowy ground.
Photo 4: An image of Adrien’s climbing partners, Noah and Paul, on the Upper West Rib with Mt. Hunter and where they started seen in the distance. They have trekking poles out and crampons on as they hike up the snowy mountainside, there are boulders peaking out above the snow in some areas. Below them you can see the ridgeline of the mountain sticking up above the clouds. A sheet of clouds covers the valley below. It’s a sunny day with blue skies and streaky clouds.
Photo 5: A photo of one of the crew rappelling off Dempster-Wilson route. They are rappelling down a steep, snowy mountainside. Below you can see a vast, snowy valley and Mt. Foraker standing prominently in the background. Another bluebird day.
Photo 6: Adrien making the final push up the West Rib to the summit plateau on Denali, following a track from another climber.
Photo 7: The group heads down the West Buttress on Denali after an acclimatizing push to 18,500 feet from Camp 14. Two climbers are seen hiking down the ridge, one is looking back at the camera and smiling. The group is above the clouds and another large peak pops through the clouds in the background.
Photo Gallery:
Top Left: Adrien’s climber partner, Noah, leading a pitch on Radio Tower with Mt. Hunter’s impressive North Buttress in the background. Noah and the rock face that he is climbing are on the left side of the photo and Mt. Hunter is across the snowy valley. The sky is blue and the wind is blowing snow up high.
Bottom Left: Adrien with his climbing partners, Noah and Paul, taking a selfie and smiling at the camera as they fly into the range.
Middle: An image taken from the window of the plane on their flight out. You can see the plane’s wing in the upper right side of the photo and below is a meandering river that splits in several directions with many trees covering the ground surrounding the water. The sky is blue and there are a lot of fluffy clouds.
Top Right: Two of the crew can be seen facing away from the camera as they scope out mini-Moonflower as they stand in the valley looking up at the wall. The wall is steep and there are areas with exposed rock and areas completely covered by snow.
Bottom Right: 14,000 Ft camp on Denali. Many tents are pitched and sitting in a shaded area along a flat, snowy patch. In the background is another tall peak that is still sitting in the days sun.
