A honeymoon with a difference

The couple stayed in Alaska for three months. Although inclement weather initially put a damper on things, they managed the spec­tacular ascent of Mount Hunt­ington – a first – in the Denali National Park during the second part of their trip.

After checking the walls along Ruth Glacier, a small aircraft dropped them at the foot of Mount Hunt­ington’s west face, where they set up their base camp.

The next morning the couple climbed the Colton Leach route. With weather conditions in their favour, they made good progress on the rocks and ice, and reached the Mount Hunt­ington summit ridge without any problems. A successful recce tour.

The weather was perfect. Encouraged by the good forecast, Ines and Luka decided to try a new route. The steep rock face enticed them.

And on April 26, they were ready. They packed their equipment and began the ascent on an existing route. Then they ventured ahead on uncharted territory. They were in for a surprise: the crack system that seemed the most logical route was filled with ice. They hadn’t noticed this before because the ice contained mud residues and looked just like rock from a distance. The best way forward was in mixed climbing mode.

The route was steep and almost every pitch had a boulder crux. Some of them were quite tough, but luckily there was generally adequate protection. At this point, water ran down the wall and the ice became difficult to navigate. The route was a challenge for the expert moun­taineers. Some sections were so difficult, it took a second attempt to get across. Snow and unex­pectedly treacherous terrain tested their endurance.

At three in the morning, they reached a suitable bivouac site under a boulder. They were rewarded with a breath-taking sight that left them sleepless until the early hours of the morning.

The next morning, they left their bivouac site with just one backpack and reached the summit of Mount Hunt­ington at 11 o’clock. Amazed at how warm it was, the two profes­sional athletes sat spellbound for almost an hour. Below them, the wild and fascinating mountains of Alaska stretched out as far as the eye could see.

The descent held no surprises and went smoothly. They reached their base camp in the afternoon. They then discovered that they had climbed an entirely new route. After the initial snow slopes, they climbed 20 pitches of new terrain before joining other routes on the snow flank of the summit. The feature that perfectly marks the start of this route inspired the name “Heart of Stone”.