Photo courtesy of Doglotion.com.

“…Now that we had reached the high point of our journey, it was time to shift our focus to Archangel Ridge. This line off Foraker’s North side drops you into some seriously wild country. There is no one and nothing to help you if things go wrong. Rescue would be difficult and slow if possible at all. From the bottom, you have two choices, walk out, or come back over the mountains to the Kahiltna landing strip. This is the reason why Archangel had remained unskied for so long. It’s a logistical nightmare but Ryan and I were confident in our tactics and the current conditions of our objective, so we tentatively dropped in.

Things quickly became interesting for me. Two hundred feet off the summit I hit some blue ice and went down to my hip. All my attempts to self arrest were futile. I took a terrifying ride that only ended thanks to some sastrugi which gave my edges the little bit of purchase needed to stop my low angle ride. I was shaken to say the least…”   -Marcus Waring

Please click HERE for the full trip report.