Ruth Gorge Climbing

The Ruth Gorge is an enormous alpine playground with an almost infinite number of routes both climbed and unclimbed. The gorge itself is approximately 10 miles long and just over a mile wide. Running north to south it is lined on either side by numerous steep intimidating mountains that are a dream come true for some or a nightmare for others. Routes in the gorge range from moderate snow climbs such as the Japanese Couloir to unrepeated superhuman test pieces like the Wine Bottle Route.

Seasons vary and route conditions all depend on the weather and temperatures. Generally April and May are the best months if you intend to climb snow and ice routes as it is usually still cold enough to keep everything solid. Once June starts approaching the temps will begin to rise with the longer days and all of the peaks start to fall apart. Ice fall, rock fall and avalanches are a daily occurrence in June and July and traveling on the glacier can become very problematic as more crevasses open up and snow bridges get smaller and weaker. But June and July are typically the better months for rock climbing offering dryer rock and longer warmer days.

The rock quality in the Ruth Gorge varies drastically like no where I have ever been. On one end of the scale the rock can be bullet hard like Yosemite and at the other end it's more like climbing clumped together kitty litter. Most of the rock quality falls somewhere in between and if your climbing a long route you'll probably get to experience it all. There are some great classic routes like Goldfinger and the Cobra Pillar to be done but there is also tons of short craging to do if you want to stay closer to the ground for a day. Just make sure you take a good look at what lies above your intended route as it might be right in the path of a snow slope or icefall.

A few final notes for those that maybe visiting the Alaska Range for the first time are as follows. Glacier travel skills are mandatory for anyone going to the Ruth or anywhere else in these mountains. Ski's are highly recommended as they can span small crevasses and distribute your weight over a much larger surface area. Bring extra food and fuel because your return flight date off the glacier is not guaranteed if the weather deteriorates. And the most important thing is bring extra liquor because it goes fast (especially if there are mountain guides around)!