Hatcher Pass Climbing

This is a very untouched climbing area or rather unknown, full of FA's. The rock is blocky granite with alot of moss because the area receives steady rain in the spring and fall.

Routes

Hatcher Pass has a rich history of climbing, stretching back into the days of Fred Becky (not that those are really over...) Many of the loved classics were originally climbed in the 1980s. Grades can feel stiff and bolted climbs can feel very run out.

There is a climbing guide for Hatcher Pass that comes in both book and APP form. The guidebook is called Dghelaya - A Hatcher Pass Climbing Guide. Named to honor the Dena’ina tribe that has inhabited the area for thousands of years. The APP can be found on Rakkup and purchased or rented.

Several editions of a rock climbing guide covers the climbing in Hatcher Pass, by Kelsey Gray. They are "Alaska Rock Climbing Guide" The most recent edition is specific to Hatcher Pass and comes in both book and APP form. The guidebook is called Dghelaya - A Hatcher Pass Climbing Guide. Named to honor the Dena’ina tribe that has inhabited the area for thousands of years. The APP can be found on Rakkup and purchased or rented. Both can be found on climbak.com. 

The books are also available at local climbing shops, the rock gym and local book stores. 

Bolts in Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass was long known as an area with runout routes and bad bolts. There was little development that happened between the late 1990’s and 2010. Many of the older bolts were buttonheads or worse. Due to a nearly decade long rebolting effort by Chris Williams and Kelsey Gray as well as some others, many of the old relics have passed on to become keychains. The majority of the easily accessible routes in Hatcher Pass are now stainless steel bolts and big solid anchors with rap rings or clip-n-lowers. Gone are the days when you could count the routes with good bolts on one hand. Now, it feels a lot closer to cragging without the fear factor of someone's ancient webbing breaking. The effort is ongoing and bad hardware should be reported below, as well as posted on the Alaska Rock Climbing facebook page.

Bouldering

Hatcher Pass is fast becoming a hotspot for Alaskan boulderers. This is in big part due to a brand new bouldering guidebook that came out in the summer of 2023. The Hatcher Pass Bouldering Guide by David Funatake and Kelsey Gray includes over 1300 problems, showing just how expensive this excellent area is. The local developers have also spent countless hours creating new landings and cleaning problems. If you need crashpads they can be purchased at Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking, and Hoarding Marmot in Anchorage is planning on starting a crashpad rental section.

Cleaning Boulders

Striking a balance between cleaning and leaving boulders in a natural state is difficult. Due to the mossy nature of Hatcher Pass, most boulders have a thick carpet on the top. Generally the rule is only to clean what is absolutely needed to climb the route, usually about a foot or so from the lip. An example of bad cleaning can be seen on the Muffin Man boulder where the entire top had the moss removed, and for many years one could see the orangish color from the road. Please be respectful of this beautiful resource. Without constant climbing and cleaning these boulders are quickly taken back by the lichen.