Photo Album: University Peak 1st Female Ski Descent

August 6th, 2014 • BY Erinn Morgan

This spring, four inspired women attempted to make the first female ski descent of University Peak, a 13,589-foot mountain in Alaska’s Saint Elias Range.

“From the very top, its an incredible 7,000-foot run that only one group has ever succeeded in skiing,” says Krystle Wright, adventure sports photographer and a member of the group. “The other few groups that have skied here have taken off lower.”

 

Why attempt an all-female first descent? “About a year ago, Backcountry and Powder magazines were running articles about ‘Where have the females gone?’ covering the fact that there were very few women running big lines in the backcountry,” says Wright. “After reading this, skier Sheldon Kerr wanted to show that females can ski big lines and handle themselves well in the backcountry.” Thus, she put together a women’s ski group of Lindsay Mann, Erin Smart, and Wright, who photographed their epic attempt to ski University Peak.

 

Here, we check in with Wright to learn more about the trip, its inspirations, her instincts—and what went wrong.

WomensMovement.com: What happened during your attempt to ski University Peak?

Krystle Wright: Unfortunately, this snow season was unpredictable and strange. So, by the time we arrived at University Peak (which typically should have been perfect timing), we were faced with conditions that were more typical for late June. University had turned into an ice climb and, within a week, the pilot said that he wouldn’t even be able to even land on the glacier. So, we attempted Super Cub Peak instead and camped on the Barnard Glacier.

Within three days, as we scouted two lines on Super Cub, ice sheets began appearing, which also told us that there was only a very thin snow dusting layer camouflaging the ice. Instead, we chose other lines in the valley to ski and it was incredible to be there as very few people had ever been to the Barnard Glacier.

 

WM: How did you all deal with the situation?

Krystle: We felt super proud of ourselves that, even though conditions dictated what we could and couldn’t do (meaning no big epic lines), that at least we had a strong group that kept each other safe. No doubt, it’s frustrating to fly around University and see that line waiting but we are amped to return next year and try again.

It seems so rare for an all female group to try something like we did but hopefully with out story finding a voice, we can encourage other females to get out there as well. Having an all-female trip creates a different vibe. These ladies had a lot of experience built up between them and I simply want to give a voice to that.

 

WM: Who organized the trip?

Krystle: Sheldon was the mastermind behind this expedition. She’s been working as a guide for many years and she often flies past University Peak and that glorious line on it. I didn’t fully understand until I saw it myself and really got to see the beauty of it. 7,000 feet! It’s not often you hear of such a line and the peak is truly majestic. Sheldon has had her heart set on it for a long time.

 

WM: Who supported your trip?

Krystle: Outdoor Research put a lot of faith in us and became the major sponsor of our trip. This trip wouldn’t have happened without their assistance. Other sponsors who came on board include La Sportiva, Wild Alpine, Smith Optics, Mammut, Goal Zero, and then our own back pockets for the remaining expenses.

 

WM: What was the trip’s scariest moment for you?

Krystle: The scariest moment for me was when I had the strongest feeling that I wanted to leave—I suddenly felt like we were being there for the sake of it. We had challenging conditions and unless we were going to get a huge spring storm to dump 20 inches or more snow overnight, the ice was going nowhere. When I was filming from a distant point, I could hear the echo of skis scraping down the icy slope. And that gave me shivers because one slip for them and there was no way in hell of stopping.

It’s not often (or ever) that I want to leave early, but for some reason that feeling came over me on day 10 of 14 and it scared me to stay for the sake of it because that is when things go wrong.

 

WM: Most inspiring part of the trip?

Krystle: The most inspiring part of the trip was having an awesome team that worked well together. We all know that expeditions can test a lot of relationships but our team of four all had different strengths and a really good vibe the whole time. It really was inspiring to hang out with such awesome and confident ladies in the backcountry.

 

WM: Will you make this attempt again?

Krystle: We will try again next year! We’re hoping that, with the right support, we can choose to be more flexible and head up last minute rather than planning too far in advance. If we see another unpredictable season then we’re better off waiting and hearing from our contacts once the line looks like it’s in.

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