Our May 1998 trip into the Kluane Icefields was include both a climb of a significant peak and a ski traverse. Together with the connected icefields in Alaska, these form the third largest area of glaciation in the world. Only the icefields of Antarctica and Greenland are larger.
Our plan was to fly by ski plane to the Cathedral Glacier at the base of Mt. Hubbard. From there we planned to spend a few days climbing Mt. Hubbard (4,557 meters) which is a relatively easy ski ascent. Then we would spend the rest of the trip on a ski traverse: descend the Cathedral and Lowell Glaciers, ascend the Dusty Glacier, and cross over a high pass to the South Arm of the Kaskawulsh Glacier where we would be picked up.
The trip went as planned except we were unable to climb Mt. Hubbard. The main reason was that we were concerned about the high avalanche danger due to deep, fresh snow and rising temperatures.
On the trip were Doug, Irene, Kirstie, and both of us. This Doug is not the same person as the Doug with whom we’ve done many other trips included in this website. This was the second trip in the Kluane Icefield for Kirstie and the first for the rest of us. Many thanks to Kirstie for hosting us at her Whitehorse, Yukon home and for driving us around. She’s done that several times for us over the years.
Now the photos which are scanned transparencies. If you expand the photo viewer to full page, the “Adventures” menu will stop working. This is because of technical issues with the website software. Pick any other menu item and go to that web page. The “Adventures” menu will then work properly.