Polar explorer turned climber Lonnie Dupre is heading back to Mount Hunter for his third attempt to solo the 4,441m peak in winter.
Dupre left for Alaska yesterday and begins his climb January 7 in the dim subarctic light. Crevasses, high winds and deep cold will be the main obstacles, the Minnesota resident explained. Mount Hunter, the third tallest peak in the Alaska range, is often dubbed the hardest peak over 14,000 feet in the U.S.
Lonnie Dupre’s planned route up Mount Hunter, Alaska. Photo: Lonnie Dupre
Dupre’s projected route (marked in red above) crosses the icefall at the base of the mountain, then beelines towards the summit along a rather straightforward line up the south side. The crux of the climb will be the 900m, 50 to 60-degree couloir called the Ramen.
From his Advanced Base Camp at 8,000 feet, Dupre will shuttle supplies up the first 600m of the Ramen. Once on the ridge at 3,400m, he will wait for good weather to push for the summit.
The expedition is expected to take 19 days. After summiting Denali on his fourth winter attempt in 2016, Dupre decided to do Mt. Hunter in a similar style. He tried the previous two years but failed due to lingering bad weather.
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