What do you do when a good friend and climbing partner calls you out of the blue and asks you to tackle a demanding route on Denali, the highest peak in North America?
If you’re Fay Manners, you say yes, of course!
That innocuous phone call between UK climber Manners and U.S. climber Michelle Dvorak was the start of a grand adventure for the two women, one which they documented in a short film called Cassin Ridge.
Fay Manners (right) and Michelle Dvorak (left). Photo: Screenshot
We recently covered the pair’s dramatic rescue on Chaukhamba III in the Garhwal Himalaya. This film documented an earlier adventure. It is named after the route the two ascended on their Denali expedition, and as the film shows, it’s no joke.
“It’s a very committing route, and it’s the sort of route you don’t want to get lost on,” says Manners, who serves as the film’s narrator.
First big alpine route
Manners and Dvorak had previously climbed together in Germany and the Dolomites, but the Cassin Ridge would be their first big alpine route as a team. To warm up, the pair tackled a lesser route called Bacon and Eggs on the nearby Mini-Mini-Moonflower peak. The practice was necessary, as, at the time, Manners hadn’t spent much time in the sort of demanding environments that surround Denali.
“In Chamonix, it’s very much do it in a day, always in one push. So being on a glacier for that long was quite a new experience. But we didn’t actually spend that long in base camp because when we arrived, it was the perfect weather window,” Manner said.
That pristine weather wouldn’t last, but there were other challenges to overcome before the inevitable storm clouds arrived.
The Japanese Couloir, a section of the route early in the ascent, was the first problem. The ice was so hard that they couldn’t get a good purchase with their crampons, making for dicey climbing.
Photo: Screenshot
Lost tent pole
They had the opposite problem on the next section, the Cowboy Arete, where warm temperatures led to rotten snow. The poor conditions forced the pair to camp on a rocky ledge. There, attempting to set up their tent in the confined space, they dropped a tent pole off the edge.
Photo: Screenshot
The two decided to press on the next morning, hoping things didn’t get too windy.
While climbing the rock bands on the next section of the route, an unforeseen storm rolled in and battered the climbers with 24 straight hours of snow.
“We felt quite alone at this point,” Manners narrates. “We had to continue on with our tent with no tent pole. It was going to be taking us longer [than we had planned].”
Photo: Screenshot
But their perseverance was rewarded. The climbing became easier, the sky cleared, and on summit day, the pair paused to reflect on their coming accomplishment (while gasping for breath.)
“For a moment, we had time to enjoy where we were. Not be scared, and just be happy that we had made it through all the difficulties. Although the rest of the route was easier terrain and less technical, it was at high altitude. Everything was so slow, and breathing was so hard that everything took ten times as long.”
Photo: Screenshot
As it happens, many of the difficulties Manners and Dvorak experienced on Denali (a freak accident, challenging weather) would later plague them in the Himalaya. Only this time, the partners would come close to losing their lives.
Cassin Ridge is a short and enjoyable film. At just 11 minutes long, you can squeeze it in on your lunch break.
