CANADA 2017 We had a solid crew pushing up Mount Logan, Canada’s high-est peak at 19,951 feet. In May 2017, our five-man team landed on the Quintino Sella glacier at the toe of the King’s Trench, the most popular and least technical route up the mountain. The next 17 days would be a willing sufferfest, gaining 11,500 feet over 14 miles to reach the summit plateau. We shuttled our camp and all of our gear day after day, battling a cold that hit -20 degrees Fahrenheit and was augmented by a constant alpine wind. This photo looks deceptively pleasant in contrast, as pho-tographer Kari Medig glides up the midway point of our climb, King’s Peak rising in the background. What it doesn’t show is Kari’s trip to the pain cave, the sickness and fatigue he felt that day, and my attempts to help my buddy battle through. When someone is having a bad day up there, everyone is having a bad day. I had hurt my knee earlier in the trip when I hit an ice chunk and felt a significant pop. After three days of resting what was ultimately a nasty hyperextension and determining the knee wasn’t going to buckle, I decided to keep going. Those days Kari and the team were helping me through. There’s a deep connection on trips like that, one that you always need to respect. A Skier’s Eye 067
The Ski Journal Volume 15, Issue 3: Page 67
