Crown Jewel 2000

This team set out to explore the previously unvisited cirques S of the Pika Glacier in the 'Little Switzerland' area of Alaska, making first ascents of as many peaks as possible. A base camp was set up where they were dropped off by their ski-plane on the East Fork of the Crown Glacier at c.1,800m, and a second camp some 5km down the glacier to the SE. Despite widely varying temperatures and unconsolidated snow conditions, they succeeded in climbing two new routes on The Crown Jewel, 2,362m (second highest peak in the Pika Glacier cirque) together with first ascents of a dozen other mountains.