We're dropping this episode a bit before March—a dreamtime month for many THR readers and podcast listeners. March is on the cusp here in the Northern Hemisphere of longer days. All that translates into more time to move through the mountains—often with warmer temps and more stable avalanche conditions.

This episode is handy if you need a little push to get the wheels turning, dream, be inspired, or push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Let's get to it.

On the Emergence Episode, we chat with Sam Hennessey, Michael Gardner, and Adam Fabrikant. We'll provide links below if you are unfamiliar with any of these three folks. If you follow the podcast, Adam has been on before. And yes, he still shines. For Sam and Mike, this is a first.

Emergence. The podcast's title, which we vacillated on, is spot on. According to the Wiki, "emergence occurs when a complex entity has properties or behaviors that its parts do not have on their own, and emerge only when they interact in a wider whole."

In this instance, the wider whole can be the group construct: three experienced individuals bringing their strengths and weaknesses to an endeavor and exceeding, in a unique way, the attributes of any individual. The wider whole also includes a vast physical landscape full of possibilities, including technical and endurance challenges, pitfalls that include high-gravity situations, and the potential for interpersonal conflict.

We mostly focus on an excellent 2021 adventure by Hennessey, Gardner, and Fabrikant. Here are the basics of their mega-push: a climb of Denali's Cassin Ridge, a first ski descent of the mountain's Northwest Buttress, and an exit on foot across the tundra to Wonder Lake. Beyond the slog across Denali National Park's lowlands, this episode also features some fine ski alpinism done in good style.

​​The good style we speak of also translates to the group at large. What makes these three individuals compelling is not simply their questing in the mountains but the real sense that Hennessey, Gardner, and Fabrikant care deeply about one another. That, folks, is a huge ingredient for any successful endeavor, which also gifts smiles and laughter.

Let's set the ski alpinism scene.

In 2019, Hennessey and Gardner climbed the Infinite Spur on Sultana (Mount Foraker) in ski boots with skis secured to their packs on a 48-hour trip. Yes, they descended on skis. The first ascent, a storied one at that, was completed by Michael Kennedy and George Lowe back in 1977 over 11 days.

Then, in 2021, Hennessey and Gardner climbed a new route on the Isis Face of Denali's South Buttress in their impeccable ski alpinism style. Climb in ski boots with skis along for the ride and ski as much of the descent as possible, ultimately bringing them to the Kahiltna Glacier, the main jumping-off point for the main Denali ascent route. The two took a few rest days, then climbed a highly technical route on the North Buttress of Begguya (Mount Hunter) to the summit—this time sans skis and ski boots.

As rest and recovery, Hennessey and Gardner guided the West Buttress route on Denali, as did Fabrikant. From there, the plan to climb the Cassin as a trio and make a first ski descent down the mountain's Northwest Buttress was hatched.

After their respective guiding obligations, Hennessey, Gardner, and Fabrikant climbed the Cassin, skied the Northwest Buttress down to tundra, and walked out to Wonder Lake, where they snagged a bus ride back to Talkeetna.

Resources

—Mike Gardner wrote an excellent summary of their season, which listeners/readers can find here.

—Hennesey's piece in the American Alpine Journal titled "Ski Seasons: Modern Ski Alpinism in the Alaska Range" is here.

—To learn more about Hennessey and Gardner's fast and light ethos in technical ground, here is a collection of stories/podcasts on their speedy ascent, along with Rob Smith, up Denali's Slovak Direct.

• Slovak Direct Podcast
• Fast times on Slovak Direct
• Single Push on Denali's Slovak Direct—this podcast features Matt Cornell, Steve House, and Rob Smith (not Hennessey or Gardner). It is an excellent discussion of the history of the route and the evolving strategies used to ascend the line.

Thanks for listening.   

Find us at the-high-route.com. Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. For weight weenies, hyphens weigh next to nothing. We are a reader supported website with free podcasts. Our podcasts are not free to produce or store on a server. If you are enjoying the podcasts, please consider supporting The High Route, you can find subscription information here. 

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.