Jewell Lund and Chantel Astorga are known for their impressive ascent of the Denali Diamond (7,800’, WI5+ 5.9 A3 or M6 A1/ M7) on the southwest face of Denali in 2015. According to the AAJ, this was the seventh reported ascent of the route and the first time it had been climbed by an all-female team. As Sarah Hart articulated so well in her article “The State of the Art: Expanding the Coverage of Women’s Climbing in the AAJ” this ascent is pivotal because it was not only the first time an all-female team had climbed this testpiece route, but it was also the first time an all-female team had climbed any Alaska Grade 6.
A look into the vault of AAC-grant-funded trip reports reveals that Jewell and Chantel’s partnership was truly cemented in 2014, a year prior to the Denali Diamond, thanks to the AAC’s McNeill-Nott Award and their ascent of Polarchrome (5.7 A1) on Mt. Huntington in the Alaska Range. This is the story of their Polarchrome adventure.
Upon Jewell and Chantel's arrival at Mt. Huntington in 2014, a five day storm settled in. Having just spent two weeks on the Ruth Glacier with another partner, Jewell welcomed the required rest, but soon, the pair was recharged and ready to adventure.
“Three days into waiting out the storm, we had polished off a pound of coffee (we'd only brought two) and a bottle of bourbon (we'd only brought two), and I started to get a bit antsy.”
After a few climbs to test out their partnership on big objectives, the two discussed more adventurous goals. While The Phantom Wall was appealing, dangerous conditions made it deeply unwise to pursue, as they would have to cross the perilous Death Valley, which due to changing climate conditions, appeared even more dangerous than normal.
“The unseasonable heat made it clear how Death Valley got its name. Impressive amounts of debris funnel down from multiple faces to the same region at the base of the route. The warm temperatures had also opened up the icefall at the base, indicating that we wouldn't be able to travel through unsafe terrain as quickly as we'd hoped.”
Instead, the two set their sights on Polarchrome. The two knew little about the route, with only a topo and enough of a view from camp to see a few rock pitches they would climb before they would enter the main cleft system, beyond which the mysteries were boundless. The unknown was calling to them.
“We received a good weather forecast, and that day the entire base camp of Huntington vacated to their respective routes: the Colton-Leach, West Face Couloir, and the Harvard Route. Chantel and I hit the snooze button on our alarm (standard affair), enjoyed a nice cup of coffee, and were the last ones to leave camp at about 6:30 am. It was a treat to look up at Huntington and see our friends up on their own routes. We hiked 15 minutes to the base of Polarchrome (I have never been so spoiled on approaches as at Mt. Huntington), and began to climb.”
The pair meandered up excellent rock with engaging movement, simul-climbed the ice runnel in the cleft, and then belayed a pitch of past-vertical rotten ice. The two were surprised to find such steep ice given there was no ice rating on the climb. Then they began a surreal exploration of the French Ridge (80º, 7,000').
"The best way I can describe climbing on the French Ridge through the brief hours of Alaskan darkness is that it felt like moving on Mars. Chantel led this entire simul-climbing push, and I am impressed with her great decision-making on Dr. Seuss-like terrain."
"Beyond giant cornices and unexpected crevasses, we navigated wild ice and rock steps in the dark. Between our fatigue and this eerie terrain, time began to blur. It felt like we had climbed on this ridge for days, or maybe it was only 20 minutes? Eventually Chantel stopped as she arrived at a flat open space and sunrise graced the tops of the peaks around us. It was a wild nighttime push. I deeply respect Chantel's abilities in the mountains, and am surprised by how much trust can be established by sharing a rope for such a short amount of time."
"We didn't have to travel much longer on the French Ridge before it finally met up with the other West Face routes on the final approach to the summit, though our travel on the ridge was capped off by one final technical pitch: a perfectly horizontal 50 foot traverse on vertical blue ice. This ice traverse was the cherry on top, as I pulled around the corner to find familiar terrain on the summit snowfield."
Upon returning to camp, the two were offered bison burgers and chai tea infused with whiskey by fellow climber Mark Allen. While the glow of the successful ascent warmed them, the glow of community was even warmer.
"How ironic to share so much, to develop such a tight-knit community, in what we had considered to be the remote mountains."
Upon returning home, friends of Jewell and Chantel encouraged them to do some research, as they hadn't heard of anyone achieving the second ascent of Polarchrome. But while no second ascensionists surfaced, doubt still lingered for Jewell. Ultimately, their inquiries brought them to a shared beer and conversation with Polarchrome first ascensionist Rob Rohn, which for Jewell was more rewarding than any definitive accomplishment.
"Whether we got the ‘second ascent’ doesn’t matter to me at all; the path was unknown for us, and thus the perfect adventure."
Second ascent or not, Polarchrome was a moment in time that cemented Jewell and Chantel's climbing partnership on big objectives and paved the way for their impressive ascent of the Denali Diamond. Together, they expanded their potential, their partnership, and their trust in each other, and in climbing the Denali Diamond, they expanded the state of female alpinism.
Chantel and Jewell continue to push boundaries every year. Listen to the latest episode of The Cutting Edge podcast to hear about Chantel's recent solo ascent of the classic Cassin Ridge (Alaska Grade 5, 5.8, AI 4) on Denali.