The "Catcher's Mitt" or 27 mile peak is located to the East of Twenty-Seven Mile Glacier. As you head out of Valdez drive past the DOT camp at the top of the pass. Continue driving around a long bend as you come around the bend there will be an Alyeska Pipeline access road on you left. It may or may not be plowed out. Park here and head toward the peak. Look for a ridge that comes down and meets the flats. The ridge will terminate on the lfats to the east or right of the parking area.
Acesnd the ridge then break right and make for the "cone" below the Catcher's Mitt. As you ascend the cone it will bottle neck near the top. Once through the bottle neck you will turn left (west and head up the open slopes to the top. The opne slopes above the bottle neck is all glacier. There are a few deep crevasses on the climbers left so adequate snow cover is neccessary to ski the glacier.
Descent is either down the way you came up or over to the Cauliflower Coulier. The coulier is steep and congested so care should be taken. This is also the site of a WESC events.
Angles vary with the "Catcher's Mitt" ranging from mid to high 30's and the "Cauliflower Coulier" in the 40's. |
