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Tasty Ham and Eggs Climb Launches Alaska Season
Madness Guide Alan Rousseau writes in with some great images and description of an ideal climb of Ham and Eggs in the Alaska Range.
I just wrapped up my first of three planned Mountain Madness expeditions into the Alaska Range for the 2017 season. Rett and I climbed Ham and Eggs, on the Moose’s Tooth, which saw its first ascent in 1975 by John Krakauer, Thomas Davies, and Nate Zinsser. Given the technical standard at the time, and conditions encountered, it was an epic battle to the summit with a tent-to-tent time of 33 hours from the hanging glacier that is now home to the root canal airstrip. It was more than ten years until the route saw its second ascent. It saw a flurry of activity after that and quickly attained classic status. It is now considered a great introductory route for those looking to climb technical routes in the Alaska Range. A high level of fitness, and efficiency in WI3/4 terrain are prerequisites for this route.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=7a0cd19e3b89db607b74d7190881c613 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=6d86b1b4530e8c320dc0858dc1f6c7ac 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=df20449c750c6cc272df9fbceb0af439 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=e82f549ec068476e728d24b1c54b60b5 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=53ea1d7fb02201f11c38fb44054f4b6a 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=2481446bcbb28e6369e71304b44a0b43 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=75123a1f0e7901191a6992d3239decf9 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs1_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=ecaf6c1641756eaf4e9c50e465851dd2 1024w)
Ice climbing. Alan Rousseau photo
Since spring has been showing up earlier and earlier in the Alaska Range, I suggested to Rett we aim for a mid-April start date. Meeting in Anchorage on April 12, we were pleasantly surprised to be comfortable without wearing jackets. The forecast couldn’t help but put a smile on our faces: high pressure for the foreseeable future, with mid-day temps of 30 F at 7,000’.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=28de80459c5133c3617bd1f062ce5deb 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=03df2b1d6e7b4e74d39006ae7c9a4832 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=4bf132981b42c89ba8a35ed31531e68a 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=93c552614b45fc99c465d9316d28e017 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=716324fb46d646f50f79998baba10048 855w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=504ff331fed348528e7f401e0569bf0a 855w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=9ebb2905f32a12e86f2120286dbb84a6 855w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs2_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=131f76d9a08790bafdf721ab94ec711e 855w)
Friendly faces at the Talkeetna Airport. Alan Rousseau photo
We arrived in Talkeetna the following morning and checked in with the friendly folks at Talkeetna air taxi. They told us they could fly us on the glacier in one hour. So after a check in at the ranger station, we did a final weigh-in and loaded our kit onto the plane. It takes about thirty minutes to fly from the airport in Talkeetna to the Moose’s Tooth. As we approached our landing site, Paul Roderick (pilot) banked the plane hard and circled us in for landing. He set the plane down on the hanging glacier just a five minute walk from the start of Ham and Eggs.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=05c83c65c7b0e55a143216b8f46a5340 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=27e12bde1297c364437a5c16199a66aa 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=a797b8fdb4152fb051c4a7e5b00bccc8 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=7d04bcae3c14d92186d8cd55d38c4b22 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=96822e0e869c37779c99a0270d987fea 852w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=84953e50c7808068b944bfcf9633d382 852w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=70c8b9fe377903ec0aad1a5149cbdf85 852w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs3_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=606adbf17eef6a319c6f5458d0afc0bf 852w)
Flying in to Moose’s Tooth. Alan Rousseau photo
After getting the duffles out of the plane we started setting up camp, digging in our cook tent, and building snow walls. Rett was feeling good with our initial bump in altitude, so we decided we would wake up early the next morning and try to climb. After a 4:30 alarm sounded we cooked up some breakfast, drank some coffee, and by 5:45 we were off to the races. After a half hour we had crossed the bergshrund and made our way through the steep snow slabs that guard the first pitch. “Ham and Eggs” is primarily a 50-degree snow climb with a handful of steeper rock and ice sections to add to the excitement… and exposure. The summit ridge requires careful traversing on a heavily corniced ridge. From camp to the summit is 3,000’ of vertical gain. Rett and I made good time up the route finding it in favorable condition. We even stopped at the col for thirty minutes to brew up some coffee. Nine hours after leaving camp we stood on the summit. There was no wind, and it was warm enough to hang out without wearing gloves. I was surprised that my phone had full service on the summit, so both Rett and I put in calls to our wives, enjoyed the view and started making our way down the summit ridge. After reversing the summit ridge, 15 or so (we lost count) rappels got us back across the bergshrund and only about five minutes from camp. We arrived back in camp about 14 hours after we left. After eating some pizza and enjoying some bourbon we called it a day.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=403c39da99a64c2a37d1cc8bc7249b4e 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=ce76abae7600ed97d39a9090f8b85e06 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=5a4878a946899b699f86ced136bab164 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=63dc8bffbe9af815e560979de66a3ebd 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=955d085a363bf91ffd20a12d8f5da939 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=d2a61811150e07dcd26992b181101436 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=84287068e4ef534f4fe437f82a2acf6e 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs5_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=4fae720b396036979e509b84358d5b12 1024w)
Steep snow climbing. Alan Rousseau photo
The following day we lounged around camp, looked up at the route we had climbed, and soaked in the views of Denali and Mount Huntington. We contemplated climbing another route, but with some uncertainty in the forecast we decided that we had done what we came to do and it would be best to get out before we got stuck. In order to fly in and out of the range, pilots need ideal conditions with good visibility most of the way from Talkeetna to the glaciers. Sometimes with large storms it can be up to a week where no planes fly. Fortunately for us, despite a cloud bank in the foothills the next day, a plane came to pick us up and brought us back to town.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=981a4e664a43a5aa069aedf9f805db30 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=c7165ed6d32e004252c6266f96a1108d 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=116e8cca669bff321f1a9f26de349cf2 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=fda4b452a0bf8335e156206bf75b2dc1 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=545b19b9ab665ecadd7eeb440792ee11 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=9a146e5d34607f1d4ca61d8b4cf2bb3c 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=4baac6ff45384354632b3cc140de3c8e 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FHamEggs6_1024.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=d16d514a66037495024428a8120c9420 1024w)
Kickin’ back enjoying the view. Alan Rousseau photo
~MM Guide Alan Rousseau