Lonnie Dupre – Grand Marais, completed the first west to east, 3,000-mile winter crossing of Canada’s famed Northwest Passage by dog team. He achieved the first circumnavigation of Greenland, a 6,500-mile, all nonmotorized journey by kayak and dog team. Dupre pulled sleds on skis from Canada to the North Pole twice, achieving over 22 million impressions worldwide on issues surrounding climate change. Lonnie also made the first solo winter ascent of Alaska’s Mount Denali (20,340 ft.) in the month of January; completed an alpine ascent of Kyajo Ri (20,295 ft.) in the Himalayas, Nepal, and became the first to make a winter ascent of Mount Wood (15,912 ft.) in Yukon, Canada.
Lonnie Dupre is currently in training in Colorado, getting ready to make another try at climbing to the top of Alaska’s Mount Hunter. At 14,573 feet, Mount Hunter is the steepest and most technical of the three great peaks in Denali National Park. It is also known as the most difficult 14,000- foot peak to climb in North America.
Lonnie will lead three other climbers, Pascale Marceau, who hails from Canmore, Alaska; Mathew Hickey, from Colorado and Minnesota, and Christopher Pollack, who lives in South Carolina. The four-person team will attempt two separate winter ascents from Mount Hunter’s south side.
Lonnie will also make the push to become the first person to accomplish a solo winter ascent. He has tried twice before but has been beaten back by the weather.
Dupre will climb solo from ABC (the base camp) to position himself at 11,200 feet and with good weather he will make an attempt to reach the summit. Returning back to the team at ABC, the trio will then push onto the summit.
If the other three make it to the tip of Mount Hunter, Pascale Marceau will become the first woman to make a winter ascent of Mount Hunter and the group will become the first to make a winter ski descent off of the mountain.
The proposed climbing route is guarded from entry by a massive icefall. For safety through this area, Dupre has chosen an experienced four-person team to negotiate the gapping crevasses and ice blocks. Once through the icefall, the climbs will begin from advanced base camp (ABC) at 7900 feet. The crux of the climb is a 3300-foot, 50 to 60-degree couloir called the Ramen.
The goal is to start the trip on February 28 and finish both climbs by March 21, 2020 (23 days), the end of winter.
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