Archibald with a side of suffering

Battled up Archibald yesterday on a beautiful clear day. Always worth it for the views back into the big peaks from this high point of the Kluane front range, but with very difficult access and egress this spring, you'd have to be motivated. We parked a km down the track but driving a little further would be possible. The road washout prevents vehicle access nearer to Thunderhead Creek though. We carried skis for about 8km, waded up the canyon (won't be possible much longer, spare socks were key) and struggled through hellish isothermal muck and willow to get to snowline around 1200m. Travel up the moraines was fast in baking hot sun and no wind. We saw surprisingly little sign of recent avalanche activity on Archibald itself and the snowpack on the upper mountain above 1800 has yet to transition into a melt-freeze cycle. The wind came up around 4pm and was whipping plumes of snow off the summit ridge. The skiing was okay with breakable crust, wind texture and some reluctant patches of corn forming before it was back down to the willow and slush. Ended up clocking 28km & 2000m+ in an 11 1/2 hour day. Lots of bear sign in the Alsek. The juice is just worth the squeeze, if that's your thing!