Trip Report
ACCVI - Leadership Weekend (June 20-22, 2025)
Location: Hišimy̓awiƛ
On the morning of the 2025 summer solstice, a small group of ACCVI leaders - experienced, new, and prospective - hit the 5040 trailhead for a hut weekend at Hišimy̓awiƛ.
Our objectives were multifold: networking with other members and leaders, brainstorming trips, practicing trip-planning, and one of the most important leadership/alpine skills - often underemphasized or overlooked entirely - the post-trip group debrief.
On the first day, after settling in at the hut and devouring Ingo’s homemade red lentil stew (yum!), we turned our minds to the next day’s objective: a traverse of the ridge between 5040 and Nahmint, with possible summit of the latter; an ambitious and mostly exploratory goal. The day’s activity was meant to facilitate our primary goals, and not meant to be “the goal”. The early summer conditions meant lots of snow remained and travel would be slower accordingly. We decided to go as far as it “made sense”. We set out the next morning on crampons and with ice axes in hand. We made it over the 5040 col on down the steep face covered in consolidated late spring/early summer conditions and connected with the ridgeline below that would, in theory, take us to the base of the Nahmint summit pyramid.
(Descending from the 5040 col, Nahmint in the background - right)
We navigated the ridge for the majority of the day, in and out of sun and swirling mist clouds. The traverse was more beautiful than many of us anticipated and for many of us, the wheels were set in motion for future trips in this region.
We made it approximately half way to Nahmint before calling it good. As we got closer to the summit pyramid, we saw that it was completely free of snow and a committing climb. Nahmint was clearly more technical than expected and the overall consensus was that next time, we would want ropes and protection to make a summit bid.
(Yvonne, Becky, Odessa, Rachel, Ingo, Peggy)
We enjoyed a relaxed lunch and short siesta on the ridge before retracing our steps to the hut. On the way back, some of the group detoured to the 5040 summit despite the misty conditions, while the rest of us got dinner ready in the hut.
Early the next morning, four of us took a different route to the summit for more steep snow practice, up one of the couloirs - a short pitch of approximately 100m. The snow was firm and steeper than the previous day. We arrived on the summit just after sunrise. The views were stunning. We descended the normal route down to the hut, enjoyed breakfast and coffee, and packed up for our hike out.
(Early birds get the 5040 sunrise summit - Odessa, Yvonne, Becky, and Ingo)
(Summit of 5040 - Nahmint poking up high above the clouds, looking across at the partially covered ridge we traversed the day before)
(Sunset from Hišimy̓awiƛ - 24 hours after the summer solstice)
On all accounts the weekend was successful and fun. We forged meaningful connections, shared and practiced core alpine skills, and hatched plans for future club trips (some already in the works). Thanks so much to Rachel Treloar for co-leading and everyone who attended - until the next one!