When passion and the urge for true adventure come together, stories emerge that resonate far beyond the summit moment. The young alpinist David Hechl shares the tale of his latest expedition to the massive north face of the remote Alaskan peak Mt. Hunter - or Begguya, as the locals call it.
Together with his team, David set out on the legendary “DEPRIVATION” route (AI6 R, M6, 2000m), right in the heart of the Kahiltna Glacier. What awaited them: temperatures below –20°C, hours of climbing on ice and rock, a night in an improvised bivouac - and a retreat in a snowstorm. Thirty-three hours that demanded a lot from the young alpinist. David recounts an experience that could hardly be more intense - and of a mountain that won’t let him go anytime soon.
DEPRIVATION, Begguya / Mt. Hunter 4400m (Alaska Range), AI6 R, M6, 2000m
April 2025
“When I first saw this stunning mountain with its incredibly steep and compact north face, I could hardly believe my eyes! At the beginning of this Alaska expedition, everything was still very hectic; by the third day of the trip, we had already been dropped off on the Kahiltna Glacier after an amazing flight. We were the only ones in basecamp and had a lot to do, as the high-pressure window we were in was forecast to close in just a day and a half. We quickly set up camp with only the essentials and started our first attempt early the next morning. On skis, we made our way to the base of the route and got ready to climb. Despite temperatures below –20°C, we climbed from the bergschrund to the 'Bibler-Come-Again' exit in about twelve hours. As we were, of course, not at all acclimatized yet and weren’t feeling great, we decided to bivouac. Using our ice tools, we hacked out a small platform in the ice – just big enough for the three of us to sit side by side. The night wasn’t very restful – it was extremely cold, and there was a lot of spindrift, which gradually filled our bivy sacks with snow. The next morning, with the weather beginning to turn, we decided to start the descent instead of continuing to the summit.
The descent was long and complex – including about 30 rappels, most of which we had to set up or reinforce ourselves. After 33 hours, including seven hours of rappelling, we arrived back at our skis at the base of the mountain – happy and healthy. The predicted snowstorm had already reached us, but thankfully, all we had to do was return to basecamp.
We had an intense time on the wall – and definitely the kind of adventure we were looking for. I’m incredibly happy and grateful to have had this experience. We’ll probably remember this journey for a long time.”
