This incredible guide on an area of Sheep Creek near Valdez made its way to AIC in 2023 from Silvie Fojtik. The story goes that she found the handwritten card in a book in the climbing section of a “sweet” Canmore thrift store. The card was tucked inside a very old Alaska climbing guidebook. It is unclear how the card was created, but it appears that the sketch was possibly drawn by the late Godefroy Perroux, according to Brian Teale’s Planet Ice guide with a very similar sketch. The note is written to Guy, possibly Guy Lacrampe, based on a documented FA, Les Compagnons De L’Ombre, in this valley at the same time. And, Philippe Pibarout is identified in Planet Ice as part of the exploration group, likely the author of the note in this historical guide. A written translation by Martin Bril of this guide from french follows,
“Hi Guy,
I had to write you a second card to tell you about the end of the trip. Finally, while climbing Tsuri Gane, we discovered a new site higher in the canyon, about 3/4 hr on skis in Sheep Creek. But the weather turned so we climbed Necromancer. We escaped for 2 days to Chitina and did a stunning waterfall on the other side of the Copper river that we crossed by raft. That waterfall, Blackbird, a must, 100 m with a continuous 40 m of very steep ice. Finally at the end we had 2 days of good weather and “opened” (FA’d?) 3 beautiful waterfalls in the new spot which has potential for at least 7 more.”
