Palmer teen

summits Denali

July 29, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Sixteen-year-old Sven Johnson, who finished a two-week summit of Mount McKinley on the Fourth of July, abhors most climbing flicks.

"I'm not a huge fan of climbing moves. Movies like 'Vertical Limit' don't put mountaineering in a favorable light. They're not very real. They have to use explosives and stuff like that to make it exciting," Sven said.

He paused for a moment, and chuckled.

"I'm sure anyone would be bored to death with a movie of our climb Š sitting in a tent all day to acclimate to different elevations. But, when you're actually in the middle of it, it's pretty exciting," he said of his jaunt up to the 20,320-foot peak.

Sven did a work trade with Alaska Mountaineering School in Talkeetna to get his slot on a nine-man expedition up Mount McKinley during the 2005 climbing season. Colby Coombs and Caitlan Palmer, a husband-and-wife team, operate AMS.

The team - comprised of three guides from AMS and climbers ranging in age from 16 to 19 years old - shaved a week off the typical time it takes to reach the peak. Good weather, an excellent team, and professional guides contributed to the successful summit, which took two instead of the usual three weeks, Sven said.

During the actual summit, Sven said he experienced a wave of pride for the whole team and the AMS guides who provided a safe journey based on wise decisions.

Sven also reserves much of his admiration and gratitude for Coombs and Palmer.

"I don't feel like it was my accomplishment alone," Sven said. "Colby and Caitlan helped me to progress toward my goals."

Five years ago, the Johnson family inherited a Talkeetna cabin from his grandmother. That structure was moved onto the lot next to the AMS building. Along with his parents, Sven invested sweat equity in remodeling his grandmother's shed into a home.

Meanwhile, AMS became a second home for Sven, who, at age 14, won a scholarship for a six-day mountaineering course in the Alaska Range. Later, he participated in a 12-day wilderness workshop in the Talkeetna Mountains, and then he got some wilderness first responder medical training under his belt.

"It teaches you to deal with any type of injury you're likely to encounter in the wilderness environment," he said.

Sven put some hours into an avalanche awareness course offered by Alaska Mountain Safety Center.

This summer, he prepared for his Mount McKinley trip by scaling peaks in the Valley, like Matanuska Peak and some mountains in Hatcher Pass.

He also exercised daily, usually practicing the martial art taekwondo, he said.

A background in taekwondo helped Sven control his breathing, especially at higher elevations where he was nearly hyperventilating as it became harder to get oxygen.

"You should be physically fit to climb Denali. There are parts of the climb when you have to tell yourself you have to keep going and get to the top. There are other parts when you have to tell yourself to stop and have the courage to let other people know your limitations," he said.

Already graduated from home schooling, Sven's future seems limitless. He's been thinking about applying for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, although he can't start until next fall when he turns 18. This fall, he plans to take some math and science classes at Mat-Su College.

Although this summer's summit of North America's highest peak may have earned Sven bragging rights, he isn't bragging.

If it weren't for becoming acquainted with Coombs and Palmer and gaining opportunities to learn about mountaineering at a young age, he probably wouldn't have tackled Mount McKinley as a 16-year-old, he said.

So, what goes through a person's head when they're standing on the summit of Mount McKinley? "It was pretty exhilarating," he said. "It was the realization of long-standing dream of mine. I felt fulfilled and happy."

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@

frontiersman.com.