Scholarship fund created to honor Trapper Creek mountaineer

WASILLA — Browse the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center website and at the top of the page you will find a link to the Johnny Soderstrom Memorial Scholarship Fund, which organizers hope will encourage young mountain enthusiasts to pursue avalanche education to increase their level of safety and awareness in the backcountry.

The scholarship, open to residents of the Mat-Su Valley, is named for Johnny Soderstrom, a Trapper Creek mountaineer who died in a 2005 avalanche attempting a winter ascent of Mount Huntington in the Alaska Range.

“We worked with Johnny as mountain guides, were neighbors with him when he built a cabin next door, and have cared for his dog Dylan since his death in 2005,” said Allie Barker with the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center. “He was raised on a homestead in Trapper Creek and was an iconic Alaskan with a passion for mountain adventure.”

Barker said in February 2005, Soderstrom began an expedition to attempt the first winter ascent of Huntington with a unique approach — starting from his home in Trapper Creek. He and a partner took snowmachines to the Tokositna Glacier, then skied to the base of the 12,241-foot peak.

“While approaching the steep climb of the West Couloir, Johnny was taken by an avalanche that buried him in a crevasse,” Barker said. His body was never recovered.

Barker said the memorial, started in 2014, was dedicated to Soderstrom’s spirit for adventure and his dedication to teaching in the mountains.

“Johnny is sorely missed by his family, his friends and a large mountain community,” Barker said.

Classes are offered by the Alaska Avalanche School and through the Alaska Avalanche Information Center.

“The Alaska Avalanche School offers many classes, but we highly recommended the three day Level 1 courses for $380 and a four-day Level 2 for $535,” Barker said.

She added that taking a class is the first step to a safer backcountry experience.

“The classes will help participants recognize avalanche hazards, how to travel and stay safe in avalanche terrain and how to communicate those hazards to their partners,“ she said. “They will learn rescue skills and become proficient with companion rescue.”

For more information, visit hatcherpassavalanchecenter.org and click on the “JSM Scholarship Fund” tab.

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com