10/14/2021
Betty Ivanoff Menard was the first Native Alaskan woman to summit Denali and this year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this historic climb.
In 1971, Betty had a fateful encounter with three German climbers at an Eberhard's sporting goods store in Anchorage. She was only 21 years old and had recently quit her job and had gone on several adventures, including a bike ride from Fairbanks to Valdez, a rafting trip down the Tanana, and an unsuccessful attempt at Mount Drum's summit.
Betty was born to an Inupiaq family in Unalakleet, Alaska, where she was the sixth of eight siblings. Her maternal grandfather was the village chief and her dad worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration, which later became the Federal Aviation Administration. After high school, Betty went to the Lower 48 but returned to work in Anchorage. In 1970, she joined the Mountaineering Club of Alaska and started climbing peaks in the Chugach and Talkeetna mountains.
The chance encounter with the German climbing team happened in late July 1971. While shopping for some camping gear, Betty overheard some foreigners needing directions to Talkeetna. She stepped in to help and, on a whim, became the fourth member of their expedition. Gerhard Ahlbrecht, Tilman Spohr, Hartmut Spohr, and Betty flew to base camp on the Kahiltna Glacier and spent the next 17 days climbing towards the summit.
On August 13, 1971, Betty Ivanoff Menard became the first Alaska Native woman to ascend Denali. She achieved the historic feat despite falling into a crevasse and being a month pregnant. She faced other challenges like not speaking the same language as the rest of her party, but she also demonstrated that Indigenous women are capable of thriving in a male-dominated sport.
While camping at 14,000 feet on her way to Denali's summit, Betty described the glory that some observe along the journey to the top:
"This night the sky was clear and on the ridge to the east of us we watched the wind whirl the snow up, up and up where the sun caught the spray making an impression of the northern lights exploding and slowly dissipating. And then there's Denali! – beckoning in all its glorious splendor. Oh! What a life! To be here amongst the great peaks – Denali, Foraker, Hunter. To be nestled in here at Windy Corner with the stars twinkling in crisp minus 10 degree temp. A thin wispy film of clouds move in at 30,000' and then like a ghost a cloud creeps round about us and disappears in a breath. To bed, to bed you full-bellied sleepyhead. I awaken a little later to an eerie brightness. A peek out the tent reveals a full moon. Ah-h-h life!"
Following her ascent, Betty married George Menard in November 1971 and they built a home at Ermine Lake near Trapper Creek. Their daughter, Shanti Maya, was born the following year. Betty continued to be a member of the Mountaineering Club of Alaska for years, and she served in the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group.
More info on this article is located here: https://go.nps.gov/betty
NPS Photo/DENA Collection 102122
