Trip Reports

June 12 Team Caches at 16,400′

It was a big day for the June 12 team, the first day of climbing on the upper mountain(above 14 Camp. The terrain immediately above the big 14 Camp starts out pretty mellow, but the slope increases as the climbers ascend. After about an hour of hiking, the snow starts to get quite steep, culminating…

June 7 Team – ON THE SUMMIT!

Four members of our June 7 West Buttress Team reached the summit of North America today! Stephane Mayer, Serge Larouche, Jonathon Eakes and Lead Guide Zach Keskinen pushed hard in cold, windy conditions to reach the summit of Denali today.  Reports from the day were that it was a tough, cold day.  The weather started…

June 17 Team Cached Below Camp 2

Today, the June 17th team carried loads to an elevation of about 10,200′ (3010m).  They loaded up packs and sleds with roughly half of their supplies, extra clothing and carried it all uphill for several hours.  Arriving at their intended destination, they dug a deep pit in the snow and buried a “cache.”  After marking…

June 12 Pancoe Team Moves To Camp 3

Lead Guide Brian Muller called in on behalf of the June 12, Pancoe Team.  They moved up to establish a new camp at 14,200′ (4328m) in very good weather.  They were a bit delayed getting out of their previous camp due to wet snow that turned their tents in popsicles.  Packing frozen tents is a…

Team Snyder West Buttress Team Is At Base Camp!

Lead Guide Nick Nason checked in from Base Camp where he joins Alan Snyder and Mountain Trip Guide Logan Demarcus for a private expedition attempting the iconic West Buttress route on North America’s tallest mountain – Denali.  At 20,310 feet tall, Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, dominates the Alaskan landscape for over a hundred…

June 10 Denali Team Moves To Camp 3

Lead Guide Brian Kramp called in from the broad basin camp at 14,200′ (4342m).  This camp is sometimes referred to as “14 Camp,” or Camp 3 and the locals call it Genet Basin, a reference to one of the early guides on Denali, who would camp out at this elevation for much of the season,…

June 7 Team Rest Day at High Camp

The June 7 Team is tucked away at High Camp, resting and hydrating and relaxing before the final push to the summit. Stephane reports that it’s been fairly windy at High Camp, but the team is protected behind snow walls that surround their camp. Fingers crossed for calm, clear weather in the coming days for…