Trip Reports

Backcarry for June 6 Team

Lead Guide Eli reports that the team made the short drop down from 14 Camp to their cache site at Windy Corner. It wasn’t particularly smooth traveling, as the team broke trail on the descent, and then due to the wind, broke trail on the ascent, as well. That is exhausting work and the team…

June 1 Team Attempts to Cache, Turns Around

Weather settled in as the team was moving a load of equipment and supplies from 14 Camp to a cache site on the ridge above camp. The Team departed 14 Camp, hiked up moderate snow slopes for roughly 1200′ before encountering “The Headwall.” Also known as “the fixed lines,” this 600′ stretch of snow and ice…

June 11 Team Moves to Camp 1

The Team moved from Base Camp to Camp 1 today, gaining about 600′ in elevation and traveling a total of five miles up the Kahiltna Glacier. It’s a rather straightforward day, but difficult in that the team is carrying the heaviest loads. Climbers manage this by using sleds to help them move the kit necessary…

Gold Star for the June 1 Team

The June 1 team and Lead Guide Seba earn a gold star for their excellent communication while on the mountain. Nathan called in another report from later in the day, after Seba called in the morning. The team enjoyed a nice, long, leisurely breakfast, then made a quick drop down to the cache site just…

June 8 Team Moves to 11 Camp

Cold and snowy conditions on Denali have made it challenging for teams to move, but each team is persevering and the June 8 team is no exception. According to veteran Lead Guide Scott Woolums (who has several rounds of 7 Summits on his resume), the team moved to 11 Camp under “difficult snow conditions.” Scott…

June 11 Team at Base Camp

Due to the weather, the team had a bit of a delay flying out of Talkeetna to the Kahiltna Glacier. It’s not uncommon for teams to be delayed in Talkeetna and it’s not an uncomfortable place to spend a few extra hour. As soon as the weather cooperated, the team mobilized and flew in to…

June 1 Team at 14 Camp

Yesterday was a long, hard day for the team as they made the move from 11 Camp to 14 Camp. It has been snowing heavily and the team broke trail through waist deep snow to reach camp. Breaking trail is exhausting work! It sounds like the team will take today to rest, hydrate, and enjoy…

June 4 Team Moves to 14 Camp

It was snowing heavily as the team set out from 11 Camp but the winds stayed fairly calm and the team was able to push up to 14 Camp. The poor weather over the last few days stacked up a bunch of teams at 11 Camp and it sounds like there were a bunch of…

June 6 Team Caches

Unfortunately the call was once again cut short, but are able to hear the beginning of Lead Guide Eli’s report. It was a snowy, cold day but the team pushed through and carried a load of equipment and supplies to 13700′. Everyone is back a camp and doing well. Here’s Eli: recording  

Meet the June 11 Denali Team

WELCOME JUNE 11 DENALI WEST BUTTRESS TEAM! A team of climbers from around the world met in Anchorage yesterday for a Team Meeting and equipment check. The team spent the day finalizing packing and picking up last minute supplies. Early this morning the guide team will collect the climbers and journey three hours north to…