We are pleased to welcome the team members of our 3rd Denali team of the 2015 climbing season.  The team, including a father and two sons, consists of climbers  from points around the world.  Climbing a big, cold mountain such as Denali entails a lot of preparation, as well as a healthy dose of trust in your partners.  We really appreciate the trust these climbers have placed in us as partners in their upcoming experience.  The guides have been busy packing food and the team equipment as well as reviewing skills, procedures and strategies for the expedition.

Let’s meet the team!

Fabian Fabbro from Australia

David Rickman from Oregon

Nicholas Rickman from Maryland

Zachary Rickman from Maryland

Doug Warburton from England

Paul Sparrow from England

And our Alaska based guide team:

Robert “Durny” Durnell from Girdwood, Alaska

Kyle Bates, a native Alaskan

Rene Welty, a native Alaskan

On Wednesday the group gathered for a team meeting/equipment check at the Millennium Alaska Hotel, in Anchorage.  Following an overview of the expedition and some detailed discussion of the days to come, the climbers double checked their equipment and packed up some snacks for the climb. They left Anchorage early Thursday morning for the two hour drive north to Talkeetna, where they checked in with our air taxi service and sat through a mandatory National Park Service climber orientation. A small weather system moved in early Thursday afternoon, and the team was unable to fly to the glacier, as planned. They ended up spending the night in Talkeetna, on “hold” until the weather clears and the planes can resume flying.

We will do our best to provide daily updates from the field, but please understand that on occasion, we will most likely miss a day or two.  This can result from the team being busy and not having time to call in or from weather and terrain variables, either of which can make calling in from Denali a challenge.