Mountain Trip lead guide Eli Potter called in with an update on the May 29 West Buttress team, who plan to move up to High Camp on the route at 17,200′–as long as the weather cooperates.

The team had their early alarms set this morning, and planned to be heading out to get a start up the fixed lines by 4:30 am, in order to beat the crowds of climbers that have become “backed up” at 14-Camp due to a long weather delay. On the fixed lines up and out of the beautiful Genet Basin where 14-Camp is situated, lies some of the most exposed terrain of the West Buttress Route. The team is anticipating climbing for around 7 hours steadily before reaching High Camp.

Once at High Camp, they will be poised to head for the summit at 20,310′, if and when appropriate conditions present themselves. Even now, the team is high above most of the mighty mountains of the Alaska Range, and will enjoy spectacular views out for hundreds of miles during their climb today. The biggest and most technical climbing lies ahead of them.

Hopefully their next call will be from 17,200′! The weather seems to finally show signs of clearing after a long storm, during the stormiest climbing season that we at Mountain Trip can recall in recent years.

Here’s Eli: