Climber Aaron called in an update on the May 17 West Buttress team, who spent the day digging and placing their first cache, up above Camp One. They ascended Ski Hill amidst snow flurries and some classic Alaska Range wind, and left a cache near Denali Pass. Since the team is climbing in expedition style, they will continue to cache and backcarry (descending the route to retrieve a cache) throughout the trip. This style of climbing both enables them to bring more gear up the route while simultaneously hauling lighter loads, but also helps with acclimatization as they follow the “climb high – sleep low” protocol.
Weather permitting, the team will move from Camp One to Camp Two at 11,200′ tomorrow.
Here’s Aaron!
