The June 22nd team has begun their descent off the mountain, and while this ski expedition didn’t end with a summit, it ended with a group of climbers who should be incredibly proud of everything they accomplished on Denali.
The team started down from 14 Camp last night, reaching Camp 1 around 5:30 this morning. With warm daytime temperatures on the lower glacier, they made the smart call to set up tents and rest through the day, waiting for the cold of the evening before continuing down. Traveling the lower glacier in the cooler overnight hours is the safest approach, since the firmer, refrozen snow makes for more stable travel across the crevasses below. If the weather cooperates, the team will make their final push to Basecamp tonight or early tomorrow morning.
It’s worth pausing to recognize just how much this team took on. They set out to do one of the most ambitious things a climber can attempt on Denali: not just reach the 20,310-foot summit, but ski back down from it. Over the course of the expedition, they hauled heavy loads up the lower glacier, navigated Windy Corner, worked the fixed lines, and established themselves high on the mountain, all while carrying the added weight and complexity of their ski gear. They pushed through storm days, high winds, and unsettled conditions, and they made careful, thoughtful decisions every step of the way.
On Denali, the summit is never a given, and the mountain always has the final say. The true measure of an expedition isn’t a single point on a map; it’s the climbing, the resilience shown through long days and hard weather, the trust built between teammates, and the experience of testing yourself in one of the most spectacular and demanding places on the planet. By every one of those measures, the June 22nd team had a tremendous expedition. They climbed strong, looked out for one another, listened to the mountain, and made the calls that kept everyone safe.
For now, the team is resting at Camp 1, waiting for the right window to make the final push to Basecamp. We are so proud of every member of the June 22nd team. Congratulations to the climbers and guides on a hard-fought and unforgettable expedition on Denali.
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Interested in more information about conditions and happenings on Denali? Be sure to also check out the Denali National Park’s Denali Dispatches Blog where they post weekly Field Reports.
