Well, they say that one thing you can count on with the weather is that it will always change. The stormy, snowy weather that has taken up residence over much of the Alaska Range has released its icy hold and planes are flying! All of our teams that have been stuck at Base Camp are…
Congratulations to the West Rib Team! Klara, Jay, and Eli had a beautiful day for the big push to the summit from their high camp on the West Rib. It is a huge accomplishment to successfully climb the entire West Rib to the summit, and requires a ton of work, dedication, and not a little…
The long stretch of bluebird skies and low winds came to a halt a couple days ago, when a low pressure system moved across the mountain, bringing with it clouds and snow. We currently have 6 teams on Denali and one waiting to fly into the Range. Here is the general update as of Wednesday,…
Eli Potter was able to send a photo from the lower part of the West Rib today, via his iPhone! We have not heard of cellular data service available on the mountain until now, so this is exciting news! The team is camped at 16,400′, resting up for a summit bid when the weather improves. …
Perhaps the hardest working team on the mountain right now, our West Rib team has been working non-stop for two weeks at this point. They have seen no other signs of climbers on the lower half of the West Rib, and have climbed a vertical mile above the base of the route. They’ve only got…
The satellite phone call was pretty garbled tonight, but the W. Rib team checked in and they are moving on up the route. They hope to be in high camp at 16,400 ft tomorrow and they are doing well. recording
Eli Potter called in from Apex Camp on the West Rib of Denali. The team had a big, hard day of climbing to reach this small perch at roughly 12,900′. They had to negotiate a very challenging bergschrund, which is a large, crack or crevasse that forms where the glacier of a valley pulls away…
The West Rib team made it up to the base of the West Rib proper today. They had a long, tough go of it as they made their way up the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, aka “The Valley of Death.” The moniker is earned by the numerous crevasses that riddle the glacier as…
Eli Potter called in from a hot day on the glacier. They descended back to 7,800′ and are relaxing during the heat of the day. They plan to head up into the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier during the night, when the glacier is frozen. recording
The West Rib team carried food and fuel up to the high camp at 16,400′ to prepare a cache for their push up the route. They made great time, which is a very good indicator of how they will do on the route itself, and everyone is feeling confident for their upcoming ascent of the…