It’s been a busy few days for the June 1 team. They broke camp, descended to Base Camp, got lucky with the weather and flew out. Bam! We expect a final trip dispatch to arrive anytime, but in the meantime please know that everyone is back safe and sound.
The storm continues to rage high on Denali, with winds estimated at 60 mph and waist deep snow. The team has their hands full digging out tents and maintaining camp. The weight of the snow can quickly collapse tents and it’s a critical job to stay on top of the snow accumulation in camp. With…
A large moisture system is sitting on the Alaska range, preventing teams from ascending/descending and from flying in the range. When storms like this one move in, teams hunker down and try to practice one of the hardest skills in mountaineering—–patience. The weather will improve, but it’s difficult knowing that the timing is indeterminate and…
Luiz Cavalieri called in on behalf of the June 11th West Buttress team. Despite very tough weather that has kept other teams in camp on the upper parts of Denali, Luiz and his team were able to carry loads of supplies up above Camp 1 to a spot near the very start of the Kahiltna…
Nathan called in this evening from the June 1 team, waiting out the weather at 14,200 ft on Denali. It was a stormy day up higher on the mountain, so they spent the day fortifying camp and trying to stay busy and motivated. They expect another day or two of stormy weather, so they’ll be…
Weather settled in as the team was moving a load of equipment and supplies from 14 Camp to a cache site on the ridge above camp. The Team departed 14 Camp, hiked up moderate snow slopes for roughly 1200′ before encountering “The Headwall.” Also known as “the fixed lines,” this 600′ stretch of snow and ice…
The June 1 team and Lead Guide Seba earn a gold star for their excellent communication while on the mountain. Nathan called in another report from later in the day, after Seba called in the morning. The team enjoyed a nice, long, leisurely breakfast, then made a quick drop down to the cache site just…
Yesterday was a long, hard day for the team as they made the move from 11 Camp to 14 Camp. It has been snowing heavily and the team broke trail through waist deep snow to reach camp. Breaking trail is exhausting work! It sounds like the team will take today to rest, hydrate, and enjoy…
The weather closed in and the the team stayed put, safe and sound, in 11 Camp. The team will be ready to roll and excited to stretch their legs once the clouds lift and they can continue to ascend. The photo below is of 11 Camp looking south on a clear day. Here’s Nathan with…
Unfortunately the call was cut short due to the vagaries of satellite communication in the mountains, but we were able to catch that the team is fine and hunkered down at 11 Camp, watching it snow. Guide Chris reports 1.5 feet of fresh snow! Here’s Chris: recording