Lead Guide Matt Park called in one last dispatch on behalf of our 2021 West Rib of Denali team. Ultimately, they made a collective decision to punch out a summit bid via the West Buttress route, due to a variety of factors. The crew worked hard and were rewarded for their efforts with the opportunity…
Brad McHose called in from the team’s 17,200 foot High Camp. The team rested today, building their base of acclimatization ahead of their planned summit bid in the coming days. It was a cold and windy day in camp. The team supported other Mountain Trip teams that pushed to, or attempted, the summit today. From…
The June 16 West Rib Team made the move to High Camp (17,200′) yesterday via the West Buttress Route. The team changed their plans from the West Rib to the West Buttress a few days earlier. At High Camp the team plans to enjoy a rest day today, to get their energy back and get…
Kevin called in today’s report. Based on the forecast of good weather in the coming days, the team decided to forgo the Rib and continue to ascend the West Buttress route, The team moved a load of equipment and supplies up the fixed lines to a cache site at 16,400′. Kevin reported good weather and…
June 16 West Rib Team called in a quick update. Unfortunately climber Alga had a hard time with the altitude during the storm and had to be flown off the glacier. Check further down in the dispatches for an update from Alga himself, who is headed back to Seattle and thankfully doing well. The team…
Climber Alga Nothern called in an update after flying off the mountain earlier this week from the West Rib expedition. Alga encountered some serious complications from altitude and was forced to make the tough but necessary call to leave the mountain. After descending quickly back to Anchorage, he is feeling much better. This affliction is…
Climber Adrian Fehr called in an update on the West Rib team, who still had a productive day despite the storm. They backcarried to retrieve their cache near Windy Corner at 13,400′, and returned to camp to hunker down and rest in their tents. They had a great taco dinner and will hopefully have the…
Brad McHose checked in from Genet Basin at 14,200′ today. A low pressure system has taken up residence on the mountain, so teams are largely just settling in, playing the “hurry up and wait” game. Expedition climbing can be as much a mental challenge as a physical one. On any climb, you have a goal…
Guide Jesse Yon called in for the West Rib team who made the move up to 14-Camp today! They pushed up from Camp Two in less-than ideal weather, even encountering a fair amount of wind at Windy Corner (living up to its namesake!) on their final push up to camp. Reaching 14,000′ is a milestone…
Kevin Dischino called in on behalf of the West Rib team. Continuing their acclimatization, they carried loads of supplies further up the West Buttress route, depositing them into a cache at about 13,500′. They climbed moderately steep terrain above their 11,000 foot camp climbing above the clouds to turn up and past a steep fin…