Today a group of climbers from around the world are finishing their journey to Anchorage, Alaska, where they will join together as a team to attempt to climb a classic route on the highest peak in North America. The West Buttress route is an iconic challenge for mountaineers, ascending 13,000′ from a tributary of the…
The June 7 team awoke to clear skies and very warm temperatures, so they packed up their equipment and departed for the summit at around 08:30 local time. They will call in when they either reach the summit or reach their high point, but we’re optimists and are expecting a phone call from the top…
Durny checked in with today’s update form the 11,200′ camp. Jeff took Jurgen and Tamera up above camp to carry a load to about 13,500′. Durny stayed behind with Sangeeta, whose feet suffered from some blisters formed while coming up the lower glacier. A day of healing can do wonders, especially if taken before moving…
Duncan called in from 14,200′ after the team had a fairly easy day dropping down 700′ to pick up a cache of supplies they had left a couple days earlier. They plan to rest tomorrow and then see what options might present for slipping up to High Camp and hopefully on to the summit in…
Hernan Leal called in from the team’s Camp 3, located at 14,200′ in a broad basin. They are doing great and will spend a few days at this camp, allowing their bodies to acclimatize before moving up another 900m to High Camp. Hernán Leal llamó desde el Campo del equipo 3, ubicado en 14200 ‘en…
Guide Dan Starr called in a post that was unfortunately very hard to understand, due to the challenges of communicating with satellites orbiting to the south when climbing at extreme northern latitudes… The team moved up and took up residence at 11,200′ in a beautiful basin, lined with steep snow slopes and sheer ice cliffs.…
Lead Guide Sebastian (Seba) Grau called in from High Camp. The team took a planned rest and acclimatization day at 17,200′ today, resting and letting their bodies adjust to the much thinner air of this camp. We generally plan to take this day, as most teams really benefit from spending a day recuperating from the…
Gary Falk called in from 14,200′ with a post that was unfortunately cut short by the inconsistencies of satellite communication from such northern latitudes. He and Roger carried a load up the steepest section of the route today, departing camp and hiking up moderate snow slopes to the base of a feature often called The…
The June 13th team dropped back down glacier today, retrieving the supplies they had left at 9,800′ a couple days earlier. Lead Guide Durny gave some insight into the team’s meals with references of quesadillas for lunch ad a pizza dinner. Also of interest is his report of hearing thunder from a lightning storm to…
Duncan called in from the teams new home, located at 14,200′ in a broad basin. This is one of the more populous camps on the route, as climbers tend to spend more time here than at other elevations, both acclimatizing and waiting for their window of opportunity to move to the much less hospitable High…