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…
We’d like to welcome Bob Baker to Alaska! Bob is attempting the West Buttress of Denali, North America’s highest peak, and he is accompanied by Mountain Trip guide team Joe Butler and Ben Adkison. The West Buttress is a classic mountaineering challenge that climbs 13,000′ from the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier to the…
The majority of the West Rib team arrived back in Anchorage yesterday, 22 days after departing for the glacier. The climbers did well, but were stymied by a rough stretch of weather that unfortunately, denied them any opportunity to get high on Denali. A good friend once told me that, “Luck is when timing and…
Durny called in from a very snowy Camp 2 at 11,200′. 20″ of snow fell on the team, with winds gusting to 30 mph. The team spent a lot of time digging their tents out of the continuously billowing snow. Digging sessions were interspersed with eating, sleeping, reading and sessions of listening to music. Here…
Fred Simmons called in from amidst a blizzard. The team took a rest day today, and started to catch up on some of their summer reading. It has been snowing heavily and the team welcomed the break so that the can just eat, sleep, read and repeat! Spirits sure seemed high, with Fred reporting that…
The team could not make upward progress today, as it snowed a lot in the past 24 hours. They have plenty of food and everyone is doing well, but they are eager to start moving again, after two days of inactivity. recording
The Upper West Rib team called in from the relative warmth of their cook tent, amidst a snow 14,200′ camp. The weather has been pretty rough for the past couple of days and the team is waiting, resting, and eating. Often, one of the harder aspects of an expedition is the waiting. When the weather…
We received a very truncated post from Eli Potter, that did not provide any real information, so we’ll fill in the blanks about the Japan 8 8 Team. They awoke yesterday (June 9)to very stormy conditions and chose to remain at Camp, rather than push up into the maelstrom. We have not yet heard from…
Scott Woolums called in from a very snowy 14,200′ camp. The team had planned to take a rest day today, after making their cache on the ridge yesterday, but the weather that moved in has made today a mandatory day at the 14,200′ camp. Everyone is doing well; however, Volker and Wolfgang have elected to…
Base camp is located at 7,200 on the Southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. It can be a bustling place, with the deep drone of aircraft echoing off the surrounding walls. Here are some images to help readers get a sense of what your friends and family are experiencing on their Denali climb. …