Constance called in a dispatch in French, which we, unfortunately, do not speak very well. If anyone could please post a translation into the comments, we’d sure appreciate it!! The team spent the day at Camp 1 being rained on intermittently. The weather has been incredibly difficult, with low visibility and rain. We have occasionally…
Mountain Trip lead guide, Jacob Schmitz, called in an update for the June 10 team last night as a foot and a half of fresh snow was falling above Camp 2 11,200 ft (3414 m). The team has been unable to make their move back up to Windy Corner 13,000 ft (3962 m) and onto…
To quote the famous Robert Service poem, “There are strange things done under the midnight sun…” Our Rapid Ascent Team called in from a very, very snowy 14,200 foot camp, where they are ruminating about the niceties of life not inside a ping pong ball. Today’s update let us all know that they carried a…
Dodging rain showers and pushing through generally poor conditions, the June 18 Team ascended to 10,200′ to leave a cache of equipment and supplies, then descended back to Camp 1. This system of “cache and carry” has two purposes: it helps climbers acclimatize and it allows climbers to lighten their loads between camps. It’s a…
Lead guide Chris Trullaz reports that the poor weather has prevented the team from flying back to Talkeetna and they are on a “weather hold” at base camp. It sounds like the team is doing a good job passing the time and a bit of experimental cooking (!!) is going on. Fingers crossed for the…
Lead guide Jacob Schmitz called in to report that the team is doing well and waiting out poor weather at Camp 2. Schmitz reports new snow accumulation of 12″ and snowy/blowy conditions. It sounds like the team is eating well and staying hydrated (coffee!). If the weather settles down, the plan is to move to…
Hello and welcome, June 21 team! We are so excited to be along for this journey to North America’s highest peak. We know that for many Denali is a lifelong goal, and the culmination of many months of training, and years spent in the mountains. So we are honored to have been chosen to guide these…
Mountain Trip lead guide, Jesse Wright, got on the radio to let us know that the June 18 team arrived at Camp 1 7,800 ft (2377 m) at 9 AM after traveling through the night when temperatures are lowest. The team was met with “wet and sloppy” climbing conditions so are focused on drying out…
Mountain Trip lead guide, Josh Jespersen radioed in for the June 15 Denali team to let us know that their crew is safe and sound on a rest day at Camp 3 14,200 ft (4328 m). The downtime is well deserved for this “rapid expedition” that is already 3 days ahead of the typical West…
Mountain Trip assistant guide, Kaylee Walden, called in for the June 15 team to report that their rapid ascent expedition has reached Camp 3 14,200 ft (4328 m) in just 5 days! A standard West Buttress itinerary has teams moving to “14 Camp” on the eighth day of their climb. Way to go, team! Tap…