After standing on the summit (20,310′ 6190m), Jesse, Gary, and Grant made their way back to High Camp (17,200′ 5242m) where they collapsed into their sleeping bags for some rest after a long day. Yesterday they morning, they got up, packed up camp, and made their way back to the Fixed Lines to descend back…
After leaving Talkeetna, the team flew across the flat expanse of braided rivers that leads to the Alaska Range. Flying over the foot of the range they traveled across the glaciated, frozen peaks into Denali Basecamp at 7,200′ (2194m). Unloading their supplies from the plane, the team set up in Basecamp temporarily to wait for…
Jordan sends in a final dispatch for the team: “After a gorgeous final stroll down the Kahiltna early this AM, from camp 1 to Base Camp, the team enjoyed a final restful day at the airstrip waiting for the runway to soften. In due order TAT swooped in to grab us in the afternoon. With…
We would like to welcome the June 22 West Buttress team! We’re so excited to be along for the ride and don’t take lightly that touching the pearly white slopes of Denali is a life goal for many after several months of training and years spent on mountains locally and around the world. The team will…
Yesterday the team was able to put in their first cache at 13,500′ (4114m). Caching is indicative of an expedition style of climbing. It allows teams to break up their super heavy loads (usually around 110lbs) into smaller, lighter loads. The team will pick through and choose gear and supplies that won’t be needed for…
Yesterday evening our June 7 team was able to stand on the tallest point in North America!! Congratulations to this team for their huge effort to make this happen. It wasn’t easy–it never is. But I am sure they all feel it was worth it, and we were so excited to hear they had made…
Yesterday the team was able to descend into Camp 1 at 7,800′ (2377m) before the glacier got too warm to continue. They camped here for the day, waiting until 1am when the glacier had refrozen before continuing their descent. Early this morning they arrived back in Basecamp (7,200′ 2194m) where they await their flight back…
We would like to welcome the June 21 West Buttress team! We’re so excited to be along for the ride and don’t take lightly that touching the pearly white slopes of Denali is a life goal for many after several months of training and years spent on mountains locally and around the world. The team will…
Today the team enjoyed another rest day at High Camp as they wait and prepare for their weather window. Today, the Summer Solstice, they will be making their summit attempt! We wish the team luck, and looking forward to hearing from them later tonight. Summit attempts typically take around 12 hours. They will have to…
Yesterday the team moved into Camp 2 at 11,200′ (3413m). Sounds like they were able to take a couple of ski laps above camp! They also spent a bit of time going over crampon and ice ax use, since they will employ those as they progress up the mountain and make their first cache today.…