We would like to welcome the second Mountain Trip Denali ski team of the season! The June 15 West Buttress Ski 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…
Yesterday the team was able to sleep in and leave camp when the sun was shining warmly on the tents. They walked leisurely back to their cache site at 13,200′ (3413m), dug up their supplies, and walked back up to camp. Combined with some rest and snacks, the team likely also geared up to practice…
Yesterday the team left camp to climb 1,000′ to the start of the fixed lines, which took about two hours to get to. Once arriving at the bergshrund (where a glacier meets steep ice, creating a crevasse that sloughs dramatically away from the steep ice and continues across an entire mountain face) the team found themselves…
The team took another rest day today in preparation for their move up to High Camp which is likely happening today! Yesterday they were able to take the time to prep for this move, as all unnecessary items must be weeded out. Packs need to be as light as possible to preserve as much energy…
Yesterday the team packed up and moved from Camp 2 (11,200′ 3413m) up to Camp 3. They climbed first up the mile long Motorcycle Hill, cresting then Squirrel Hill, landing on the Polo Field, a basin of the glacier sloping upwards to Windy Corner. Atop another hill lies Windy Corner. The large granite buttress, the…
Yesterday the team was able to sleep in and leave camp when the sun was shining warmly on the tents. They walked leisurely back to their cache site at 13,200′ (3413m), dug up their supplies, and walked back up to camp. Combined with some rest and snacks, the team also geared up to practice using…
After caching on the ridge at 16,200′ (4937m) the team took a well deserved rest day today. They enjoyed some splendid blueberry pancakes at 14,200′ (4328m) this morning, as well as a hike out to The Edge of the World. The Edge of the World is where Genet Basin, where Camp 3 lies, drops a…
The June 7 team was able to put in their next cache at Windy Corner, which sits at about 13,200′ (4023m). With crampons on boots and ice axes in hand, the team began their day by first climbing a mile and 800′ up Motorcycle Hill. After topping out here, they climbed up Squirrel Hill into…
May 27 team is back in Talkeetna! It was a bit of a run around to get out, but that is how these things go sometimes. We’re glad to hear the team had a good time on the mountain and were psyched they were able to touch the summit as well. A summit is never…
Yesterday the team packed up camp at 11,200′ (3413m) and retraced their steps to Windy Corner. Once past Windy Corner they climbed into Genet Basin where Camp 2 resides. Sitting at the base of the granite face of the West Buttress, the headwall up to the 16,200′ (4937m) ridge, and some iconic ski lines that…