Jed Porter calls in from Anchorage to let us know the team is back in civilization and doing well. Good job team! He sent us this summary; “We did it. A few days ago we clicked into skis on the summit of Denali and today we are in Anchorage. We skied all of Denali. “Skiing…
Lead guide Jordan Cargill called in from Camp 1 (7,800′ 21377m) last night. The team started bright and early from Basecamp yesterday. As they left, they actually first descended 600′ down Heartbreak Hill from Basecamp. Basecamp is located on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier which, like a tributary of a river, flows downhill…
Yesterday the May 29 team was able to put in their last cache at 16,200′ (4937m). They began their day by climbing up the snow slope rising behind Camp 3 for 1,200′ (365m) which usually takes a couple of hours. Here they arrived at the bergschrund below the fixed lines where the Headwall begins. A…
Correll updated us from High Camp last night! Yesterday the team packed up camp at Camp 3. They retraced their steps to their cache site at 16,200′ (4937m). First climbing 1,200′ (365m) to the bottom of the Fixed Lines, then ascending 800′ (243m) up the Fixed Lines to the ridge. From here they gain another…
June 5 team reports “Perfect flying conditions and smooth landing on the Kahiltna. Following an afternoon of training we enjoyed our first team meal in the shadow of Mt.Hunter. Early to bed for an early start tomorrow. We will be on night patrol on the lower mountain to avoid the heat of the day. Everyone is in good spirits…
We would like to welcome the June 7 West Buttress team to Alaska! 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…
Yesterday the team left camp at 14,200′ (4328m) and descended to their cache site at 13,200 (4023m). After digging up their supplies, they packed them up and climbed back up to Camp 3. The team took the rest of the day to practice some skills. The next step in the expedition will be to put…
Lead guide Ty called in last night from Camp 2 at 11,200′ (3413m). Yesterday the team packed up personal gear, tents, cookware, etc. and started their day by climbing 1,200′ (365m) up Ski Hill. After topping out on Ski Hill the team experienced rolling terrain as they approached their cache site at 10,200′ (3108m) from…
The May 26 team calls in from the summit!! Congratulations to all! This the seventh Mountain Trip team to stand on the summit this season. We are so proud! It takes a lot of strong effort and determination as well as good weather and good planning to make this day happen. We hope the team…
After a successful summit of Denali, the ski team dropped into the Rescue Gully (one of those couloirs we mentioned previously). The Rescue Gully is still a fairly steep descent and must be approached with caution. The team found ice, which is not uncommon, and was able to descend via ropes down a portion of…