Meet the May 27th Denali West Buttress Team! Composed of lead-guide Jesse Wright and assistant guides Ty Guarino and Robert Caldwell. Climbers include Greg, Terry, Leif and Ning. Denali rises up to 20,310 feet (6190 m). Due to its location so close to the Arctic Circle, conditions can often be very winter-like well into the…
Mountain Trip Lead Guide Yoshiko Miyazaki called in from our May 23rd team’s Camp 2. The team packed up camp from their previous encampment on the Kahiltna Glacier at 7,800′, shouldered heavy packs, clipped themselves to loaded sleds and started hiking up the long “Ski Hill” in very blustery wind this morning. Ski Hill rises…
Lead guide Jesse Wright calls in from basecamp to introduce the whole team! They were able to grab a short weather window and fly in to basecamp on the Kahiltna Glacier with Talkeetna Air Taxi. Everyone is very excited to be on the glacier and looking forward to moving to Camp 1 tomorrow. Moving to…
Matt and Cameron call in from Camp 14,200′. After picking up their cache lower on the mountain, the team spent the day practicing specific skills for higher up on the mountain. The fixed lines live above their camp with 800ft of steep snow climbing protected by fixed ropes where you attach yourself with an ascending…
The May 25 Team moved to Camp 1 at 7800′ yesterday. This day consists of a single carry, meaning the team carries all the gear for the entire trip (about 110lbs per person!) to their first camp which is about 5.5 miles and 1000′ of elevation gain. Climbers say that this is often one of…
The May 23 is making moves despite some weather on the mountain. In a small weather window, the team was able to put in a cache of gear at 9600′. These cache days are very important both for acclimatization (“climb high, sleep low”) and making the loads lighter! Often a cache will consist of gear…
The May 18 Team is doing well and in good spirits at Camp 3 (14,200′). The team spent the day drinking coffee, eating, and resting during a stormy day at camp after a couple hard days getting up to 14 Camp. To beat the “Cabin Fever” the team has turned to poetry: The Cremation of…
We are thrilled to you introduce you to our May 25, 2021 Denali West Buttress team! The team will be made up of long-time lead guide Sebastian “Seba” Grau, assistant guide Chris Dickson and climber Lenard Liberman. At 20,310 feet (6190 m), majestic Denali rises higher from it’s base than any other mountain, soaring a…
Art calls in with the May 23rd West Buttress Team from Camp 1. They had an early exit from Basecamp at 4am during the colder hours of the day to cross the Kahiltna Glacier to Camp 1. The Kahiltna Glacier is longest glacier in the Alaska Range and requires a couple days of hiking to…
The whole team calls in from their cook tent at Camp 14,200′ after some tasty potato broccoli soup! A successful move day to Camp 14,200′ sets them up for life on the upper mountain. Weather is pleasant and the views are beautiful. As noted, “Windy corner even wasn’t that windy.” recording