May 28, 2025
Sid Barass called in on behalf of the May 20th West Buttress team. His post became a bit garbled before the satellite connection was lost. Most of the Iridium constellation of satellites pass well south of Denali, so transmissions are challenging sometimes. The team had a relatively leisurely day today,
May 28, 2025
Randy might win the dispatch of the season, with his highly detailed call from 14,200 feet, the site of Camp 3 on the West Buttress route! The team awoke to 10 inches of fresh snow, but the weather was calm, so they packed up their camp at 11,000 feet and
May 28, 2025
Mountain Trip guide Ashley Klassen called in from High Camp! She, Louise and Jordan had a nice day climbing back up the Headwall and continuing along the stunning ridge that leads to 17,200', the site of High Camp on the West Buttress. They make great time and are in high
May 27, 2025
Spencer called in from Camp 1 at 7,800 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier, the site of the May 24th team's Camp 1. Today, they carried loads of supplies up glacier, climbing a long, moderately steep section known as Ski Hill. At an elevation of roughly 9,600 feet, they dug a
May 27, 2025
Istvan called in from Camp 3 at 14,200 feet. The team is hunkered down, waiting for a break in the weather so they can move up to High Camp. Weather forecasts are never 100% reliable, so they are hopeful that the predicted wind and snow might not actually materialize. Here's
May 25, 2025
I cannot say with much degree of certainty, but I think this garbled dispatch is from our May 12th team. If anyone recognizes the few intelligible words, please let us know! The May 12th team took a rest day at 14,200' today, building their base of acclimatization and giving their
May 25, 2025
Big thanks to Sid Barass for calling in such an informative dispatch from 11,000 feet! The satellite connection was a bit garbled at times, but the energy and enthusiasm in his voice speaks for the team - they are doing great! Today involved their first "backcarry." This involved departing their
May 25, 2025
Lead Guide Jordan Cargill called in from Camp 3 at 14,200 feet today. "Team Louise" had a brilliant day climbing up the steepest section of the West Buttress route to deposit a cache of supplies on a craggy ridge at about 16,400 feet. Conditions were good, but icy, which presents
May 25, 2025
And so it begins!! The Mountain Trip May 24th West Buttress team drove from Anchorage to the (literal) end-of-the-road town of Talkeetna, Alaska this morning, where they checked in the the National Park Service in preparation for the expedition to climb North America's tallest peak. After their NPS orientation, they
May 25, 2025
Jenn called in from Camp 3 at 14,200 feet. She and Kaylee carried loads up to the ridge at about 16,400 feet today. The route was in good condition, but the ridge was icy, so it took a little hunting to find a place where they could dig sufficiently deeply
