Denali 2013 General Update

The long stretch of bluebird skies and low winds came to a halt a couple days ago, when a low pressure system moved across the mountain, bringing with it clouds and snow.  We currently have 6 teams on Denali and one waiting to fly into the Range.  Here is the general update as of Wednesday, June 4th:

Team Dariusz and Maciej made quick work of climbing the mountain, but have been stuck in Base Camp for a couple of days.  They are still there and hope to fly out today.  A fleet of air taxis launched yesterday, but only about half made it into BC before the weather shut down, turning the rest around.  Seats on the flights are on a first come, first served basis, and the team was not far enough up in the line to get on one of the few available seats out yesterday.

May 19 Team – is headed to BC today.  They were slowed by weather and concerns of potential avalanche activity, so they have been cautiously making their way down from high camp in recent days.  They should arrive in BC today.

May 26 Team – moved up to the big basin camp at 14,200′ and called in a post.

May 30 Team – moved up to 11,200′ and also called in a post.

May 30 Greg and Priya Team – They made a carry up to about 10,200′ and cached a pile of food, fuel and supplies in anticipation of moving past it to set up their next camp at 11,200′ today.

West Rib Team – they planned to take a rest day at 16,400′ before making a summit bid.  If the weather looks good today, they might take a shot at the top.

June 2 Team – They drove to Talkeetna yesterday and are waiting for the green light to fly into Base Camp.  In the meantime, they are keeping themselves busy by exploring Talkeetna, eating hearty, Alaskan meals and reviewing some skills that they will employ on the glacier.  We’ll post a Meet The Team post for this team shortly.

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