The June 16th Snyder team got a cache in around Windy Corner today, continuing their steady progress up the West Buttress on their Denali ski expedition!

Windy Corner sits at around 13,500 feet and is one of the more notorious sections of the route. It earns its name by funneling wind off the upper mountain, and conditions there can shift quickly. Getting a cache through that section takes good timing, focus, and the willingness to seize the right window. For a ski team, the day comes with an added layer, since the team is hauling skis and ski-specific gear alongside the standard expedition kit, making each carry a little heavier and more involved.

With supplies now staged past the Corner, the team has set themselves up for a more efficient move when it’s time to relocate to 14 Camp. And as always on this expedition, every foot of elevation gained is also terrain the team will eventually get to ski back down on their way to attempting a summit ski descent, one of the most ambitious objectives in North American ski mountaineering.

For now, the June 16th Snyder team is back at camp with another solid day behind them. With the cache around Windy Corner in place and the team moving well, the ski expedition is rolling right along.

A successful cache around Windy Corner

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Interested in more information about conditions and happenings on Denali? Be sure to also check out the Denali National Park’s Denali Dispatches Blog where they post weekly Field Reports.