June 6th Team

The June 6th team is still in Talkeetna today, waiting for the weather to open up enough to fly onto the glacier. Rather than let the time go to waste, the team has been putting their downtime to good use by running through skills prep for life on the mountain.

Today’s work focused on the fundamentals that every climber relies on once they step onto Denali. The team spent time dialing in rope skills, practicing rope team setup, knot work, and movement techniques that they’ll lean on heavily on the glacier. They also worked through tent setup, which sounds simple but is actually a critical skill on the mountain. Pitching tents on snow, anchoring them properly, and being able to do it efficiently in cold or windy conditions are all things that come up regularly on a Denali expedition, and getting reps in before things get serious pays off in a big way.

Skills days like this are one of the quiet upsides of a weather hold in Talkeetna. The work the team is putting in now means that once they’re on the glacier, the basics will feel automatic, freeing up mental energy for the climbing itself.

For now, the June 6th team is staying patient, staying ready, and keeping an eye on the forecast. We’ll have more to share once the team finally gets airborne and onto the mountain.

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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.