Climber Kelly (or should we say “Skier”?) from the June 7th West Buttress Denali Expedition called in to report that her and the boys (Lead Guide Aaron and Assistant Guide Gavin) put in a cache up near Kahiltna Pass between Camp 1 and Camp 2. 

Here’s Kelly: Audio Recording

Using skis on the lower Kahiltna Glacier.

This team is special because they are ascending the route on skis! This makes thing especially fun on the downhill when the team gets to make some fun turns on the mellow slopes between camps. The team will use skis to approach up to Camp 2, and possibly even take them to Camp 3.

While most expeditions climb the mountain on snowshoes, skis have become more popular in recent years as backcountry skiing has exploded in popularity. Skis allow for gliding on the flat stretches of the lower glacier, and they make the downhill quite a bit faster.

Kudos to Kelly and the fellas for putting in their first cache!