The May 16th team summited Denali today, reaching the top of North America at 8:21 PM! After weeks of work on the mountain, every cache, every weather day, every move higher, it all came together for this team on summit day. We could not be more proud.

Summit day on Denali is one of the longest and most demanding days of climbing anywhere in the world. From high camp at 17,200 feet, climbers face thousands of feet of elevation gain, brutal cold, thin air, and exposed terrain on the way to the 20,310-foot summit. The day can run anywhere from 12 to 16 hours of climbing, and every step demands focus, strength, and grit. Standing on top of Denali is the kind of achievement that climbers train for years to attempt, and even then, the mountain doesn’t hand it out easily. The May 16th team earned every single step of that summit.

What makes today even more meaningful is everything that came before it. This team navigated weather delays, hauled heavy loads through the lower glacier, pushed through Windy Corner, worked the fixed lines, climbed the ridge, and made the committing move to high camp. They supported each other through long days, rested smart when it counted, and stayed sharp through the busy, sometimes hectic feel of the upper mountain in peak season. By the time they stepped off from high camp this morning, they had built the kind of foundation that summit days are made of.

The team has now started their descent back to high camp, where they’ll rest and recover after one of the biggest days of their lives. We’re absolutely thrilled for every member of the May 16th team. Congratulations to the climbers and guides on a hard-earned and incredible summit on Denali.

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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.