The May 19th team is at high camp and getting ready for a summit attempt tomorrow! After all the work it took to get here, having the team in position for summit day is a major moment in any Denali expedition.

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 on their way to the 20,310-foot summit. The day can run anywhere from 12 to 16 hours of climbing in extreme cold and thin air, and every step demands focus, strength, and grit. It’s the kind of day climbers train for years to attempt, and the May 19th team is in a great spot to make a strong push.

Today was spent resting, hydrating, and dialing in plans for tomorrow. The team’s guides have been working hard to set the climbers up for success, talking through the day ahead, checking gear, and watching the weather. That kind of careful, thoughtful preparation is what good summit days are built on, and it’s a real credit to the guides and the team that they’re in this position.

For now, the May 19th team is at high camp, getting their rest and ready to step out into the upper mountain tomorrow morning. The summit is in view, the team is in position, and we’re sending all our energy up the mountain. We’ll have more to share once the team is back at high camp.

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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.