Lead Guide Josh and team called in from the May 29th West Buttress Denali Expedition to report that they were able to make it around Windy Corner today and put in a cache below Camp 3!

The team also shared their favorite meals of the trip so far. Listen in to find out what our climbers are eating and enjoying on the mountain!

Audio Recording

Windy Corner, on a nice day.

Immediately above Camp 2 is the 1,000′-high Motorcycle Hill. Moderately steep snow climbing rewards climbers with spectacular views. There are often crevasses on Motorcycle Hill and beware of avalanche hazard from the slopes to “climber’s right” as you ascend.

Camp 2 at 11,000′ on the West Buttress Route on Denali.

Above Motorcycle Hill are a series of slopes that break away to “climber’s left,” collectively known as Squirrel Hill. These are often windswept and can be icy at times. At the top of Squirrel Hill you can encounter some crevasses as the route gently climbs toward the expansive West Buttress towering above you to the north. The route climbs up along the base of the West Buttress along a glacier often called “The Polo Field”, a flat stretch that leads to the infamous Windy Corner.

This feature is a steep rock rib that drops down to the glacier and around, which can blow winds sweeping in from the immense South Face of Denali. Our teams try to ferry loads around Windy Corner in order set up a cache at the mouth of the basin that leads to Camp 3 at 14,200′.

With this cache in place, the May 29th team is poised to move up to “14-Camp” and begin eyeing the upper mountain!