It’s hard to say who’s more psyched – our May 13 Team or all of us back at home when we heard that after being grounded for three days in Talkeetna not only was our crew able to fly into basecamp 7,200 ft (2195 m) but, they already made it to Camp 1 7,800 ft (2378 m)! Strong work, team! Given the variable weather on Denali, this was a really good call on our guide’s part to take advantage of an open weather window.
Now, they will spend an extra night at camp to acclimatize (i.e. allow their body’s to adjust to the altitude change) with an active rest day cache-ing gear at 10,200 ft (3109 m). When on the West Buttress route acclimatization is essential, even down low. Any days that climbers neglect to acclimatize properly by ascending too quickly without time for their bodies to adjust to the elevation can result in AMS or acute mountain sickness at the very least.
We were also hyped to hear that those extra days in Talkeetna practicing rope skills, knots, and crevasse rescue techniques have already come in handy here on the mountain. All of this and chili bowls for dinner – life is good for our team! Over & out until the next dispatch!
