We’re happy to hear an evening update from Mountain Trip lead guide Chris Trullaz and the June 4 team that they are hunkered down at Camp 4 17,200 ft (5242 m) after making a strong attempt at the summit of Denali 20,300 ft (6187 m). The high point of the West Buttress route has been an especially elusive objective this year for the majority of climb teams due to what Chris calls, not very cooperative weather.

Together the team awoke early for their big summit day, drank some hot coffee, and prepared for the cold start to the long day ahead. They traveled from their camp across the infamous Autobahn traverse en route to Denali Pass 18,000 ft (5486 m). Pickets, long stakes buried in the snow that a rope team can clip into periodically are placed along this section to prevent an entire rope team from falling on this exposed section of climbing. Upon reaching the exposed ridge below Denali Pass winds picked up, visibility dropped, and conditions started to change for the worse for the remainder of the day.

The team made the hard but, necessary call to put safety first and turned back down to the comfort of their tents. From here the team will pack up and head back down to Camp 3 14,200 ft (4328 m) to take a final quality rest day before descending to basecamp. We’re proud of this team for their incredible effort and perseverance these last two weeks! Tap the recording link below to hear Chris’s full update and tune in over the coming days for an update on their descent.

recording