Mountain Trip client Greg Johnson called in with an update on the June 5 Denali West Buttress expedition.

The team did a bit of sightseeing around the beautiful 14-Camp, and spent the day resting to prepare to move higher on the mountain. The next section of the route will be the steepest and most technical they have yet faced, so they are practicing with their “sharps” (ie: crampons, ice axes, etc.), self-arrest skills, and proper technique for ascending and descending fixed lines.

As always, there is a description of the lavish high-mountain gourmet cuisine that the team enjoyed courtesy of Mountain Trip guides (and seemingly, amateur chefs) Ben Adkison and Karl Welter. They chowed down on french toast with maple syrup for breakfast, and feasted on chicken burgers with all of the fixings for dinner last night.

The team is considering moving up to High Camp today, but that will depend on whether or not the anticipated incoming storm system moves over Denali today.

Here’s Greg with a quick update: