Aaron called in, but the satellite phone lost the connection before he could finish his message. The team is doing really well and is camped in the basin at 11,200′. They plan to move up to the big camp in “Genet Basin” at about 14,200′ (4328m) tomorrow.
The climb up from their current position ascends a couple of pretty grueling hills. The first rises about 700′ right out of camp, and provides a nice wake-up hike in the chill of an Alaska Range morning. Above this, a couple of stepped slopes lead to the base of the West Buttress proper, a huge buttress/ridge line of granite, ice and snow that soars 3000′ feet above the climbers’ heads when they first meet it.
They will pass along the southern edge of the West Buttress until they can turn a corner and climb up into Genet Basin. The corner is known as Windy Corner, and can be a challenge if conditions are blustery.
Here’s Aaron!
