Trip Reports

May 3 Team Carries to 13,200′

Lead guide Jacob Schmitz called in the team report today. The team moved a load of equipment and supplies to a cache site at 13,200′. Jacob reports the team is doing well, and the plan is to move to 14 Camp tomorrow.   And we also have a special message from the team: recording

May 6 Denali Team Carries to 10,000′

Mountain Trip Guide Jed Porter called in with an update from Camp 1, located at 7800′ (2377m) on the broad Kahiltna Glacier.  Today, the team packed up roughly half of their supplies and carried it all up to an elevation of about 10,000′ (3109m), where they dug a big hole in the snow and buried…

May 3 Denali Team – Enjoying The Snow At 11,200′

Mountain trip Guide Mason Stansfield called in, but his satellite phone dropped the call after he mentioned “good chocolate.”  Strange…  Well, satellite phones at high latitudes work best when they have a clear view toward the equator and from the beautiful basin in which the team is camped, the view south is blocked by towering…

May 3 Team Storm Day At Camp 2

The May 3rd Team checks in from Camp 2, where they stayed put today, due to weather.   This camp is nestled deep in a stunning bowl, with tall ice cliffs to the south, and steep snow and ice ringing the east and northern aspects of camp. A challenge with satellite phones at such far…

May 6 Team Moves To Camp 1

Goulven Couzon lest a message in French that (I believe, and please correct me if I’m wrong in the comments) John Molloy then translated for us (j’ai oubliez mon français…).  The team has moved up the Kahiltna Glacier approximately five miles (8km) and established camp at the junction of the Kahiltna and the Northeast Fork…

May 3 Denali Team Backcarry and a storm

The May 3rd team went back down to where they’d cached their extra food, fuel, and equipment and brought it all back up to Camp 2 (11,000 ft) today. It was a pretty stormy day Jacob (lead guide with 20 Denali Expeditions) said it was one of the top 2 stormy windy days he’s had…

May 3 Denali Team Moves To Camp 2

Fred de Jong called in on behalf of our May 3rd team.  After a day of heavy snow yesterday, the team awoke to beautiful weather today and took advantage of clear skies to move their camp up to 11,200′ (3414m).  They are now camped in a beautiful basin with views of the West Buttress looming…

May 3 Denali Team cached at 10,500′

Guide Mason Stansfield called in an update for the May 3 Denali Expedition from the upper Kahiltna. The team spent yesterday caching at Kahiltna Pass, at around 10,500′. Since the team is climbing in expedition-style, they will spend many days “caching”–burying gear, food and supplies that they wont need until later on in the trip–and…

May 6 Team waiting to fly, rain in Talkeetna

Mountain Trip lead guide Brian Kramp called in an update for the May 6 team, who have been waiting to fly in to the Range in Talkeetna, due to persistent rainy weather. They’re unfortunately the first team of the season to experience the infamous “Talkeetna Hang,” where climbing parties are forced to wait in the…