Trip Reports
Four members of our June 7 West Buttress Team reached the summit of North America today! Stephane Mayer, Serge Larouche, Jonathon Eakes and Lead Guide Zach Keskinen pushed hard in cold, windy conditions to reach the summit of Denali today. Reports from the day were that it was a tough, cold day. The weather started…
Today, the June 17th team carried loads to an elevation of about 10,200′ (3010m). They loaded up packs and sleds with roughly half of their supplies, extra clothing and carried it all uphill for several hours. Arriving at their intended destination, they dug a deep pit in the snow and buried a “cache.” After marking…
Jacob Schmitz called in – they are heading to the top! The weather looks pretty good, and they are going to take a shot at the summit! recording
Lead Guide Brian Muller called in on behalf of the June 12, Pancoe Team. They moved up to establish a new camp at 14,200′ (4328m) in very good weather. They were a bit delayed getting out of their previous camp due to wet snow that turned their tents in popsicles. Packing frozen tents is a…
Lead Guide Nick Nason checked in from Base Camp where he joins Alan Snyder and Mountain Trip Guide Logan Demarcus for a private expedition attempting the iconic West Buttress route on North America’s tallest mountain – Denali. At 20,310 feet tall, Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, dominates the Alaskan landscape for over a hundred…
Lead Guide Brian Kramp called in from the broad basin camp at 14,200′ (4342m). This camp is sometimes referred to as “14 Camp,” or Camp 3 and the locals call it Genet Basin, a reference to one of the early guides on Denali, who would camp out at this elevation for much of the season,…
The June 7 Team is tucked away at High Camp, resting and hydrating and relaxing before the final push to the summit. Stephane reports that it’s been fairly windy at High Camp, but the team is protected behind snow walls that surround their camp. Fingers crossed for calm, clear weather in the coming days for…
Lucyna Kolodziejska called in from High Camp. The team is tucked in and awaiting the necessary weather window to make a summit bid. Summit day is a long, tough one, and at such high latitude and altitude, teams really need good weather to take a shot at the top. The guides constantly scan the ridgelines…
It’s HOT on the lower glacier and the team sounds happy to be ascending to higher elevation. Guide Matt Park reports good weather (clear, no wind) and smooth traveling conditions (no new snow, thus traveling without snowshoes—much more pleasant!). The team will rest during the afternoon, then head to Camp 2 tomorrow. Here’s Matt: recording
Our amazing co-worker Kaylee called in the team’s trip report today. It’s been HOT on the glacier and the team has been moving on what we call a “night program.” This just means that the team rearranges its schedule to move on the glacier at night, during the coolest hours of the day. “Night” is…