Trip Reports
Today a small team of climbers are assembling in Anchorage to meet our guide team in preparation for their attempt on North America’s tallest mountain – Denali. They will review the plan for the climb, finish packing portions of each climber’s lunch snacks and the guides will review all of their clothing an equipment. The…
Our May 14th team pushed hard through the night, forging their way downhill through deep snow to arrive at Base Camp at about 1:00 am. They were motivated by the rapid approach of their scheduled flights home! By all accounts, they have been doing really well, pushing hard in the face of challenging conditions. The…
Lead guide Scott Woolums called in after a tough move up to 11,200′. The team moved up through very deep snow yesterday, arriving in the beautiful basin camp of 11,200′ only to have another foot of snow fall on them overnight. Conditions are pretty challenging right now for the climbers! They plan to drop back…
Our May 18th team awoke yesterday to blue skies, so they suited up and got ready to roll! unfortunately, just as they were about to clip into their ropes, a big, nasty lenticular cloud formed over the upper mountain, causing them to apuse and put the breaks on their summit hopes. After a couple of…
Lead guide Jacob Schmitz called in from Camp1 at 7,800′ on the Kahiltna Glacier. The team had a brief delay due to weather and could not fly out of Talkeetna on the 2nd, as planned. They spent the day reviewing skills and so they were ready to hit the glacier running. Well, actually, they got…
There has been a thick band of really crummy weather sitting on the lower portions of the mountain. Thick clouds, wind and snow have created whiteout conditions, making travel difficult at best. Our May 28 and May 30th teams are not making much progress up the mountain in the face of such conditions. Our June…
Our May 14th team, which summitted just two days ago, rested yesterday morning at High Camp, after a long, hard summit day. They packed up and left High Camp at about 2:00 pm local time, and descended the beautiful ridge down to the top of the fixed lines about a thousand feet lower. They then…
Our May 18th Team is still tucked in at the big, bustling 14,200′ camp, in the broad, Genet Basin. They are camped at the upper end of a system of thick clouds, wind, and snow that has enveloped the lower mountain in recent days. We have a team above them at 17,200′, with whom they…
Our air services provider determined that the weather was not appropriate to fly into Base Camp, so the team spent the day exploring the small town of Talkeetna. Here’s a photo of the team in the process of weighing all of their food and equipment for the expedition. It’s a big task! Fingers crossed for…
Unfortunately the entire message is cut short, but we are able to hear Mike give part of the team report. In spite of wintery conditions on the glacier, the team was able to make the quick drop down to retrieve their cache of equipment and supplies. Today is an example of an “active rest day”,…