Trip Reports

May 6 Denali Team Update

The May 6 Denali West Buttress team called in yesterday evening from Camp 1 with an update on their trip’s progress. After caching some supplies higher up on the route to lighten their load for the climb, the team returned to Camp 1 to spend the night before beginning the next round of their ascent and…

May 10 Everest Expedition calls from Base Camp

Vanessa called in to HQ early this morning for a quick update on Mountain Trip’s Everest Expedition, who have successfully returned to Base Camp after a round of acclimatization. Before descending, they had reached their highest point to date, above Camp 2. The team awoke and began to prepare for their descent at 4 a.m., departing…

May 6 Denali Team Calls From Camp 1

Grant Maughan called in from 7,800′ on the broad Kahiltna Glacier after the team successfully moved five miles up the West Buttress route, on their journey to climb Denali.  They got a very early start, but still encountered warm conditions, with some episodes of thick snowfall. Here’s Grant!

May 9 Everest Expedition Dispatch

We awoke at 3:45 a.m. this morning and struggled out of our sleeping bags in the dark to get an early start on our climb up the Lhotse Face, a demanding section of the route that begins just a few hundred feet above Camp 2. After a breakfast of cereal and freshly-baked cinnamon rolls (yes,…

May 6 Denali Team – Glacier Birthday!

Lead Guide Yoshiko Miyazaki-Back called in from 7,200′ on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, where the May 6th team spent the day reviewing skills and preparing to move upwards on the West Buttress route of Denali. The weather is holding, and despite some clouds, the daytime temperatures are quite warm.  The plan is…

May 6 Denali is Headed To Base Camp!

The team packed up their kit at the Lakefront Hotel and loaded into our van and trailer for the drive north to Talkeetna.  They broke the 2.5-hour drive up with a stop in Wasilla, AK, home to one of our more flamboyant political figures, and then continued up to the end of the road town…

May 6 Everest Team Update from Camp 2

Vanessa called in from Camp 2 via satellite phone, detailing the events of the day. She said they made good time through the Khumbu Icefall, and that the day’s biggest struggle was staying cool enough in the hot sun–which might seem strange considering that they’re incredibly high on the world’s tallest peak. Communicating from 21,500′…