Trip Reports

June 22 Team Arrives at Camp 2

Yesterday this team climbed up Ski Hill, rising 1,200′ above Camp 1 (7,800′ 2377m), and continued to navigate through rolling terrain until they took a big right turn and up another hill into Camp 2, at 11,200′ (3413m). Here, it starts to feel like you’re actually on the mountain. The terrain becomes more technical, the…

June 20 Team Moves to Camp 2

Yesterday the team climbed up from their camp around 10,200′ (3108m) to Camp 2 which sits at 11,200′ (3413m). Camp 2 sits below some magnificent seracs, which are large columns of ice that peel off of the glacier as it moves over convexities in the terrain. The team can see the top of Kahiltna Dome…

June 22 Team Moves to Camp 1

The team moved from Basecamp to Camp 1 through the night on the 24th. Yesterday they enjoyed resting during the warmth of the day, and for now they will likely continue on a night schedule until they get a bit higher. They should be moving to cache supplies today between camps 1 and 2. We’ll…

June 15 Ski Team Takes a Lap

Yesterday our ski team had another active rest day. They climbed up to the bottom of the Rescue Gully, one of the gullies (or couloirs) that drops from the ridge above 17,000′ (5181m) back into Camp 3 at 14,200′ (4328m). Often used as an alternate ascent or descent instead of the Fixed Lines on the…

June 2 Team Final Dispatch

Ty calls in from Anchorage to report the team’s final dispatch. This team went through a lot on their way up and down The Great One, and we admire their resilience. The West Buttress, although it may be considered a somewhat “simple” route, is still full of its challenges both expected and unexpected (like COVID!).…

June 22 Team Calls in From Basecamp

After leaving Talkeetna, the team flew across the flat expanse of braided rivers that leads to the Alaska Range. Flying over the foot of the range they traveled across the glaciated, frozen peaks into Denali Basecamp at 7,200′ (2194m). Unloading their supplies from the plane, the team set up in Basecamp temporarily to wait for…