Trip Reports
Lead Guide Yoshiko Miyazaki called in an update on the June 20 West Buttress Expedition, surviving the storm cycle at 14-Camp and making some improvements to their shelter situation. They have no doubt constructed large snowblock walls to protect from the wind and driving snow around their tents. Today’s biggest accomplishment was building a tunnel…
Mountain Trip lead guide Dodge Garfield called in an update on the June 17 West Buttress Team, once again from camp at 14,200′. They have had a long stay at Camp Three, and have only four days left in their expedition. The upcoming weather does not look promising for making a summit attempt within their…
Lead guide Yoshiko called in another report from … you guessed it… 14-Camp. Unfortunately high winds and another incoming storm cycle have kept the team in place at 14,200′. The forecast is calling for more snow coming in over the Alaska Range in the coming days, so the team may be due for a continued…
Climber Steve Daniels called in via satellite phone for the June 22 “Big Knots” team. The team, conveniently enough, had a planned rest day today, which aligns well with the current weather conditions. A couple of our other teams have enjoyed an “extended stay” at 14-Camp due to the weather, and have been hanging tough…
Lead guide Yoshiko called in an update on the June 20th West Buttress team! They made their way over to the “Edge of the World,” a popular photo spot near 14-Camp that provides an amazing viewpoint of the Alaska Range, with the summits of most peaks well below this 14,300′ perch. For some reason, when…
Lead guide Elias called in an update on the June 16 team, who was able to make their way back down to 14,200′ Camp Three after winds eased up slightly at High Camp. The team still endured intense gusts as they made their way down the aesthetic, but exposed 16,000′ while clipping through protection, and…
Lead Guide Matt Park called in one last dispatch on behalf of our 2021 West Rib of Denali team. Ultimately, they made a collective decision to punch out a summit bid via the West Buttress route, due to a variety of factors. The crew worked hard and were rewarded for their efforts with the opportunity…
Mountain Trip Guide Brian Burger Wrapped up the dispatches for our June 15th Denali Ski Team from the warm, thich air of Anchorage. The team has dispersed for home and the guides are finishing derigging all the tents and gear that was used over the course of their climb. The crew had generally good weather,…
Mountain Trip lead guide Yoshiko Miyazaki called in an update on the June 20 West Buttress Team, waiting out weather at 14,200′ Camp Three. With very high winds on the 16-Ridge, the team is waiting for the storm to abate and visibility to improve before moving up to High Camp on the route. Hopefully the…
The June 22 “Team Big Knots” West Buttress Team called in an update after a busy day at Camp Three. After backcarrying to retrieve their cache back down at around 13,500′ near Windy Corner, the team came back up to camp to practice skills for the upcoming fixed lines on the steep headwall above camp,…