Welcome to The 2017 Denali West Rib Team!

Mountain Trip is excited to welcome two climbers to Alaska who will challenge themselves on a difficult and technical route on Denali.  The West Rib route climbs steeply almost 9000′ from deep in the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, to just shy of the summit of the mountain.  This qualifies as what climbers call, “A Big Route.”  It carves a beautiful line up alongside the massive South Face of the mountain, and offers technical challenges for much of its way.

Chris Silkwood and Ben Nowak are joining Mountain Trip guides Sebastian Grau and Travis Baldwin for an attempt of the classic and difficult route.

West Rib route DenaliThe West Bib follows the sun/shade ridge that rises from right to left across the image above.  The start of the route is out of sight behind the base of the Rib.

The team is headed north from Anchorage to the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska, where they will attend an orientation hosted by the National Park Service and required of all Denali climbers.  After the briefing, they will load their kit onto ski-equipped planes for the 40 minute flight into Denali Base Camp, located at 7800′ on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.

The team spent yesterday in Anchorage, where they finalized preparations for the climb, which included selecting and packing snacks that will comprise much of their lunches for the trip.  Work days are long on the West Rib and climbers cannot stop to make sandwiches, so eating snacks on the run is the best choice for continuing to move up efficiently.

Denali West Rib logistics

Mountain Trip provides a broad selection of snack choices and our guides help climbers select and pack for their expedition.  This gives them ownership of their snack choices, rather than leaving us to guess at what sort of snacke folks prefer.

denali west rib lunchesIt adds up!  Here Ben and Chris hoist their loads of tasty goodness!

 

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