Another summit attempt

Today was another exciting day on the mountain for our team. Exciting and a bit scary.

The crew made another bid for the summit, but again stopped at Denali Pass, although this time it was not due to weather. One of the climbers, Stephan Jeromin, passed out at Denali Pass. He came to and then proceeded to vomit, so the team treated him as if he had High Altitude Cerebral Edema and worked together to get him safely back down to High Camp. I don't have all the details, but it sounds like everyone really banded together to help Stephan.

After arriving at High Camp, he recuperated a bit and with the supervision of one of our guides; he was able to descend the ridge and continue back down to Camp 3 at 14,200' unassisted. As I mentioned, I don't have all the details, but there is a medical tent at 14,200' and if Stephan requires it; he can get more definitive care at the camp.

Big mountains pose challenges to the individual and to the group. In this case, the group was faces with a challenge that I'm certain they recognized could jeopardize their summit chances, but they rose to the occasion and their teamwork helped make the best possible outcome of a potentially very bad situation.

I can't commend them all enough.

Summit attempt

The team awoke to clear skies and packed up to make a summit bid. Unfortunately, as they arrived at Denali Pass at 18,200' and got their first view of the summit proper, they found it shrouded by a thick lenticular cloud. Dave Staeheli, their lead guide, is familiar with these clouds and the high winds that they entail, so he turned the group around and they headed back to high camp.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, the winds picked up and plumes of snow were seen blowing off the upper plateau of the mountain. What appeared to be a good summit day had deteriorated into a windy gale.

They'll wake up early and try again tomorrow.

Think calm thoughts for the team!

Rest Day at High Camp

Climbers on the Autobahn a couple of weeks ago with Mount Foraker rising above the clouds in the distance. You can just make out high camp at the edge of the snowy plateau in the center of the photo.

I received word that yesterday the team took a rest/acclimatization day at high camp. The day spent moving up to camp is huge, so most teams plan on taking a rest day before attempting the summit.

I just looked at the TAT webcam (http://www.talkeetnaair.com/webcam/index.html) and it sure looks like a summit day! My guess is that they are making their way up the Autobahn as I type. The Autobahn is a long rising traverse which leads from high camp to Denali Pass at just over 18,000 feet. The name comes from some dark humor and refers to a German team which slipped while descending the traverse. Don't worry, our team will clip their ropes to a whole lot of snow pickets to avoid any such misshaps.

A view of Climbers on the Ridge

Here's a shot I took a couple of weeks ago of some climbers (little specs, left of center) on the ridge, en route to High Camp

The team is at High Camp!

I heard that the team was safely entrenched at High Camp yesterday. They lost a few days at Camp 3 due to snowy weather, but seized the opportunity to move and pushed up the fixed lines that run from about 15,600' to 16,200' and made their way along the ridge above.

The ridge that runs from the top of the fixed lines at 16,200' to high camp at 17,200' offers some of the most spectacular climbing on the West Buttress route. It is knife edged in spots and has some big air to either side as you make your way along its length, winding between rocks and up steep sections of snow. Negotiating this with a heavy pack makes for a whopper of a day. Finally after reaching camp, you can't just crawl in your tent because you need to cut snow blocks to make walls for your tents, lest the ferocious winds up there blow your tent away.

Most folks are pretty pooped after this long day and some feel it is more challenging than summit day.

Stefan is still hanging in there. You don't really heal up at that altitude, so he must be really tough to keep sticking it out.

Ready to Move to High Camp

We got a call last night. The crew was able to get a cache of food, fuel, and some extra gear to the ridge that will lead them to the 17,200 ft high camp. To gain the ridge you climb up one of the steepest sections of the entire route, a 600 foot, 45-50 degree snow and ice pitch that is protected by a fixed rope. Climbers will use an ascender on the rope to prevent them from falling off this steep pitch. It is a fun, and grueling stretch. The top of the fixed rope puts you on a beautiful ridge that rises about 1,000 vertical feet more to High Camp. This is some of the most scenic and engaging climbing of the entire trip, and is always a highlight.

Now they are just waiting for a good day of weather(light winds) to make the move on up.

Stephan is feeling better, but may not be recovered enough to continue with the team to High Camp. He'll decide when they are ready to move.

Changing Weather on Denali...

Camp 3 during stormy weather.

The weather has changed from the beautiful blue skies that have been over the Alaska Range for the last few weeks. They are expecting some new snow in the next few days. This may slow the group down, but camp 3 (14,000ft) is the perfect place to spend a few extra days to acclimate. The usual schedule includes 4 nights at camp 3. The 14,000 ft camp is the social headquarters of Denali, typically occupied by up to 100 climbers waiting for a good window of weather to move up to High Camp and their summit attempt.

Stephan has recovered from his cold and has rejoined the group. Everyone is healthy and strong now and looking forward to the next big move up to High Camp at over 17,000 feet.

The team is at Camp 3!

We recieved word that the team had made the move to Camp 3 earlier today. It was a hot and sunny day to travel around Windy Corner, which did not live up to its name.

Windy Corner changes dramatically from year to year and has been treacherous in years past. This year it is a pretty easy ramp with minimal crevasse hazard. When the wind is low and the sun is high, it is a spectacularly beautiful place to travel through.

At Camp 3, the team had to spend a little time fortifying their tents against the potentially high winds that the camp can be subject to. From above their snow walls, the team can look up at some of the most famous lines to the summit of Denali, such as the West Rib, the Orient Express and the Messner Couloir.

Stephen Jeromin apparently had an upper respiratory bug and has opted to spend one more day at Camp 2 in order to heal. We wish him well and hope he awakens tomorrow feeling better.

Hoping to Cache at Camp 3 (14,200 feet)

The crew is hoping to carry loads up to Camp 3 today. They will have to climb around Windy Corner to make it up to the next camp, which can be a challenge if the weather is bad. They call it Windy Corner for a reason. Hope to hear from them tonight, and will update when we get the call.

Moved on up to 11,000ft

There moving on up. The team moved from Camp 1 (7800 feet) to Camp 2(11000ft) today. They had another nice day, beautiful weather with just a bit of a breeze. They are about to eat dinner here at 7pm and are enjoying spectacular views as they move on up the mountain.

WebCam

Check out the views of the Alaska Range from Talkeetna courtesy of our buddies at Talkeetna Air Taxi. http://www.talkeetnaair.com/webcam/index.html

Finally on the Glacier

The team sat for a few days in Talkeetna waiting for the weather to clear so they could fly into basecamp. I'm guessing that all of you heard from your freinds/loved ones while they were learning the game of waiting for the weather on Denali. They flew in, and moved right on up to camp 1 (7,800ft) on the first night. When the weather did clear, the sun came out and the daytime temps were warm enough to force the team into moving only during the night, and early morning. They do this to avoid the heat of the day, as well as to travel when the snow bridges covering the crevasses are frozen.