May 30th Denali West Buttress Team has begun!

The May 30 Team led by long-time guide Jake Kayes was full of wonderful camaraderie before departure. We know they are going to have some great times together as they climb Denali over the next 3 weeks. We are wishing them good luck and good weather.

Katie, Tyler, Richard, Beryl
Alaina, Jessica, Jake, Bjorn

At AMS prior to leaving for the Talkeetna Airport.

With their ski plane for the glacier.

Denali All Teams UPDATE - all is very , very well.

NPS image of Denali's, West Buttress route.

May 16 Team led by Con Severis rested at the 17,200-foot high camp today. They deserve it!

May 9 Team led by Scott Patch / Brady McGuire  and

May 17 Team Varun - led by Colby Coombs have both returned to Talkeetna. Really great job, everyone. 

May 19 led by Chris Welch - Had a well-deserved rest day at the 14,200' camp today.

May 23 Team led by Nate Opp moved to 14,200' camp tomorrow. 

May 25 - Denali Prep Course led by Keith Sidle traveled through the night to basecamp and are now planning their climbing classes and objectives near and around Kahiltna Basecamp for the next few days.

May 26 Ski Denali Team - Matt - led by Adam Fabrikant moved to 14,200 feet, and they continue to live the dream.

May 30 Team led by Jake Kayes flew into basecamp on schedule, they plan to move to 7,800' this evening. This is already a fun-loving team. 

    

AMS Denali, West Buttress, ALL TEAMS Update - lots of moving and some resting

 May 16 Team led by Con Severis went for the summit today and encountered high winds and cold temperatures at the football field, at approx. 19,500 feet. They turned back and are now safely at high camp in their tents. The team is healthy and is considering another summit attempt in the days ahead. More details to come from this wonderful team. Congratulations to this team for climbing smart!

17,200 foot high camp on Denali's West Buttress

May 9 Team led by Scott Patch / Brady McGuire  and

May 17 Team Varun - Led by Colby Coombs expects to return to Talkeetna tomorrow morning, they will leave the 14,200-foot camp in a few hours and travel through the night. 

May 17 Team - Jason and Grace - led by Michael Gardner have returned to Talkeetna and they looked amazing!

May 19 led by Chris Welch - Carried to 16,200 today and are feeling well, their next move is to high camp at 17,200, they will move up when the time is right.

The base of the fixed lines approx, 15,800 feet.

May 23 Team led by Nate Opp carried towards Windy Corner today and plan to move to 14,200' camp tomorrow. We expect this to be a solid moving team in the days ahead. they are feeling very well.

May 25 - Denali Prep Course led by Keith Sidle climbed on the Upper Kahiltna Glacier to Kahitna Pass today, but decided not to ascend Mt Capps. They will be descending back to Kahiltna Basecamp tonight.

May 26 Ski Denali Team - Matt - led by Adam Fabrikant Had an active rest day, they skied Mt Capps  ( left of Kahiltna Pass) today and will be moving to 14,200 feet tomorrow. They are doing great and are pretty much living the dream right now.

Views and 11,000-foot camp. 

    

NPS image of Denali's, West Buttress route.

AMS - Denali West Buttress - ALL TEAMS UPDATE

May 16 Team led by Con Severis is resting at 17,200 - high camp today.  They retrieved their cache along the 16,000-foot ridge today and are doing very well, and are hoping for good summit day weather tomorrow.

May 17 Team - Jason and Grace - led by Michael Gardner have descended from high camp and will head toward basecamp through the night.  We look forward to welcoming them back to Talkeetna tomorrow!

May 9 Team led by Scott Patch / Brady McGuire  and

May 17 Team Varun - Led by Colby Coombs is also descended today to the 14,200 feet camp and will stop for the night and for most of tomorrow. Tomorrow, they will make the most of the cool weather in through the night to travel to Base Camp, and plan to return to Talkeetna on Tuesday, May 31. We are excited to welcome them all back.

The 16K Ridge 

May 19 led by Chris Welch - they had a much-deserved rest day at 14,200' camp today. They are feeling recharged after this rest and ready for their next move, carrying to the 16,200 feet.

May 23 Team led by Nate Opp rested at the 11,000-foot camp they plan to make a carry towards Windy Corner tomorrow.

May 25 - Denali Prep Course led by Keith Sidle They made their plan to move camp to 10,000 feet near Kahiltna Pass, they plan to climb Mt. Capps tomorrow.

May 26 Ski Denali Team - Matt - led by Adam Fabrikant Carried to 14,200 - feet today and are back at 11,000 feet now, they are feeling great. 

    

NPS image of Denali's, West Buttress route.

AMS - Denali West Buttress - ALL TEAMS UPDATE + Summit Day!

 SUMMIT DAY! 

5/9 Team led by Scott Patch 

5/17 Team - Jason and Grace - led by Michael Gardner

5/17 Team - Varun - led by Colby Coombs

Congratulations to this hearty AMS high camp crew, they finally got their day. All three teams reached the top of North America today. They had a super nice day up there. We look forward to welcoming them back to Talkeetna as early as Monday, May 30. Strong work everyone.  More details to come as teams are returning to high camp now and over the next several hours. Once there they will quickly eat, drink and fall fast asleep.

Summit ridge of Denali, AMS Archives, Photo: Eric Roberts

5/15 Team - Wilson - Arrived in Talkeetna and is doing exceptionally well after the all-night descent from high camp to basecamp. Upon arrival, the usual turn of events includes eating cold watermelon, calls to home, and transportation logistics. We congratulate Wilson on his RT speedy climb to 17,200', he stayed in excellent health while working hard up there both physically and mentally. 

May 16 Team led by Con Severis is resting at 17,200 - high camp today.  They are doing well, and are still hoping for good summit day weather tomorrow or Monday.

May 19 led by Chris Welch - moved to 14,200-foot camp yesterday and are resting and acclimating there today. They are doing very well and enjoying a fine day with clear skies. They report that "Everything is going Sweet Bananas at 14" if you know, you know.

May 23 Team led by Nate Opp moved to the 11,000-foot camp today and they are enjoying this beautiful day. And are planning on resting there tomorrow.

 

11,000' Camp after a windstorm

May 25 - Denali Prep Course led by Keith Sidle is doing well. They worked on crevasse rescue and snow climbing skills at basecamp for a few days and now they are 7,800 feet and camped there. Tomorrow they plan to move camp to 10,000 feet near Kahiltna Pass, and then if the weather cooperates, climb Mt. Capps.

May 26 Ski Denali Team - Matt - led by Adam Fabrikant moved to 11,000 feet today and is enjoying being a small and swift-moving team. Adam reports: "All-time travel conditions" they plan to spend 3 nights at 11,000 acclimatizing.

    

NPS image of Denali's, West Buttress route.

AMS Denali, West Buttress, ALL TEAMS UPDATE

5/9 Team led by Scott Patch 

5/17 Team - Jason and Grace - led by Porter Crockard 

5/17 Team - Varun - led by Colby Coombs

All three teams remain at 17,200' high camp and hope that the forecasted change in the winds over the weekend is correct!

High winds continue at high camp and above.  (AMS archive photo)

5/15 Team - Wilson - led by Michael Gardner has decided that today was a good day to head towards home and descended to 14,200 this afternoon. They all have done an excellent job on the climb and have shown all of the signs of remarkable strength up there - congratulations to Wilson for being committed to the fitness and mental preparations, it sure did pay off! The team made quick work of their climb down today and will continue through the night. They hope to be at basecamp tomorrow to fly back to Talkeetna - it will be a very fast descent and we look forward to welcoming them back to Talkeetna when they arrive.

May 16 Team led by Con Severis moved to 17,200 - high camp this afternoon.  They are doing well, and will likely rest tomorrow and hope for good summit day weather on Sunday.  They were warmly welcomed into camp by our other teams and are happy to be up at high camp!

May 19 led by Chris Welch - Next step is to move around Windy Corner and up to the 14,200-foot camp. They are doing well and enjoying the clear skies. 

May 23 Team led by Nate Opp are camped at 9,300 feet. This is their camp 2, and most of our teams this year have been using and are really enjoying using this intermediary camp. They are making the most beautiful weather and hope to move to 11,200 feet tomorrow. 

May 26 Ski Team- Matt - led by Adam Fabrikant flew into Kahiltna Base camp early this morning and they are happy to be underway.  Upon arrival at basecamp, they readied themselves and traveled up the glacier to 7,800 feet; they report cool temps and great travel on the glacier. They were scheduled to fly in yesterday afternoon, and the air taxi canceled glacier fights after 3:00 PM due to the high wind shear at Kahiltna Glacier Basecamp. We always support the Air Taxi's good decision-making in regard to safety. Weather is part of climbing and exploring the big mountains.

    

NPS image of Denali's, West Buttress route.

May 26 - Custom Matt - SKI DENALI Team is on the glacier!

Matt, Adam, and Billy at Talkeetna Air Taxi this morning, ready to fly.

The wonderful team of three, led by Adam Fabrikant, departed Talkeetna this morning and safely landed at Kahiltna basecamp. They are excited to be there and begin their climb/ski up Denali's West Buttress. 

We have loved working with this crew in Talkeetna as they have prepared, and we know they will have a great time and make the most of this sunny weather. They have been carefully planning and training for this expedition on skis for years.  Being well-prepared makes for the very best climbs. 

May 25th- Denali Prep Course with Keith Sidle Departs for the Glacier!

 

Rod, Instructor Keith and William

Ready to Go- with pilot: Leighan

This dynamic trio spent a full day carefully packing their food, going over all of their gear and fine-tuning equipment.  This has been a highly anticipated course for them and their small size means they will be able to cover a lot of ground together.  They launched without a hitch, enjoying another beautiful day in Talkeetna!

AMS Denali, West Buttress, ALL TEAMS UPDATE!

5/9 Team led by Scott Patch 

and 

5/15 Team - Wilson - led by Michael Gardner: both continue to wait for the winds to decrease to make a bid for the summit. They are doing well while they wait; exploring the camp and staying busy fortifying their camps protective snow walls. 

AMS is building protective snow walls at High Camp in the wind.

5/17 Team - Jason and Grace - led by Porter Crockard 

and 

5/17 Team - Varun - led by Colby Coombs: both moved from 14,200 ft. to 17,200 ft. (high camp) today. They were warmly welcomed into camp by the other AMS teams, after making the climb along the most spectacular part of the climb to date for them, the "16K Ridge". 

The 16K Ridge

May 16 Team led by Con Severis remains at 14,200 ft and is acclimating, hydrating, and preparing for the move to 17k.  They are doing well and feeling ready to make the move higher on Friday.

14,200-foot camp and Mt. Foraker, a pretty great place to be.

May 19 led by Chris Welch- are camped at 11,200 ft. and they made a carry higher to acclimatize today. They are really enjoying the beautiful weather, and hope to move to 14,200 ft tomorrow. 

AMS Camp at 11,200 feet

May 23 Team led by Nate Opp flew into Kahiltna Base camp early this morning and are excited to be underway.  Later tonight they will make the move to Camp 1 at approx. 7,800 ft.

May 25th- Denali, West Buttress- Opp Team On Their Way (After an Extra Night in Town)!

 

David, Guides Hannah and Nate, Claire, Lizzie, Barrett, and Guide Ben 

Our team was ready (but those clouds said "Not Today").

Well-rested after an extra night in comfy beds- And Raring to Go!!!!

Although the logistics proved tricky for this group: canceled flights to Alaska, a team member who went home sick, and unflyable weather on their scheduled departure for the glacier- this team is unflappable.  With Lead Guide Nate setting an ever-present relaxed and happy vibe, they rolled with it all in great spirits.  An early and fresh start this morning was greeted with blue-bird skies and they are officially off to climb Denali! 

Team update 24-May-2022

The high pressure remains, and there has been a lot of progress from all teams on the mountain.

DWB with Scott Patch and Mike G- These teams have made some major progress, and moved into 17,200 ft.  They helped each other build snow walls and are set up for a summit push.  When the perfect weather window comes, they will be heading to the top of North America.

Setting up camp at 17,200 on the West Buttress

DWB with Con Severis, Porter Crockard, and Colby Coombs- These teams have all moved to 14,200ft and are resting, hydrating, and preparing for the move to 17k.  14k is often referred to as "advanced base camp."

DWB with Chris Welch- These folks moved into 11,200 ft yesterday.  Chris reported that everyone is acclimatizing really well and the team is performing.  

In other news, we've got another West Buttress trip launching today.  It is with Nate Opp, Hannah Beutler, Ben Olwell, and Claire Bicknell.  These guys are going through some rescue and glacier travel skills and are planning on flying in later today.  More photos to come!

AMS All Teams Update: 20-May-2022

The incredible high-pressure system that the AK has been experiencing has continued through this week and has enabled our teams to make some quick progress up the mountain.

—5/9 DWB led by Scott Patch and 5/15 DWB led by Mikey Gardner: Both teams are enjoying the sunshine and acclimatizing at 14K camp. They are getting prepared to move to the upper mountain, and are relishing the unusually good weather. Conditions moving to 14K are reported as "cruiser."

Mt. Hunter as seen from 14K camp

—5/16 DWB led by Con Severis moved to 9,300ft yesterday.  This is a really good tactic for making the move to 11,200ft a bit easier.  7,800ft to 11,200ft is a massive day with a lot of elevation gain.  It works for some groups, but going a bit slower sets everyone up for success.

—5/17 DWB led by Colby Coombs (the man the myth the legend) and 5/17 DWB led by Porter Crockard (a legend in his own right) moved to 8,900ft today.  They reported that conditions were excellent and both teams are doing well.  

—5/19 DWB led by Chris Welch just flew into Kahiltna basecamp moments ago.  They will be hydrating, digging cache holes, resting, and deciding on the perfect window to start to head up the mountain.  The move from Talkeetna to Kahiltna basecamp is the biggest elevation gain of the trip. A full 7,000ft! Easing your way up the mountain slowly is a must after an altitude jump like that.  

May 19- Denali, West Buttress- Welch Team- On their Way!

Guides Peggy and Chris, Dave, Matthew, Ida, Jonas, Tobias and Guide Cody.

This crew is a well-matched, strong, well-prepared, and fun group.  They flew up to the glacier under bluebird skies after all of their calm and careful preparations and packing.  This is a solid team that should do great together- especially since Peggy is packing croissants!

 

May 18th- Jason and Grace- Denali, West Buttress (Crockard) has Launched!

 Guide Jordi, Jason, Grace, Guides Chad and Porter

Jason and Grace flew up to the Kahiltna Base Camp today under bluebird skies.  They looked ready to go, after a couple of days of careful preparations including packing gear and lunches and practicing on the fixed ropes.  With a strong guide team of Porter Crockard, Chad Ray and Jordi Maisch, they are ready for Denali!  

May 18th- Varun- Denali, West Buttress (Coombs) Has Begun!

 

Guides: Ayla, Fallon and Colby with Varun

A beautiful day for the launch of this happy crew! There may have even been some dancing as they loaded the van.  Varun has been training hard and has been all smiles since he arrived to AMS.  With Colby Coombs, Fallon Connolly and Ayla Crosby guiding he is sure to have an amazing time on Denali!

AMS Denali, West Buttress - All Teams Update!

 It was a very fine day on Denali today. The weather was warm sun and minimal winds, which was nice after yesterdays strong wind storm. All teams made forward progress and are doing VERY well.  We are particularly proud of our climbers this year, thus far, they all have been very well prepared and it is a real pleasure for our guides to be climbing and sharing the beauty of the Alaska Range with them.

May 9 Team led by Scott Patch: Currently at 11,200 feet camp, they carried to 13,500 feet (around Windy Corner) today and are prepared to make the move to 14,200 feet when the time is right.

May 15 Team- Wilson led by Michael Gardner: Currently at 11,200 feet, they are making good time and appreciated the severity of the Alaska Range while in the 20 mph winds at 7,800' camp yesterday. 

May 16 Team led by Con Severis: Currently at Kahiltna basecamp, they flew in on time and were very organized prior to departure. 

May 16 - Denali, West Buttress Team has begun!

Today this team of 4 climbers and 2 guides finalized their equipment, reviewed fixed line ascension, and flew to the Kahiltna Glacier on schedule!  What a fantastic team of four experienced climbers; James, Kurt, the father and son duo Alex, and Rick. This really lovely team is led by Con Severis and Michelle Leonard. We can already tell this will be a strongly bonded team.

The first team to take the jump shot team photo of the 2022 season!

At Talkeetna Air Taxi and pack up and ready to fly

May 15th: Wilson - Denali, West Buttress (Gardner) has begun!

Our May15th Custom Denali expedition with Wilson and Guide Michael Gardner and Eric Roberts has begun.  This team had a nice day at AMS HQ preparing and they are ready. Wilson has committed a lot of hard work to get to this day and we are wishing him the very best of luck and good weather. They are currently at Kahiltna Basecamp, they flew in on schedule this afternoon!

May 9, Denali Team (Patch) - Update from the Mountain

The May 9th Team, led by Scott Patch is doing exceptionally well.  

They have moved camp to 1,200 ft. and are currently setting up their camp. Yesterday, they waited it out in high winds and whiteout conditions at 8,700 ft. camp. 

Tomorrow they will either rest or make a carry with food, fuel, and gear to the windy corner area. This will both help them with acclimatization and will help keep their packs lighter as they move higher on the mountain.

Checking for crevasses for a safe area on the Kahiltna Glacier - these are their views!

NPS Image of Denali's West Buttress camps marked. 

Custom Mt. House Adventure

 Yesterday, we had the great pleasure of sending a family our with two amazing AMS guides. 

When the Van Straatons return tomorrow they will have with lots of stories to tell and a family vacation that won't be forgotten

May 9, Denali, West Buttress Team - Patch, is on the Glacier!

The May 9th Denali, West Buttress, led by Scott Patch has begun!  They all did very well with their preparations in Talkeetna and arrived on time at Talkeetna Air Taxi today; where they were delayed slightly due to high winds at their destination (base camp). After a short wait, they loaded the ski planes and landed at Kahiltna Basecamp, on the Kahiltna Glacier.  They will spend their next few days, fine-tuning their expeditionary camping, movement, and glacier travel systems as they travel and camp to higher elevations on Kahiltna Glacier. 

Best of luck to the wonderful team!

The Team! 

Ready for wheels up at Talkeetna Air Taxi!

                                  

May 1, 12 Day Mountaineering Course - Update from the Mountains!

This team is doing so VERY well. They have successfully traveled down the Kahiltna Glacier. Tomorrow will turn east into the Pika Glacier, where they will reestablish their camp and then learn even more and climb on local peaks before their return on Thursday, May 12.

From a previous course who traveled the same route.  Photo: Butchy Fuego

From a previous course who traveled the same route.  Photo: Butchy Fuego

April 30 EOD Mountaineering Course - Update from the Mountains

 The EOD boys team is doing very well out there and is enjoying very good weather for their training.

They have climbed Mt. Shoals, moved camp and built a new camp, and have learned extensive glacier travel and crevasse rescue scenarios. 

We look forward to welcoming them back tomorrow!

May 1, 12-Day Mountaineering Course - Update from the Mountains

Instructor Jake Kayes, checked in last night and reported that all is going very well. They are having a great time out there, building very good teamwork, and making use of the excellent weather on the Kahiltna Glacier.

They are moving forward with their plan to travel to the Pika Glacier and yesterday made their way through the Great Icefall of the Kahiltna Glacier, near Mt. Hunter.  This team is breaking their own trail and route-finding their way so this is a really extraordinary time and place to learn true expeditionary and mountain and glacier wilderness skills. Here's a map of where they were last night.