Update from the Alaska Range, May 31 - Team Off! Team On!

 

Excited to Fly, after an extra day in Talkeetna!

Jumping for Joy after a weather delay!
Guide John, Tim, Dani, Kyle, Ella, Jeff, Mike, Guides Dylan and Nickle

It was a weathery day yesterday, and our DWB-Wood-May 29 spent an extra day doing the "Talkeetna Hang".  Meanwhile, our Denali Prep Course-Kerner-May 21 spent an extra day at basecamp, relaxing, playing cards and waiting for the first flight back to Talkeetna.

This morning proved to be more auspicious for flying and our West Buttress team rallied to get to the airport to wait for their turn to hitch a ride to basecamp. 

The Denali Prep crew rolled in right after their departure, and hustled to return and organize gear, and do some dish washing duty to finish things off! No one seemed to mind the extra day at basecamp!

Update from the Alaska Range and Denali Expeditions, May 29 - windy day up there!

14,200' Camp from the Air

The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, is resting up at 14,200-ft camp today as a weather system continues to move over the mountains, spinning high winds throughout the higher elevations. The team has reported that they are doing great during their "tent time" and are looking forward to a hopeful weather window to move higher in the coming days!

The Denali Prep Course, led by instructor and guide David Kerner, is sitting tight at Kahiltna Base Camp today after experiencing some high winds last night, which created chest-deep snow drifts throughout camp. Students are thriving and will practice a final run through of rope systems today before settling in. They are scheduled to fly out in the morning!

Gear at Basecamp

On May 26, Team Neskwa, a Custom Ski Denali Expedition, led by Adam Fabrikant and Billy Haas, rested at the 11,000-foot camp today, as it was too windy and generally stormy to carry their gear higher.  Depending on the weather, they will carry around Windy Corner to 13,500 feet tomorrow!

The May 26 Denali Expedition, led by Keith Sidle, quoted Van Morrison in their report to Headquarters, saying they "sailed into the Mystic" and climbed to 9,500-ft camp today. It may be blowing and snowing at camp, but they are in high spirits and looking forward to climbing higher after the weather passes. 

9,800' Camp

Update from the Alaska Range - sunny, and windy up high.

 The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, remains at 14,200 camp, as the weather up high is too windy to move to high camp. They walked out to a fantastic vista point called "Edge of the World" today and enjoyed the spectacular views of the Kahitnat Glacier and views to the south of the Alaska Range. They are all in excellent spirits as they wait for the winds to pass, possibly for a couple of more days. They have plenty of time to wait for good weather.

The Denali Prep Course, led by instructor and guide David Kerner, is doing very well. They are really taking advantage of the nice weather at lower elevations. This course has a full slate of weather and action!

May 26, Team Neskwa, a Custom Ski Denali Expedition, led by Adam Fabrikant and Billy Haas, is doing well at the 11,000-foot camp and is taking a rest/acclimation day there today. All is well with this special team.

The May 26 Denali Expedition, led by Keith Sidle, slept well last night, and they moved to camp at 7,800 feet, Ski Hill Camp, today. They made perfect time and arrived in five hours, which is excellent timing. All is well with this strong team.

14,200-foot camp, with a little practice for the fixed lines

May 26th Expedtion Begins! May 8 and 12th Expeditions Return!

The May 26 Denali Expedition led by Keith Sidle, Ben Olwell, and Matt Schiffner.  They got an early start with their 9:00 am NPS Mountain Briefing this morning. Due to the changing weather, they got in their Action Suits and headed to the airport! 

They made quick work to head to the airport and loaded their planes with Talkeetna Air Taxi. As they were loading up, the pilots got the word to hold off, so they waited, and waited... until 6 PM when the weather cleared just enough and they flew into the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, aka Kahiltna Base Camp.

Here are some photos from their day.

The Daily Schedule.

The banana duffle bags ready to go into the sleds.

Kempen and Pawel packing 20 days' worth of lunches.

Guides Keith and Ben. Climbers: Pawel, Jan, Kempen, Kevin, Nick, Casper, and Guide Matt in their Action Suits.

The May 8th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Brady McGuire 

and

The May 12th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Tyler Thompson

These teams rallied and pushed from 17K camp to base camp, arriving at 3:00 AM this morning. Today, climbers and guides returned to Talkeetna and were welcomed with watermelon. Welcome back, team!

Here are some photos of the color explosion:

Alaska Range/ Denali Updates from AMS Expeditions

The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, is enjoying a rest day at 14,200 camp after carrying gear to the 16K ridge. Tomorrow, weather permitting, they will move to High Camp at 17,200 feet. This will be a BIG day. All must be as acclimated as possible and ready for a 3,000-foot climb along the true West Buttress of Denali. They are a strong team that is moving well together. They left their sleds behind at 11,000 feet, so they have all of the weight on their backs. Summit attempts are made from High Camp.

The plan for tomorrow for this team: 

Climbing the 16K Ridge. (AMS archives)

AMS Guide Mark Postle leading a team on the 16K Ridge en route to High Camp (AMS archives)

The Denali Prep Course, led by instructor and guide David Kerner, is on the move back down the main Kahiltna Glacier to the SE fork of the Kahiltna... also known as Base Camp. Here, they will build a new camp. They have many possible objectives in the Base Camp area for climbing and learning. This is also the location where they will fly out of the mountains at the end of their course on Friday, the 30th. 

They will see all of the Denali climbers coming and going, starting or ending their expedition. It is a jubilant and colorful scene.

Kahiltna Base Camp tents and a plane

Climbers travel down the Kahiltna Glacier with Mount Foraker in the distance.

The red line indicates the route they took today. They will be camped at Kahiltna Base Camp.

May 26, Team Neskwa, a Custom Ski Denali Expedition, led by Adam Fabrikant and Billy Haas, is making excellent time on their skis. This small team of four, with two Alumni AMS climbers/skiers, flew in yesterday morning at 11 am and were able to navigate on the glacier, efficiently moving to camp at 7,800 feet, the base of Ski Hill. Guide Billy Haas reported a "Great day of moving. Nice and direct route from BC." It was snowing on them in the evening, but it was calm and pleasant. 

Today, they made the rare and somewhat elusive move to 11,000 feet. Everyone is feeling well and moving strong. They will spend a night or two here, acclimating, practicing skills, and reorganizing, as they will be on crampons for sections of the next part of the climb. 

Life and times - climbing up the Kahiltna Glacier

Report from Denali!

The Denali Prep Course, led by David Kerner, remains camped at 9,800 feet. Last night, a storm rolled in, and they reported that the snow block walls they built came in handy. They had 8-10 inches of new snow. For today's activities, they conducted whiteout navigation up to 11,000 feet. 

Sound walls mean good sleep!

The May 8th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Brady McGuire 

and

The May 12th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Tyler Thompson

This combined team is heading down from the high camp. They may camp at 14,200 feet tonight. Weather permitting, they will descend to base camp tomorrow night for a return flight to Talkeetna.

Climbers descending the 16K ridge.

The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, is carrying their gear to the 16K ridge. They will return to the 14K camp to sleep again. After this carry, they will be poised to move to high camp when the time is right. In the big mountains, this is how you acclimate: climb high and sleep low.

Climbers on the Fixed Lines starting at 15K and going to 16,200.

Climbers departing the 14K camp (in the background) are approaching the fixed lines. 

16K Ridge. = Beautiful.

One Team Launches and Another Gear Checks

 It is another beautiful sunny day in Talkeetna.

May 26, Team Neskwa Expedition, a custom Denali Ski Expedition led by Adam Fabrikant and Billy Haas launched today.

Neskwa is an Abenaki word that means snow. Melissa and Eric live on Abenaki land (present-day New England) and liked the idea of having a Native name as they climbed Denali, an Athabaskan for the "high one."

Billy, Adam, Melissa and Eric.

Melissa, Adam, Eric, Billy ready to fly.

Their Team Flag.

Our next Denali Expedition (5/26) is led by Keith Sidle, Ben Olwell and Matt Schiffner.  Today is food packing and gear checking. Flying tomorrow.

Guides Matt, Ben and Keith packing food for the expedition.

Jan and Nick packing their lunches.

Organization is a key component of gear packing.

Alaska Range update from the AMS Teams - another nice day

The May 8th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Brady McGuire 

and

The May 12th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Tyler Thompson

Some of the team members returned to Talkeetna this morning and are in high spirits and psyched to see and smell the new green leaves on the trees. 

The remaining climbers are still on the mountain -  They are currently at the 17,200-foot-high camp and will spend the night there tonight. Weather permitting, they are planning to start their descent tomorrow.

All is well!

Remnants of camp walls at the 17K camp. Building walls at every camp is a necessity... and a lot of work. 

Scenes from today at HQ... a massive explosion of color and smiling faces.

At the 14,200-foot camp: 

The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, is safely ensconced. They will continue to rest and practice for the next leg of their journey-- the fixed lines. They say it is a "stunner day" for their rest day. 

However, their active rest day will entail a lesson in clipping in and out of the fixed lines to improve efficiency as they move up.

The fixed lines start at 15,000 feet and ascend to 16,200 feet. There are climbing ropes affixed to the snow and ice for safety. They will use an ascender that attaches to the fixed line. Each time a climber reaches an anchor point, the climber has to get around that point. This is referred to as clipping in and out, as they pass each anchor point.

Climbers on the fixed lines above the 14K camp.

Ascender and carabiner on the fixed lines.

The Denali Prep Course, led by David Kerner, is currently camped at 9,800 feet, and it's another beautiful day. They enjoyed meeting our AMS team as they descended the West Buttress route around midnight. Teams often travel at night when the glacier's surface is firmer and the air temperature is cooler, making travel much more pleasant. 

We currently have 18 hours and 45 minutes of daylight and gain about 3 minutes of light each day.

 

Camp at 9,800 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier; looking down the glacier.

Students building the kitchen camp on a Denali Prep Course. There is a lot of shoveling on all expeditions in the Alaska Range.

Denali, West Buttress Update - Beautiful day in the Range

 At the 17,200-foot camp: 

The May 8th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Brady McGuire 

and

The May 12th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Tyler Thompson

Moved to high camp at 17,200 feet today. It was a really gorgeous day for traveling on the 16K Ridge. All is well.

At the 14,200-foot camp: 

The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, traveled to pick up their cache at 13,500 feet and will sleep at 14,200 feet again tonight and for the next few nights.

Moving Up toward Kahiltna Pass:

The Denali Prep Course, led by David Kerner, enjoyed a sunny day and had pancakes in camp this morning before launching into classes. They will move camp up toward Kahiltna Pass tonight to take advantage of the cool temperatures, as daytime temperatures have become too hot for midday travel on the Kahiltna these days.

Returned to Talkeetna!

Film Safety, led by Tad McCrea, has returned to Talkeetna! Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. This was a very successful mission.

Kahiltna Glacier and Denali, West Buttress Update: 5/23/25 - Beautiful day on the Mountain

At the 14,200-foot camp: 

The May 8th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Brady McGuire 

and

The May 12th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Tyler Thompson

They are now on a similar schedule and will work together as they climb higher over the next few days. Today, they rested and reorganized at the 14,200-foot camp and plan to move to high camp at 17,200 feet tomorrow. From there, they will be poised and ready to make a bid for the summit when the time is right! This is a good day to rest and eat well before moving up the fixed lines and along the ridge to camp at 17,200 feet, where everything becomes even more beautiful and challenging. 

The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrecht, moved from 11,000 to 14,200 feet camp today!  The weather was quite beautiful today, and they were pleased to have it as they moved up and around the Windy Corner. This team is excited to be at a new camp and to be among friends at 14,200 for the evening.

14K Camp with Mount Hunter in the background (14,570ft)

At 7,800 feet, Camp One: 

The Denali Prep Course, led by David Kerner,  was up very early this morning to beat the heat of the day on the Kahiltna Glacier and moved to the 7,800-foot climbers' camp. All is well, and they are absorbing all the learning!

7,800-foot climber camp on the Kahiltna Glacier

Near 7,200 feet, Kahiltna Basecamp:

Film Safety, led by Tad McCrea, is recording all the magic on Mt. Hunter today and over the weekend.

North side of Mt. Hunter

Alaska Range update from the AMS Teams- 5/22/2025

 At the 14,200-foot camp: 

The May 8th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Brady McGuire 

and
The May 12th Denali Expedition, led by Guide Tyler Thompson

Both teams ascended the headwall and the fixed lines today. They carried and cached at approximately 16,400 feet and really enjoyed the challenge of new and steeper terrain, as well as the incredible views.  This is a big day with higher altitudes and managing the fixed lines with crampons and packs. The route conditions on the up line are mostly snowy, while the down line is quite icy, as it was installed yesterday with a joint effort by AMS and RMI Mountain Guides for the 2025 climbing season.  Way to go, team! 

Note: Conditions are expected to change over the coming days and weeks.

All Archive photos: Bergschrund at the Base of the fixed lines

Cache site above the top of the fixed lines

Views from near the base of the fixed lines, looking down at the 

14,200' climber camp below.

At the 11,000-foot camp:
The May 15th Denali West Buttress Expedition, led by Guide Simon Fretz-Albrehct, enjoyed a very pleasant carry around Windy Corner, to 13,500 feet today. Simon reported that the trail conditions are mostly good, and the weather was enjoyable today. This team certainly deserves this lovely day!

Archive photo: Views for the May 15th team included this today! Though they had more fresh snow than this photo shows.

At 7,200 feet, Kahiltna Basecamp:

Film Safety, led by Tad McCrea: Yesterday, they climbed on the east Ridge of Mt. Frances, and for tomorrow, they are planning more adventures on Mt. Hunter. 

The Denali Prep Course, led by instructor and guide David Kerner, covered coursework with an intensive crevasse rescue class today. This team is excited to be amongst the big mountains and to hone their skills to best prepare for Denali in the future!

Archive photo: Crevasse rescue drills are excellent for honing skills and building confidence.