Most team members have left Anchorage for home and we will compile photos from the trip over the coming days.
The team really did well together and I have heard from several members that there was no ill will toward anyone, in the end. Teamwork is a funny thing. We all have our personal ambitions and when a group of disparate strangers can come together and bond over the course of a long and trying experience, the sum of the group can often be more powerful than any of its parts. Sure, that sounds cliche, but it is a large part of what mountaineering expeditions are about.
Congratulations to all the climbers. You all did very well under extreme conditions. The days spent tent bound at high camp undoubtedly provoked some soul searching and re-prioritizing of life goals. Times like that are heavy-duty.
I often recommend that climbers give themselves a week at home before making any life-altering decisions, as the power of an expedition can really change one's perspective. While it's nice to come home and take a fresh look at the comforts around us and to revel in the friendships we put on hold whilst on the mountain, there is a part of coming off a trip that is reminiscent of the scene in "The Hurt Locker" where the main character is back from Iraq, staring at a never-ending shelf of different cereals...
Thanks to everyone who posted to this blog. This is a document of an intense experience and I invite any of the team to send me photos or text to add to this narrative.
Until then, stay safe and keep climbing!
Todd R
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Strange Day Up High
Mountaineering expeditions mean different things to each member of the team. The concept of team, also holds a variety of meanings. Each climber comes to an expedition carrying his or her personal expectations, desires, ambitions and willingness to accept risk.
At Mountain Trip, our goal with every expedition is that all of our climbers return home healthy. We want everyone to enjoy their experience with us and we hope we all get a chance to stand on the summit, but will never gamble on our primary goal to make the latter happen.
On this expedition, we partnered with a Swiss guide service Kobler and Partner and began the trip with four Kobler clients and an IFMGA Certified Guide from their staff. This is our third season working with them in this fashion.
Yesterday the team set out for the summit when a lull in the intense winds that had been battering them for several days presented itself. Temperatures were still well below zero Fahrenheit and thick clouds obscured the upper mountain. Lead guide Dave Staeheli, with 40+ Denali expeditions worth of experience felt it was enough of a shift in the high wind pattern that it was worth taking a look at what conditions were like up higher.
As the team began their ascent up the long, rising traverse that leads to Denali Pass (the low point between the north and south summits), infamously known as the Autobahn (for a party of Germans who took the expressway down), the clouds parted and Dave could see long plumes of snow streaming off the Pass and the ridge above. He felt that to continue would mean certain frostbite for some, if not all the members of the team, and that this risk outweighed the benefit of standing on the summit, so he turned the team around.
The Swiss guide was a bit ahead of Dave and refused to run back with two of the Kobler clients, instead continuing up into the wind. Dave and the rest of the Mountain Trip guides and climbers returned to high camp and waited as the three climbers disappeared around the corner of Denali Pass.
The three of them, Paul, Brigitte and Bernhard eventually made the summit and made it back down to high camp. Two of them suffered from frostbite on their hands and face. The rest of the team agreed that the summit was not worth any frostbite and they decided to drop back down the route toward base camp.
Everyone is currently at the 14,200' camp, and will continue descending to either 11,200' or 7,800' tonight. They should be back at base camp tomorrow.
Ambition, ego and culturally different guiding styles came into play yesterday. We are incredibly fortunate that the only injuries were some frostbitten fingers and cheeks. Paul got very lucky with his decision.
Mountain Trip is not in the luck business.
We are in the business of providing the best possible adventure in a wild setting with the focus on getting everyone back home healthy and happy. We can assure our climbers going forward that this situation of having a reckless guest guide will not occur. This goes to show that being an IFMGA Certified Guide means nothing on a big mountain like Denali. Experience matters on Denali.
Thanks for putting up with my venting, but this was a highly unusual situation that calls for a clarification of what transpired.
Stay tuned for another post from base camp and we will post photos and video after the climbers get back to Anchorage.
At Mountain Trip, our goal with every expedition is that all of our climbers return home healthy. We want everyone to enjoy their experience with us and we hope we all get a chance to stand on the summit, but will never gamble on our primary goal to make the latter happen.
On this expedition, we partnered with a Swiss guide service Kobler and Partner and began the trip with four Kobler clients and an IFMGA Certified Guide from their staff. This is our third season working with them in this fashion.
Yesterday the team set out for the summit when a lull in the intense winds that had been battering them for several days presented itself. Temperatures were still well below zero Fahrenheit and thick clouds obscured the upper mountain. Lead guide Dave Staeheli, with 40+ Denali expeditions worth of experience felt it was enough of a shift in the high wind pattern that it was worth taking a look at what conditions were like up higher.
As the team began their ascent up the long, rising traverse that leads to Denali Pass (the low point between the north and south summits), infamously known as the Autobahn (for a party of Germans who took the expressway down), the clouds parted and Dave could see long plumes of snow streaming off the Pass and the ridge above. He felt that to continue would mean certain frostbite for some, if not all the members of the team, and that this risk outweighed the benefit of standing on the summit, so he turned the team around.
The Swiss guide was a bit ahead of Dave and refused to run back with two of the Kobler clients, instead continuing up into the wind. Dave and the rest of the Mountain Trip guides and climbers returned to high camp and waited as the three climbers disappeared around the corner of Denali Pass.
The three of them, Paul, Brigitte and Bernhard eventually made the summit and made it back down to high camp. Two of them suffered from frostbite on their hands and face. The rest of the team agreed that the summit was not worth any frostbite and they decided to drop back down the route toward base camp.
Everyone is currently at the 14,200' camp, and will continue descending to either 11,200' or 7,800' tonight. They should be back at base camp tomorrow.
Ambition, ego and culturally different guiding styles came into play yesterday. We are incredibly fortunate that the only injuries were some frostbitten fingers and cheeks. Paul got very lucky with his decision.
Mountain Trip is not in the luck business.
We are in the business of providing the best possible adventure in a wild setting with the focus on getting everyone back home healthy and happy. We can assure our climbers going forward that this situation of having a reckless guest guide will not occur. This goes to show that being an IFMGA Certified Guide means nothing on a big mountain like Denali. Experience matters on Denali.
Thanks for putting up with my venting, but this was a highly unusual situation that calls for a clarification of what transpired.
Stay tuned for another post from base camp and we will post photos and video after the climbers get back to Anchorage.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
High winds at High Camp!
The team checked in Tues. night to report another day of rough weather at high camp. Nick reports most folks have been tent bound for the last 24+ hours. The wind and blowing snow make life very simple, eat, sleep, and hydrate. Occasionally, one will get out of the tent to make an adjustment to the tent or camp then immediately back inside.
The forecast indicates a possible lull today with things getting exciting again Thur. afternoon. We'll certainly post any movement as we get reports from the mountain.
Until next time...think warm thoughts.
The forecast indicates a possible lull today with things getting exciting again Thur. afternoon. We'll certainly post any movement as we get reports from the mountain.
Until next time...think warm thoughts.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Message from 17,200 feet
We just got a call from Nick at the 17,200' High Camp. It sounds like it's been windy and the team is sitting tight, waiting for the winds higher up to abate.
Here you go!
Here you go!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Podcast from High Camp!
The team moved up to High Camp at 17,200' today. It appears it was a simply glorious day for traveling and they thoroughly enjoyed the engaging climbing of the ridge above the steep fixed lines. The ridge gains approximately 1000 feet of elevation and contains some of the most fun climbing on the entire route. Climbers weave between rock outcroppings and traverse steep slopes and knife-edged ridges as they make their way from 16,200' to High Camp at 17,200'.
Establishing high Camp is a chore and requires shoveling tent platforms and reinforcing their perimeters with walls of snow blocks that are about as high as the tents themselves. Cutting, moving and stacking snow blocks is exhausting work at sea level, and is positively gut-wrenching at 17,200', where, on Denali, you have less than half the amount of oxygen per given volume of air than you would by the ocean.
By all accounts the team did great and they are contemplating a summit bid tomorrow, if the weather looks favorable when they poke their heads out of the tents.
Think warm thoughts and enjoy the podcast!
Establishing high Camp is a chore and requires shoveling tent platforms and reinforcing their perimeters with walls of snow blocks that are about as high as the tents themselves. Cutting, moving and stacking snow blocks is exhausting work at sea level, and is positively gut-wrenching at 17,200', where, on Denali, you have less than half the amount of oxygen per given volume of air than you would by the ocean.
By all accounts the team did great and they are contemplating a summit bid tomorrow, if the weather looks favorable when they poke their heads out of the tents.
Think warm thoughts and enjoy the podcast!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Rest day.
The crew rested today at the 14,200 ft. camp. Everyone is doing well and feeling a little stronger every day. The typical rest day starts with a healthy session of sleeping in. Then a huge breakfast and several rounds of hot drinks. Ahhh, total luxury! Next maybe some time to relax and prep for a short stroll out the the "edge of the world". A remarkable place offering breath taking views into the NE Fork of the Kahiltna, across to the West Rib, and out toward Hunter. This vista also offers a nice retrospective of the first half of the route, up the Kahiltna. After filling SD cards and draining camera batteries, it's back to camp.
The afternoon starts with a large hot lunch then more hot drinks. It's most important to sneak in a nap during the afternoon followed be some packing and prep for the big move tomorrow up to High Camp at 17,200 ft. Round out the day with a big dinner and, of course, more hot drinks. Early to be for a good night sleep.
Until next time...make it a good day!
Happy Trails.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Carry to the ridge atop the fixed lines.
We received a report the team made a carry on Thurs. to the top of the fixed lines about 2000 feet above the 14,200 ft camp. Arguably, some of the most spectacular climbing on the route exists between the top of the fixed lines and the 17,200 ft camp. The team had a taste of it Thurs. Sounds like everyone did really well.
This is the steepest section of the route, protected at the top with about 800 ft of fixed rope to help climbers gain the remarkable ridge. In addition to staging food and gear for their future move to High Camp, the trip up high is an important part of the acclimatization plan.
On Friday the team will likely rest at the 14,200 ft camp in preparation for the big move day to High Camp at 17,200 feet.
We'll wrap up today's blog post with some trivia. The mountain is commonly referred to by one of two names. What are the two names and what is the cultural significance and origin of each?
Until next time...think warm sunny thoughts for the team.
Happy trails!
This is the steepest section of the route, protected at the top with about 800 ft of fixed rope to help climbers gain the remarkable ridge. In addition to staging food and gear for their future move to High Camp, the trip up high is an important part of the acclimatization plan.
On Friday the team will likely rest at the 14,200 ft camp in preparation for the big move day to High Camp at 17,200 feet.
We'll wrap up today's blog post with some trivia. The mountain is commonly referred to by one of two names. What are the two names and what is the cultural significance and origin of each?
Until next time...think warm sunny thoughts for the team.
Happy trails!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Back Carry Day at 14,200 feet
This podcast just came in an hour ago! The team is at the 14,200' camp, doing great. This morning they back-carried their supplies from where they had cached them two days ago at a spot located at about 13,500'. This is a pretty easy day, as they dropped back down about 20 minutes walk to the cache site, dug up their goodies and then carried it all back up to camp, which takes a bit over an hour to hike.
Enjoy the message from Craig Maxwell:
Enjoy the message from Craig Maxwell:
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Podcast from 11,200' Camp
Just in case you can't make it out easily- Leigh Williams's wife should probably replay this message!!
Tucked in at 11K!
Nick checked in to let us know the team has made it safely to the 11K camp. He mentioned the travel conditions were still challenging but everyone was doing well. They had a huge dinner and all retired to the tents soon after.
The 11K camp is situated in a small basin right under the West Buttress. I imagine the excitement level is really starting to ramp up for the group. Up until this point the glacier travel is not super steep. From here the team is looking at steeper sections such as Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill, and of course, Windy Corner. Based on other reports from the mountain, the team will likely have to deal with less snow on the route for awhile.
Their plan was to try make a carry on Sunday up near Windy Corner. This carry & cache day is a big one. I'm sure they will enjoy a huge breakfast prior to sending off. The crew wishes everyone at home well. Until next time...happy trails!
The 11K camp is situated in a small basin right under the West Buttress. I imagine the excitement level is really starting to ramp up for the group. Up until this point the glacier travel is not super steep. From here the team is looking at steeper sections such as Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill, and of course, Windy Corner. Based on other reports from the mountain, the team will likely have to deal with less snow on the route for awhile.
Their plan was to try make a carry on Sunday up near Windy Corner. This carry & cache day is a big one. I'm sure they will enjoy a huge breakfast prior to sending off. The crew wishes everyone at home well. Until next time...happy trails!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Antics on the lower glacier!
Nick called with an update, which I'll post below. They are working hard and have gotten quite a bit of new snow in the past couple of days. They are still camped at 9,200 feet, but plan to move up to a beautiful spot in a mid-sized basin, ringed with steep ice walls and towering ice blocks, called seracs.
Here's the message from Nick:
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Camped on the Kahiltna Glacier
The team moved out of Base Camp this morning and dropped down onto the immense Kahiltna Glacier. Leaving Base Camp, the route actually drops downhill as the Southeast Fork merges with the main body of the Kahiltna. They then slowly gained altitude as they made their way through a couple of crevassed areas on their way to camp.
One of our Kobler friends decided not to head out of Base Camp, and flew out to Talkeetna this morning. He is fine and just decided that the time for this expedition was not right for him.
The team single carried their way up glacier today, meaning that they packed up all of their kit and moved it up in a single push. From now on, they plan to "double carry" or move roughy half of their supplies at a time. This will enable them to carry their kit up to (or near) the next camp and then return to their previous camp. Climbers call this "Climb high and sleep low," and it allows you to acclimatize a bit, but sleep lower, thereby easing the transition to the next altitude.
One of our Kobler friends decided not to head out of Base Camp, and flew out to Talkeetna this morning. He is fine and just decided that the time for this expedition was not right for him.
The team single carried their way up glacier today, meaning that they packed up all of their kit and moved it up in a single push. From now on, they plan to "double carry" or move roughy half of their supplies at a time. This will enable them to carry their kit up to (or near) the next camp and then return to their previous camp. Climbers call this "Climb high and sleep low," and it allows you to acclimatize a bit, but sleep lower, thereby easing the transition to the next altitude.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pics from Monday, April 26
Loading the trailer in Anchorage before heading north to Talkeetna.
The team, with the Alaska Range in the background, on the outskirts of Talkeetna.
Jedi-Master Dave Staeheli, weighing a food bag for the expedition.
Simon, weighing in before the expedition. We half joke that these are high-altitude weight loss programs. It is amazing how much weight these climbs burn off you!
Brigitte, getting ready for the Alaska Range!
Simon took some time to send off some postcards to some very special people.
TAT owner and veteran glacier pilot Paul Roderick is a master of loading heaps of gear into aircraft.
Newall, Ben, Craig and Nick loading into a ski-equipped Otter for the flight to Base Camp.
Yes, we fit all of that into two of these aircraft.At Base Camp!
The team drove up to Talkeetna this morning and flew to Base Camp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.
We drove from Anchorage up to the growing and somewhat famous town of Wasilla, Alaska where we stopped for some food, coffee and tried our best to see Russia, as our former Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin claims to be able to do. In her defense, it was a bit cloudy...
We continued up the road another hour or so to the quiet little town of Talkeetna, located, truly, at the end of the road. The team registered with the National Park Service and was treated to a nice orientation by Climbing Ranger Mike Shane. They then headed over to the airstrip where our friends at Talkeetna Air Taxi loaded all their equipment into two big, beautiful, ski-equipped Otter aircraft and taxied down the runway and took off for Base Camp.
Today was pretty busy with lots of equipment to be weighed and heaps of gear to move from one place to another, and another and another.
I'll post some pictures of the day in a subsequent dispatch.
We drove from Anchorage up to the growing and somewhat famous town of Wasilla, Alaska where we stopped for some food, coffee and tried our best to see Russia, as our former Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin claims to be able to do. In her defense, it was a bit cloudy...
We continued up the road another hour or so to the quiet little town of Talkeetna, located, truly, at the end of the road. The team registered with the National Park Service and was treated to a nice orientation by Climbing Ranger Mike Shane. They then headed over to the airstrip where our friends at Talkeetna Air Taxi loaded all their equipment into two big, beautiful, ski-equipped Otter aircraft and taxied down the runway and took off for Base Camp.
Today was pretty busy with lots of equipment to be weighed and heaps of gear to move from one place to another, and another and another.
I'll post some pictures of the day in a subsequent dispatch.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Welcome to our Denali Expedition
Towering above the glaciated peaks of the Alaska Range, Denali stands as a beacon to climbers around the world. First climbed in 1913, Denali is the highest peak in North America, and is one of the famed Seven Summits. What sets Denali apart are its arctic temperatures and its proximity to the Bering Sea create arguably the most challenging weather of any big mountain.
On April 25, 2010, a team of climbers from Europe and Great Britain will gather in Anchorage, Alaska in preparation for an attempt of Denali. They will be joined by a team of Mountain Trip guides and will be prepared to spend 22 days climbing to the summit. Let's meet the team!
Guides:
Dave Staeheli from Palmer, AK
Nick Shepherd from Anchorage, AK
Craig Maxwell from Tacoma, WA
Paul Koller, guest guiding from the Tirol
Climbers:
Newall Hunter from Scotland
Leigh Williams from Wales
Simon Edwards from England
Ben Morrison from England
Richard Blackwell from the UK
and our friends from Kobler and Partner:
Bernhard Gehring from Switzerland
Brigitte Kroni from Switzerland
Jacques Fox from Luxembourg
Franz Shondorfer from Germany
We will post updates as often as we receive them, but please keep in mind that communication from the Alaska Range can be very challenging at time, with weather and tall mountains interfering with our ability to use our satellite phones. Keep in mind the axiom, "No News Is Good News," as we will always be informed if things go less than optimally.
On April 25, 2010, a team of climbers from Europe and Great Britain will gather in Anchorage, Alaska in preparation for an attempt of Denali. They will be joined by a team of Mountain Trip guides and will be prepared to spend 22 days climbing to the summit. Let's meet the team!
Guides:
Dave Staeheli from Palmer, AK
Nick Shepherd from Anchorage, AK
Craig Maxwell from Tacoma, WA
Paul Koller, guest guiding from the Tirol
Climbers:
Newall Hunter from Scotland
Leigh Williams from Wales
Simon Edwards from England
Ben Morrison from England
Richard Blackwell from the UK
and our friends from Kobler and Partner:
Bernhard Gehring from Switzerland
Brigitte Kroni from Switzerland
Jacques Fox from Luxembourg
Franz Shondorfer from Germany
We will post updates as often as we receive them, but please keep in mind that communication from the Alaska Range can be very challenging at time, with weather and tall mountains interfering with our ability to use our satellite phones. Keep in mind the axiom, "No News Is Good News," as we will always be informed if things go less than optimally.