Denali Details
Number of Days
21 days
Prices
$5550
May 2 - 23 2008 (Led by Robert Link, veteran of 17 expeditions)
Grade Level
Grade IV
6 - 9 Climbers
THE HIGH ONE
Denali: 20,320 feet
At 20,320 feet above sea level, Denali (Mount McKinley) is the highest point on the North American continent. The apex of many climbing dreams, this is a full climbing expedition. Flanked by five giant glaciers, this huge snow and ice mass is a moderately technical climb with severe weather conditions.
Greatest vertical gain
Though not the world's highest mountain when measured from sea
level, Denali presents a greater vertical gain - 13,020 feet
from base camp to summit - than Mount Everest.
Our route is via the West Buttress, which winds around the Kahiltna Glacier up a series of low-angled headwalls to a larger basin at 14,300 feet. Above the basin we climb 2,000 feet to the buttress crest and get one of the best vistas in North America. Our final approach is via the Denali Pass.
The West Buttress is not considered a highly technical climb, because there is no rock or vertical ice climbing on the route. However, the extremes of temperature and weather, climbing and camping at altitude and extensive glacier travel make this a challenging expedition. We allow for several weather delays in our itinerary. Expeditions average 18 days roundtrip from base camp, but a minimum of three weeks should be allowed for the expedition.
Denali or McKinley?
Denali, meaning "the High One," is the name given from the
indigenous Athabaskan language. It is also referred to as Mount
McKinley - the name local gold prospectors gave the mountain in
1897. William McKinley was a candidate for the US Presidency -
and one who supported the gold standard.
Team member qualifications
Expedition participants must have previous glacier travel
experience and be familiar with various snow and ice
techniques, including self arrest, cramponing, roped glacier
travel and crevasse rescue systems. Completion of a snow and
ice mountaineering course is required for team membership.
Please call our office to discuss your experience level and
space availability.
To view photos of our successful expedition, please click
here.
Trip itinerary
Due to the expedition nature of this trip, there is no set
itinerary for each day. We have a scheduled arrival date at our
base camp. From there, we climb when we can, rest when
appropriate and take layover days when necessary.
MORE INFO
Questions about our trips? Please call us at (800) 408-8949. Or, email us here.
