Another Summit Day

Ali is going to the summit today with another Mt Trip team!   Reports are that the weather is great today, so they should all have a great chance at the top.

Summit!

Ken is on his way back to high camp after summiting this afternoon.  They had a pretty cold and windy day, but several of the Mt Trip teams were able to work together and get to the top today.  

They will start down the mountain tomorrow after sleeping and recovering from their long day.  They'll be in basecamp in just a couple of days now. 

Congratulations, 

Still at High Camp

Bill was involved in a rescue of a fallen climber yesterday ( not a Mt Trip climber).   The climber fell below high camp, Bill and Kevin (other MT guide) helped the Park Service climbing ranger to raise the injured climber back to the ridge where they could lower him to the 14,000 ft camp.  The park maintains some very basic facilities at the 14k camp.  It sounds like it was a lot of work, but they likely saved the life of the injured climber.  

Today is another down day at high camp, and they hope to get a shot at the summit very soon...

Happy to be at High Camp

Just got off the phone with Bill from high camp at 17,000 ft.  Everyone did great today moving up, and they are really happy to be there.  They are up there with several other Mt Trip groups enjoying a beautiful evening and getting ready to crawl into their tents for the night.  They'll take a rest/acclimatization day tomorrow and then hope to get a shot for the summit.

Rest day at 14,000 ft

Yesterday the team took their last rest day at 14,000 feet before attempting to move up to high camp today.  They have been doing great, and got their load of food, fuel, and gear up to the ridge at 16,400 ft.   

They are hoping to move up to high camp today.   

I just heard from Bill that Geoff Unger (asst. guide)  and he has just arrived in basecamp with 2 of the climbers.  I'll get a phone call soon to see who it was that is heading home early.  I'll post as soon as I hear.

14,000 ft Camp

The team was able to take advantage of the improving weather in the Alaska Range and moved up to the 14k camp today.  Everybody made it in good form, and they are all doing great.  Bill was about to eat dinner when he called, so the conversation was short, but positive.  

They will spend 3-4 nights at this camp to acclimate, rest, and get a cache of food and fuel up to 16,000 ft for their move to High Camp.   This will be their home for the next several days...

Windy Day at 11,000 ft

Bill called after dinner tonight, and they are still waiting for the winds to settle down before they can continue on up.  They are all doing great, and spirits are high.   The weather is expected to settle down this evening, so everyone hopes to be able to get back to climbing tomorrow.

Up to 11,000 feet

The crew was able to move up to 11,000 feet today in spite of high winds and a pretty good storm.  Bill (lead guide) said that everyone is doing great, and moved well in the challenging conditions.  They joined 3 other Mountain Trip groups who are also at this camp right now.

Doing Great!

The team is moving along right on schedule.   They spent their first day at basecamp going over glacier travel and crevasse skills, and launched up the glacier on the following day.   They moved to camp one, about 5 miles up the Kahiltna glacier in one push with all of their equipment and supplies for the next 20 or so days.  They don't gain much altitude, but these are the biggest loads that they will carry for the whole trip.  

Today they are moving up to the next camp at 11,000 feet.

1st night on the glacier

The team is off to an auspicious start, they flew in on one of the most beautiful days of the summer yet.   They'll spend a night in basecamp after their scenic flight into the Alaska Range from Talkeetna, and begin the hard work tomorrow.

Welcome to Mountain Trip's May 18th West Buttress Expedition

On May 11, 2008 a team of climbers will meet in Anchorage, Alaska in order to attempt to climb to the top of North America.

The summit of Denali (Mount McKinley) is the one of the famed Seven Summits and soars 20.320 feet above sea level. This team will spend up to three weeks working their way up the mountain from a base camp located at 7,200'. Due to it's proximity to the Arctic Circle, Denali is notorious for its ferocious weather and extreme cold. For many climbers, it is the challenge of a lifetime.

The team will include:

Adrian Barwick from the UK
Barry Dodds from the UK
Fred McArthur from the UK

Mountain Trip guides for the expedition will be Bill Billmeier from Anchorage, Alaska, and Geoff Unger from Seattle, Washington. Our special guest guide Alison Criscitiello from Cambridge, Massachusetts is also climbing to fund raise for Silent Spring Institute.

Silent Spring Institute is a non-profit scientific research organization dedicated to identifying the links between the environment and women's health, especially breast cancer. Please read more about Silent Spring by clicking on the link in the sidebar.

We will post updates as they are available, however due to weather and the big mountains surrounding the team for much of the climb, communications with the team may not occur on a daily basis. Please keep in mind the axiom of "no news is good news."

We can not guarantee that any comments posted to this blog will reach the climbers on the mountain. If you do wish to pass along any news, please call or email the Mountain Trip Office at info@mountaintrip.com or +1-970-369-1153.