Dispatches from American Alpine Institute's worldwide mountaineering expeditions, including the West Buttress of Denali, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the Seven Summits.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
Lead guide Andy Stephen called in this morning.
Team 3 successfully placed their cache above the fixed lines (16,200ft). They didn't spend much time above the head wall as it was quite windy but with the cache placed the team is in a good position to make a summit attempt in the next few days.
Unfortunately, as Ian and Andy passed the phone around the group we could only hear a few people's voices due to a poor connection.
Hopefully we get a better signal so that friends and family can hear everyone's brief message.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
Team 2 is safely back in Talkeetna after experiencing some of the worst weather in the mountain's history.
Chad wrote a lovely sentiment about the strong bonds of friendships that were formed during this expedition and they all hope to return to the mountain one day.
An incredible journey comes to an end, but now Team 2 can enjoy the comforts of civilization.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI lead guide Chad Cochran called in this morning to give us an update on Team 2.
Due to the weather event they currently experiencing - which is expected to last for the next few days - bringing in strong winds, snow flurries, and poor visibility, Team 2 has made the decision to begin making their way off the mountain. They in the process of creating a plan to safely travel down the mountain to Base Camp, where they can be flown off the glacier.
These are unfortunate circumstances, but Team 2 is staying positive and looking forward to making their way back to civilization. We are looking forward to hearing an update from them soon.
Higinio "Quino" Gonzalez
Jared Drapala
Justin Moynihan
Climbers:
Leah Jay
Than Juang
Tilak Ramaprakash
William Martin
Tyrone Smith
Jan Grothe
Dan Brochu
Mike Tucker
Duncan Marsh
AAI lead guide Quino Gonzalez called in late last night to report Team 4 has made it to Camp 2!
Team 4 moved from Camp 1 to Camp 2 during the day. Everyone is doing really well. They were in the kitchen tent, eating dinner and getting ready for bed when Quino called.
The weather is looking good, a little windy with a high pressure system moving in for the next few days. Tomorrow (5/26), Team 4 plans to retrieve their cache and bring it back up to Camp 2.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI lead guide Andy Stephen called in earlier today to report on Team 3.
Team 3 is sitting tight, waiting out a storm at Camp 3 (14,000ft). Around 5am, a strong storm rolled in with approximately 40mph winds picking up and continuing into the morning.
Team 3 is still really psyched and doing well. They had a good breakfast of cereal and dried fruit. Throughout the day Team 3 will build up their snow walls and fortify their camp. It appears this storm may stick around through the weekend, so they need to be prepared if it does.
Team 3 is hanging tight for now. Everyone is in really good spirits, playing games, laughing, and having fun together. We are looking forward to hearing from Team 3 again, soon!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI guide Jim Mediatore called in late last night (5/25) to report on the progress of Team 2.
On day 17 of their expedition, Team 2 remained at Camp 3, at 14,000ft. Team 2 had another weather day, with low visibility, snow, and intermittent high winds. Team 2 spent the day playing games, enjoying each other's company and doing weather dances.
Team 2 will wait until Friday, day 19, before making an official decision as to whether or not they will move up or down the mountain.
Since the weather has not been as cooperative as they had hoped, Team 2 is asking for our good-weather vibes and support from home! Hopefully we can send enough love that the weather will allow Team 2 to make an attempt at the summit within the next couple of days!
Higinio "Quino" Gonzalez
Jared Drapala
Justin Moynihan
Climbers:
Leah Jay
Than Juang
Tilak Ramaprakash
William Martin
Tyrone Smith
Jan Grothe
Dan Brochu
Mike Tucker
Duncan Marsh
AAI lead guide Quino Gonzalez called in late last night to report on Team 4 at Camp 1 on Denali.
During the day Team 4 cached some food and fuel on the way up to Camp 2. It was a beautiful day, the weather was a little overcast with light snow in the evening. So far the weather has been good enough for Team 4 to move around. They were back at Camp 1 eating dinner when our AAI office received their call.
The plan for tomorrow (5/26) is to move up to Camp 2, assuming the weather continues to cooperate. Everyone is well and in good spirits.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI guide Ian Mceleney called in this morning to check-in for Team 3, making sure we were able to hear about their progress.
Team 3 made their way up to Camp 3 (4,320m) last night. It was a tough day for the expedition, but everyone did really well on their journey and worked really hard throughout the day. They set-up camp really quickly yesterday evening and the guides were very proud of their team.
This morning, Team 3 woke-up to some stormy weather, so they plan to take a rest day and wait out some of the weather. Their plan is to build some snow walls around camp to protect from the wind. AAI guide Michael Wachs was making some breakfast sandwiches for the team when we received their call.
We are looking forward to hearing more from Team 3, soon!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI lead guide Chad Cochran called in to report on the progress of Team 2.
Team 2 was able to put in their cache on Monday (5/23), above the fixed lines. The weather was finally cooperating and allowed them to make their way above the fixed lines and acclimatize some while putting in their cache. They had a relaxing evening after a productive day, and headed to bed early.
Team 2 woke up to their coldest day yet, about -10 to -15 degrees fahrenheit. They had a great breakfast yesterday (5/24) before venturing out and checking out the views provided by the clearing weather. They could see some teams moving across the lower glacier. Team 2 took some inventory and reorganized their gear and got prepared for the potential to move further up the mountain as soon as the weather provides them the opportunity.
Team 2 got to watch as Team 3 arrived at Camp 3 around dinner time. The two teams are currently camp neighbors, and were able to enjoy each other's company for the evening.
Team 2 is looking forward to the weather hopefully clearing up for Wednesday (5/25), so they can attempt to make their way closer to the summit!
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Andrew Yasso called in last night (5/24) to let everyone know the ARAM team officially flew out of the range yesterday afternoon!
They flew out of the range around 12:30pm, arrived in Talkeetna, Alaska around 1:00pm. They were able to start cleaning up and drying out their tents. The ARAM was getting ready for their debriefing and dinner.
Unfortunately the ARAM was unable to climb anything during the trip, but they learned a lot, practiced great skills, ate some awesome food, and had a lot of fun. Everyone was excited to be back in Talkeetna and enjoying the last of their time in Alaska.
Higinio "Quino" Gonzalez
Jared Drapala
Justin Moynihan
Climbers:
Leah Jay
Than Juang
Tilak Ramaprakash
William Martin
Tyrone Smith
Jan Grothe
Dan Brochu
Mike Tucker
Duncan Marsh
We received word from AAI lead guide Quino Gonzalez late Tuesday evening. Team 4 flew onto the mountain yesterday and made it to Camp 1 last night!
Team 4 landed at base camp around 10:30am and quickly made the 5 hour journey to Camp 1. Everyone did really well throughout the day. Team 4 is hoping to move their first cache halfway to Camp 2 on Wednesday, or they will take a rest day if the weather does not cooperate.
Everyone is in good spirits and doing really well. Team 4 is looking forward to a great expedition!
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Andrew Yasso called in late last night (5/23) from about 300ft from their prior camp, just downhill of the Mountain House.
The ARAM spent the day running through some more crevasse rescue scenarios, even digging their own pseudo-crevasse at camp to practice with.
The ARAM team had moved downhill to the airstrip (their current camp position) after the snow finally stopped during the day and provided them a weather window. Unfortunately they had just gotten word back from K2 Aviation that the weather was still providing poor visibility in the Ruth Gorge, so they were unable to fly the ARAM off the mountain last night.
For now, the ARAM was setting up camp for the night at the airstrip and making the most of their position. Everyone is still in high spirits and hopefully the weather will provide a window so K2 Aviation can fly them off the mountain soon.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI lead guide Andy Stephen called in yesterday evening (5/23) to report on Team 3.
Team 3 headed up the mountain and put in a cache earlier in the day at 14,000ft, a little higher than normal, to save themselves a day of backtracking later on. They had not planned on caching, since the weather was looking questionable, but they never slowed down and were able to make their cache.
AAI guide Ian Mceleney was cooking everyone burritos for dinner and everyone was in really good spirits after a successful day.
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Andrew Yasso called in late last night (5/22).
Unfortunately the ARAM team was unable to move down the glacier yesterday (as hoped), due to continuing weather - the "Alaska weather event." After contacting K2 Aviation earlier in the day, they were informed to stay at their current camp location, as it may be easier to fly them off the mountain from where they are at.
Since they had all that fresh snow, the ARAM group went over avalanche science and things to lookout for. They went and built some snow pits and played around in the fresh snow. AAI guides Andrew Yasso and Paul Rosser taught some in-depth lessons on mountain medicine and high altitude issues.
The ARAM ate some great food throughout the day: breakfast of bacon and hash browns, warm quesadillas for lunch, and tai noodles for dinner.
Even though the ARAM is currently in a holding pattern, unable to climb anything in the current conditions, everyone is safe and happy. Barbara Audin wanted to let her family know that she is doing well, and everyone is all good.
The ARAM team has plenty of food and fuel for the time being, but they are working on their exit strategy. Given their current situation, AAI guides Andrew and Paul are continuing to teach and test everyone on some new skills. For the time being, the ARAM is sitting in camp, "fat and happy," listening to music and having a great time! Hopefully we will hear some good news soon, if a weather window opens up and they are able to fly off the glacier.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI guide Jeremy Devine called in yesterday (5/22) on day 14 of their expedition.
Team 2 woke up to somewhat clear skies with encroaching clouds moving toward their camp during breakfast. They packed up some day-gear and headed toward the fixed lines to work on their acclimatization. They made it a little over 1,000ft above Camp 3 before turning back toward camp due to the blustery winds and blowing snow. Everyone had a good time and was glad to get out and stretch their legs a bit.
Hopefully the weather will break soon and allow Team 2 to make their way up to the fixed lines sometime soon. We're looking forward to another update from Team 2 soon!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI lead guide Chad Cochran called in for Team 2 on Saturday, May 21st, on day 13 of their expedition.
The wind subsided a little bit Saturday, allowing Team 2 to get out of their tents and work on their skills and check out all their fresh snow. Team 2 practiced the fixed lines and got prepared for the future possibility of putting a cache higher up the mountain or trying to get acclimatized.
Team 2 is in good spirits and is really excited about hopefully moving up the mountain soon. We wish them good weather in the near future so they can make their way toward the summit!
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI guide Michael Wachs called in for Team 3 on Sunday (5/22), day 7 of their expedition.
Team 3 was having some medium winds and fresh snowfall on the mountain. They headed down and retrieved their cache from around 10,000ft earlier in the day. Everyone was in good spirits and had a delicious dinner.
Their current plan, assuming weather permits, is to head up the mountain tomorrow and make their cache at 14,000ft. We're looking forward to more from Team 3, soon!
Alex Gammeter
Markus Grohall
Michael Landstatter
Marc Meire
Markus Muller
Thomas Rumpf
Julia Schultz
Michael von Wolf
Lead Guide Tad McCrea called in last night (5/22) from Talkeetna, Alaska.
The second half of Team 1, aka "the Kobler machine," finally made it back to Talkeetna. Unfortunately Team 1 had some satellite phone malfunctions and were unable to report in once they reached Base Camp on Wednesday night (5/18). Team 1 had a party at the runway, celebrating their successful climb with some music and drinks.
The first half of Team 1 (6 people) was able to fly off the mountain on Thursday afternoon (5/19) and the second half of Team 1 flew off the mountain late Saturday night (5/21).
Team 1 was overall an extremely fun crew to work with and was very strong, which showed on all fronts. AAI guides had a great time and really enjoyed working with this group!
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Andrew Yasso called in late Saturday evening to check in with us on the ARAM team. Everyone was all tucked in for the evening after a delicious dinner of mac-n-cheese.
The team's earlier plan of moving down the glacier and making their way out did not happen due to weather, so they were still camped out near the Mountain House. Their weather for the day included some strong winds, a ton of fresh snow, and low visibility.
The ARAM team went over a lot of skills, including crevasse rescue taught by AAI guide Paul Rosser, and timed testing that everyone passed with flying colors. AAI guide Andrew Yasso dug out a deep hole for the ARAM to use as a covered restroom during their storm.
The team's plan for tomorrow (5/22) will be to move down the glacier and get a change of scenery. Fingers crossed that the weather will break so the team can travel safely. If there is no weather break, they will remain at their current camp and continue to work on their skills.
Photo courtesy of AAI Archives. Climbers practiceing crevasse rescue on the Ruth Glacier.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI lead guide Andy Stephen called in earlier today, Saturday May 21st. Team 3 has had a productive rest day at Camp 2. They had some excellent meals and enjoyed some camp entertainment of games, music, and movies.
Hopefully Team 3 will be able to head down and retrieve their cache tomorrow.
Team members send messages back home, listen below:
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI lead guide Chad Cochran called in today on day 12 of their expedition.
Team 2 was experiencing some strong weather today so they chose to use this as a rest day, eating some good food and enjoying music from their cook tent.
Hopefully the weather will clear up soon so Team 2 can push further up the mountain.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI guide Ian Mceleny called in earlier today from Camp 2 (11,200ft/ 3,400m)!
Team 3 woke up yesterday (5/19) at Camp 1, working on the skills they will use higher up the mountain. They had a great lunch with fresh fruits and vegetables. After lunch, the team packed up their gear and made a strong push for Camp 2, arriving successfully yesterday evening.
Team 3 is resting up today after the long push to Camp 2, with the potential for retrieving their cache later today or tomorrow. Everyone is working really well together and we're looking forward to hearing from them again, soon!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI lead guide Chad Cochran called in today on day 11 of their expedition.
Team 2 spent the day around Camp 3, building some strong snow walls in preparation for some strong winds and weather they are anticipating. The team is working on acclimatizing really well at camp, relaxing and practicing their skills.
The team is hoping for good weather to come, however, they are expecting the weather may hold them at Camp 3 for a few days. Everyone is doing really well and having a great time. We look forward to hearing from Team 2 again, soon!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI guide Jeremy Devine called in to report on Team 2. Today (5/18) was a rest day for the team. After a long, hard push to reach Camp 3, they took advantage of the weather to build some good snow walls around their camp to protect from the high winds they could get in the future.
Team 2 ate a lot of good food, including a dinner of jumbalaya with chicken sausage that everyone enjoyed before going to bed at a good hour. The plan for tomorrow (5/19) is to retrieve their cache from Windy Corner (13,400ft) and bring it up to Camp 3.
Everyone is doing really well and we look forward to another update from Team 2 tomorrow!
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Paul Rosser called in last night to report on day 4 (5/18) of the ARAM team.
The team had a wonderful day, staring off with a good, fast breakfast so they could get out of camp and go practice their crevasse rescues.
They found a really good crevasse to work with, having everyone run through some crevasse rescue scenarios and advanced crevasse rescue scenarios. After their practicing, the team had a long, leisurely walk back to camp, traversing the glacier and viewing the Ruth Gorge.
The ARAM group had an excellent dinner, cooked by AAI guide Andrew Yasso, of clam sauce over noodles, which was exceptional! They had raspberry crumble for desert, which was also excellent, and chased their desert with some wine.
Everyone is really enjoying learning new skills and being in the Ruth Gorge. We're looking forward to hearing from them again, soon!
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI guide Ian Mceleney called in yesterday evening to report in from Camp 1 (7,800ft/ 2,377m). Team 3 had a stormy night but woke up to a clear dawn.
For breakfast, the team had cinnamon buns and oranges. After breakfast, they packed up their gear and made a cache further up the mountain at Kahiltna Pass (~10,000ft).
It was a really good day weather-wise, being fairly hot throughout the day with really good views of the range. The team had a lot of fun! For the evening the team was resting up and refueling.
Tomorrow (5/19), if the weather holds, Team 3 will try to move up the mountain to Camp 2 (11,200ft/ 3,413m). We are looking forward to hearing from them soon!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI lead guide Chad Cochran called in yesterday (5/17) on day 9 of their expedition.
The team woke up early to variable weather conditions and wind, but chose to pack-up camp and make their push further up the mountain. Team 2 successfully made it to Camp 3 (14,200ft)!
The team is feeling a little worked from the long haul and headwinds during the day, but everyone is still feeling really strong and excited about their progress and may take the next day to relax and recuperate. We're looking forward to hearing from Team 2 again, soon!
Feel free to leave comments for team member. When guides can call in we can relay them back to your climber.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI lead guide Andy Stephen called in yesterday (5/17) evening, about 10:00pm. Team 3 successfully made it to Camp 1 (7,800ft), just below Ski Hill, yesterday evening about 7:00pm.
They experienced some intermittent weather throughout the day that did not halt their movements. For the most part it was a good day and everyone was in really good spirits. AAI guide Ian Mceleney cooked the team some delicious burgers and made salad for dinner, using the last of their fresh vegetables.
Weather may move in on the team tomorrow, so they are going to play their movements by ear. The team may make a cache further up the mountain tomorrow, if the weather permits. We are looking forward to another update from the team soon!
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Andrew Yasso called in last night (5/17/16) from just outside the Mountain House in the Ruth Gorge.
The team woke up yesterday to a cloudy day, the cold helped to keep the snow firm. AAI guide Paul Rosser cooked the team the "best pancakes in the Ruth Gorge," with real maple syrup. Everyone loved them!
The team spent the morning practicing self-arresting and anchor building, placing some very sturdy snow protection. For lunch, the team had hot tuna melts.
Their evening consisted of another glacier tour, this time with the climbers leading the group through an ice fall, learning route finding and avoiding objective hazards.
Unfortunately the weather turned during the evening, so the team made for an early night. They plan to practice more skills tomorrow. Over the next few days, the team will also learn more challenging glacial navigation skills.
Photo courtesy of AAI archives. Climbers on the Ruth Gorge.
Jeremy Cote
Penelope Walker
Julie Bedford
Barry Raferty
Freddie Walker
Daniel Goldstein
Rory McHugh
David Atkinson
Jonathan Dell Guidry
AAI lead guide Andy Stephen called in this morning (5/17) from Base Camp.
Team 3 flew in yesterday evening (5/16) with beautiful conditions and set-up at Base Camp. The team learned a few necessary skills and had a delicious dinner of pad tai.
The weather is a slightly socked in this morning, having had a little fresh snow overnight. The team will start the day with a hearty breakfast before learning additional skills.
The team is hopeful of moving up to Camp 1 (7,800ft) later today, as the conditions are looking great for that possibility.
Everyone on Team 3 is getting along great and having a good time. The team is looking forward to moving higher up the mountain later today!
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI guide Jeremy Devine called in from Camp 2 yesterday evening (5/16). The AAI Team 2 woke up to great weather and mostly clear skies.
After a hearty egg breakfast, the team made their cache at Windy Corner (13,400ft). The team returned to Camp 2 around 5:30pm and had a delicious and filling burrito dinner.
Tomorrow the team will be packing up and making the push to Camp 3 (14,200ft).
Arnab Banjaree
Anya Jones
Barbara Audin
Leigh Audin
AAI guide Andrew Yasso called in yesterday from just outside the Mountain House on the Ruth Gorge.
The AAI ARAM team woke up to a healthy breakfast of hash browns, bacon, and toasted English muffins. After breakfast AAI guide Paul Rosser taught the team how to build snow walls.
The team then worked on their glacier travel skills before going on a glacier tour looking for crevasses to play in later on. They discussed glaciology while watching mini-avalanches from a safe difference.
Dinner for the team was cooked by Andrew tai peanut noodles and an experiment of trying coconut pudding, but edible none the less.
Tomorrow the team will work on snow skills, self-arrest, anchor building, and getting geared up for crevasse rescue skills in the coming days.
Photo Courtesy of AAI Archives. Alaska Range from the Banks of Talkeetna River.
Alex Gammeter
Markus Grohall
Michael Landstatter
Marc Meire
Markus Muller
Thomas Rumpf
Julia Schultz
Michael von Wolf
Lead Guide Tad McCrea called in and stated that they are moving down from high camp today. They will get down to 14-Camp and then decide if they're going to continue down to the 11,000-foot camp.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
Lead guide Chad Cochran called in this morning.
Team 2 is at Camp 2 (11,200ft) and has retrieved their cache from 10,000ft.
The group slept in this morning and had a huge breakfast to help recover from their heavy move days on the lower mountain and prep for the big cache around Windy Corner and up to 14.
Camp 2 provides a climbing expedition it's first chance to look out of the Alaska Range between Mount Capps (10,790ft) and Kahiltna Dome (12,525ft) into Denali National Park. A welcome sight to see something green and brown instead of all white.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
Lead guide Chad Cochran called in this morning to report that Team 2 is moving up to Camp 2 (11,200ft).
The weather is quite nice on the lower mountain and everyone has been working well together starting with digging out camp but also cleaning up and leaving the glacier camp in good condition.
Team 2 will look to cache at Windy Corner tomorrow before moving to Camp 3 (14,200ft on Tuesday.
Moving to Camp 2 is a big day but Chad is confident everyone will move strong and efficiently.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI Guide Jeremy Devine called in this morning letting everyone know that Team 2 cached at approximately 10,000ft (just below Camp 2).
Everyone did well and moved strongly. The weather has been variable on the lower mountain so far but the extended forecast is looking good for when the team moves to Camp 2, caches at Windy Corner, and then the big move to Camp 3 (14,200ft).
Could hear some laughter from everyone in the background. Good to hear people are still having fun in the harsh environment that can be Denali.
Team 2 is probably going to take a rest day today before moving to Camp 2 tomorrow.
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
Lead Guide Chad Cochran called in early this morning to inform us that Team 2 successfully made it to Camp 1 (7800ft) at the base of Ski Hill.
They woke up to some variable conditions with some mixed snow and clouds that eventually turned into poor visibility but the route was well marked and they made the big 5.5 mile push to Camp 1.
After about 7 hours of walking and then doing a great job of building camp together, the team settled in for a delicious meal of Alfredo Pasta.
Team 2 is looking to cache around 10,00ft today to prep for their move to Camp 2 (11,200ft).
Dennis Ougrin
Roxanne Litynska
Jerry Schuryk
Michael Torbett
Delfino DiMascio
Pedro Becquer
Georg Molnes
AAI guide Jim Mediatore called from Kahiltna Base Camp early this morning. After being delayed 1 day the team is now on the mountain and ready to begin moving up.
Jeremy Devine prepared a delicious meal of veggie burgers and salad and quickly reviewed some glacier skills.
The weather is pleasant and they have great views of Mount Foraker (17,400ft) and Mount Hunter (14,573ft).
Later today they will begin making their way up the Kahiltna Glacier towards Camp 1 (7,800ft).
Alex Gammeter
Markus Grohall
Michael Landstatter
Marc Meire
Markus Muller
Thomas Rumpf
Julia Schultz
Michael von Wolf
Lead guide Tad McCrea called in. Team 1 has had a very successful couple day. They cached around Windy Corner at 13,500ft and returned to Camp 2 (11,200ft). The next day they made the big move to 14 Camp and are hunkered down enjoying some really good food and "carbing up" for their cache above the fixed lines.
Alex Gammeter
Markus Grohall
Michael Landstatter
Marc Meire
Markus Muller
Thomas Rumpf
Julia Schultz
Michael von Wolf
AAI Guide Aili Farquhar called in at 1:00am this morning to inform us that Team 1 made it safely to Camp 1 (7,800ft) at the base of Ski Hill.
This is the heaviest move day of the entire expedition and the group did very well as they made their way 5.5 miles from Base Camp to Camp 1. Aili states that it was quite warm on the lower glacier but was lightly snowing. A snow storm arrived just after they landed at Base Camp so they are all happy to be there.
AAI Team 1 is one of the first teams on the mountain this year and they are breaking trail!
Alex Gammeter
Markus Grohall
Michael Landstatter
Marc Meire
Markus Muller
Thomas Rumpf
Julia Schultz
Michael von Wolf
Team 1 led by Tad McCrea has safely and successfully flown into Base Camp (May 2nd).
They are one of the first teams on the mountain and will begin building a fortified camp, and quickly review glacier skills and sled travel before making their way to Camp 1 at the base of Ski Hill (7800ft).
Tad, Aili, and Britt are excited about the skills and fitness level of this crew and have already made a strong team dynamic.
Climbing, skiing and mountaineering are dangerous sports. When you undertake an outdoor, backcountry, or an alpine adventure without a guide, you assume total responsibility for your decisions and wellbeing. Conditions in the mountains are constantly changing, and no guidebook or computer web blog can take the place of solid training and experience. Though this site features descriptions of roads, trails, climbing routes, and other natural features, you cannot assume that because something is described here that it has not changed since last observed or that it will be safe for you or your party.
AAI assumes no responsibility or liability for your use of the information presented in this blog. With regard to all backcountry travel and climbing, you must make your own assessments and decisions, and you assume all risks in applying them.
