IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
2001
SUMMIT CLIMB
MT. MCKINLEY WEST BUTTRESS
Alaska-Denali
Guiding Inc. is an authorized concessionaire of Denali National Park and
Preserve
DATE
OF EXPEDITION: (24 days)
May 10 - June 2
May 23 - June 15
June 10 - July 3
COST
OF EXPEDITION: $3,800.00
DEPOSIT
DUE TO RESERVE A POSITION: $ 1,000.00
BALANCE
AMOUNT: Due 90 days prior to start date of trip.
COST
INCLUDES:
Guides- 3 per 9 clients
ADG, Inc. van transportation Anchorage to Talkeeta, R/T
Flight to basecamp
Camp food and cooking equipment
Team camping equipment
Team technical climbing gear
Medical kit, repair kit, emergency radio
COST
DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Food or lodging in Talkeetna or Anchorage
Personal Equipment
Rental equipment
Hot or cold drinks
Cancellation insurance (highly recommended)
Nat'l Park Service registration fee
Cost due to weather delays (hotels, food etc.)
VAN SERVICE:
Alaska-Denali Guiding,Inc. provides van service between Anchorage and
Talkeetna.
Date of transportation: The day the trip starts. Return transport
arranged after the trip.
Place to meet: 7:45 a.m. - Snowshoe Inn, 826 K St., Anchorage 8:00
a.m. - Earth B & B, 1001 W 12th Ave., Anchorage
ALASKA-DENALI GUIDING, INC.
WEST BUTTRESS ITINERARY
HISTORY
Mt. McKinley (20,320') is the highest mountain in North America. The natives
on the north side of the mountain revered it by calling it Denali, "The
High One". Today Denali is the name routinely used by Alaskans. This
majestic mountain dominates over a profusion of glaciers, ridges and magnificent
peaks and is unsurpassed in its scenic mountain beauty.
The early pioneers in Denali's climbing history were explorers and gold
miners who unraveled the intricate and formidable approaches to find a
route to the summit. In 1910 a group of Sourdough miners struck out from
Fairbanks to climb the slightly lower north peak. In 1913 Archdeacon Stuck's
team climbed the same route via Karstens Ridge, making the first ascent
of the higher south peak.
The West
Buttress route of Mt. McKinley was pioneered by Bradford Washburn's team
in 1951. From the Kahiltna Glacier base camp it is 13,000 vertical feet
and 18 miles to the summit! The West Buttress is the most popular route
on Mt. McKinley because of the fly-in access and it is the least difficult
route on the mountain. This has mistakenly been taken to mean that it
is an easy climb. It is not. It is a mountaineer's route with high altitude,
arctic cold, unpredictable weather, changing snow conditions, crevasses,
and steep icy slopes to contend with. The West Buttress of Mt. McKinley
is a tremendous challenge for people who have the mountaineering experience
and attitude to enjoy the rigors of expedition life.
PREVIOUS
EXPERIENCE
The Mt. McKinley West Buttress Summit Climb is a very difficult, high
altitude, cold climb suited for the few individuals who have the background
and drive to find this a challenge they will enjoy. To be eligible, participants
must be in excellent physical condition, must have climbed numerous mountaineering
routes that require roped travel, winter snow camping and the competent
use of an ice axe and crampons. Knots must be second nature and all team
members must have a firm understanding of belaying and using fixed line.
It is important that each person is experienced in executing an ice axe
self arrest. You must be able to climb in balance with a heavy pack on,
while wearing crampons in variable snow conditions. Applicants are personally
interviewed by the Directors of ADG, Inc. to confirm that every team member
has a clear understanding of the time commitment involved in training
and equipment preparations. We strive to ensure that everyone fully understands
all aspects of the climb.
It must be understood that, even though this is a guided expedition, it
is imperative that each team member have this previous mountaineering
experience. Mt. McKinley is not the place to learn basic mountaineering
skills. All climbers will draw heavily on their past experience. If while
on the climb it becomes apparent to the guides that a team member is not
able to participate fully in the climb, i.e. carry their share of community
gear, keep the reasonable pace set by the guides, participate in camp
chores, or take care of themselves in the cold , this person, for the
well being of the team, will be escorted back to base camp.
Team members
must know the following knots prior to the expedition: the figure - 8,
double fisherman, water knot, prussik, clove hitch and the munters hitch.
Each person must be familiar with belaying techniques and the Z pulley
system used for crevasse rescue.
TEAM
WORK
Every member of the expedition is an integral part of the team. Everyone
will be expected to carry loads, set up camp and share in the cooking
details. You must remember that you are not in this alone. You may be
in a tent confined by high winds or white-outs for days at a time with
two other people. This can be one of the greatest challenges of expeditionary
climbing. Adaptability to the situation at hand is essential. If your
chief guide finds you physically or mentally unprepared to meet the rigors
of the expedition, he/she reserves the right to determine that you are
unprepared for the climb and see that you are safely returned to base
camp.
TALKEETNA
All team members will arrive in Talkeetna by 10:30 am. on the day the
expedition begins. The first day will be spent in Talkeetna with your
guides. You will be very busy doing a personal equipment check, receiving
rental equipment, adjusting prussiks and crampons, preparing your own
lunches, registering with the National Park Service, and discussing the
climb. The team will spend the first night in Talkeetna. Chinook Wind
rental cabins are next door to ADG,Inc. and we recommend you share a cabin
with a few other team members. You can also reserve a private cabin or
a room at another hotel. Weather permitting the team will be ready to
fly to base camp the next morning. Our plans and decisions now become
dominated by the weather. It is possible to be delayed in Talkeetna, or
at base camp on the return flight, for days on end. The planes cannot
fly unless there is good visibility. We have had to wait out weather in
Talkeetna and base camp for up to 5 days. Most of the time the teams get
out as scheduled, but you must be mentally and financially prepared to
handle delays if this situation arises. You are responsible for your food
and accommodations if our departure is delayed.
BASE
CAMP MOUNTAINEERING TECHNIQUES REVIEW
The team will fly from Talkeetna to the 7,200' level of the Southeast
Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier in small ski equipped airplanes. All team
members will spend two days at base camp reviewing rope care and management,
placing snow and ice anchors, belaying techniques, glacier travel safety
and crevasse rescue procedures. In addition to these technical mountaineering
skills, you will become more efficient at winter camping and begin to
form a foundation of sound judgment that is so important to safe mountain
travel. Knowledge of route finding, objective hazards, avalanche conditions,
altitude associated problems, weather conditions, camping and climbing
skills, and team work are vital to the safety and enjoyment of everyone.
These skills will be used daily as we travel up the glacier, ascending
the mountain and setting up camps. It is this practical experience that
will help you increase your existing skills as a competent mountaineer.
THE CLIMB
We will climb in traditional expedition style, relaying loads, establishing
camps and climbing slowly enough for proper acclimatization. Moving from
camp to camp will be dictated by the weather, snow conditions and the
health of the team. We will be traveling roped up, in teams of 3 - 4 climbers
to safeguard against the possibility of crevasse falls or slips on exposed
slopes.
The first nine miles of the route is up the Kahiltna Glacier to 11,000'.
While relaying our gear from camp to camp we will be wearing snowshoes,
carrying packs that average 50 lbs. and pulling sleds that average 40
lbs. Camps I - III will be placed at approximately 7,900', 9,500', and
11,000'.
Above 11,000' the terrain steepens, requiring the use of crampons and
ice axe. Up to this point all the scenery has been seemingly above us
and now the lowlands to the west of the Alaska Range are visible. At 13,200'
we climb around Windy Corner and the views are even more stunning. Camp
IV (14,200') is in a large basin relatively sheltered from high winds.
We often arrive at Camp IV on the 10th day. We will spend several days
here acclimatizing to the altitude, resting and going over more climbing
techniques, including reviewing how to safely ascend fixed ropes . Between
15,500' and the crest of the West Buttress (16,200') we will climb clipped
to a fixed rope to safeguard our movements on this 40 - 45 degree icy
slope. Camp V will be placed at the top of the fixed rope at an altitude
of 16,200'. From here we follow the narrow ridge of the West Buttress,
climbing on snow and weaving between granite boulders.
High camp on the West Buttress is located at 17,200' where the ridge becomes
broad and flat (approx... day 15). The vista of the multitude of mountains
and glaciers that make up the Alaska Range is magnificent, but this is
a harsh environment to live in. The weather, with high winds and intense
cold, coupled with the rarefied air make camp chores and climbing very
demanding. It is at these high elevations where everything you've learned
is tested: mental drive, pacing, hydration, and dealing with the cold.
Team work will become very important to your safety and success on reaching
the summit.
When the weather is suitable, we will begin our climb to the summit via
Denali Pass and Archdeacons Tower. Summit day is somewhere between day
16 and 22 and is approximately 12 hours of very arduous climbing. We cannot
guarantee you the summit. That is the challenge of mountaineering. We
will supply you with the professional leadership which will give you the
best possible chance to stand on the top of North America's highest peak.
After our summit day we will descend the West Buttress route. With good
weather, we descend from high camp to base camp in 2 days.
ACCLIMATIZATION
We gain altitude slowly enough so that everyone should acclimatize to
the low oxygen environment. Occasionally a person does not acclimatize
properly and is susceptible to pulmonary and/or cerebral edema. These
are serious, life threatening conditions that require immediate descent.
All precautions will be taken to ensure for your safety. This expedition
is 24 days in length, which normally allows optimum time to acclimatize,
sit out periods of bad weather and successfully reach the summit.
WEATHER
The weather on Mt. McKinley will dictate our every move and it is one
thing we can not change. There is no predicting which month or which trip
will have the best weather. Storms hit at any time of year and sometimes
with unrelenting ferocity. Mt. McKinley is only 200 miles south of the
arctic circle at 63 degrees north latitude. The climbing season has witnessed
temperatures of - 50 degrees and 100 mph winds. The weather is unpredictable
and can be extremely severe, or it can be calm and clear.
Often it is somewhere in between. The right equipment, patience and a
mountaineers attitude are essential prerequisites to be able to appreciate
seeing Denali in all her various moods. ( also see the Talkeetna section
for local weather possibilities)
EQUIPMENT
The arctic conditions encountered on Denali make it essential that you
have proper clothing and equipment. We require that you have all of the
equipment on the ADG, Inc. equipment list. Make no substitutions without
first checking with us. ADG, Inc. has equipment for rent. Please reserve
this equipment on the Participant Information sheet no later than 90 days
prior to the climb. Make sure that you are familiar with your personal
equipment and clothing, and that it fits properly. When you arrive in
Talkeetna, your guide will do a personal equipment check to ensure that
you have all necessary clothing and equipment. Do not bring any non- essential
items. Every ounce of weight is critical!! Do not plan to buy anything
in Talkeetna. Remember that you will be carrying your personal equipment
plus a fair share of the expedition food, fuel, camping
and climbing equipment. Alaska-Denali Guiding, Inc. will supply all of
the community equipment for the expedition. This includes climbing ropes
and
hardware, tents, cooking kits, emergency radio, first aid kit, repair
kit, snow saws, shovels, sleds, fuel and food.
GUIDES
ADG, Inc. has been guiding on Denali since 1984 and has safely led over
50 expeditions on the mountain. Expeditions are led by a team of 3 guides
and limited to 9 clients. All Alaska-Denali Guiding, Inc. guides are accomplished
mountaineers with Mt. McKinley experience . We will be posting specific
information about your guides on the web, and will be included in our
clients' information packets.
This is not a trip where you can expect to learn basic mountaineering
skills from your guides . The guides are expedition leaders and consultants,
with the mountain expertise necessary to deal with high altitude related
problems, weather, and to set the pace necessary to have a successful
trip. All guides have mountain rescue, avalanche safety and emergency
medical training. Their knowledge of the natural and climbing history
of the area and personal stories of climbing in Alaska will add immensely
to your trip.
TRAINING
On any mountaineering expedition there are factors which are completely
out of the control of anyone, such as the weather and how each individual
will acclimatize to the altitude. By joining a professionally guided team,
you are leaving other factors such as logistics, food, equipment and leadership
to ADG, Inc. You have complete control of and are entirely responsible
for your physical fitness and your climbing ability . It is imperative
that everyone joining our Denali expedition be in a high standard of fitness
when the expedition begins. The better condition you are in, the more
you will enjoy the trip, the safer it will be for you, and the better
the chance the expedition has of reaching the summit. The more climbing
experience you have prior to the climb, the more confident you will be
about being ready.
The amount of time needed for training is completely dependent on the
general level of fitness a person is in prior to the expedition. For the
person that has spent the last ten years behind a desk with no emphasis
on keeping in shape, it may take two years to regain top physical ability.
The person that has always prioritized conditioning and a rigorous workout
as a part of a daily routine, may only take a few months to fine tune
for the demands of mountaineering.
When setting up your exercise regime, consider that you will need to develop
the endurance to carry a pack that weighs between 50 and 60 lbs., while
pulling a sled uphill that weighs approximately 40 lbs., while wearing
snowshoes for 6 to 12 hours per day. As you gain elevation, you will be
carrying the same heavy pack on steep snow or ice, or be climbing on narrow
ridges wearing crampons, and descending the same terrain. You must develop
the coordination and strength necessary to climb in balance at a reasonable
pace under these conditions.
Though it is impossible to "train" for altitude, you should
put yourself on a conditioning program that will best prepare you for
this type of physical stress. After many years of observing climbers,
there are some reoccurring training schemes that seem to help some people
be better prepared than others.
1) Train for developing stamina. Run, bike, ski, fast walk, and
climb. Train on irregular terrain in soft sand and snow. Vary your routine
to prevent overuse injuries, and push yourself without injuring yourself.
Remember to do warm up and cool down stretches.
2) Upper body strength cannot be ignored. Building camps requires
a tremendous amount of shoveling snow, and cutting and hauling snow blocks.
3) Progressive resistance weight training. This type of training
improves anaerobic metabolism that feeds much of muscular work.
4) Train on hills or stairs with a pack on. You must be prepared
for 23,000 ft. of climbing uphill, including carries, wearing a 50 - 60
lb. pack and 23,000 ft. of descending. Start with a light pack and gradually
increase the weight. Never run with a pack on.
5) Wear 2 lb. ankle weights to help condition for the extra weight
of climbing boots, snowshoes and soft snow. (Don't wear these while running)
6) Train as often as possible by climbing, skiing, snowshoeing or
hiking all day, all weekend, or longer trips. Get off the sidewalks and
out of the gym!!! Conditioning by climbing is the best thing you can do.
Get comfortable moving in mountainous terrain all day long!!! The heavy
packs tend to tire climbers the most. Be prepared by training months ahead
of time and you'll do fine. Don't expect to get used to wearing a pack
while you are on the expedition. Learn to climb with a pack on at a steady
pace. It cannot be stressed enough how critical it is at altitude to keep
a steady pace rather than starting, stopping, starting. You must learn
to breathe deeply and calmly while exercising.
7) One can't leave out being mentally prepared for the expedition.
Read everything you can get your hands on about your climb - there is
much available. Have a realistic view of what this climb entails by talking
to people that have been on Denali. Know before you start the climb and
accept the fact that at times you will be uncomfortable and that your
body is going to be uncooperative. You are going to have_to push yourself.
If you don't have the ability to do this you won't be successful. You
may be in a cramped snow cave or tent for many storm days (9 days is our
record) in very close contact with other people. You are leaving the comfort
and privacy of home in order to experience a unique challenge in a remarkable
environment. You must also be well enough "in tune" with yourself
to know the difference between pushing yourself and acute mountain sickness,
pulmonary or cerebral edema. These are all serious altitude related problems
which must be acknowledged. It is possible to "push yourself"
too far. 8) A good diet cannot be underestimated. Research a diet that
will help develop stamina and strength and that you can live with. There
are lots of books and articles that will get you started, or consult a
professional nutritionist that has worked with athletes. This type of
training can easily take two hours per day, 5 days a week. Be committed
to it and be consistent. It will pay off many times over! We want to stress
that you must get out and do the "real thing" in order to be
ready to climb Denali. Scramble up peaks, go snow and ice climbing, go
on hard multi day backpacking trips, and take multi day winter ski or
snowshoe trips. You cannot prepare for this expedition in your office,
or solely by training indoors.
For the safety of the team, the chief guide will make all final decisions
on who needs a rest day, who continues to ascend, or who descends. Anyone
unable to carry their own pack plus their share of the community gear,
participate in camp chores, or keep the group pace will have to, for the
safety of the team, descend to base camp. It is well worth the time to
train seriously!
We hope this gives you ideas on which to base your training schedule.
Set up a conditioning program that you can incorporate into your daily
routine which will meet these goals. Start today with your training and
keep it up. Good luck, and please call if you have any questions.
RECOMMENDED
READING
To help you become familiar with Denali, we highly recommend reading the
following books: "Denali's West Buttress" by Colby Coombs, "Mt.
McKinley, The Pioneer Climbs" by Terris Moore, "The Ascent of
Denali" by Hudson Stuck, "Surviving Denali" and "High
Alaska" by Jonathan Waterman, "Minus 148" by Art Davidson,
"Mountain Sickness" by Dr. Peter Hackett, "Freedom of the
Hills" by the Seattle Mountaineers, "Climbing Ice" by Yvon
Chouinard, "Backcountry Ski Book" by Allen O'Bannon, "Snow
and Ice Climbing" by John Barry, "To The Top Of Denali"
by Bill Sherwonit, "Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue" by Andy
Selters and "Mt. McKinley-The Conquest of Denali" by Bradford
Washburn.
LOGISTICS
Most people choose to arrive in Talkeetna on the ADG, Inc. van. You will
be spending the first night of the trip in Talkeetna. Please make reservations
for accommodations for the first night . We recommend staying at Chinook
Wind rental cabins next door to ADG, Inc. The cabins sleep 3 - 4 people
and they have reserved 3 cabins for our teams. You will receive information
about all the lodging options after we receive your deposit. The cabins
and hotels need your credit card number, so it is best if you give them
a call.
Climbing conditions and weather will dictate your actual return date.
Arrangements will be made by the ADG, Inc. staff for post-trip accommodations
in Talkeetna and return transportation to Anchorage. We recommend that
you make your return airline reservation with a 3 day leeway after the
finish date of the expedition. If weather keeps the team from flying out
of base camp as scheduled , these extra buffer days can eliminate the
mental stress and financial problems associated with missing your flight
home. If we do get out on schedule you can usually fly standby if you
wish to return home immediately.
TRAVEL
INSURANCE
We recommend that you buy trip cancellation insurance immediately after
paying your deposit. This insurance can protect you if you are unable
to join the expedition for personal or family medical reasons. One company
that sells this type of insurance is Access America at phone # 800-284-8300
or check with your travel agent. ADG, Inc. is not responsible for your
choice of whom to buy insurance through or if you choose to buy it at
all. We cannot refund either your deposit or final payment . Please read
the reservation and payment policy on the 2001 Schedule carefully.
STORAGE
ADG, Inc. has a storage area for leaving your extra gear. Make sure any
baggage that you are leaving at our office is clearly marked with your
name. If you drive to Talkeetna, you can leave your car at ADG, Inc. or
at the air taxi service parking area.
HOW TO
APPLY
The easiest way to apply for an expedition is to submit an application
directly from our web site. We can also email, fax or mail you an application.
Please return the completed application to us. Your application will be
reviewed by Brian and Diane Okonek, Directors and one of them will contact
you by phone to discuss the expedition. After being accepted as a team
member, we must receive a deposit before reserving a position for you
on the expedition. We will then send you a complete packet of detailed
information relevant to team members.
We wish
to work closely with every expedition member. If you need more details
about any aspect of the expedition, or need clarification, please call
us and we will be happy to talk with you, and answer your questions. Thank
you.
Email: adg@alaska.net
home page:
www.alaska.net/~adg/
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