Denali draws climbers from around the world and is considered to be America’s most classic climb.

see more pictures in the Denali photo album

Denali – “The High One” by Ronnie Muhl
ASWC News August 2005 and October 2005, S. A. Mountain Magazine. December 2005

As the ski’s of our Talkeetna Air Taxi touched the snow and ice of Kahiltna International, I knew that I was committed to the cold white world of the Alaskan range and Mt. McKinley.

There are certain mountains that need no explanation as to why they should be climbed and Denali, otherwise known as McKinley, is one of those. Located at a northern latitude of 63º, just 4º south of the Arctic Circle, it is the most northerly of any big mountain over 6 000 metres (20 000 feet.) Denali is the native Athabascan word for “the great one” or “the high one” and was first climbed in 1913. It is the highest mountain in north America and one of the 7 summits. Denali draws climbers from around the world and is considered to be America’s most classic climb.

Over the past fifty years, the vast majority of Denali climbers have used the West Buttress, first climbed by Dr Bradford Washburn in 1951, as their primary route to the mountain’s summit. To date, this beautiful route has seen more than four hundred accidents involving crevasse plunges, climbing falls, brutal weather, altitude sickness and frostbite and fifty people have died attempting this route.

An expedition to these most northern reaches, begins in the little village of Talkeetna, situated 2½ hours by bus, north of Anchorage. It is a quaint little town which comes alive during the climbing season, usually commencing at the beginning of May and finishing in the middle of July.

I joined an Alpine Ascents expedition which consisted of two guides and six climbers. Before our 45 minute flight onto the glacier, we checked and weighed over 545 kg’s
(1 200 lbs) of gear before collecting our permits from the National Park Rangers offices. On average 1 000 permits are issued each year, with about 500 climbers succeeding in reaching the summit.

The flight is nothing short of breath-taking. The views of the Alaskan range and a variety of peaks including Mt Foraker, Mt Hunter and Denali in the background, are spectacular! It has been said that the flight alone is worth the expedition fee.

We flew in via a gap in the mountains known as “One Shot”, which is the bush pilots first choice and only used in good weather. The wings of the plane seemed to be only feet away from snow covered rock walls as we banked hard to the right and made our final approach onto the glacier and base camp situated at 2 200 metres (7 200 feet). As I stepped onto the ice with my double-layered boots and warm gear I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the surroundings and instantly realised how swallowed up and disorientated one can feel in this awesome environment.

The remoteness of this terrain quickly forces you to settle in to life in a cold, white world and you become critically aware of the importance of taking care of yourself. Climbing teams on Denali are expected to be completely self-sufficient with their skills, equipment and food and must maintain the necessary attitude that they can take care of their own problems. Although your permit fee includes the cost of any rescue activities, these should only be considered once you have exhausted all of your own resources.

We established base camp and marvelled at the presence of the pristine peaks of Mt. Foraker and Mt Hunter standing proud and surrounding base camp. Denali stood in the background awaiting our arrival. The scenery was magnificent. The next day we spent hours packing our gear into packs and onto sleds in preparation for a single carry to
camp 1. Two rope teams of four were established and with heavy loads we started our journey “up” the mountain by going “down” Heartbreak Hill. Travelling downhill on a glacier with a sled behind you immediately presents all sorts of challenges, as the “thing” has a mind all of its own and your climbing partner behind you is learning to adjust the tension of the rope. By the time the 45 kg’s (100 pounds) sled has hit the back of your heels ten times and you have cursed and abused your climbing buddy with all sorts of profanities, you finally start to get the hang of it. No sooner has this happened when you find yourself going uphill and having to drag the full weight of the sled behind you. Our first days climbing was tough with the added challenge of constantly being on the lookout for crevasses, observing the changes in weather, always regulating how warm or cold you are because of the temperature extremes, making sure that you are consuming sufficient food and water and repeatedly applying protective sunscreen to all exposed areas.

It is said that you “camp” your way up Denali, but this is no place to learn about winter camping. Denali has earned the reputation of being the coldest mountain on the planet with temperatures often reaching ± - 40ºC (- 40 ºF) and winds blowing at up to 160 km (100 m p h) for several days. You need the best high altitude equipment money can buy. Shortcuts and second rate gear could be devastating.

Establishing a camp can take hours as you “dig yourself in.” Camps are usually built by using blocks of ice which are cut with a saw and then stacked in such a way that you are protected from the wind and weather. This can be an exhausting process as it can take three to four hours to complete and on top of eight hours of climbing, this usually makes for an incredibly long and tiring day. But then long days on Denali are never a problem because during the climbing season it never really gets dark. You are so far north that once the sun has set, you have a few hours of twilight before the sun rises again. Another crazy phenomenon about Denali is that besides your summit day, you tend to climb the mountain twice as you are constantly carrying loads higher up, digging a cache, burying food and gear and then retreating lower down to your camp. The next day you would break up camp, move up beyond your cache site, establish your new camp and then retreat the next day to retrieve your gear. This process is used partly because your loads are heavy and of course it is a great way to acclimatise.

Our team spent two nights at camp 1 and 4 nights at camp 2 which is situated above the Kahiltna Pass at 3 400m (11 000 feet). They say the real climbing begins when you leave camp 2 and this proved to be the case as we carried a load around Windy Corner. We negotiated our first minor technical section at the top of Motorcycle Hill, before climbing Squirrel Hill. After a well deserved rest, we continued up a steep rise to the exposed and icy Windy Corner, which warranted the use of running belays. Exposure while traversing the corner is tremendous. This section lived up to its name and reputation, but we managed to cache our gear on the other side and return safely to camp 2. This day was enough to unnerve one of our team mates, who decided to retreat back to base camp and ultimately return home. It was sad and disconcerting to see him leave.

The day came for us to move further up the mountain to camp 3 situated at 4 300 m
(14 200 feet). It was here that we had heard about two climbers who had just died descending Denali Pass which is higher up on the mountain and usually only negotiated on your summit bid. I felt anxious hearing the report of their deaths and felt intimidated by what lay ahead. Camp 3 is located on a large plateau and generally serves as an advanced base camp for West Buttress climbers as well as those waiting to climb other routes on Denali. Here the elevation and relative protection from weather allows climbers to acclimatise while maintaining their strength.

After a days rest and retrieving our cache from Windy Corner it was time to carry a load up onto Washburn’s Ridge, requiring a climb of 370 metres (1 200 feet) of moderate terrain which then leads to the ice face known as the Headwall, a 55 degree face protected with 240 metre (800 feet) of fixed lines. This section is the steepest along the entire route and can create havoc if it becomes crowded or if a climber has a problem with a crampon or an ascender. Efficient travelling skills while carrying a heavy pack on steep and icy terrain is absolutely essential. The entire headwall has a history of slab avalanching and should be avoided in big storms.

The ridge is perhaps the most interesting and spectacular section of the climb. Several sections of steep and exposed climbing warrant the use of running protection and a short section beneath Washburn’s Thumb is equipped with a fixed line. We placed our cache just below the Thumb before heading back down to camp 3. Final preparations were made to move up to High Camp located on a barren, windswept plateau 5 200 metres
(17 200 feet) above sea level, at the end of the ridge and looking down on camp 3.

The highest camp is also the windiest and coldest and demands the most fortification against the elements. We experienced extreme winds at this camp for 24 hours and then suddenly it calmed. The summit beckoned. We meticulously packed our backpacks and at 11 am set off for Denali Pass, the first challenge on our summit day. This notorious section is a long rising traverse which is cold and icy and bears a long and fruitful history of falls resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Making use of running protection is absolutely essential. It took us 4 hours to climb. We then followed the ridgeline along the southwest face to a large flat plateau known as the Football Field. We rested here and composed ourselves for the final push up Pig Hill and onto the summit ridge which is corniced and a “knife edge” in many places.

The exposure on this last obstacle is breath-taking requiring concentration and focus and not recommended for the feint-hearted. The 400 metre ridge finally brings you to the south summit situated at 6 194 metres (20 320 feet).

It was a glorious moment for me as I stepped onto the summit at 8:20 pm on the 22nd of May 2005. It was – 20ºC (± - 20ºF). All 7 of us were successful. The views from the highest mountain in North America were magnificent, but this was not a place to be hanging around. I soaked up the limited time we had, knowing that we had a long and difficult way down. We all knew the hazards associated with descending and consciously made every step count. This was not the time for careless disorientated foot placement. As we descended Denali Pass the sun dipped below the horizon and in the twilight of the Alaskan mountains we made it safely back to High camp, arriving at 1:20 am. We were exhausted, but exhilarated.

Over the next 3 days we descended from camp 4 to Base Camp, once again facing the challenge of going downhill with sleds behind us. Although the final climb up Heartbreak Hill to base camp was tough, it was a joyous moment seeing the first lot of colourful tents.

My time on Denali was challenging and hard work, but an unforgettable experience. As we droned our way back to Talkeetna it was fantastic to see greenery for the first time in 19 days. As we touched down on the runway and our Beaver aircraft came to a stop, I knew that I was able to let go, as a safe and successful expedition had come to an end.