Search the Community

Hello, I am looking for teammate (s) to go up Denali in 2023 via West Buttress at the end of May (maybe open to West Rib from 14k ft). I have been on the mountain, but have not summited I have all the gear needed and may have some to spare. I am on snowshoes, which makes it more difficult to find teammates.

Denali via the West Buttress, May 14-June 2, 2021 (just now got around to making the TR video). Team 3:1 Advantage (3 person team originally, then 2 person). This was my husband's (Marlin Thorman) and my 50th state highpoint we accomplished together. Itinerary: May 14 - Flew onto Kahiltna Glacier. Trekked from the airstrip to 7800' camp. Starting weight was about 140lb food and fuel per person (prepared for 28 days). May 15 - 7800’ camp to 9900’ camp May 16 - 9900’ Camp to 11k camp May 17 - Rest day in 11k camp May 18 - Cache to 13,500’ May 19 - Rest/weather day May 20 - My husband trekked our 3rd teammate out to the airstrip and back by himself. (Teammate bailed due to inability to tolerate altitude and exertion with having had covid recently.) May 21 - Move from 11k camp to 14k camp (windy/snowy day, but worse weather approaching) May 22 - Establishing camp at 14k May 23 - Camp reinforcement & repair day due to broken tent pole from high winds overnight May 24 - Retrieve cache from 13,500’ and Edge of the World excursion May 25 - Cache to 16,800’ May 26 - Reconstructing the melting camp walls day, dug an underground bathroom May 27 - Weather day (lots of shoveling snow) May 28 - Rest day May 29 - Weather day (snowing & super windy again) May 30 - Move from 14k’ camp to 17k’ camp May 31 - Summit day, pack up 17k’ camp, back to 14k’ camp (bad weather approaching) June 1 - 14k’ camp to 7800’ camp. Tried to push to the airstrip but poor visibility and no broken trail on lower mountain made going slow and precarious with unknown crevasse locations. June 2 - 7800’ camp to airstrip and flew out to Talkeetna. Beautiful day! Trip report video: Detailed video of our snow castle camp at 14k'......

I am set on ascending the full West Rib on Denali and then skiing the West Butt or the Messner Couloir this May. I currently have 3 climbing partners in Seattle that might want to join, but because they are not sure, I am seeking more partners. I can host you until I go to Yosemite in April if you aren't from the PNW. I am based out of Seattle, fully available, and keen as beans to do literally everything outdoors. I lead WI4+, 5.11 trad and sport, and have vowed to never walk off a skiable mountain again. I have very comfortably led the Kautz, North Ridge of Baker, and solo'd lots of the ice routes up hood. I also have a family cabin by Index that we can take full advantage of. If interested, I would want to run laps on all the zesty routes on Rainier and do several of the big North Cascade traverses to dial teamwork and logistics. I have led trips on many of the big ticket items in the PNW, but I am looking for partnerships where each person gives 60% and want to make sure were dialed before skiing the spice. My dream route is the Cassin ridge, so lets talk if that's in your ballpark. as a note, baseline costs for doing Denali unguided are looking like 2-3k MINIMUM, and I'm budgeting for a comfortable 5k. Feel free to text or call me 206819165five, Were putting in permits around the first week of march or so.

Hi, I'm looking to join a team for Denali in 2021 at the end of May or 2022 if no takers. I've done mont blanc, winter mountaineering training and doing Elbrus next month from 17th sept as a solo but others welcome. So, I'm not super experienced but extremely competent. Also very fit, doing ultras..I know it's not all about fitness, just trying to highlight while inexperienced fitness won't be an issue. I'm based in London but work in US every couple months. With covid I expect to be around from October - December but destination within the US is flexible if would like to meet up. My work is flexible and I'm able to hit Europe pretty much anytime if partners here.

Hello, We are a team of 6 U.S. Air Force members who just lost a teammate for our Denali expedition this May. He needs to tend to family biz. We are in need of a sixth with alpine experience and knowledge. Trip is 20 May - 5 June. Please call or email if interested. 302-922-7839 jessestubbs@yahoo.com thanks, Jesse

Shot in the dark gear question: Who has a Mountain Hardwear AMG 105 pack? I have the M/L version which is perfect for my torso but I clearly suffer from skinny hips and would probably be more comfortable with the S/M hip belt. MHW told me I can't buy just the hip belt and would need to buy the whole pack. So a Hail Mary: Is anyone in the exact opposite situation as me and would want to trade?

For your next trip to high heights, cold climates, and technical terrain, gear up with the Mammut Eigerjoch Pro In Hooded Jacket. Designed for mountaineering, this jacket has everything you need to thrive in extreme environments. The shell of the jacket is made up of Pertex Quantum Pro fabric, an ultralight material that repels water, resists abrasion, and adds almost no weight to your kit. On the inside you've got a combination of down and synthetic insulation for a one-two punch of warmth and comfort in cold conditions. PrimaLoft Gold insulation is placed in areas that are more sensitive to moisture buildup, giving you warm-when-wet warmth where it counts and reliable down insulation everywhere else. face fabric] Pertex Quantum Pro (100% polymide), DWR treatment Insulation 90% down 850, 10% PrimaLoft feather Baffle Construction double-chamber Fit regular Length hip Hood helmet compatible Pockets 2 chest, 2 internal mesh, internal chest, 2 front Thumbholes elastic hand gaiters Claimed Weight 1lb 10oz

For sale: Scarpa Phantom 8000 boots Sz 44. New with tags. I bought these boots several years ago and never used them. They have been stored inside, in smoke free house. I'm trying to free up some space in my gear closet.

Hello, I am determined to climb Denali in 2019. I move to Anchorage Alaska 3 months ago and am more than willing to do whatever it takes. I have never done a climb of this proportion, but I am a very experienced backpacker and will put in more time than needed to make up for whatever experience I may lack. Please let me know if you are interested or know of someone needing a team member.

Looking for solid partners to lead or join a climbing expedition to one of these places in June. Open to other suggestions as well. Please email me directly at AscanioPignatelli ATgmail.com for more info. Thank you.

I'm 51 an,d a High climber, solo mostly, but spent some time at RMI schools and on some rope teams. Solo on Rainier last month after trying for 10 years. Hood, Orizaba, and some other big hills in Central America. Hoping for 2-3 people who want to carry our load and tie-in for a few weeks, snuggle in a tent of funk, and praise my cooking often. Get me contact info and a resume if this sounds what you had in mind. Looking for end of May 2020. Steve

To whom it may concern, My name is Lucas Hamling and I'm in search of a month-long climbing partner to meet me in Talkeetna, Alaska in May, 2020 with the intention of climbing Denali's Cassin Ridge. Was planning a trip with partners that now cannot come, but am resolute in making a 2020 trip to Denali if I can find a partner. I live in Bozeman, Montana and am competent in climbing steep WI and mixed terrain, as well as being an endurance athlete and trail runner. Would like to travel to Talkeetna at the beginning of May and spend some time acclimatizing and skiing on the West Buttress, summit and ski from summit, as well as ski the Messner Couloir if conditions allow. Once sufficiently acclimatized, if given a 3 day weather window, we would attempt to climb the Cassin Ridge in a 3 day push. Although that is my ideal goal, I am flexible in itinerary and would also be interested in climbing on the North Buttress of Mount Hunter, or even an alternate trip to the Ruth Gorge. Ideally any partner would be willing/able to meet this winter and do a larger practice/training winter alpine climb on either the cascade volcanoes or the Tetons. Email me at lucas.hamling@gmail.com if you have any interest, or questions. Denali and its surrounding peaks inspire me and I plan to train devotedly this winter to maximize my chance of success; if you have similar goals and are looking for a partner, let's get in touch! Cheers, Lucas Hamling lucas.hamling@gmail.com

La Sportiva Spantik size 45 with both the stock liners and a pair of Intuition Denali Liners. Used them on two trips to the AK range and don't foresee myself needing them any time soon (Sadly). Plenty of life left, the fabric eyelets are like new (known weak point of this boot). I'm a street shoe 10.5 and with the Denali liners I bet anyone from a 10-11.5 could fit. $500 OBO. I live in SLC but will ship. Also, I realize that the new profile might be a red flag for some of you. I have a 10 year old profile on mountainproject but wanted to post these boots here, so feel free to look me up! Thanks.

Hey all, I am looking for a partner to do the Cassin Ridge with this spring. I am an experienced climber, I climb 11's at the crag and 10's in the alpine, WI4, and have lots of experience on the glaciers as well as previous Alaska range experience. For the last 8 months, I have been working 1:1 with a coach from uphillathlete.com to prepare for the Cassin. None of my regular partners are able to take the requisite time off, so I am reaching out to try and find somebody. Shoot me a message if interested and we can talk details!

One pair Koflach Vertical double plastic mountaineering boots. These are the same shell as the Expe but use a thinner, lighter liner. In the product line they are warmer and stiffer than the Degre but lighter and more versatile than the Expe. I used them for mountaineering in the Cascades for a few seasons, wore them comfortably to the summit of Rainier (and back down) several times, Eldorado in winter a couple times. I was going to wear these on Denali but priorities changed. Other than some scuffs on the shell these boots are in excellent shape. All the hardware works perfectly, the bellows are in good condition, the heat-reflective footbed is in great shape, and the sole has tons of life left in it. I mostly wore these on snow and glacier climbs so they haven't seen much action on trails, dirt, or rock. These suckers are not light and shipping costs reflect that, so local pickup would be preferable but I'm willing to ship. Can meet downtown Seattle at the library weekdays during business hours, or near the Mount Baker light rail station evenings/weekends. I'm also selling a pair of Intuition Denali thermo-moldable foam liners. These weigh only 10.6 oz for the pair and are sized to fit these boots. It's a huge weight, warmth, and performance upgrade. Used once on a winter Rainier climb. They are molded to my feet but can be re-molded up to 4 more times. Feathered Friends offers this as a service, I highly recommend getting this done by pros who know what they are doing and have the right equipment to get the perfect fit. The liners include a set of custom foam heel inserts to fill the space in the boot shells where the stock liner heels fit. Retail on these is $176. Shells with stock liners: $100 Intuition liners: $60 Both for $150

I have the following 3 items for sale (REDUCED PRICES!) Scarpa Phantom 8000 (2015 Model) High Altitude Boots Size 45 - Used but in good condition. Superfeet Included - Great boots for Denali! Price = 369. Scarpa Phantom Tech (2018) Technical Climbing Boots Size 44 - Used twice - nearly brand new! Price = 410. Outdoor Research Floodlight Down Jacket Size XL. Used in but in nice condition. Price = 150. Shipping is 18 bucks for each pair of boots, 10 dollars for the OR Jacket. Venmo or CashApp for payment. If you are interested text me at 406-Five Nine Nine -8743 or respond to me through this forum. -Seth

Hello, I am determined to climb Denali in 2019. I move to Anchorage Alaska 3 months ago and am more than willing to do whatever it takes. I have never done a climb of this proportion, but I am a very experienced backpacker and will put in more time than needed to make up for whatever experience I may lack. Please let me know if you are interested or know of someone needing a team member. Rachel

Hello! I am looking to buy Olympus Mons or baturas size 45 for Denali. I am looking at Brand new ones to buy obviously but looking for options. If I buy these I will use them for future climbs as I have sights set on bigger peaks so they will be put to good use. Let me know if you have any available. Best way to get in touch is email dchrmy253@gmail.com Thank you!

I am looking to get setup with Few people to explore the Ruth Gorge in - 2018 Spring/Summer Season. My idea is to spend few days in Anchorage first - One day in Matanuska Glacier (Get all the crevasse rescue and ice climbing). If possible hike one day in - Exit Glacier (Get more situated with Alaskan Glacier Travel). Then fly down and setup a Base camp in - Ruth Gorge for 2/3 Days. Get familiar with the area and do some climbing with skill level permits. I am not a die hard mountaineer or climber - I can do whatever is my limit. Looking for few like minded people to share the Guide cost or any other cost which can be split. If you wanna do more intense climbing - you are most welcome to do so. With Regards Tapas

Trip: Denali - Denali Diamond Date: 6/19/2007 Trip Report: At Colin's and others' request, I'm posting as a trip report an email I already sent out to friends, with a few additional photos added. Enjoy. -MW We flew to Kahiltna base camp on June 2nd and over the next several days ascended the west buttress of Denali to the 14,300 foot basin. We arrived here with 3 days of food. We would leave 10 days later with at least 4 times that amount. On our 9th day on the mountain, we went from 14 to the summit on a nice day… joined by over 100 other folks who had camped up at 17,000'! Here's the fixed lines two days earlier: Although it was a surreal experience, it was actually the first time I had ever summitted Denali by this route, and I have to say I enjoyed it plenty despite the crowds. As always, Colin enjoyed himself too: Two days later, Colin joined the extreme ski team and climbed the upper West Rib to the summit and skied the Orient Express in his mountaineering boots and miniature skis, while I gave an exertion cough I had developed some opportunity to recover. In ensuing days, the ski team went on to ski the Messner, Rescue, Orient, and numerous other steep chutes on both the north and south peaks of the mountain, taking advantage of some of the best ski conditions in many years on these features. A stretch of mostly good weather during this week also allowed our friends John (Jedi) and Evan to climb the Cassin Ridge in 3 days after they took a chance on an ambiguous forecast that yielded bomber high mountain weather. Their successes were contagious and fired us up. On the evening of the 16th, we descended to our "basecamp" at 7,800' at the junction of the northeast fork, and the following evening left this camp for our planned route: the Denali Diamond, a 3500' granite wall left of the Cassin Ridge. The route then continues up an additional 4500 feet of steep snow terrain alongside, then on, the upper Cassin Ridge. We made rapid progress up the northeast fork despite unfrozen snow conditions and reached the bivouac crevasse at the foot of the Cassin Ridge in 5 ½ hours from 7,800'. We spent the day resting as light snow fell and visibility remained limited, but a forecast for 2, possibly 3 days of sunny skies and high pressure kept us optimistic. At midnight that night, the clouds evaporated and we began climbing. We simul climbed a half dozen easy pitches of snow and ice to where the wall steepened. I then led several easy to moderate mixed pitches with some simul climbing. The route unfolded beautifully, with astounding rock quality and well iced chimneys and grooves that provided continuously stellar climbing. Colin led a block of pitches up some wonderful mixed terrain that brought us to the "Diamond", an enormous block that dominates the wall. I then led a very steep squeeze chimney filled with ice, followed by a difficult mixed pitch. Soon we found ourselves entering the final crux corner system that leads to the snowfields hanging above. Colin led two very steep waterfall pitches (5+) which held sustained and continuous 90 degree sections. I thought these quite reminiscent in terms of difficulty and quality to the "Shaft" on the Moonflower of Mt. Hunter. The first of these leaned left and actually overhung in places, requiring some delicate and technical stemming: The second pitch began with a short but technical M6 mixed step, followed by relentlessly vertical but excellent ice. As with everything we had climbed to this point, the protection and rock quality was absolutely superb, allowing us to focus entirely on the climbing, and maximizing our enjoyment. A short ramble above the second step led us to the infamous crux pitch. To the right, the FA party's notorious 25 foot, A3 roof loomed. This looked very intimidating. Just left of this was an even worse looking chimney (unclimbed): Just a bit further to the left, the main corner continued above as a 40 meter, vertical, inside corner, with no ice. This pitch, climbed by the 2nd and 3rd ascent parties, had never been freed, but was estimated at M7. The plentiful cracks assured us that it would go one way or another, but at this point in the day (15 hours) our primary goal was simply getting the rope up there. We brewed up some water as the afternoon sun began to blaze upon us- our timing was working out as hoped, climbing the hardest part in the warm sun. Colin started up and the climbing proved quite hard. After 20 meters of mixed free and aid, he belayed, to recover some pieces that would be needed above. I belayed from a fully hanging stance while Colin worked out more mixed free and aid climbing to another belay 30 meters higher. Following with both packs was a major pumpfest. Above, instead of the easy terrain we were now hoping for, we were treated to 2 more pitches of M5-ish climbing in icy, awkward chimneys, before we abruptly exited into the massive snowfield paralleling the upper Cassin Ridge, at about 16,000'. It was 9 PM, hour 21 since leaving the base. Although the Alaska Range was surrounded on all sides by enormous thunderheads, the weather up here was beautiful and windless, a perfect day to be on this huge face. Finding only hard ice and thin snowcover, we were forced to climb another 600 feet to find snow deep enough to obtain a tent ledge without having to chop into ice. Both of us were now very dehydrated and therefore pretty much knackered; as such, this last section of "easy" climbing was, for me at least, the mental crux of the whole climb, and I had to dig deep. Once settled in the tent we could begin repairing the deficit we'd put ourselves in, brewing up much water and eating a good meal. We then slept soundly in Colin's custom 2 person sleeping bag; between this bag and the BD firstlight tent, our bivi setup weighed almost nothing yet allowed us enough comfort to get a good rest. Day 2 was bright and sunny, so we slept in and did not begin climbing until 2 PM. This day was like a whole different climb: all snow climbing, and at altitude. We broke trail in variable snow conditions for over 3 hours before finally joining the Cassin around 17,500'. Anticipating a cold, late evening summit, we stopped at 19,000' to brew up in the evening sun and prevent a repeat of the previous day's dehydration. Smoke from lightning caused fires began to infiltrate the mountains, but otherwise it was relatively warm and beautiful. At 9:45 PM we stood alone on the summit in a cold stiff wind, happy it was now all downhill from here. Our time on the 8000 foot face was 45 hrs, 40 minutes, and this was the route's 5th ascent. At just after midnight we reached the tent and food we'd left behind at 14,000 on the west buttress. The weather shut down the following afternoon. I love it when the timing is this perfect. We remained on the mountain for another week: me at Kahiltna basecamp with Lisa, Colin at 14,000 in hopes of some further climbing; but, the weather would not allow it. On the positive side, with the right connections, Mountain High Pizza Pie delivers to basecamp in 90 minutes or less: Gear Notes: Standard alpine rack to 3", 6 screws (mostly 13's), handful of pins of all types, lots of slings, a light pack, and a good weather forecast. Approach Notes: The Northeast fork of the Kahiltna is always a heads-up experience, but don't let rangers or British climbers tell you it's near-impossible. Go look for yourself, move fast, and use common sense.