Denali climb (6,190m) via West Buttress

Towering 20,320 feet above sea level, Denali, in the heart of the Alaska Range, is the tallest mountain in North America.

It’s difficult to appreciate how massive this peak really is. Many experienced climbers say that the final ascent on summit day is the toughest climb and day of their whole lives.

While Denali is not even among the 120 highest mountains on earth, it is the third most prominent. This means from base to summit, you gain more elevation (20,146 feet) than any other on earth, except for Everest and Aconcagua.

Denali is also one of the most isolated mountains on earth, meaning it dominates the landscape all around it and all the time you are gaining elevation on the trip will be on its slopes.

Considering the Denali trip will last about 25 days, that’s a whole lot of time on the mountain. Over the course of the trip, we will haul roughly 60 pounds of gear up to various camps, employing the “climb high sleep low” technique in order to appropriately climatize.

Because the Denali ascent is so challenging, we require you to attend a mandatory prep. course on Mount Rainier in order to prepare. This course will also serve you to prepare for other demanding ascents such as Mount Logan or the Vinson Massif, to name a few. It will take place over 5 days and will include:

• Glac­i­er trav­el, steep snow and ice climb­ing to 50-degrees
• Carrying loads of up to 50 – 60 lbs
• Sus­tained expe­di­tion trav­el uti­liz­ing sleds
• Back­coun­try winter camp­ing and cook­ing skills
• Roped glac­i­er trav­el, rope team man­age­ment, route find­ing, and crevasse navigation, glaciol­o­gy, and crevassed ter­rain assessment
• Team and indi­vid­ual self-arrest, crevasse res­cue tech­niques, and scenarios
• Snow climb­ing, ice axe posi­tion­ing, and mov­ing in balance
• Snow and ice anchor selec­tion, con­struc­tion, and equalization
• Ice climb­ing, and cram­pon­ing techniques
• Fixed-line ascension
• Belay­ing, rap­pelling, and rope management
• Nav­i­ga­tion using maps, com­pass­es, and altimeters
• Haz­ard assess­ment
• Prop­er cloth­ing and equip­ment for sur­vival in the glacial envi­ron­ment, moun­tain weath­er, alpine ecol­o­gy, effi­cient, and self-depen­dent climb­ing tech­niques, and Leave No Trace ethics.

Our Rainier training course runs from March to May, however, custom dates are also available upon request, so make sure to check with us in advance so that we can plan the perfect itinerary together.

Once the training is completed, we will tackle Denali. As we go, expect steep glacier travel and sustained periods of snow and ice climbing at grades of up to 50 degrees. Summit day will be 12-plus hours of grueling climbing in thin air and a precarious ascent and descent back to our high camp.

That being said, the trip is more than worth it. We’ll enjoy some quality climbing and views that can hardly be described. Don’t forget your camera! Without a doubt, the highlight of the trip will be numerous vistas out over the sublime Alaska backcountry.

So what are you waiting for? Book now for the adventure of a lifetime and come to the Alaskan backcountry to climb Denali in 25 days after a top-level training course that will serve you in all of your adventures!

If you like the look of this trip then we think you will also enjoy our climbing expedition to Mount Vinson, the tallest mountain on Antarctica!