Denali Expedition via West Buttress

Upon your arrival at Anchorage (ANC), we coordinate group lodging and arrange airport transfers. We gather our team at midday for a thorough gear check and expedition briefing.

We depart Anchorage early in the morning for the road journey to Talkeetna. Here, we attend the mandatory National Park Service briefing, sort personal equipment, and weigh out group loads.

A scenic 45-minute ski-plane flight lands our team directly at Base Camp on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier at 2,195 m (7,200 ft), where we set up our first camp.

Today we begin dragging sleds approximately 8.8 km (5.5 miles) up the low-angle Kahiltna Glacier to Ski Hill Camp at 2,316 m (7,600 ft). This initial stretch tests our pacing as we adjust to hauling heavy sleds.

We continue our ascent with sleds up to Camp 2 at 2,926 m (9,600 ft). Depending on conditions, we may execute a double carry by caching loads at 3,048 m (10,000 ft) before returning to sleep lower.

Weather and energy permitting, we push upward to establish Camp 3 at 3,353 m (11,000 ft), navigating the gradual slopes of the upper glacier.

We take an active rest day at 3,353 m (11,000 ft), undertaking a back-carry down the trail to retrieve our cache left at 3,048 m (10,000 ft).

We carry gear past Windy Corner to cache supplies at 4,115 m (13,500 ft). As the terrain grows more technical above 3,353 m (11,000 ft), we transition from sleds to carrying heavier backpacks.

Our team moves our main camp to 14 Camp, situated just above 4,267 m (14,000 ft). This location serves as the busy ranger post and a central hub for expeditions on the mountain.

Today involves an active rest day where we descend slightly to back-carry and retrieve our cache from 4,115 m (13,500 ft), spending a second night at 14,000 ft.

We remain at 14 Camp to rest, hydrate, and allow our bodies to adjust further to the reduced oxygen levels at this altitude.

We carry food, fuel, and supplies for our eventual summit bid, establishing a cache at 5,090 m (16,700 ft) or High Camp at 5,242 m (17,200 ft), before descending back to sleep at 14 Camp.

We utilise this fifth acclimatisation day at 4,267 m (14,000 ft) to rest our muscles and wait for a stable weather window.

We pack up 14 Camp and move our entire operation to High Camp at 5,242 m (17,200 ft), picking up our previously established cache along the route.

Depending on wind speeds and team recovery, we either take a rest day at High Camp or launch our first possible summit attempt.

This second summit window allows us to make our bid for the top of Denali at 6,194 m (20,310 ft) if weather conditions delay our initial attempt.

Following our summit effort, we pack our gear and descend all the way down to Camp 3 at 3,353 m (11,000 ft) for a night's rest.

We complete our descent down the Kahiltna Glacier back to Base Camp at 2,195 m (7,200 ft), preparing for our flight out.

Our bush pilot picks us up from Base Camp as soon as weather permits, flying our team back to Talkeetna for our final night.

We maintain this schedule buffer to account for potential weather delays on the mountain, ensuring a relaxed departure back toward Anchorage.