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TODAY'S STATS - 6/10/22 |
Denali |
Mt. Foraker |
|
Registered Climbers |
1,123 |
13 |
|
Climbers Currently On Mountain |
360 |
8 |
|
Completed Climbs |
592 |
5 |
|
Number of Summits |
407 |
0 |
|
Summit Percentage |
69% |
0% |
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The Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station also maintains an almost daily automated statistics phone line, so if this blog is lagging behind and you need up-to-date registration numbers, call (907) 733-9127. |
Additionally, there are 21 registered backcountry users in the Alaska Range as of today.
Mountain Weather
Weather station telemetry data from 7K and 14K are transmitted hourly to the MesoWest website, including temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, snowfall, and solar radiation. MountainWeather.com compiles a Denali Weather page, complete with links to the MesoWest data, the NWS Denali Climbing Forecasts, as well as links to FAA webcams.
Click here for the National Weather Service Denali Climbing Forecast
The FAA webcam on the Kahiltna Glacier is fully operational as of this past weekend. Look for the green dot labelled Kahiltna Glacier.
Conditions Reports
Remember to bury those caches at least 1.5 meters deep to avoid melting out and being raided by clever ravens. Unrelenting sunshine and warm temperatures mean caches are popping up like weeds.
Rangers Travis and Kakiko just returned from the mountain, reporting 'optimal conditions' start to finish. (Considering the summit percentage is crawling close to 70%, many others have enjoyed this great weather window as well.) Their entire patrol was storm-free; cramponing conditions were perfect; they even got to ski down in powder two days ago thanks to 6 inches of snow that fell mid-mountain while they were up in the clear at 17K. They did not experience any rockfall at Windy Corner, but they caution future trips to keep a heads up as warm temperatures continue.
Air taxi operators are reportedly limiting most flights to the morning hours only when the glacier surface is still frozen. At least until the weather pattern changes and the glacier sees more snow and cooler temperatures.
Climbing conditions are great further up the mountain. From the 9K camp up, all seems in fine shape -- Windy Corner, the fixed lines, the Denali Pass Traverse.
Search and Rescue
A climber was evacuated from 14K with HAPE and COVID this morning, Friday June 10. Additionally, a two-person team activated their InReach device Friday morning, requesting emergency assistance from Denali Pass. One of the team members was struggling to descend safely under their own power after a very long summit push (~24 hrs). Cloud cover above 17K precluded a helo evacuation Friday afternoon, but several mountain guides camped at 17K were assisting the team down to high camp as of press time Friday.
Ranger Reports
NPS 14K Patrol #3 (Baldwin/Ramos-Leon) Thank you, Travis, Kakiko, Tony, Christian, and Jason for a job well done. They flew off yesterday, Thursday, though Travis just hadn't had enough mountain time, so flew back in today to serve as attendant on the morning medical evacuation. NPS 14K Patrol #4 (Bomba) Re-supplies, patients, evacuations...they were happy to greet Dave Weber's patrol at camp yesterday afternoon. The camp management torch was officially passed today, with Chelsea and her volunteers and PJ heading up to high camp Friday afternoon.
NPS 14K Patrol #5 (Weber) Made it 14K in time to assist Chelsea's patrol with the medical evacuation this morning, and to help orchestrate the response to the SOS from Denali Pass.
NPS 14K Patrol #6 (Beren) After a delayed start to his Denali NP mountaineering season to help raise his infant daughter Ruby, Ranger Jake Beren is back to lead an upper mountain patrol! We are so happy to have him back in the fold. He is joined this patrol by five talented volunteers: Paramedic Solvieg Waterfall, Jenn Reddy, Liz Bolton, Eli Weitzman, and Dodge Garfield. Reportedly, team photos were taken at the Talkeetna State Airport yesterday, but on phones that went up to 7K with them. So we will need to wait until the team reaches the 14K hotspt to see their smiling faces. As per usual, the team will stick around 7K doing some crevasse rescue training, then will head up hill.
NPS 7K Patrol #4 (Davis) Alan and Austin flew out in conjunction with the 14K patrol fly-out. Taking advantage of having four rangers (outbound Alan, Kakiko, Travis, and inbound Chrissie) at BC at once, helo pilot Erik Ridington worked with them to conduct typical terrain short-haul training Thursday afternoon.
NPS 7K Patrol #5 (Oken) Ranger Chrissie Oken and VIP Chad Schollaart flew in to relieve Alan and Austin at the 7K camp. Chrissie led the typical terrain short-haul training exercise at BC.
Denali Rescue Volunteers
Learn more about Denali Rescue Volunteers, an organization that helps make Denali National Park and Preserve's mountaineering operations whole! Thank you for all that you do each season, from helping equipping our volunteers, housing them before and after patrols, and supporting our recruitment process!
Photo of the Day
Rangers take a spin around the Kahilta Glacier while doing 'typical terrain' short-haul training out of Basecamp. (NPS Photo/Alan Davis)