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TODAY'S STATS - 5/21/24 |
Denali |
Mt. Foraker |
|
Registered Climbers |
959 |
27 |
|
Climbers Currently On Mountain |
402 |
9 |
|
Completed Climbs |
43 |
11 |
|
Number of Summits |
4 |
0 |
|
Summit Percentage |
9% |
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. |
Mountain Weather
Basecamp was not flyable this morning. They had visibility of about 2 miles, clouds at 9,000 feet, light snow, and light winds.
Rangers at 14K called in reports of cloud build-up and increasing loft winds out of the northeast. At 8:00 am, they could still make out the 16K ridge and Windy Corner, but otherwise it was white as a milk jug.
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.
The National Weather Service publishes their mountain-specific forecast here: Denali Climbing Forecast
Conditions Reports
- Good news from the middle mountain! The route from 11k to 14k has been beaten down by hundreds of crampons and is now quite good. Everything is still firm, but the traffic on the trail has created some very distinct troughs that are easy to walk in.
- Motorcycle Hill is very straightforward with good footing, and snow bridges are holding well.
- Squirrel Hill has a good track that sticks climbers right close to the rocks.
- Windy Corner has good footing. The final track into 14k’ camp is currently in an unusual place, winding low through the large cracks below camp. Snowbridges are currently good and we will see if that track remains viable through the season.
Search and Rescue
Tragically, a solo climber perished in a fall from the Denali Pass traverse. Read more details are available in the park News Releases, along with information about an evacuation of an injured climber from Zebra Rocks.
Ranger Reports
14K Patrol #1 (Ramos-Leon) Ranger Kakiko and VIP’s Andrea Tupy, Madelyn Ferdock, and Alec Wilson were instrumental in the upper mountain investigation and ground search for the overdue solo climber noted above. Their teamwork enabled the swift recovery of the deceased climber at 17,000-feet, confirming, packaging, and assisting in the short-haul operations. After an arduous and cold patrol, the four remaining patrol members (both Ranger Jake Kayes and VIP Vince Langmann had flown off mountain last week) enjoyed a late sleep-in at 14,000 feet this morning. As weather cooperates, they will descend to Basecamp for their scheduled flight out of the Range tomorrow (Wednesday), though weather forecasts do not look cooperative.
14K Patrol #2 (Davis) Patrol #2 has been busy assisting with communications and operations for the overdue soloist response. They also have been tending to a climber with abdominal pain and vomiting at 14K. Now that Kakiko is down from 17K, and Chrissie is up from 11K, Alan and crew intend to head up the fixed lines to 17K as weather permits.
14K Patrol #3 (Oken) Patrol #3 is happy, feeling strong, and having fun. The team made it to 14,200-foot camp yesterday, and are excited to take over reigns of 14K from Patrol #2 in the days ahead. They report a welcome change in route conditions between 11K and 14K.
Patrol #3 wants to send out a friendly reminder for people to dispose of waste properly! Observe this poor sad ranger who discovered quite a mess at the beginning of the polo field (12,300 feet). At a serious low point in her day, the offending pile was wrangled (i.e. excavated with an ice axe) and disposed of properly. (NPS Photo). 7K Patrol #2 (Dossin) Ranger Galen Dossin and Volunteer-in-Parks Meagan Binkley have been busy at basecamp, with climber numbers increasing daily. Yesterday they provided medical care to a climber short-hauled from below Zebra Rocks with a broken leg, as well as assisted Ranger Travis Baldwin with ground operations related to the dual short-haul missions on the upper mountain.
Denali Rescue Volunteers
Save the date! Denali Rescue Volunteers is teaming up with the Denali Arts Council to present the Vanccouver International Mountain Film Festival on Saturday, June 8 at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar in downtown Talkeetna. For more information, go to the DAC events webpage.
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
Volunteer Liz King prepares to be lowered into a crevasse, trusting that her teammates will come to the rescue! Every Denali patrol begins with crevasse rescue practice on the Kahiltna Glacier. (NPS Photo/C. Oken)