|
TODAY'S STATS - 5/7/22 |
Denali |
Mt. Foraker |
|
Registered Climbers |
1.028 |
17 |
|
Climbers Currently On Mountain |
33 |
2 |
|
Completed Climbs |
0 |
0 |
|
Number of Summits |
0 |
0 |
|
Summit Percentage |
0% |
0% |
|
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. |
As of May 7, there are 73 backcountry users exploring the Alaska Range:
- 15 in Upper Kahiltna
- 2 on the Eldridge Glacier
- 33 in the Upper Ruth
- 7 on Mount Hunter
- 3 on the Tokositna Glacier
- 18 in Little Switzerland
Mountain Weather
Saturday, May 8, 8:00 AM observation from Lisa at basecamp is "Very nice up here here. Scattered clouds, all mountains out. Winds downglacier at 12 mph. Morning temp at 7K was 12 F, which is -2 F with wind chill.
NOTE -- A substantial weather system is appoaching -- very strong winds and heavy snow expected by Sunday afternoon, May 8. Be sure to link to forecasting pages below for more detailed weather information.
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 scheduled to be installed in the field on Monday, May 9 for the 2022 season, so stay tuned.
Conditions Reports
New report from the Little Switzerland (4/19 - 5/5): Great skiing -- lots of snow. Crevasses filled, powder in shady areas, freeze-thaw conditions in sunny areas until late afternoon. No avalanches spotted.We also received a whole page of condition reports and news from the Kahiltna, its easiest to share a snapshot of the binder page than to translate:
Search and Rescue
With great sadness, we report a climbing fatality on Denali this week. Professional mountain guide and solo climber Matthias Rimml from Tirol, Austria, the first climber of the 2022 season, died in what appears to be a fall from below Denali Pass. For more information, go to our park news releases:
Rangers Initiate Search for Solo Climber on Denali
Body of Solo Climber Located on Denali
Ranger Reports
NPS 14K Patrol #1 (Dossin, Davis) Upper mountain patrol #1 has been making good time en route to 14 camp. They've spent the last couple nights camped at 11,000 feet, with a carry of gear to Windy Corner. Today, they packed up camp and are making the push uphill to 14,200 feet in advance of some looming bad weather. (See weather links above...NWS is calling for very strong winds and heavy snow at all elevations beginning Sunday afternoon.) The NPS radio repeater on Mount Crosson was only just installed, so we haven't had a detailed debrief from Galen and Alan yet on general lower glacier route conditions, but they haven't reported anything unusal or newsworthy so far.
NPS 7K Patrol #1 (Bomba) The women of Patrol 1 are getting it done. Or we should say, they GOT it done. NPS basecamp operations are all fully operational thanks to long days of shovelling, setting up tents, and finagling communcations. Today they are assisting ranger Joe Reichert and helicopter pilot Christian in prepping and slingloading netloads of gear from 7K to 14K.
Denali Rescue Volunteers Event
Coming soon to a theater near you! Or, at least, near us. Denali Rescue Volunteers and Denali Arts Council are teaming up to present the Alaska premiere of the Sanctity of Space to the big screen in downtown Talkeetna, Alaska. "Inspired by the photography of legendary explorer Brad Washburn, three friends traverse some of Alaska's most challenging peaks." The Sanctity of Space will show Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, showtime 7:00 PM at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar. Rumor has it that filmmaker and climber Freddie Wilkinson will be on hand to introduce the film. A portion of the event proceeds will go to support the two non-profits hosting the event -- Denali Rescue Volunteers and Denali Arts Council.
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
For some technical reason, this photo did not come through on our last Field Report, but its worth re-posting with a repeated expression of gratitude to our partners, the U.S. Army Sugar Bears, for doing all the heavy lifting for Denali National Park's mountaineering operations. If you haven't already, check out this U.S. Army article for more photos and details. (Photo courtesy of Charles Mason, U.S. Army)