Denali 2005: Alpine Ascents Denali 2005: Team #8 flies to Mountain

Denali (20,320ft/6,195m) Alaska

Team #8 flies to Mountain
June 5, 2005    
Hello this is Eric Remza calling in for Alpine Ascents Denali expedition #8. We will be going by Alp 8 until we get to our next cybercast. I’d like to introduce myself and my team. Guiding this team will be myself and David Kratsch. And our expedition members are Kurt Gusinde, Michael Otis, James Draper, Brook Mancinelli, Lisa Carponelli, and Michael Lovell. And today we are flying in to the Alaska Range and our base Camp at 7,200 feet at the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Our first group of 4 just flew in and I am waiting to fly in with the other four and we have kind of rainy weather now in Talkeetna, but it is clear in the Range. We will not be sending another cybercast until 3 or 4 more days, so our itinerary for the next few days is arrive into Base Camp and then make our way up to Camp I, which is at 7,800 feet and then when we are doing our carry to 10,000 feet, we will be able to send you our next cybercast. So that is it and we will talk to you later, ciao for now.

The Man Show establishes 14 Camp
June 4, 2005    
Hello this is Alpine Ascents Denali #7, The Man Show checking in with from the bubbling metropolis at 14,000 feet on Denali after a 6 hour strong push through a foot and a half of new snow. The team arrived, greeted by Alpine #6, Forrest and Duane’s group, who had everything ready for us to move right in, thanks to them. Our talents have moved from creating nice haikus to somewhat R-rated limericks, so we won’t read any of our poetry. But all is well here. We are looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow and we’ll check back with you then, over and out.

Dont' Panic still waiting for weather
June 4, 2005    
Hello this is Ben Billings calling in with a cybercast for Team 5, Don’t Panic. Today is June 4th, it’s 6pm and we’re finally seeing some warm temperatures up at high camp. We decided to forego a summit attempt to day due to high winds and extremely cold temperatures. We hunkered down in our tents instead and ate a little food and tried to play some hacky sack with a frozen orange. Our hope for tomorrow is for mellowing winds and warmer temperatures and our shot at the summit, but fortunately we have plenty of time and we’ll be able to stay here as long as we need to, to get the job done. Everybody is doing well and send hell o tot heir friends and families. We will keep you posted with another cybercast, tomorrow, Sunday night and let you know how we are doing. Until then take care and we look forward to seeing you al soon. Take care.

Mixed Nuts enjoys rest day at 14.2
June 4, 2005    
This is Forrest McCarthy calling in for Team Mixed Nuts. I just wanted to report that we are enjoying a nice leisurely rest day at Camp III at 14,200 feet, had a nice walk out to the Edge of the World and are looking forward to having pizza for dinner. The weather is still pretty decent, been cold in the mornings, minus 10 degrees, a little chilly getting going in the morning. We’re gearing up to move up to high camp tomorrow, thins are looking good for us up there. That’s it for now from Team Mixed Nuts.

Mixed Nuts caches at 16.2
June 3, 2005    
Hi everybody out there in cyberworld, this is Duane from the Mixed Nuts. Thanks again for tuning in, today we had another very successful day, it was nearly 20 below this morning quite cold, but we pushed on up with food and fuel and cached at 16,200 feet. (transmission fails) The weather had been changing quite a bit, blazing sunshine followed by periods of heavy to light snow. But in the evening, clouds are thinning in the valley and up high winds are calm, so we’re looking forward to moving on up to 17,200 feet after having a rest day, give our bodies a chance to recuperate before pushing up to high camp. Thanks again for tuning in.

Team Don't Panic waits at High Camp
June 3, 2005    
Hey everybody this is Eric Larson giving you a call from 17,200 foot camp with Team Don’t Panic. Today was our rest day and it was pretty quiet today, woke up about 9:00 looking at the sunshine and then clouds slowly moved in and trickled a little bit of snow on us. Temperatures have been a little moderate for this elevation, around zero, I think last night it went down to around -15. Everybody fared really well, they just caught up on some rest and started to acclimatize by doing some light work and shoveling snow around camp. This evening we’re hoping for some good weather. We still in a cloud, but we’ll wake up about 7:00 tomorrow to see what the weather brings us for our first opportunity to summit. But if the weather is not good we’ve got plenty of food and fuel to stick around. We’ll give you an update or we’ll call you from the summit. Until then this is Team Don’t Panic.

Updates

Overview: There are certain mountains that need no explanation as to why climb. Denali is such a mountain. Its tremendous size and beauty generate a magnetism that continually draws climbers from around the world. An ascent of Denali, touches the psyche of all alpinists and for those who have undertaken its challenges, it rewards them with an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Denali is often considered America's most classic climb. From top to bottom, it rises nearly 18,000', an elevation gain unsurpassed anywhere in the world. At a northern latitude of 63°, it is the most northerly of any big mountain over 20,000'. No other region offers such breathtaking and diverse views each day of the ascent. The panorama from Denali's summit includes Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter and Mt. Huntington in all their majestic glory.

When Dr. Bradford Washburn pioneered the West Buttress route, he heralded in a new era of Denali ascents and offered climbers a unique approach to the summit. The flight onto the glacier is a trip in itself, presenting overwhelming vistas of the Alaska Range. The West Buttress route remains, by far, the most successfully climbed route on the mountain.

Climb Overview: A Denali climb begins deep in the heart of the Alaska Mountain Range on the Kahiltna Glacier. From the S.E. Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier we begin the climb of Denali's West Buttress. Base Camp plus five higher camps are established on the mountain. When necessary, the team makes double carries between all camps, except high camp, to ensure proper acclimatization and reduce loads. In each camp we build snow walls for protection from possible high winds. The climb takes approximately 17-18 days round trip from Base camp.

Built to handle a myriad of different climbing pursuits, the Ultralight Universal is our best selling crampon. This crampon lives for trekking, glacier travel, or steep couloirs and snowfields. Totally adjustable Zytel straps make this crampon durable and easy to use. Fits everything from moon boots to flip-flops, our lightest crampon available. Weight: 590g Points: 10. See more here.

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