Backpacking via Roadhead
Denali National Park, Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
1 instructor: 8 hikers
$1,400
Mt. McKinley (known locally by it’s native Alaskan name “Denali”) is America’s highest mountain. At 20,310′, Denali rises out of the sea of glaciers and peaks that compose the Alaska Range. It is unsurpassed in the beauty and challenge it presents those who attempt to climb it. The West Rib is a direct line (13,000 vertical feet) up the south face of the mountain to the summit—one of the greatest vertical reliefs and prominences of any mountain in the world. Bradford Washburn described the route as “so continually steep and difficult, and so exposed to the full force of the southwesterly storms that none but the most uniformly experienced and powerful team of climbers should even think of attempting it.” It is an outstanding mountaineering challenge—an advanced level expedition-style mountaineering experience—appropriate only for climbers with significant climbing experience and an attitude to enjoy the rigors of expedition life.
High altitude, extreme weather, and active glaciation combine to make Denali climbs some of the most difficult and severe in the world. The West Rib’s grade rating is several degrees harder than the West Buttress. The approach to the base of the route up the Northeast Fork presents many hazards and AMS will only use it after scouting and determining that risks can be minimized and managed. If the Northeast Fork is in poor condition, the expedition will re-route to the West Buttress and rejoin the West Rib at 16,300′. Summit day is a 3000–3700′ day depending on where High Camp is chosen. It is a 12–16 hour day that requires immense stamina. The terrain is steep and exposed and requires expert cramponing skills while roped and efficiency clipping through protection. It is a true climber’s route on Denali.
Denali National Park, Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
1 instructor: 8 hikers
$1,400
Schedule
July 11 – 14
What's Included
- Professional mountain guide(s)
- Round trip glacier flight
- NPS entrance and climber registration fees
- Base camp fee
- All meals and snack foods on the mountain and team lunch at AMS HQ on day 2
- All group camping and climbing equipment: ropes, tents, pickets, technical climbing gear, snow saws, wands
- Sled for each climber, pre-rigged for roped glacier travel for use during the climb
- Snow kitchen equipment: community kitchen tent, cooking stoves, utensils, and fuel
- Mountain communications: Emergency use satellite phone, FRS on-mountain radios, Delorme In-Reach
- Maps, GPS with pre-loaded route coordinates
- Medical Protocols, pulse oximiter, first aid, medication and repair kits
- Fully equipped staging area at AMS HQ and AMS Mountain Gear Shop in Talkeetna.
- 24/7 support from staff at AMS in Talkeetna during your climb
- Regular social media updates during your climb
- Pre-expedition assistance with travel planning and training advice
- Post-expedition lodging and shuttle logistics
- Luggage Storage during your expedition
- Camping at AMS HQ
- 15% discount at the AMS Mountain Gear Shop in Talkeetna
- Welcome back table with fresh foods and drinks after your climb
- Knowledgeable staff to assist with lodging and shuttle logistics
- Denali’s West Buttress: A Climbers Guide by Colby Coombs
Denali National Park, Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
1 instructor: 8 hikers
$1,400
The climb starts at Kahiltna Base and travels up the Kahiltna Glacier to the base of Ski Hill and the intersection of the Northeast Fork. Our next camp is “Safe” Camp in the Northeast Fork. After negotiating an ice fall, we establish camp in the bergshrund at the base of the Chicken Couloir. Using fixed lines, we climb the couloir and cache. The following day, we climb to 12,900’ and establish the Apex Camp. Climbing along the ridge, we establish the next camp in a bergshrund. Continuing along the ridge, the next good camp location is in a bergshrund at 16,300’. When the team is well-rested and the route is in suitable climbing condition, we leave for the summit, otherwise a higher camp is established. Picking our way through the rock bands high on the south face of Denali is an awesome mountaineering experience. The West Rib proper ends at 19,300’ when we exit onto a large plateau called the Football Field. A final climb along the summit ridge leads to the top. Summit day can take up to 16 hours by the time we return to Camp. From our High Camp, we descend onto the West Buttress route at Basin Camp and return to Kahiltna Base via the West Buttress Route
This itinerary is a rough guide. Our style on the mountain is flexible and will fluctuate on a 24 hour basis depending on conditions. With lucky weather, most expeditions return a day or two early. Un-flyable weather and/or storms at high camp may result in delays. It is possible at high camp for us to extend the length of the expedition and allow more time for those who wish to tough it out and who have a flexible schedule.
Day 1
Meet at AMS HQ at 2 pm for AMS expedition orientation, gear check, rentals and purchases, expedition lunch packing, review plan for next day; free for dinner by 7:00 PM
Day 2
Meet at 8 am at NPS Walter Harper Ranger Station in Talkeetna for NPS Denali Orientation
Walk back to AMS HQ for Denali skills review, team lunch, final gear packing and gear stowage
2:30 pm depart for Airport; 3 pm fly to Base camp, 7,200’; distance: 60 miles, elevation gain: 6850’.
Day 3
Move to Ski Hill, Camp 1, 7,800′, distance: 5.5 mi, elevation gain: 600′
Day 4
Carry to “Safe” Camp, 9,500′, distance: 6 mi, elevation gain: 1700′
Day 5
Move to “Safe” Camp, 9,500′, distance: 3 mi, elevation gain: 1700′
Day 6
Carry to Couloir Camp, 11,000′, distance: 3 mi, elevation gain: 1500′
Day 7
Move to 11,000′, distance: 1.5 mi, elevation gain: 1500′
Fix lines up the Chicken Couloir in the evening
Day 8
Carry to 12,500′, distance: 1/3 mile, elevation gain: 1500′
Day 9
Move to Apex Camp, 12,900′, distance: .5 mile, elevation gain: 1900′
Pick up cache
Day 10
Carry to 14,800’, distance: 1.5 mi, elevation gain: 1900′
Day 11
Move to Bergshrund Camp, 14,800′, distance: .75 mile, elevation gain: 1900′
Day 12
Rest
Day 13
Carry to 16,300′, distance: 1 mile, elevation gain: 1500′
Day 14
Move to Upper Ridge, 16,300′ or Balcony Camp, 17,000, distance: .5+mile, elevation gain: 1,500–2,000′
Days 15, 16, 17, 18
Summit days, distance: 2.5 mi, elevation gain: 3520′
Day 19
Descend to 14,200′, distance: 1 mi
Day 20
Descend to Base Camp, 7,200′, distance: 11.25 mi
Day 21
Fly back to Talkeetna
Day 22
Fly back to Talkeetna; welcome back to AMS HQ
Denali National Park, Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
1 instructor: 8 hikers
$1,400
As an advanced climb, the Rib requires a dedicated training regime and a significant amount of prior climbing experience. The mountain is too severe to be learning some skills for the first time. Applicants should be in excellent physical condition and should have the following experience:
- Steep mountaineering climbs that required roped glacier travel, winter snow camping, and the extensive use of an ice axe and crampons.
- Experience at altitudes above 15,000′
- Technical winter climbing and winter travel experience for extended periods of time. This is essential training, since cold on Denali is a daily challenge.
- Familiarity with knots, rope coiling, and belaying with gloves and mittens
- Ability to arrest a fall on a steep icy snow slope with a pack
- Ability to use crampons with a 60-plus pound pack on slopes up to 40°. Some sections of the route require you to bend down and clip through running belays.
- Ability to clip through running belays efficiently
- Ability to move to high camp with a single load
A non-technical, high-altitude climb is a great way to train for the altitude. Our best prepared expedition members have taken a mountaineering course and trained for a year or more before joining an expedition.
Denali National Park, Talkeetna Mountains
4 days
1 instructor: 8 hikers
$1,400
“Perfect trip, professionally guided, good organization and sense of humor!”
— Elisabetta Pallavicini, Upper West Rib Expedition
“The guides MADE the trip. The route was great, but the guides made it spectacular.”
— Steve Gabbert, Denali Upper West Rib
“Given the weather window, our guides put us on the summit perfectly. It would not have been possible without them.”
— Fred McGuinness, Denali Upper West Rib
“A first class operation — ran locally by people who know the mountain.”
— Si Matthies, Denali Upper West Rib