Denali West Buttress Expedition

AMS Denali guides are talented mountain climbers and educators who meet our high standards for employment. The typical AMS Denali guide team consists of one lead guide, one assistant guide, and one training guide. AMS lead guides have logged an average of 12 years climbing Denali and other high-altitude peaks. They exhibit exceptional leadership skills and bring considerable, noteworthy expertise in mountain medicine and rescue experience to the expedition. Assistant guides have multiple years of personal and professional climbing experience, and many meet the qualifications to lead. Training guides are experienced climbers with a guiding background; they are hand-selected so that they can advance their careers with AMS. Anyone working for AMS has been carefully screened for their climbing ability, work ethic, trustworthiness, and passion for teaching. All incoming guides become part of an ongoing internal training program and are referred to AMS through a network of mountain professionals.

For a mountain like Denali, climbing in traditional expedition style, by leap-frogging supplies and building fortified camps, is the best way for most people to reach the summit. The frequent storms on the West Buttress require patience, a flexible schedule, and enough on-mountain resources. This climb is a marathon, not a sprint. We plan on 22 days for this trip, which in most cases is more than enough time. Occasionally persistent storms require that we extend the expedition.

Day 1

12:45pm: An AMS vehicle can pick you up at your hotel within 5 miles of downtown Talkeetna and transport you and your equipment to AMS. Please notify AMS if you need a ride.
1:00pm: Meet at the AMS office in downtown Talkeetna for group orientation, gear check, and expedition lunch packing. Store all equipment at AMS.
4:00pm: Organize individual glacier travel equipment (your “glacier rig”) and review AMS glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques required for Denali.

6:00pm: Free evening in Talkeetna. Most of the lodging in Talkeetna is within easy walking distance.

Day 2

8:00am: Meet at AMS for a National Park Service Denali briefing. We will take a short walk over to the NPS Ranger Station from AMS.

9:30: Glacier travel review: review skills, fine-tuning systems; ascending out of AMS’s simulated crevasse, and using Z-pulley hauling systems.
12:30pm: Hearty lunch served at AMS.
1:30pm: Final gear packing, weighing everything for glacier flight, and loading AMS van for short drive to airport.
3:00pm: Flight to 7,200-ft base camp. Distance: 60 miles, elevation gain: 6,850 ft. Arriving at basecamp is awe-inspiring, with Mt. Hunter rising above at 7,000 ft. This is the biggest elevation gain of the entire trip, and everyone will feel it. It is best to rest and get to bed early in preparation for an early start when snow conditions are firmer.

Day 3

Move to 7,800 ft: Camp 1; distance: 5.5 miles, elevation gain: 600 ft. The first day is always big, as backpacks settle in and we get accustomed to traveling roped. We gain very little elevation over a long distance. “Big crevasses” is the phrase of the day. We camp close to Ski Hill in a compression zone and enjoy the last sheltered camp on the mountain.

Day 4

Carry to 9,700 ft, Kahiltna Pass; distance: 5 miles (RT), elevation gain: 1,900 ft. The day’s job is to carry light loads and bury a cache. Walk back to camp with empty packs, which is a stroll with beautiful views that span 30 miles down-glacier.

Day 5

Move to 11,000 ft, Camp 2; distance: 4 miles, elevation gain: 3,200 ft. This is a big day, and we will all know we are climbing a mountain when we arrive at camp. We’ll build a fortress here to protect us from the notorious storms that roll through during the few days we’ll be in residence.

Day 6

Back carry to 9,700 ft.; distance: 2 miles (RT). This feels more like a rest day and it’s nice to stretch our legs.

Day 7

Carry to 13,500 ft, around Windy Corner; distance: 3.5 miles (RT), elevation gain: 2,500 ft. Windy Corner is a large guard gate to the Upper Mountain. The gate opens and closes with the fickle weather. Performing a carry allows us to stick our noses in it even if we are not sure. We can always bury the cache sooner and turn back to camp if the weather worsens.

Day 8

Move to 14,200 ft, Camp 3; distance: 2.75 miles, elevation gain: 3,200 ft. Rolling into 14,200 ft feels like we are leaving the lower mountain behind and entering a new environment. 5,000 ft of the south face rises above us. When you look out you are at the same level Mt. Hunter’s summit.

Day 9

Back carry 13,500 ft cache; distance: 2 miles (RT), elevation gain: 700 ft. We earn a leisurely pancake and bacon breakfast with real maple syrup––then another restful back carry. We’ll set up a simulated fixed line and practice passing anchors while in camp.

Day 10

Carry to 16,200 ft; distance: 2 miles (RT), elevation gain: 2,000 ft. We’ll carry all our supplies for high camp to the top of the fixed lines and bury them on the lee side.

Day 11

Rest day or possible move day, depending on weather and the group’s strength.

Day 12

Move to 17,200 ft, Camp 4; distance: 1.75 miles, elevation gain: 3,000 ft. Leaving 14,200 ft and arriving at 17,200 ft is one of the best days of the entire climb: awesome views on the ridge looking 10,000 ft down to the Peter’s Glacier. We will build another bomber camp and know we will sleep soundly.

Day 13

Rest day/acclimatization/weather contingency day at 17,200 ft, Camp 4. Most teams need a rest day after moving from 14,200 ft.

Days 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Plenty of possible summit days, 20,310 ft; distance: 5 miles (RT), elevation gain: 3,120 ft. We must push ourselves on this 10- to 12-hour summit day, harder than any other day, while maintaining our priority of getting back to camp without incident. Patience required.

Day 20

Return to 14,200 ft; distance: 1.5 miles, elevation loss: 3,000 ft. Our bodies will feel wrecked, but going downhill makes it manageable. We arrive at 14,200 ft and typically spend a well-deserved night’s rest.

Day 21

Return to base camp, 7,200 ft; distance: 12.25 miles, elevation loss: 7,000 ft. We sleep in and have a two-hour brunch. After a relaxing day, complete with naps, we pack up and descend as evening approaches. We arrive at base camp around 4am, enjoying cool temperatures and firm snow bridges. We catch a couple hours of sleep in an open bivy.

Day 22

8:00am: First flight back to Talkeetna. The van will be waiting for us to bring us back to AMS, where we’ll feast on fresh watermelon and other fruit. We’ll store luggage, de-issue rental equipment, and help with your lodging or travel arrangements.

As an advanced climb, Denali’s West Buttress requires a significant amount of prior climbing experience and training. The better condition you are in, the more you will enjoy the climb, the safer it will be for you, and the better chance for reaching the summit. This 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:

• Mountaineering climbs that required roped glacier travel, winter snow camping, and the use of an ice axe and crampons.
 Winter camping and travel experience for extended periods of time. This is essential training, since cold on Denali is a daily challenge.
• Familiarity with the figure-eight knot series, rope coiling, and belaying with a munter hitch
• Ability to arrest a fall on a steep snow slope
• Ability to use crampons with a 65-plus pound pack on slopes up to 30–35°. Some sections of the route require you to bend down and clip through running belays.
• Experience on smaller climbs such as smaller peaks in the Alaska Range, winter climbs of Mt. Washington, Colorado 14’ers, Mt. Rainier, the Tetons, or Mount Blanc.

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 Prep Course 

6-Day Mountaineering

12-Day Mountaineering

Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue Workshop

AMS should be considered THE Denali Guide Service. The Talkeetna location and facilities, excellent guides and long running Denali history set AMS ahead of the rest.—Jack Tolan

AMS has the right stuff—a logistical pyramid that is second-to-none, and phenomenal guides who are personally committed to your success. Nobody can give you a better high-altitude experience!—Tom Dougherty

Choosing AMS proved to be the right decision. Guiding experience, meal preparations, itinerary all contributed to our team’s ability to achieve a summit in a year when most teams did not. AMS’s resources significantly helped us reach the summit.—Brad Skorepa, 2012

AMS has an excellent team of staff, and their base in Talkeetna is a huge advantage. The guides could not be better—Srilakshmi Sharma

AMS’ local presence in Talkeetna gives it a built-in edge over the other guiding companies on Denali—Darrel Koehling

AMS was rock solid from the pre-expedition planning and office staff, to food prep/pantry, store, transportation, etc. This is the most straightforwardly run operation I have encountered and I applaud all the hard work that AMS puts into making these expeditions ‘priceless’ to us as climbers! — Tom Moore