Denali Prep: Kahiltna Dome

This expedition starts at Denali’s West Buttress Base Camp (7200′) on the Kahiltna Glacier. The expedition follows the West Buttress route until approximately 10,000′ and then veers west for the summit of the Kahiltna Dome. Weather and snow conditions will ultimately determine our progression, so our style on the mountain is flexible and will fluctuate on a 24 hour basis. Additionally, the abilities, condition, and desires of the expedition members play an important role in realizing any itinerary.

The Denali Prep course day-to-day itinerary is designed to get the most out of an introduction to Alaska mountaineering. Your instructors teach wilderness, leadership, and technical climbing skills in a progression that develops competent and self-reliant climbers. By course end, you will have learned to identify and manage hazards and have increased your technical knowledge in all aspects of glacier and alpine climbing.

Instructor Briefing and Packing Days
Your instructors dedicate two days before the start date to prepare by briefing, checking equipment, and packing food. Stoves are fired up, tents are set up, radios are checked, and ropes are inspected. We adhere to the motto, “Prior planning prevents p*** poor performance.”

This itinerary should be considered a rough guide:

Day 1
8:00 am: Meet at AMS for course orientation and overview of the day. Check equipment and issue gear. Pack lunches. Calculate weights. This is a busy day, so please be on time. 12:00 pm: Lunch provided at AMS. Lasagna and salad. 1:00 pm: Learn intro to fixed line ascension at AMS’ crevasse rescue facility. Classes: Knots, use of waist and chest harness and helmet, ascending techniques, and releasing the backpack. 4:00 pm: Load van. 3-minute drive to ranger station and airport. Organize loads for fixed-wing flights. 4:30 pm: Fly onto the glacier. Reorganize loads for glacier travel. After a snowshoe-use orientation, rope up and travel a short distance and establish camp: probe and wand the perimeter, build walls, make sleeping platforms, set up group kitchen, establish the bathroom. 6:00 pm: Make dinner; students learn camp cooking. Practice: Site selection, tent spacing, shovel and snow saw use, wall building, tent pitching, hygiene and sanitation, group kitchen basics, stove use and care, cooking basics, bomb proofing the camp, staying warm at night. Evening discussion: Course Goals.

Day 2
9:00 am–12:00 pm: Practice: more knots, rope identification and care, rope handling and coiling, snow protection and anchor systems, and belaying. Incorporate load-cell to accurately measure forces when testing anchors. 1:00 pm–6:00 pm: Discuss: roping up for glacier travel, rope travel techniques, simple crevasse fall scenarios, transferring a load, snow climbing techniques, use of ice axe, self-arrest. Head out of camp for glacier travel. Evening discussion: Leadership.

Day 3
9:00 am–5:00 pm: Meet with daypacks ready for a full day away from camp. Students organize themselves into rope teams. Group heads to crevasse for self-rescue practice: the site is secured, and anchors are built for lowering and raising systems. Practice: Lowering systems, raising systems, crevasse fall scenarios. Evening discussion: Expedition Behavior (EB).

Day 4
Pack up camp and move to 7,800 ft, Camp 2, at the base of Ski Hill; distance: 5 miles, elevation gain: 600 ft. Practice: Breaking down camp, caches, sled rigging, navigation techniques, choosing a safe camp, building a latrine. Evening discussion: Altitude-related Illnesses and Cold Injuries.

Day 5
Carry to 10,500’, probe out area, and cache supplies. Return to camp; student led rope teams. Evening discussion: Meteorology, Forecasting, Geology and Glaciology of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Day 6
Move to 10,500 ft and build Camp 3. Student led rope teams. Discuss: Quarries and Building Walls.

Day 7
Classes all day from camp. Practice snow climbing, crampon use, self-arrest, running protection, fixed lines.

Day 8
Summit day, 12,525 ft.

Day 9
Move back to Camp 2, 7800’. Student led rope teams. Evening discussion: Expedition planning.

Day 10
Alpine start, pack up and move back to airstrip. Student led rope teams. Fly back to Talkeetna, enjoy green grass and welcome back fruit platter, de-issue equipment, graduation ceremony.

The prerequisite is that participants arrive in excellent mental and physical condition and have a strong desire to learn and practice as much as possible during the course.

Well organized, great guides, wonderful scenery. This is a course everyone should take before attempting a Denali summit trip. —Tom Egan

I was the oldest member of the team at age 61. The guides were super and spent a little extra time ensuring that I was learning and having fun at the same time. Highly recommend AMS.—Jerry Chabino

Whether responding to questions, selling gear or training me for increasing mountaineering skills, they are friendly organized and very professional. I am very satisfied with AMS and highly recommend them for Alaska Mountain Guides.—Taka Watanabe

It is rare when you’re finding lessons fun and with people you’d enjoy taking out for a beer. I never thought I’d wish for a storm day to stretch out the trip a few more days to hang out and climb more. Thanks.—Tery Wong

I can’t imagine a better guide service. The skills taught will last a lifetime. The trip planning, logistics, food, equipment, guides were first rate.—Richard Silber

If your climbing schedule takes you to Alaska, AMS offer the best in class experience. The Alaska Experts!—Pat Loftus