Neil called this in last night. The transmission gets a bit cut off at the end, but we should hear more from the team as they make their way down the mountain over the next couple of days.
Good work to everyone, and have an uneventful descent:
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Rumors of a summit!!!
We received sporadic word yesterday that the team made a summit push and apparently reached the top of Denali!
Sorry for this "tease," but we'll post more as soon as we here from them this morning...
Sorry for this "tease," but we'll post more as soon as we here from them this morning...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Podcast from our 17,200' High Camp!
I'm not entirely certain who this is on this dispatch, so let's have a contest!!! Anyone who can identify this caller will win a limited edition, Drew Ludwig original, Mountain Trip T-shirt! You'll be the talk of the town and the envy of the masses!! Post your best guess in the comments and we'll do our best to find out who the climber's voice belongs to...
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Update from David
David called last night and left the following update from 14,200 feet. High winds above are keeping the team in camp. The nice thing about getting stick at 14,200' is that it is probably the best altitude on the mountain for acclimatizing. We've found that climbers who spend more time at this camp tend to have a much better go of it up high.
Getting stuck for days at the 17,200' high Camp tends to wear folks down. Even though you are acclimatizing up there as well, your body is deteriorating, and after a period of time, your stay up there becomes a net detriment, rather than a benefit, as it is a few thousand feet lower.
Here's David!
Getting stuck for days at the 17,200' high Camp tends to wear folks down. Even though you are acclimatizing up there as well, your body is deteriorating, and after a period of time, your stay up there becomes a net detriment, rather than a benefit, as it is a few thousand feet lower.
Here's David!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Hanging out in the wind, but their cache is in!
The crew made a push up the fixed lines the other day, carrying their supplies and fuel up to about 16,200'. They didn't think they would get a chance, as the winds were fairly strong in the morning. As the day progressed, the clouds parted, the wind abated, and they got after it!
This is a fine example of the "Hurry Up And Wait" principle necessary to climb big mountains. Even though the weather looked grim, the team hurried up and got themselves ready. They were ready and waiting, so when the weather window presented itself, they jumped on it.
Heading up moderately steep snow slopes above the 14,200' camp, they arrived at a icy ledge at about 15,600', bordered on its uphill side by an ice cliff with a sort of curved top edge. This spot is called the "Eyebrow" for it's curved nature. It took the crew about 1.5 hours to make the hike to the Eyebrow, and they rested and prepared themselves for the steepest part of the route, which lay just above- the Headwall. There are two sets of fixed lines running up this 600' ice face. The right hand ropes are for the uphill and the left hand set for descending. I know this can be confusing for our friends from the UK, but hey- when in Rome...!
The climbers affixed mechanical ascenders or "rope clamps" in lay terms to the uphill fixed line. These ascenders will grip the rope in the event of a fall, but will slide in the direction of travel, allowing each climber to effectively have their own belay (fall prevention) system. They are still roped up, so even if one ascender were to slip, the other climbers would be able to arrest a potential fall.
The Headwall is about 45 degrees at its start and lessens somewhat as you climb up. It is fairly slow going, and the long stretch of employing flat-footed crampon technique makes for some tired ankles by the time you arrive at the top of the lines.
The lines top out on the stunningly beautiful and very engaging ridge of the West Buttress proper, which leads up from 16,200' to high Camp at 17,200'. The climbing along this section is some of my favorite on the route.
I have not heard from the team today, but reports from the mountain make me suspect they are sitting tight at 14,200'. I'll post more when I have new information.
Cheers!
This is a fine example of the "Hurry Up And Wait" principle necessary to climb big mountains. Even though the weather looked grim, the team hurried up and got themselves ready. They were ready and waiting, so when the weather window presented itself, they jumped on it.
Heading up moderately steep snow slopes above the 14,200' camp, they arrived at a icy ledge at about 15,600', bordered on its uphill side by an ice cliff with a sort of curved top edge. This spot is called the "Eyebrow" for it's curved nature. It took the crew about 1.5 hours to make the hike to the Eyebrow, and they rested and prepared themselves for the steepest part of the route, which lay just above- the Headwall. There are two sets of fixed lines running up this 600' ice face. The right hand ropes are for the uphill and the left hand set for descending. I know this can be confusing for our friends from the UK, but hey- when in Rome...!
The climbers affixed mechanical ascenders or "rope clamps" in lay terms to the uphill fixed line. These ascenders will grip the rope in the event of a fall, but will slide in the direction of travel, allowing each climber to effectively have their own belay (fall prevention) system. They are still roped up, so even if one ascender were to slip, the other climbers would be able to arrest a potential fall.
The Headwall is about 45 degrees at its start and lessens somewhat as you climb up. It is fairly slow going, and the long stretch of employing flat-footed crampon technique makes for some tired ankles by the time you arrive at the top of the lines.
The lines top out on the stunningly beautiful and very engaging ridge of the West Buttress proper, which leads up from 16,200' to high Camp at 17,200'. The climbing along this section is some of my favorite on the route.
I have not heard from the team today, but reports from the mountain make me suspect they are sitting tight at 14,200'. I'll post more when I have new information.
Cheers!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Acclimatizing in the wind at 14,200 ft.
The team checked in Tuesday evening to report a very windy day at Camp III. The weather station at camp indicated winds to be pretty constant at 30 mph with gusts well above 40 mph. Their camp is well fortified with snow walls and everyone is doing well. This is a great place to wait out storms, as most bodies will continue acclimatizing quite well at this camp. Perhaps with a slight break in the weather, this crew can get their cache in on the ridge above 16,200 ft. For now it is a game of wait and see.
Until next time...happy trails.
Until next time...happy trails.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
