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TODAY'S STATS - 5/17/24 |
Denali |
Mt. Foraker |
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Registered Climbers |
953 |
30 |
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Climbers Currently On Mountain |
297 |
9 |
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Completed Climbs |
11 |
9 |
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Number of Summits |
2 |
0 |
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Summit Percentage |
18% |
0% |
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The Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station also maintains an almost daily automated statistics phone line, so if this blog is lagging behind and you need up-to-date registration numbers, call (907) 733-9127. |
Mountain Weather
Ranger Chrissie Oken at 7,800 feet on the glacier reported high thin clouds this morning at 9:00 am. They could see the tops of all the high peaks...a good travel day.
At 10:00 am today, Alan at 14K reports milky skies with cloud breaks. Seems to be on an improving trend. They can see the 16,000-foot ridge from 14K, the Edge of the World, and Windy Corner. No wind today!
Weather station telemetry data from 7K and 14K are transmitted hourly to the MesoWest website, including temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, snowfall, and solar radiation.
MountainWeather.com compiles a Denali Weather page, complete with links to the MesoWest data, the NWS Denali Climbing Forecasts, as well as links to FAA webcams.
The National Weather Service publishes their mountain-specific forecast here: Denali Climbing Forecast
Conditions Reports
- Squirrel Hill remains super icy -- teams should be prepared to place protection if need be.
- Its been cold and windy in the 14,000-foot basin with sastrugi everywhere!
- The fixed lines are slowly being removed from ice that formed over the winter. The 'up' line has been excavated.
- The reports from above 14 camp say that the upper mountain remains icy with patches of firm snow. Climbers should be prepared to place protection on the Denali Pass traverse, as early season climbers indicate that last season's pickets are intermittent or not at regular intervals. The 16K ridge appears to have more consistent picket coverage.
Search and Rescue
Getting our first reports of frostbite in, some requiring ranger/volunteer medical intervention. Frostbite can be life-changing, read about preventative measures and the signs, symptoms, treatment.
Ranger Reports
14K Patrol #1 (Ramos-Leon) Kakiko and the volunteers of patrol #1 are contemplating a trip up the fixed lines today.
14K Patrol #2 (Davis) Patrol #2 ascended to the 14,200-foot camp on Tuesday evening, May 14. The following day, VIP medics from both patrols #1 and #2 treated two climbers on an 8-member expedition with frostbite injuries. The team then descended the mountain on their own accord.
14K Patrol #3 (Oken) Ranger Chrissie and Crew are taking advantage of fine weather to ascend to 9,500 feet today. They report excellent travel conditions on the lower glacier.
7K Patrol #2 (Dossin) Ranger Galen Dossin and Volunteer-in-Parks Meagan Binkley flew into Basecamp on Wednesday, May 15, swapping positions with the outgoing VIP Taysom Clan. Taking advantage of a weather window, the swap occurred a day earlier than expected, so we missed the photo opportunity.
Photo of the Day
The first two climbers on Denali this season were a remarkable Belgian team who began walking into the Alaska Range on April 7 from the Parks Highway (320 feet elevation). Pictured above, Jelle Veyt on the left and Julien Roels on the right, spent 39 nights in the Alaska Range -- breaking trail and carving ice every step of the way to the top of North America. They reached the summit on May 12, 2024, and returned to Talkeetna on May 16, 2024. For Jelle, climbing Denali involved three years of planning and execution including sailing, biking, and trekking from his home in Belgium. Jelle's grand (11 year?!) goal is to climb each of the highest peaks on the seven continents under human power. Read about it!
What Denali rangers and staff admire most is this team's exhaustive research, patience, perseverence, partnership, sound decision-making, and their joy of the mountains. This joy is clearly visible on their weathered faces. During their check-back in Talkeetna, the summit day was barely mentioned -- just their gratitude for an excellent partnership and a safe and injury/illness-free climb. The Belgians each received a 2024 Denali Pro pin in appreciation for their trail-breaking work and their self-sufficiency. A key element of their success is that they picked the ideal mentor -- Talkeetna resident and longtime Denail guide and adventurer Brian Okonek, seen in the photo above smiling just as broadly as Jelle and Julien. Congratulations, team! (NPS Photo/M. Gualtieri)