This thread is intended to provide a forum for discussion in combination with the following articles at BackpackingLight.com:
Classic Denali: Climbing America’s Highest Peak (Part 1, Summit Day Narrative)
(M) Classic Denali: Climbing America’s Highest Peak (Part 2, Gear Notes)
Denali’s West Buttress Route is a supreme mountaineering challenge, and more than once has been the pinnacle of one’s backpacking and climbing career.
Packing for a 3-week Denali expedition is no easy task, when you consider that (1) you must provide enough gear to be self-sufficent, and (2) you must plan for conditions that can range from over 90 degrees F on a parabolic glacial bowl at the lower camps to minus 30 degrees F – or colder – with astoundingly high winds above the highest camp en route to the summit.
Hopefully, the articles, and this forum thread, will provide a basis for ongoing discussion of gear and strategies for “going light” on a Denali climb.
– Ryan
