By Todd Rutledge This might get me blackballed from the guiding profession for revealing this trade secret, but here you go: Pee Bottle 101. (Spoiler alert! The following mostly pertains to the male readership, as I don’t have any experience using other techniques, but I will throw out some suggestions for the ladies.) The key…
DetailsBy Grant Perdue Regardless of the abundance of expensive, top-notch ultralight equipment in your Denali kit, something is going to break on the mountain. From peeled-back boot soles to craters in your puffy jacket, a mindfully fortified repair kit can curb headaches and potential expedition-ending gear failures with the unzip of a small tote and…
DetailsBy Ashley Klassen One of the greatest challenges of crossing glaciated terrain is navigating its crevasses. There are several methods to employ in order to facilitate a safe crossing. You should be aware of areas of a glacier that are more likely to have crevasses than others, such as the sides of the glacier, near…
DetailsBy Daryl R. Miller Alaska has long been regarded as the last frontier, offering some of the most remote and rugged mountains in the world. The quest for solitude and adventure lures thousands of climbers from around the world into the backcountry each year to test their skills and wilderness experience. Unfortunately, every year numerous…
DetailsBy Todd Rutledge “I spent a lot of money on this climb, so I should summit!” That’s an interesting, yet not uncommon sentiment that guides occasionally hear after a climber does not reach the summit of Denali. I get it. As consumers, we’re trained to have higher expectations when we pay more for something. Denali…
DetailsPreparing for any climb requires a number of steps, some of which can be stressful and some that come at you so quickly that intuition is your only guide. One step along your journey to the summit of Denali will find you at a small airport with a large group of climbers that you hardly know, and an inconceivable amount of gear that needs to find its way to Base Camp. This is a moment when stress can be high as this is your last chance to remember anything you may have forgotten.
DetailsIt’s snowing, it’s blowing, this definitely isn’t Kansas anymore, and in fact, you aren’t even sure you are on planet Earth! Where are those puffy pants and how the heck are you going to get them on? Let’s see… you are at 20,000 feet, wearing big boots with crampons, harness on your waist, bundled under a big Michelin Man jacket and you absolutely dread the thought of taking your hands out of your mittens. It suddenly hits you, you are not in your living room and that you really, really, REALLY should have practiced with this more!
DetailsMountain guides really prefer (read – insist!) wide mouth bottles so they avoid pouring water on their hands when filling them, and wide mouths are less likely to be plugged up when partially frozen. Two are recommended, but a small percentage of climbers should have three, especially in late season when it gets hot on the lower glacier.
DetailsWhat is the rest step? Simply put, the rest step is speed control. While climbing at altitude, on steep slopes, with a baby whale strapped to the back, it is difficult to go slow enough to maintain an efficient and aerobic pace. At several points you will probably hear your guides put a lot of stress in going steady, keeping the breathing under control and maintaining that efficient mountaineers’ pace that makes it possible for us mere mortals to climb one of the world’s great mountains like Denali. And one of that keys of that efficient pace is the rest step.
DetailsKeeping yourself thermo-regulated is important to conserving energy and you’re your general well being on and expedition. Technological advances in the textile industry have changed how we dress for the mountains and on Denali, we don’t need to follow the “old method” of piling insulated layers under a wind and waterproof shell.
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