Mountain Trip's 2009 West Rib Climb

End of Trip Report from Zach Schlosar

2009-06-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say ccongratulations to Wally, Clark, John, Rick for the effort they put forth before and during the climb on Denali's impressive West Rib. Climbing the south face of Denali was was an adventure the whole way, and with the route to ourselves, we enjoyed an real Alaskan experience.
The Alaskan Grade 4 route was not easily accessed through the active "Valley of death". Proper route finding gave way to excellent climbing conditions up the 1,200 ft access coulior to mark the beginning of the real climbing. Establishing camps at 11,000, 12,800,14,700, and 16,300 we made our way up the rib while ferrying loads and fixing lines. We endured our fair share of weather days(8) while on route which tried everyones patience. The team encountered 45-55 degree ice and snice climbing while ferrying loads up the couloir and while single carrying the day between 14,700 and 16,300. Our campsites while providing the most scenic view, were consistently hand crafted from the not so flat slopes of Denali's south face.The route took its toll on the equipment we brought, wearing through ropes, shovels, tents.
After all that, we just needed a couple more days at high camp (16,300) with food to make a summit bid. I know the team had it in them to stick it out and see it through. After running low on food, we painfully descended the popular West Buttress Route in about 13 hrs. Amazing, after climbing for three weeks to arrive back at the start(B.C.).
I'd like to congratulate the team once more for their effort on a safe Alaskan alpine experience.
"CLIMB ON"
Zach Shlosar

In Talkeetna

2009-06-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

They are in Talkeetna and I'll get Zach and Mike to put up a post trip report, and some pics when they come back to Anchorage tomorrow. They're wandering around Talkeetna eating right now, and will probably catch a shower and a nap before eating some more.

Coming Down...

2009-06-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Zach called today and they are coming on down. They had a bit of a rough night last night at high camp with wind and snow. They decided they needed to come on down. They'll descend to Camp 3 on the W. Buttress and probably be down to base camp tomorrow. I'm sure they are all a bit disappointed, but they did a great job making it to high camp and climbing the majority of the route in pretty tough conditions.

High Camp

2009-06-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Zach called this afternoon from high camp. They had a big day yesterday, and arrived late last evening. This morning they woke up to some more wind up high, and were pretty tired after yesterdays big move so they took a rest day. They are ready to try for the summit as soon as they get a decent day.

From high camp they look down on the Camp 3 of the W. Buttress route, and can descend to that camp in just a couple of hours. It's always a relief to get to this point where a descent wouldn't be a long, technical test.

Nice Weather Finally

2009-06-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

I just got a call from another Mt Trip group at 17,200ft on the W. Buttress who said it was the nicest day they've had in almost 2 weeks. They talked to Zach on the radio this morning and our W. Rib team is planning to move on up to high camp today!

Zach may be too busy to call today, but I'll update again if he get's a chance.

The wind picked up

2009-06-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

They didn't get up to high camp today, the winds picked back up after a relatively decent morning, and they had to stay in camp. The winds haven't been kind to the climbers on this trip, but they are hoping as always for a break tomorrow.

Climbing this morning

2009-06-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Zach called this morning as they were packing camp and getting ready to head off for high camp. They were able to pick up their cache on the way by yesterday, so they have everything they need, and will push on up today.

Climbing again!

2009-06-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

The weather wasn't perfect today(Monday), but it improved a bit this afternoon and the guys took advantage and moved up the route. They were quite excited to get going again, and get a new view. They moved up to 14,300ft where they camped at the "Bergschrund Camp". Tuesday is looking promising for decent weather, so hopefully they'll be able to get some more climbing done. From this camp they are just one day of climbing from their high camp.

Still at 12,800 ft

2009-05-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

They're feeling a bit stuck right now at the "Apex Camp" at 12,800 on the W. Rib. Climbers thruout the Alaska Range are waiting out the weather right now, and everyone is hoping for a change soon. You can check out the forecast on the link to the right, but remember it's just their weather guess.

Zach and Mike went for some extra food and fuel from the cache at 14k the other day, so nobody is suffering for food. They are probably dreaming of cheesburgers however.

Still at 12,800 ft

2009-05-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Zach called this afternoon and the team is still tucked in at 12,800 ft. They're getting a bit bored right now, on a ridge all by themselves just waiting for the weather to change.
They've been watching the snow and wind for the last several days, and are hoping to see something change soon. Zach and Mike are probably going to head up to their cache to pick up a bit more food and fuel this afternoon.

You can't wish away the weather, we've tried for years, but it will change one day.

Camped at 12,800 ft

2009-05-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Zach just called from their first camp up on the W. Rib at 12,800 ft. They moved up yesterday, and today they went back down the ridge for the food and fuel they cached a couple of days ago. They carried that food and fuel up, past camp, and cached it at around 14,000 ft on the Rib. They are doing great, and have had a couple of big days in a row. Tomorrow they are hoping to move camp up to the 14,000 ft zone where they left the gear today. It was just starting to snow this evening, but they'll just see what tomorrow brings.

Moving up to the West Rib

2009-05-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

Zach called after breakfast this morning as they were packing up to move camp up onto the West Rib. They carried loads up yesterday, and have had great conditions. Zach called the trip so far "Awesome" and everyone is having a good time and climbing strong. They had a long day yesterday, but the team is feeling strong this morning, and is taking advantage of another nice day to move up to the first camp on the Rib.
Climber ascending the Chicken Couloir. Photo from previous expeditions.

At the base of the Chicken Couloir

2009-05-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Zach called from Camp 2 up the NE Fork right at the base of the Couloir where the steep climbing will start. They are at just over 11,000 feet now and doing great. Tomorrow they'll go back down to their last camp at 9,800 ft and pick up the rest of their food, fuel, etc. The weather has been pretty nice, with a bit of clouds, and some pretty light snowfall. Sounds like they are having a great time.

Doing Great at 9,800ft

2009-05-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Zach called last night, and they are all doing great up at Camp 1 at 9,800 ft on the NE fork. They made a cache at 11,000 ft at the base of the route yesterday (Thursday) and will be moving on up today. Everyone is doing great, and it sound like they are having a good old time up there. They are getting anxious to get on the route, and start up the steep stuff soon.

Looking up to the upper ice fall from 9,800 ft camp. Photos from previous expedition.

Up the NE Fork

2009-05-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

The team was scheduled to move up the NE fork yesterday, and will be making a carry up to the base of the "Chicken Coulior" today. Zach is planning to call every other night while on route so we hope to get a call tonight.

Small hitch from the start..

2009-05-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Zach had a minor boot disaster as he was getting on the plane in Talkeetna on Sunday to fly into base camp. He had a zipper blow out on his fancy new La Sportiva Oly Mons boots, which makes them unusable. He was a bit stressed, but we were able to pick up a new pair of boots in Anchorage, and get them flown in to meet them the following day. Hopefully they've got their gear disaster behind them now.

Last night (monday) they called from 7,800ft on the Kahiltna and were hoping to carry their first loads of gear up the NE fork of the Kahiltna heading up to the base of the W. Rib today.

Starting up the NE Fork of the Kahiltna. Photos from previous expeditions.

2009-04-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

In the far north lies one of the most magnificent ranges of mountains in the world. The Alaska Range stretches 400 miles across southcentral Alaska. It is a wild place, covered in glaciers and punctuated by rugged peaks. The crown of the range is Denali, at 20,320 feet (6194 m), the highest peak in North America.

Located so close to the Arctic Circle, Denali can present some of the most challenging and rugged conditions of any mountain on earth. Numerous routes lead to the summit of Denali, yet few climbers venture from the peak's most traveled route, the West Buttress. In 1959, a group of climbers from the Dartmouth College Mountaineering Club climbed a beautiful line up the south side of the mountain and called it the West Rib. "The Rib" is a stunning feature that draws one's eye and is a challenging step up from the West Buttress. Only a handful of climbers attempt it each season and we are proud to be helping a small team of climbers pursue their dreams of climbing the Rib this summer.

We love what we do and are happy to help provide you a taste of what these climbers are experiencing by updating their progress in this blog. Following the expedition, we will post numerous photos from the expedition, so please keep checking in.

On May 16, 2009, a small team of climbers will arrive in Anchorage. They will be accompanied by three Mountain Trip guides. Let's meet the team!

Guides:

Zach Schlosar from Anchorage, AK

Michael Burmeister from Anchorage, AK

Climbers:

Clark Luhning from Canada

Rick Thurmer from the USA

John Downing from Canada

Wally Chambers from the USA