End of Trip Report from Zach Schlosar

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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.