Our last team of the 2010 Denali season just flew off the glacier this afternoon. We had a great year, with lots of happy climbers. Weather was really challenging this season in Alaska and specifically on Denali, but we still managed to have 14 of our 17 Denali teams stand on the summit.
Each expedition had its exceptional moments and probably heartbreaks as well. Most teams spent their share of time camped in stormy weather, although a couple teams did manage to move up in mostly clear, blue sky weather.
Some highlights of the 2010 season:
We led the first ever guided ski descent of Denali to ski off the summit! Our goal was to travel on skis up to the 14,200' camp and perhaps make some turns in the big Genet Basin above camp. The climbers were fit, motivated and the weather cooperated enough for the team to carry skis up to high camp. Our guides did a great job of evaluating the climbers and the snow conditions and assessed that everything looked good for a descent from the summit!
We also ran a Wilderness West Buttress expedition for some adventurous souls in mid-April where they were able to experience Denali without any other teams on the hill one might have seen it 30+ years ago. They had a cold trip, but it was certainly a unique wilderness experience and the response from the climbers and guides was very enthusiastic.
Toward the end of the season, we led two "Alaska Adaptive" trips for disabled athletes. In conjunction with Telluride Adaptive Sports Program, we flew a number of wheelchair bound, traumatic brain injury and visually impaired athletes to the Pika Glacier, south of Denali for almost a week of skiing, climbing and instruction. Highlights included the athletes orchestrating a crevasse rescue scenario to raise a sit-ski "victim" out of a gaping crevasse! Kevin Koprek, lead guide on our first trip this summer said the experience was so rejuvenating and invigorating that it probably added five years to his guiding career.
Thanks to all the climbers who joined us for this, our 37th year of guiding in Alaska. Thanks also to the family and friends who supported these climbers, we realize it isn't only the climbers who sacrifice for these trips. Hopefully, we helped ease some of the stress through our Expedition Dispatches and podcasts.
We are enjoying a two week respite before the next expedition goes out the door. We're heading to Mt Elbrus (Russia), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Carstensz Pyramid (Indonesia) and Aconcagua (Argentina) all before 2010 is over.
Interested Everest climbers should contact our office, as we are looking to add further services to our 2011 Everest Expedition in the hopes that we can exceed the expectations of our climbers. The feedback from our 2010 expedition was great. Here's a bit of what our climbers have been saying:
"From beginning to end; Mountain Trip was professional yet friendly, organized but open for suggestions, and produced a safe, successful 60-day expedition that resulted in all the climbers, guides, and climbing Sherpas joining the elite ranks of those who have climbed the world's highest mountain. The thousands of details involved with such an endeavor boggles the mind, but almost without exception: it was a perfect trip."
-Cindy Abbott (Click HERE for Cindy's blog)
Everyone is headed home!
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Thanks for following our dispatch blog. All the climbers are headed home.
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13 years ago
