Alaska’s Denali is the highest peak in North America at 20,310 feet (6,190 meters). It requires the strongest fitness level, Everest’s altitude notwithstanding, of the Seven Summits to climb. Yet it offers some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on the planet. It’s not a climb to be underestimated, but a rewarding experience if you can climb it.
Overview
Denali is located in central Alaska, 300 miles South of the Arctic Circle and 200 miles East of the Bearing Sea. Denali is the native American name for the mountain, but in 1896, Prospector William Dickey renamed the peak Mt. McKinley for Presidential nominee William McKinley of Ohio. Denali National Park and Preserve was established as Mount McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917. The surrounding area was named Denali National Park by the National Park Service in 1980. In 2015, the mountain’s name was officially renamed Denali.
The 20,310-foot south summit was first attempted in 1903, and the first summit was in 1913 by Hudson Stuck, Walter Harper, Harry Karstens, and Robert Tatum. Harper was a Native Alaskan.
Like many of the Seven Summits, Denali has gained in popularity, with well over 1,000 people attempting each year. The attempts peaked in 2005 at 1,340, and 2013 had the most summits with 775. 2023 was a difficult weather year with only a 30% summit rate. Through 2023, 49,818 climbers have attempted Denali, with 25,835 summiting, a 52% success rate.
Deaths occur almost yearly due to frostbite, weather, and poor preparedness. Nearly 100 have died, including 11 in 1992.
The second highest mountain in North America is Mt. Logan in Canada’s Yukon, at 19,551’/5959m, 385 miles southeast of Denali. Similar to Denali, Logan is a huge massif with eleven peaks. Logan is believed to have the largest base circumference of any mountain. The normal route is straightforward, but the weather is a huge problem for Logan, like it is for Denali, in addition to being so remote.
Logistics and Difficulty
Teams will gather in Anchorage before driving to Talkentena, where most will wait for a good weather forecast to fly in a bush plane to the snow-packed runway on the Kahiltna Glacier.
The climb is not ‘easy,’ but it depends on what you have done. I did not find it overly difficult after Mont Blanc, Everest, Ama Dablam and some technical climbs like The Grand Teton. The most significant issues with Denali are the weather and a very short section above the High Camp fixed with ropes called the Autobahn. It is a physical climb, with each person carrying a 50-pound pack and pulling a 50-pound sled, so fitness is critical.
Compared with Rainier or Aconcagua, Denali is primarily a more physical climb involving heavy loads. It is a much longer climb but similar to Rainier in that you mostly climb on steep snow slopes but obviously at a significantly higher altitude. You use fixed ropes on the headwall above the Ranger Camp at 14,200′.
Routes and Dangers
While multiple routes exist on the mountain, several dominate: West Buttress, Cassin Ridge, West Rib, Upper West Rib, East Face, and Messner Couloir. The West Buttress, first pioneered in 1951 by Bradford Washburn, is the most popular by far, with 94% of climbers taking it in 2023.
Most teams establish multiple camps at 7,200′, 7,800′, 11,200′, 14.,200′ and 17,200′, with the summit at 20,300′. While it is a bit of a slog, especially on the lower part of the glacier, it is a fun climb. The views are some of the best on the planet, overlooking the vast Alaskan ranges. Once above the Ranger Camp, the climbing becomes much more enjoyable with some nice exposure along the ridge, plus the extra challenge of altitude, high winds and even colder temperatures.
Denali has few objective dangers, like rockfalls and avalanches, but crevasses are common. Guides closely monitor the route, avoiding soft snow bridges and open crevasses. Crevase rescue skills are required for every climber.
Climbing
Denali offers some of the largest vertical gain of any mountain on Earth. With base camp at 7,200′ and the summit at 20,310′, this 13,110′ gain over twelve miles is larger than Cho Oyu (8,407′) or even Everest (10,535′). The biggest threat on Denali is the weather. It is well known for socking you in for days with high winds and snow.
The climbing season is from late April through July; however, May and June are the primary months. Earlier, it will be extremely cold, and later, there will be increased crevasse danger. Climate change has shortened the season and now ends in late June, a few weeks earlier than in previous years.
An advantage of going later is that many snow camps are already built, so you do not have to build snow walls at every camp, and it gets warmer each day. However, teams have stalled in late June from summiting due to low-pressure systems parked over the summit. I would never target the Denali summit after June 25.
The climb begins at 7,200 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier and covers approximately 15.5 miles. The standard program for almost every commercial and independent climb uses a carry-and-cache process starting at Camp 1 up to the Ranger Camp or Camp 3
Once you establish a camp, the next day, you carry half of the gear halfway to the next camp, bury it in a six-feet-deep hole so the birds won’t get it, and return to camp to sleep before moving to the next higher camp on the following day.
After sleeping at that camp, you do a “back carry,” where you return to the cache, dig the gear out of the hole, and carry it to the higher camp. This process is repeated on the lower mountain from Camp 1 to Camp 3.
A few steep-ish snow slopes make pulling the sled difficult for some people. Motorcycle Hill rises to 14,000 feet, and Windy Corner, where avalanches have previously occurred, is notorious.
Once at C3, you rest for a couple of days and wait for a good weather forecast before climbing the Headwall between 14,000 and 16,200 feet, which is the steepest part of the climb at 55 degrees. Park Rangers fix the route with fixed ropes that everyone uses, which can create delays on busy days.
You follow the ridge to the 17,200-foot High Camp from the top of the Headwall. The ridge has fantastic views, but the exposure can also bother inexperienced climbers. Now, it becomes a waiting game for a forecast of low winds.
Many teams end their climb after waiting for good weather and running out of supplies. However, if luck prevails, you start the long eight—to twelve-hour summit push, crossing the Football Field at 19,500′. The return is straightforward, with many teams returning to the airstrip on the Kahiltna over the next two days.
The National Park Service has an outstanding site for Denali where you can get the latest weather, climbing conditions, who is on the mountain and details on how to plan your climb.
Dave Hahn Interview
I’ve known Dave for years, having run into him on Denali and Everest several times.
Dave is a world-class mountain guide. He has been a guide for Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) for nearly 40 years. His summits are impressive: 300+ on Rainier, 40 on Vinson, 38 summits of Denali out of 49 attempts, Cho Oyu and Aconcagua, plus others. He also loves to guide the Shackleton Crossing on South Georgia Island. Also, Dave had more Everest summits at 15 than any foreigner until Kenton Cool passed him with 18.
He is an accomplished climber and an impressive writer who provides some of the most insightful dispatches from any climb. I was lucky to catch him at home in Taos, where he has been a professional ski patroller at Taos Ski Valley since 1985.
I wanted to do a deep dive into climbing Denali and mine his experience for the nuances of climbing the “Great One.”
Summary
Denali is a fun climb that will test your patience and strength. Only half of the people who attempt will stand on top, but as is often the case, it is all about the experience and not the outcome.
If you want to cover all the Seven Summits angles, here is the list of nine climbs:
- Everest, Nepal – 29,035/8850m
- Aconcagua, Argentina – 22,902/6960m
- Denali, Alaska – 20,320/6194m
- Kilimanjaro, Africa – 19,340/5896m
- Elbrus, Russia – 18,513/5642m
- Vinson, Antarctica – 16,067/4897m
- Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), New Guinea – 16,023/4884m
- Mt. Blanc, France/Italy – 15,771’/4807m
- Mt. Kościuszko, Australia – 7,310/2228m
Episodes will drop each week:
- September 15: Introduction
- September 22: Mt. Kościuszko, Australia – 7,310/2228m
- September 29: Mt. Blanc, France/Italy – 15,771’/4807m
- October 6: Vinson, Antarctica – 16,067/4897m
- October 13: Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), New Guinea – 16,023/4884m
- October 20: Elbrus, Russia – 18,513/5642m
- October 27: Kilimanjaro, Africa – 19,340/5896m
- November 3: Denali, Alaska – 20,320/6194m
- November 10: Aconcagua, Argentina – 22,902/6960m
- November 17: Everest, Nepal/Tibet – 29,035/8850m
Safe climbing to all.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Video podcast version of Episode 8: Seven Summits: Denali with Dave Hahn Interview
You can listen to my podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “Alan Arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.
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