Denali West Buttress
Denali Summit Day
In a grueling 13-14 hour push from High Camp, we climb 3,120 feet over just 2.5 miles. We begin by ascending the steep slope morbidly nicknamed “The Autobahn” to gain Denali Pass, then proceed up and across the Football Field before reaching the final corniced ridge leading to the summit of North America.
Elevation Gain: From High Camp to the summit = 3,120′ (17,200′ to 20,320′)
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: The trip from high camp to the summit and back takes most parties 13-14 hours, but may take 16 hours or more. This is usually the hardest day of the expedition.
From High Camp we cross a long flat section of glacier and gain the slope leading to Denali Pass known as “the Autobahn”. There are fixed pickets along this section of the route and the climbing can be on anything from deep winter snow to bullet-proof blue ice.
After reaching Denali Pass at 18,200 feet, climbers traverse across another long fairly flat section called the “Football Field” after which we ascend the last and final slope, “Pig Hill”, below the incredible summit ridge.
Because of the high altitude and harsh conditions we try to minimize time spent at high camp. More than one AAI team has endured foul weather and conditions for as long as a week before getting a break for a summit attempt. Most groups spend 3-4 days at high camp.
