|
TODAY'S STATS - 6/14/23 |
Denali |
Mt. Foraker |
|
Registered Climbers |
1,017 |
4 |
|
Climbers Currently On Mountain |
288 |
0 |
|
Completed Climbs |
708 |
4 |
|
Number of Summits |
256 |
0 |
|
Summit Percentage |
36% |
0% |
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The Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station also maintains an almost daily automated statistics phone line, so if this blog is lagging behind and you need up-to-date registration numbers, call (907) 733-9127. |
Mountain Weather
7K Gabby's weather observations this morning: 34 F, calm, obscured skies, and currently snowing.
11K Chelsea reported two feet of new snow at 11,000 feet this morning.
14K Travis reports 10 inches of new snow at 14 camp
Weather station telemetry data from 7K and 14K are transmitted hourly to the MesoWest website, including temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, snowfall, and solar radiation.
MountainWeather.com compiles a Denali Weather page, complete with links to the MesoWest data, the NWS Denali Climbing Forecasts, as well as links to FAA webcams.
The National Weather Service publishes their mountain-specific forecast here: Denali Climbing Forecast
The FAA webcam on the Kahiltna Glacier has yet to be installed for the 2023 season, but we'll let you now when its up and operational.
Conditions Reports
According to Ranger Alan Davis "After 4 stormy delayed days at basecamp with a few feet of snow, we single pushed from BC to 9600k. We then moved upward to spend 3 rest days at 11k before arriving to 14k on Sunday, the last good weather window. Just moved to 14 camp on Sunday, and conditions around windy corner were in great shape. Very little crevasse openings and good snow, not too firm or icy."
Search and Rescue Activity
The last four to five days on Denali have been blissfully quiet!
However, back on Thursday, June 15, the first flyable day in a long stretch, Denali mountaineering rangers and volunteers evacuated seven climbers with a variety of injuries and ailments. (For ease, these are listed in the order the injuries/illnesses happened, but depending on severity, the actual evac flights to Basecamp or Talkeetna occurred in different order. Plus, several were combined for efficiency, but they all happened on June 15):
- A patient with frostbite on his feet was treated at the 14,200 foot camp starting the night of June 10. Unable to descend safely on his own, the climber remained at 14K until he was evacuated to Basecamp on 6/15.
- Two climbers fell while descending the fixed lines the night of June 14, both suffering lower leg injuries. Ranger patrol members from 14K climbed to their location and short-roped the two climbers down to 14K. The two were bumped down to Basecamp on 6/15.
- At 1:30 am the morning of Thursday, June 15, rangers learned that a climber fell while traversing down from Denali Pass to high camp. Multiple guides, along with the fallen climber’s partner, helped lower him to high camp. With a dislocated shoulder and frostbite, the patient was short-hauled via long line basket operation to 14 camp, then flown (internally) to Talkeetna to a ground ambulance.
- Shortly before the injured climber was short-hauled from 17K, a guide at 14K was presenting with ataxia and possible HACE. The guide was transported back to Talkeetna along with the climber injured in the fall.
- A client on a guided expedition was exhibiting signs of HAPE at 10K. After a medical assessment was performed by a ranger patrol on the lower mountain, the patient was bumped down to Basecamp.
- Later that afternoon, the partner of the climber that fell above 17K arrived at 14K camp with frostbitten fingers and toes after the long night helping his partner. Unable to safely descend, the partner was evacuated to Talkeetna.
TEMSCO helicopter 0AE lands to evacuate a climber with HAPE from 10,000 feet. (NPS Photo)
Ranger Reports
14K Patrol #5 (Ramos-Leon) Patrol #5 flew off the mountain on June 15, thereby avoiding most of the day's various evacuations. Prior to fly-out, they had been treating a frostbite patent at 14 camp for five days.
14K Patrol #6 (Baldwin) Travis, Willy, Michael, Eric, and Rory gracefully conducted most of the air traffic last Thursday -- after having spent a long night short-roping two of the the patients to camp, then helping orchestrate the rescue of the fallen climber above high camp from a distance. The team was grateful to catch their breath over the long quiet weekend!
14K Patrol #7 (Davis) See Alan's report above -- they reached 14K on Sunday, and are preparing to take over 14K radio and rescue operations once Travis' team descends to Basecamp, tomorrow in theory, but the weather looks like they might linger awhile.
VIP Austin Divesta digging out the Basecamp heli-pad. (NPS Photo / Alan Davis)
14K Patrol #8 (Bomba) We'll have to wait until Ranger Chelsea Bomba and her four volunteers reach 14 camp to post a group photo -- too much was happening last Thursday, their fly-in day, to capture a photo. The team is currently at 11K, with plans to head up to 14K as weather conditions allow. Which means in a few days time. Meanwhile, a lot more shovelling on the schedule, in keeping with the theme of the season.
Denali Rescue Volunteers
Learn more about Denali Rescue Volunteers, an organization that helps make Denali National Park and Preserve's mountaineering operations whole! Thank you for all that you do each season, from helping equipping our volunteers, housing them before and after patrols, and supporting our recruitment process!
Photo of the Day
Ranger Alan Davis treats the patrol to Rest Day cinnamon rolls and coffee at 11,000 feet. (NPS Photo)