This week, climbing rangers took advantage of high pressure and clear skies to shuttle equipment to 14,000 ft. camp and assess the conditions on the upper mountain. Although conditions along the West Buttress Route can and do change dramatically during and between each storm system, the following photos depict the conditions observed on May 9.
Squirrel Hill (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Lower West Buttress & Polo Fields (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Windy Corner (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
14,000 ft. Camp (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Mountain conditions above 14,000 ft. Camp (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Denali Pass Traverse (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Closeup of Denali Pass Traverse (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Archdeacon’s Tower, Football Field & Summit Ridge (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Pig Hill and Summit Ridge (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Base of Cassin Ridge & Cowboy Arete (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Upper Cassin Ridge (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Seattle Ramp (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Chicken Couloir & Upper NE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Upper NE Fork icefall (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
Lower NE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier (Photo: Scotty Barrier)
DISPATCH WEATHER DISCLAIMER: The National Weather Service issues a daily recreational climbing report which can be found here (note: the URL has changed from past years and the old one is no longer operational). Many other useful weather products including temperature, wind, and snowfall totals can be found through Mountain Weather.