Still at 14,200' camp

Jacob checked in on Friday to tell me that he was so impressed with the fitness, skill and motivation of Matt, Mike and Dan that he was planning to head to high camp yesterday (Saturday). I cautioned him that they were only on day seven of their climb, and that heading to high camp on day eight seemed awful quick to me. I advised him to make the best decision he could, based on how everyone was doing, but reminded him that the Boulder crew arrived at the mountain partially acclimatized, Nick just got off a Denali climb, and that, despite having been to 6000+ meters over 30 times, he was living at just above sea level just eight days ago.

It is easy to get excited and caught up in the momentum of an expedition that is moving along well. Add a weather window that appears to be closing over the next couple of days and the increase in pressure to push faster than you would typically push becomes very intense. I definitely felt that Jacob was calling me to get the perspective of someone who is removed from the excitement of the team's building energy levels, and while I supported whatever decision they made in the field (I'm sitting at my desk in Colorado and can only advise from this long arm's length), I did remind him that they have plenty of food and fuel, and that if they spend more days at the 14,200' camp, they will benefit greatly from their time at that altitude when they do move high.

So it was not a real surprise to get the call last night that the team did pack up camp and start up the hill above 14,200' camp to the steepest section of the route known as the headwall. Their progress was slowed as a rescue party made their way downhill, assisting a woman who had pushed too high, too fast and suffered from Pulmonary Edema, a critical care issue that required her to be helped down while on oxygen.

Not too far above the headwall, Jacob realized that he was not moving as well as he always had been able to move at that elevation. It was apparent that they were also going to arrive into the 17,200' High Camp at a fairly late hour. Snow walls to fortify their tents would need to be built and the chances of their feeling good enough to make a summit bid the following day (today) were slim to none. The signs were all pointing toward making the prudent decision to return to the 14,200' camp for further acclimatization.

I'm proud of Jacob for making this difficult decision. It is very hard to interrupt the momentum of a quick moving team, but safety and caution in such an unforgiving environment are more critical. As I mentioned, they have plenty of time, and I suspect they will make a move up high in the next day or so.

Until then- stay tuned!

Phone call from the team!

This phone call came in last night from Mike, Matt and Dan. They are really moving well and making great time. From the sounds of their voices, they are enjoying them,selves!

Here you go:

Move to 14 camp

Just talked to Jacob, the team powered up to 14,000' camp and settled in under light snow and warm temperatures. Although the weather is stable, 14 camp often gets afternoon cloud buildup on warm days that can spit a little snow here and there, but it is not a bad thing- the clouds help cut the intensity of the sun and can make things more comfortable overall. The climbers picked up their cache at 13,200' on the way by and hauled everything to 14, so Jacob has made tomorrow into a rest day, which means more sleep than usual and a little bit of skills classes to get everyone ready for the upper mountain. From 14 on up the route gets shorter in terms of distance covered but bigger in terms of elevation gained than the lower mountain- the team will be trained up on climbing fixed lines and clipping the rope through fixed protection. Fixed lines are put up by the National Park Service to safeguard a particular steep and icy slope, so the team will clip into the rope with ascenders which help safeguard any slips on the ascent or descent. Protection is gear placed in either rock, snow or ice that will allow the rope teams to move together but still stay connected to the mountain should someone take a fall. Learning to efficiently clip through the gear (we call it running pro) in a variety of conditions will help keep everyone safe, conserve movement and keep the move days to a reasonable amount of time. It sounds as everyone is continuing to be strong, happy warm and dry and Jacob and Nick have nothing but positive things to say, so keep thinking happy thoughts and hoping for continuing good weather. More soon...

Carrried to 13,200'

The crew reported in last night around 5:30pm from 11 camp to report on their day's activities. They carried loads up to 13,200' and got back into camp in the daily heat. Lower on the glacier climbers often go onto a different schedule to avoid the heat of the day, which can be very intense because of the reflectivity of snow; temperatures can range towards 100 degrees F over a 24 hour period. Climbers of course have layers upon layers of clothes on, and while it can be very cold in the mornings at 11 camp the sun quickly turns the glacial basin into a sun-powered oven. Jacob reported it was hot going across the polo fields towards Windy Corner, so most likely Team Moniz ended the day feeling the heat pulling back into camp. Nothing a few lites of water and some R & R couldn't handle.
The plan calls for a rest day today, which the team has earned with their strong performance over the last few days- rest days involve a lot of sleeping, eating and drinking water. By the time you read this the team should just be waking up. Jacob reports that eveyone is feeling just fine and Matt is looking strong and psyched.

Move to 11,000' camp

3pm brought a satellite phone call from Jacob at 11,000' camp, who reported an easy day's travel to get to 11 camp. They were still in the process of setting up camp in beautiful weather but by now they are in their tents waiting for Jacob and Nick to give the call for dinner.

"11 camp" is located in a smaller basin surrounded by icy ridges. Because it lies below the surrounding terrain 11 camp is relatively protected from higher winds aloft, but is also more likely to collect snowfall. Crevasses are everywhere at 11, but the guides have used a long metal probe to check under the camp area for any hidden slots. The weather above 11 is generally more windy, so our team will be waiting for a good weather window to carry loads up higher and work on their acclimatization.

9,800' camp, moving strong

Jacob phoned into the office today around 4pm to report the group has already moved a good ways up the Kahiltna and settled into camp at 9,800'. This is a good area to camp because of the mellow terrain and is usually free of major crevasses. The weather often comes over Kahiltna Pass and socks this camp in, but it is a short day to travel to 11,ooo' camp despite all but the worst conditions. They jumped out of the plane yesterday in the early afternoon, waited a few hours for the worst of the days heat to reflect off of the lower Kahiltna and carried their entire expedition to 7,800 camp. The move took 5 hours, which is a solid travel time. They ate a big mountain dinner and breakfast before hitting the trail this morning. The group all sounds very strong and healthy.

Here's some pictures from Saturday morning:

Gear check looks messy but lets the guides double-check the mountain kits to be sure they'll be up to the rigors of a Denali expedition. The Mariott let them use the floor of the restaurant for an hour or so.

The crew sits down to their last restaurant breakfast for several weeks- any diets or eating plans get suspended for Alaskan expeditions, because no matter what they eat pre- or during the expedition will be used. It's a lot of work!

Denali Weather Forecast

Weather by meteoexploration

Welcome to Matt, Mike and Dan's Denali climb!

Thanks for joining us as we follow five climbers from as they attempt to climb to the summit of Denali, the highest peak in North America.

Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, rises to an elevation of 20,230 feet (6194m) above sea level and dominates the impressive skyline of the Alaska Range, in central Alaska. Roughly 1,300 climbers a year attempt this mountain, as it is the mountaineering objective of a lifetime for many climbers and is one of the famed Seven Summits, the highest points on each of the seven continents.

What makes this team unique is that one of the climbers is 12 year old Matt Moniz, an inspirational young climber from Boulder, Colorado. Along with his father, Mike, and family friend, Dan Busse, Matt will be joined by two seasoned Denali guides from Ophir, CO based Mountain Trip, Jacob Schmitz and Seam McManamy.

Matt is an avid rock climber, mountaineer and skier, who decided to apply his passion to help a friend of his with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare lung disease that can cause heart failure. The symptoms of this disease produce a feeling very much like how climbers feel in the rarefied air high on big mountains.

Matt has climbed Aconcagua, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro and hiked up Kala Patthar in Nepal. His love for the mountains and desire to help his friend led him to climb 14 "14ers" in Colorado last summer as a benefit. This effort was recognized by the US Congress and Speaker Pelosi gave him a Congressional Award on the floor of the House of Representatives last winter.

"The Fine Print"

Please keep in mind that it can be very challenging to communicate from steep, mountainous regions, even in this day and age of high-tech satellite communications. Many factors can and undoubtedly will conspire to prevent daily calls from the team. We will update this blog as frequently as possible, but keep in mind the old adage that, "No News Is Good News." For whatever reason, sub-optimal news always seems to get out, but we don't always hear that the team is enjoying a pleasant evening eating hamburgers and taking in the alpenglow.

We will do our best to pass messages along to the climbers and we encourage everyone to post comments. It isn't always possible for us to pass them along to the team, but we have heard time and time again, that the climbers really appreciate reading of your thoughts and good wishes after they get back from their climb.

Enjoy the posts as Matt, Mike and Dan embark on their attempt of Denali!