Intermediate snow climbing ability; glacier travel skills; experience with backcountry winter camping; excellent cardio-vascular condition; ability to carry a 60lb pack while pulling a sled.
The American Alpine Institute's Denali expeditions are the safest and most successful expeditions on the mountain. We accomplish this through a number of carefully created and continually analyzed processes, developed over our 32-year history on Denali. To learn more about our strategy, philosophy, and approach to Denali, please read on. You might also be interested to hear what other climbers have had to say about AAI our our Denali expeditions. Feel free to review our Climber Testimonials from recent expeditions
and see the testimonials section at the bottom of this page.
A video clip from the top of North America
Introduction to the AAI's West Buttress Expedition
Below you will find information and details on every aspect of the American Alpine Institute's Denali West Buttress Expedition. The West Buttress is a very involved and logistically complex expedition, and as such, we have provided a wealth of information in an attempt to provide climbers with a comprehensive resource for learning about, and preparing for an expedition to Denali.
The length of this page and depth of information included can be overwhelming for folks who are just starting to explore the possibility of joining a Denali expedition. Please feel free to give us a call or send us an email anytime for personal consultation or for additional details on this or any other program we offer.
After you have reviewed the information on this page, be sure to visit our Frequently Asked Questions Page for detailed responses to common questions climbers have about preparing for Denali.
Climbers leaving the summit of Denali at 20,320 feet.
Not ready for Denali this season? We can help you get there by next year and now is the perfect time to start your training. If you are looking to prepare for Denali in the coming season or within the next year or two, please take a moment to look into our Denali Preparatory programs. We offer Denali training programs in the spring in the Cascades and Alaska, and winter courses in the Sierra and the Colorado Rockies.
Determining if a guided trip on Denali is right for you and picking a guide service that will offer a safe and enjoyable expedition on the mountain can be an overwhelming process. We have compiled some of the thoughts and feedback commonly given to climbers as we have consulted them over the years. Please take some time to read through our Choosing a Guide Service outline as part of your planning and preparation process.
Denali offers one of the world's greatest expedition challenges. While it is exceeded in elevation by peaks in South America and Asia, its arctic environment with extreme temperatures and harsh storms and its great height above the Alaskan plain make it a severe test of personal strength, team work, and logistics. No peak in the world has greater relief: Denali rises 17,000 feet above its surrounding plain. In contrast, Kilimanjaro rises 14,000 feet over its surrounding plains and Everest, 13,000 feet. Vertical elevation gain on Everest from the normal base camp for the South Col route is 11,000 feet; from our landing spot on the Kahiltna Glacier Denali's summit rises another 13,000 feet. As the tallest mountain on the North American continent, Denali is one of the Seven Summits.
Denali from the Southwest
In the context of technical climbing skills, the mountain offers quite varied lines of ascent, from several which require intermediate alpine mountaineering skills to others that rank among the world's most difficult alpine routes. By any route, however, the mountain requires great physical effort, skillful and
cautious mountaineering and expedition practices, and patient acclimatization and climbing over a three-week period. We have chosen the West Buttress, West Rib, and
Cassin Ridge for our ascents of Denali. All three have more limited objective dangers than other challenging routes on the mountain, and together they offer three distinct levels of technical challenge. The West Buttress requires intermediate level mountaineering skills; the
West Rib is more difficult and includes sections with sustained climbing on exposed 55-degree faces; and the Cassin Ridge is very challenging, with 65-degree hard ice, mixed climbing on steep ground, and rock to 5.7. In addition to appropriate technical skills, all routes
require winter backcountry experience in very cold conditions and top physical conditioning.
AAI Guide Matt Anderson enjoys the view from "The Edge of The World" at 14k on the West Buttress.
The AAI Approach
As in other parts of the world, AAI expeditions in Alaska are run with small groups of climbers who have carefully prepared for their objective. The Institute takes a team approach to its climbs, and expedition members are expected to take responsibility for themselves and a share of responsibility for the overall operation of the expedition. We do not accept climbers who are only minimally prepared and experienced and who need to be "hauled" up and down the mountain. Trying to push ill-prepared climbers up the peak is what keeps so many guided and unguided groups from succeeding on Denali.
The Institute gives its clients careful and detailed counsel in their preparations for climbing objectives and when appropriate, has them first achieve intermediate goals to fully prepare. Climbs on Denali obviously involve many factors that we cannot control, among them temperature, wind, snowfall, and changeable
climbing conditions. The key to success therefore is doing an excellent job working on those areas that a climber can do something about: skill in dealing with cold conditions, skill in climbing at an appropriate technical level, and personal conditioning. To have well-developed abilities in these areas and then to combine them with a carefully designed and guided itinerary is the most direct line to safety and success.
Down time at Denali Base Camp.
Safety and Success
AAI expeditions enjoy a rate of safety and success rarely matched by other teams. With well-prepared climbers, we do not have to rely on perfect conditions in order to move. Able to remain poised high on the mountain in poor conditions, our teams often make successful summit bids in small windows of good weather
when other teams are out of position. AAI doesn't pretend to guarantee good health, good weather, or success on these expeditions, but we are committed to building strong teams and creating high potential for safe and successful climbs.
The average individual success rate on
Denali is 54% overall and 59% in guided groups other than AAI. The Institute's success rate for individuals for the last twelve years is 71% and for expeditions it is 85%. In 2008, eight out of eight AAI teams reached the summit successfully.
AAI has the highest level of commitment to
environmental protection and restoration, and on all expeditions and instructional programs we teach and follow Leave No Trace ethics and practices for travel, camping, and climbing. The Institute has been a leader in the conscientious use of wilderness environments,
including both remote and popular areas of Denali and the Alaska Range. Each year the National Park Service presents "Denali Pro" awards to individuals who have made major contributions to protecting the mountain. Twenty AAI guides and clients have had the honor of receiving this highest Denali National Park and Preserve award since its inception four years ago.
With regard to expedition processes, we make four camps as we climb alpine style, moving all camps higher as we go and leaving none established above or below. It is not uncommon for temperatures high on the mountain to fall as low as -30F, but at lower elevations daytime temperatures on the glacier can reach as high as 70F, so there we sometimes sleep in the day and ferry loads at night when temperatures are between 0F and 15F. The night's cold improves conditions under-foot, and we still have adequate light because of the extreme northern latitude. Double carries are done during
the first part of the expedition to ease the work and to help with acclimatization.
All expeditions begin with a meeting and orientation in Anchorage (map of Anchorage). We spend one night there, then travel by van the next morning to the small town of Talkeetna. There we repack our equipment, meet our ski plane pilots, and as soon as possible, make the beautiful flight to the Kahiltna Glacier at 7300 feet. Soon after our arrival and a review of glacier travel procedures, we begin moving to our first camp.
We establish our Camp 1 at 7800 feet at the confluence of the main Kahiltna Glacier and its rugged Northeast Fork, the approach for West Rib and Cassin Expeditions. Enjoying spectacular views the whole way, we continue on to Cache 1 at 9800 feet and Camp 2 at 11,200 feet while snowshoeing up moderate terrain. As we do throughout the climb, we travel in rope teams because of the ever-present crevasse hazard. To ease the burden of moving our expedition supplies, we use specially designed sleds that we tether to our packs and pull along the gentle sections of the lower mountain.
Above Camp 2, the climbing steepens as our route takes us past the terminal walls of the West Buttress. We usually cache our snowshoes at 11,200 feet and continue our climb with crampons because of the gradient of the route and the hardening snowpack. We climb out of a basin to reach Windy Corner at 13,100 feet, then make an ascending traverse through seracs and heavily crevassed terrain as we approach the head of the Kahiltna Glacier at 14,200 feet. We enjoy spectacular views as we look
down to the lower Kahiltna and out to 17,004-foot Mt. Foraker. In the other direction the impressive summit bulk of Denali rises above us, and we can easily see the details of the upper West Rib and Messner Couloir, as well as the steep headwall of the West Buttress that we
will soon climb. At Camp 3 (14,200 feet), we take a well-deserved rest day and make final preparations for our summit bid, reorganizing our gear for the carry to the highest camps.
High Camp at 17,200 feet. Michael Powers
At this point we move into the most demanding part of the expedition: higher elevations combined with steeper ground. From Camp 3, we ascend 1100 feet up a gentle snow
slope to the bergschrund at the base of the West Buttress. The bergschrund is at times quite steep but it is short and, with steps established in the ice, not difficult to surmount. We then begin our ascent to the top of the West Buttress on the 900-foot headwall of 45 and 50-degree slopes. Typically the pitches are of hard ice with some snow overlaid, and we protect them by using self-belays with jumars on a fixed rope. Because of the steepness of the route and the amount of elevation gained, we may make a double carry to establish Cache 3 at over 16,000 feet.
Emerging from the headwall onto the top of the Buttress, the atmosphere of the climb change dramatically. While the earlier parts of the climb have all been on large glaciers and open slopes dominated by immense mountain masses towering above, we now move on an open ridge and enjoy that unmistakable feeling of
climbing above most of the surrounding world. As we begin to move along the crest of the Buttress, we gain views across the Peters Glacier to the Alaskan tundra stretching out far beyond, and to the south we can look
over the top of Mt. Hunter to the scores of other peaks in the Alaska Range. Initially the ridge is fairly broad, but as we reach the 16,400-foot level it narrows with steep drop-offs to both the north and south.
The traverse to our final camp, Camp 4 (High Camp) at 17,200 feet, is one of the most beautiful climbs on Denali. We follow a steadily narrowing crest and at times move between and around a series of magnificent, pointed granite gendarmes up to fifty feet high. The climbing is never steeper than 35 degrees, but the exposure is very significant and requires caution as we move up a route that in some sections is reduced to ledges six feet wide. Further east the ridge finally begins to merge with the main part of the Denali massif, and there we establish camp in a basin just below Denali Pass, the low point between Denali's higher south summit and lower, 19,470-foot north peak. From this point we will climb to the summit in a single day.
Walking the summit ridge of Denali with 17,004' Mt. Foraker below. Kelly Corbett
On summit day we make an ascending traverse to Denali Pass, crossing above some very large crevasses and traversing a fairly steep section between 17,600 and 18,000 feet. From there we climb gentle slopes to a plateau at 19,400 feet, from which we get impressive views down onto the Harper and Muldrow Glaciers and across to Denali's North Peak. Our final approach to the summi takes us up moderately steep slopes to the crest of the ridge between Kahiltna Horn (20,120') and the main summit. At the crest we peer down the 8000-foot drop of the precipitous South Face, looking between the Cassin Ridge to our right and the South Buttress to our left. We ascend the summit ridge on its exposed south side for two rope lengths, then cross to the north side for the final pitches that bring us to the 20,320-foot summit of North America. With steady drops on three sides and the abrupt
face to the south, the final steps to the clearly defined summit point are a very exciting finish to a beautiful route.
Physical Conditioning for Denali
A lack of adequate training and more specifically physical conditioning is perhaps the biggest reason that climbers are unable to reach the summit of Denali. Climbing Denali is very hard work. Most guides and climbers say that it is the hardest thing they have done upon return from their first expedition to the high and cold mountain. We provide a few pieces of information regarding training for and conditioning yourself for the rigors of a Denali expedition. While these can be a useful tool in your preparation, they are no substitute for personal experience, motivation, and dedication to a training routine.
Inclusions: Ski plane flights to and from the glacier; guide fees and instruction; meals while in the mountains; tentage and group cooking equipment; group climbing equipment; mechanical ascenders; custom mountain sleds.
Exclusions Transportation to and from Talkeetna (from Anchorage about $100 roundtrip); food and lodging except on the glacier; rescue and evacuation costs; national park fees; baggage, accident, rescue, and trip cancellation insurances; gratuities to guides; personal equipment.
Additional Resources
See the link to our trip dispatches and additional resources above for the expedition itinerary, equipment list, physical conditioning guidelines, and National Park Service forms and information.
Sunset and a lenticular cloud on Denali from the Ruth Gorge.
Climber Comments on our West Buttress Expedition
All three guides were extremely organized and responsible. Excellent leadership, very experienced and knowledgeable, well-balanced, and a FUN team! They always had our safety and well-being in mind and I trusted them wholeheartedly.
Jessica Ackerman, Harrison, ME
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The best guides that I've had on an climb. I trust their judgment and would gladly rope up with them again for another climb. I enjoyed their company as well.
Bob Sullivan, Lynchburg, VA
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AAI was an amazing guide service with the highest levels of professionalism in the industry. I really enjoyed my time interacting with everyone from their team and highly endorse them for any climb that they offer. If you ever have a desire to do your own Denali adventure, go with AAI.
Mo Saraiya, Tempe, AZ
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My guides were very professional and knowledgeable. Trip planning and overall leadership were outstanding. The guides were willing to make some unpopular but necessary decisions to ensure the overall safety of the expedition. Despite difficult weather conditions and a very challenging climbing environment, the guides ensured we climbed safely and enjoyed as much of the mountain experience as possible. I wanted a guide service with a clear reputation for competence and experience in challenging terrain. AAI is a leader among guiding companies.
Karl Kirchner, Nyack, NY
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Just a short note of personal thanks for the excellent climb on Denali's West Buttress. I am not sure how you arranged for the excellent weather, but some how that just seemed to be as normal as all of the other things that made for an excellent trip.
I am very appreciative of the tremendous amount of preparation that you all put into arranging the logistics for the trip and also I admired the way that you managed the human dynamics of the entire group of climbers - both through the easy days and also through the more challenging moments. I can say that there was not a single moment where I was afraid of falling. I always felt that any exposure that was there was adequately mitigated through one or more methods of protection.
Thanks again for putting together an excellent trip and best wishes to all of you in the future.
Peter Weidler, Houston, TX
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I for one do not worry about the risk too much as I have tremendous faith in the expertise, judgment and experience of the AAI organization and guides. To me they are the best and that is why I choose them.
I do not think that money talks for AAI. That is why their summit success on Denali is at around 84% for the last 10 years compared to the average of 50% of all climbers. If you are not ready, I trust they will tell you. But they will also work with you and recommend the right training and keep working with you to achieve the goal.
High Camp at 17,200 feet. Michael Powers
Walking the summit ridge of Denali with 17,004' Mt. Foraker below. Kelly Corbett