The Climb – June 2005

About Denali

• 20,320 feet (6195 metres)
• Location - 63° 04' 10" North Latitude, 151° 00' 13" West Longitude in the Alaska Range, Alaska, United States.
• This mountain is a giant snowy mass flanked by five huge glaciers which steeply ascends for 20 kilometres to the summit at 6,194 meters.
• Nearest Major Airport - Anchorage, Alaska
• First Documented Ascent - Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum, 1913
• When to Climb - April, May, June
• Time to Summit - Two weeks plus.
• Level of Climbing Difficulty - Ranges from technical to technically challenging, depending on the route.
• The North Face of Denali rises nearly 18,000 feet. An elevation gain unsurpassed anywhere in the world. At a northern latitude of 63°, it is the most northerly of any big mountain over 20,000ft.
• Because of its latitude, Denali (the Native American name) has a very harsh climate and success is not guaranteed. One can encounter 100-MPH winds and -40° temperatures. Snowstorms are relentless, and may last for a week. Harsh weather skills as well as endurance and determination are required to survive North America's tallest peak.
• At the summit miles upon miles of peaks spread all around you in a vista to exceed most others