Skiing Denali

One of my friends wants me to do the West Buttress of Denali next year .... None of my other friends will do it cause they say it sucks ass but .... Can I ski it instead which would make it very cool?

Has anyone skied routes on Denali and can share?

Kevin Coopman wrote:One of my friends wants me to do the West Buttress of Denali next year .... None of my other friends will do it cause they say it sucks ass but .... Can I ski it instead which would make it very cool? Has anyone skied routes on Denali and can share?

Any chance that these "other friends" been to Alaska to climb much less a Denali Climb?

I snowshoed to 11'000 and then changed to crampons. 2 of the 4 in our party could not ski at that level and with backpacks. Next time I will be on skis. Instead of hiking down for hours it will be minutes and layover days at 14'000 will be more fun too. Skiing from top to bottom is not that practical as well. Above 11'000 the terrain changes to steep, rock, knife ridge, and bigger consequence if you crash. But if are up for the challange.... Even the rad German Climbers left their skis at 11'000. The were getting ready for the Cassin.

I've had friends ski it and due to differences in skill levels
it turned out nightmarish. I've read of good skiers having no problems with it--be prepared to ski glare ice to mush. . .

Did the hard part of the West Rib years back and didn't see
anyone on the buttress route as we descended, on skis.
Snowshoes are pretty good. And skis are heavy to carry, where where
snowshows are much more bearable.

There are people skiing the West Butt even from 14400, but I would agree that above there you would need to be an "extreme" skier and probably prefer the couloirs to the buttress itself. I was surprised to see skiers unroped on the glacier, but they were. Skis and packs don't combine well for me and we opted to do the traverse from the Muldrow with snowshoes (lower) and crampons at altitude.

My goal is to climb the west buttress with a friend or two and just ski down whatever makes sense.

So I guess I am asking, what makes sense for a ski route down? I seem to survive the "expert level" 14er type ski routes here in Colorado.

Kevin

Check this for some route inspiration:

wildsnow.com/?p=849

Kevin,

My buddy, Pete Lardy, would definitely be interested. He made the first snowboard descent on Mustagh Ata (7546m) in 2003, climbed Karstens Ridge on Denali the year before, and is attempting Dhaulagiri in September 2008. He would be a good resource for you, and, possibly a climbing partner. Let me know if you would like to contact him as I'm sure he would be interested in a quick descent-your style that is. I'm too much of a p#$^y for those kinds of endeavors. Plus, my sweet wife wouldn't allow it.

Good luck, man.

Shane,

Hook me up, I am totally game. Just send me an email.

Kevin

Kevin, the WB would be a crappy ski descent. If you're a badass extreme skier, the Messner Couloir or the Orient Express would be worthy lines and both have been skied. If you screw up, you've got to be able to arrest a fall quickly on ice or rock hard snow.

Kevin, I agree with Deaun that the Buttress itself doesn't make for much of a "ski descent." Decide what your priorities are and plan accordingly. If you want to go skiing on Denali, there are heaps of options including the Messner and the Orient, but also some sweet lines that start off near the North Peak that were only first skied a couple of years ago.

If you want to climb the WB (which doesn't actually suck, and does provide most folks plenty of excitement and challenge) and just travel on skis, you might go for lighter skis and click in your climbing boots for the descent from 11,200' to BC. Skiing with a pack and sled is still deserving of some practice, as it requires a somewhat different skill set than skiing 14'ers.

If you want to shred big lines, pack plenty of food or be prepared to resupply from the extra food not used by descending climbers, but take the time to acclimatize, so the NPS and guides don't have to assist yet another Colorado climber who runs up to 14K and gets sick (I'm from CO, so I feel I can pick on my brethren. I've also spent almost half my increasingly considerable years on Denali, so no one give me crap for this slam- it's not simply a generalization).

Take comfy ski boots and fat skis and base out of 14,200'. There are sweet lines above 11,200 camp, as well, and if you're into hucking seracs, bring the camera... Above 14K, you can basically run laps up the upper mountain to ski whatever you're comfortable with or what's in condition. Skiing from the summit will be pretty straight forward, and probably less climatic that the 5,000'+ of the Messner (55 degree choke)or the Orient (lots of 35-40 degree above 16,000').

Check our Chris Davenport's blog from the trip he and some friends took in 2007: clifbar.com/blog/detail/dav…

Plan well, train heaps, take your time, and don't hesitate to ask the right questions that you've already begun asking. Oh yeah- have a hoot up there...