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Critique my Denali layers

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MyFeetHurt · · Glenwood, CO · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 10

West Buttress route, I get cold easy and sweat a lot, so I'm trying to avoid dependency on down lower on the mountain.

Upper body:
Thin Merino T-shirt base layer
Patagonia Piton Hoody (I dont understand why this thing is not more popular than the R1 hoody since it zips on and off and feels good over a light base layer)
Arcteryx Atom LT hoody
Arteryx light weight gortex shell (12 ounces)
Arcteryx Cerium LT Down Hoody (fits over the Atom LT to seal out the wind)
Feather Friends Icefall Parka (although I'm really tempted to use my Marmot Greenland Parka instead, the Cerium LT fits beneath it unlike the FF park in which hardly anything fits underneath) On summit day I would wear the Piton, Atom, and FF parka.

And for the lower body:
Expedition merino long underwear
Patagonia Alpine Guide soft shell
Montbell down puffy pants (will fit over merino underwear and under the guide pants on summit day)
Arcteryx Beta gortex shell, which I have never worn once in 3 years. I hate hard shell pants and I'm hoping I can leave them cached at 14k' camp since my down pants will also act as a wind layer under the soft shell pants.

I feel like I need to add a wind layer down low, debating between a patagonia nanopuff pullover, or a nylon shell like a houdini. The nanopuff pullover seems nice since it will fit over most anything and wont interfere with a harness and hoods you are already wearing. Plus, I can clip it to my harness while low on the glacier.

What am I missing (yes I have giant mittens too!)

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203

T-shirt implies short sleeves - get a long sleeved base layer. Preferably something light in color so when it is hot yer not cooking. Yes, it does get hot up there.

Too many hoodies, get a balaclava. More functional as it can be worn different ways.

Too many shells, yer going to sweat like a large farm animal. Especially as none of them have pit zips.

You note you do not want down lower down on the hill yet you have listed the Arcteryx Cerium LT Down Hoody. Makes no sense to me cause you are not going to be wearing it.

Bring a single shell for wind and down jacket for the cold. Everything else should be fleece. It breaths. When it is warm wear something like the base layer and the R1/Piton. If if gets windy or you get a bit cold throw the shell on. If you start moving and yer cold toss a fleece jacket on.

Here are my layers from my trip up the Cassin in 2000:

Patagonia Mid-weight one piece capline suit.
FF stretch one-piece Husky fleece suit (note full side zips)
Patagonia Heavy weight capline shirt.
NF Denali fleece jacket (pit zips)
NF Denali fleece pants (full side zips)
Patagoina zoot-suit (one piece Gore-tex shell w/zippers up the wahzoo - literally and figuratively).
NF Baltoro Down Jacket worn over the Gore-tex hard shell

Today I might skip the zoot-suit and fleece pants and bring soft shell pants/jacket with some light weight down pants.

Scott O · · Anchorage · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 70

May as well make this the Denali thread.

For me:

Cap 1
R1
Atom Lt
BD Dawn patrol LT
Paclite gore tex shell (for wet days down low)
BD Cold Forge Parka

Cap 2 pants
Fleece pants
Gucci Alpine Guide pants
Lightweight gore tex pants (wet days down low)
Micro puff pants

eldoradolocal · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 25

I'm been to McKinley 7 times and climbed the south peak 5 times and the north peak once. I made sure I could comfortably put on every layer I took at the same time. Maybe take a change of your base layer. Extras are just dead weight. My most efficient set up was thin long underwear, medium weight fleece top and bottoms, full zip light down pants, an expedition parka and shell gear that fit over everything. Various combinations worked well from the heat on the glacier below to high camp. It all went on for summit day. Boots and overboots are the most critical"layer".

MyFeetHurt · · Glenwood, CO · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 10
eldoradolocal wrote:I'm been to McKinley 7 times and climbed the south peak 5 times and the north peak once. I made sure I could comfortably put on every layer I took at the same time. Maybe take a change of your base layer. Extras are just dead weight. My most efficient set up was thin long underwear, medium weight fleece top and bottoms, full zip light down pants, an expedition parka and shell gear that fit over everything. Various combinations worked well from the heat on the glacier below to high camp. It all went on for summit day. Boots and overboots are the most critical"layer".
I'm curious about which full zip light down pants you have. I just purchased some by montbell, they are pretty darn light, I'd say about equivalent as a layer of fleece, but no full zip. I'm not sure I'm if I'm keeping them yet. Anything bigger though and I'd need them on the outside of my shell layers and they'd get shredded by crampons in two seconds. I definitely have overboots.

Are people using hardshell pants up high? If so, is it just to break the wind or are you actually getting wet?
Jon Rhoderick · · Redmond, OR · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 966
Scott O · · Anchorage · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 70
Extrablue wrote:Your Arcteryx Atom LT is unneeded. I'd replace with a second silk weight layer. I'm heading up for June. My current plan is two silk weight long sleeve t-shirts, an R1, a down sweater, a Goretex shell, and a parka. For bottoms I'm just doing running tights, expedition weight pants, shells, and a pair of insulated pants for high up. I don't understand the need to bring softshell and hardshell as they seem to be pretty much the same.
Yeah... no. Anyone who has spent a prolonged time in wintry mix conditions on an exposed alpine climb can tell you that this is definitively not the case.

Plus anyone spending some highly exertional effort climbing in dry, cold conditions can similarly vouch for a softshell.
Micah Lewkowitz · · Ridgway, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 0

There's some good advice on this forum so far, truthfully the weather can be dramatically comfortable or way harsh so it pays to be prepared for the best or worst. That means comfy light colored base layers for the hot days low on the glacier and warm layers with water repellency for the cold and wet storms. I bring a bit more to 11 or 14K and cache some stuff there that no longer needs to be worn based on the current conditions.

Also, you'll likely want to wear your puffy pants on the OUTSIDE of your soft shells on summit day. It's not always a bitter cold experience so you may get too hot with your puffy pants permanently on your body. If you're worried about cramponing your pants, develop some better footwork and wear your overboots over your pants, so those take the nicks rather than your down pants.

Check out this gear list, it may be helpful:
backcountry.com/explore/the…

MyFeetHurt · · Glenwood, CO · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 10

I'm thinking I will be in atom Lt the majority of the mid mountain climbing. I really like my gamma MX softshell but at the end of the day it is heavy, dries slow, and is not windproof. All of that can be solved with the atom as my action layer and a nylon shell or down sweater if it really gets windy.

My biggest dilemma which may sound strange, but its what to wear under my expedition parka on summit day. 5 layers of crap is bulky and inefficient, but I want something mostly windproof under the down parka so I can take the parka off easily on a warmer summit bid, and still not freeze. Maybe just a base layer,piton, Houdini,parka.

Edit since I know someone will bring it up: To me, the parka is not used in the same way as a belay parka that must fit over everything. Because, unlike belaying,I will be moving in this layer all day long and will not be as sweaty due to a hard pitch I just climbed.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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