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Mt. McKinley
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West Buttress 
West Rib, The 

West Buttress 

Mod. Snow

   

FA: 1951 Brad Washburn
Type: Snow
Length: 12500 feet
Season: Late April - Late June
Views: 1,534 page views

Submitted By: R Squared on Apr 29, 2007


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Register with the NP Mountaineering Headquarters in Talkeetna, AK before climbing in the park!

BETA PHOTO: The West Buttress


Description 

The West Buttress is often considered the handicap ramp to the top of Denali. It is the easiest route to the top but it can still kill you very quickly. The route has around 12,500 ft. of elevation gain. Weather can change in a heartbeat so come prepared for anything.


Location 

The route starts at 7,200 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier and climbs all the way to 20,320 feet. 14 miles long so come in shape and prepared.


Protection 

There are fixed lines on the route so bring jumars. Ice axe, good winter tent, stove, fuel, food, motivation, patience, the proper clothing.



Photos of West Buttress Slideshow Add Photo
Looking up at the summit from our food cache just past windy corner. June 2003

Looking up at the summit from our food cache just ...

Day 1 of your trip, on the ground at Kahiltna Base Camp, 7,200 feet on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Looking down the landing strip toward the main Kahiltna Glacier. Mount Crosson is the peak in the background. You begin your trek up the West Buttress by walking down the hill - it's called "Heartbreak Hill" for the experience that you'll have on the way back up at the end of your trip - and turning right to begin the slog up the Kahiltna Glacier.

Day 1 of your trip, on the ground at Kahiltna Base...

Headed down Hearbreak Hill from Base Camp beside the Base Camp landing strip, at about 7,100 feet. Mount Hunter (14,570 feet) in the background.

Headed down Hearbreak Hill from Base Camp beside t...

Advanced Base Camp, 6,800 feet, and the view up the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier with the west side of Denali in the background.

Advanced Base Camp, 6,800 feet, and the view up th...

Advanced Base Camp, 6,800 feet. Stop gawking at Denali and look to your left. That's Ski Hill ... your introduction to the pain and glory of carrying all of that junk you brought with you up a steep hill. Beyond, opportunities for exposed camps in whiteout conditions at roughly 9,000 and 10,000 feet.

BETA PHOTO: Advanced Base Camp, 6,800 feet. Stop gawking at D...

Looking back down the Kahiltna Glacier from the top of Ski Hill, at about 7,500 feet. Advanced Base Camp is visible in the middle of the glacier.

Looking back down the Kahiltna Glacier from the to...

The West Buttress Camp at 11,300 feet. On this day, home to the Western State College (Gunnison, Colorado) Mountaineers.

The West Buttress Camp at 11,300 feet. On this da...

Motorcycle Hill, above the 11,300 foot camp. The smoking pile in the background is the west end of the West Buttress.

BETA PHOTO: Motorcycle Hill, above the 11,300 foot camp. The ...

Looking down at the 11,300 foot camp from the top of Motorcycle Hill.

BETA PHOTO: Looking down at the 11,300 foot camp from the top ...

If the climb to this point at the top of Motorcycle Hill doesn't make you cry, the climb from here up to Squirrel Point might. The west end of the West Buttress is the rock massif in the background. The route follows the boot track that appears in this photo, and then follows easier, but breezier, ground (not visible in this photo) on the right side of the West Buttress.

BETA PHOTO: If the climb to this point at the top of Motorcycl...

Looking down the route from Windy Corner toward Squirrel Point, as climbers make their way up from 12,000 feet. This stretch can be wonderfully sunny or brutally windswept, and may be snow covered (as in this photo) or an exposed scree field. There's a reason they call it Windy Corner. Guided teams commonly cache loads along this stretch and descend to "sleep low" in the camp at 11.300 feet.

BETA PHOTO: Looking down the route from Windy Corner toward Sq...

The Belly of the Beast: The west face of Denali, viewed from about 13,700 feet. The large camp at 14,000 feet is just out of sight, on top of the plateau that cuts across the middle of this photo. From this point you can see the West Buttress (ascend to the top of the Buttress via a slope & couloir just left of center), the Messner Couloir (just left of the large expanse of rock at center) and the Orient Express (right of center) on the west face of Denali. High camps on the West Rib are in the center of the skyline on the right, and the West Rib ascends the upper slopes of the Orient Express. The fuzz on top of the mountain is a giant cloud of wind blown snow, which suggests that it would be a really, really bad idea to go for the summit on this day.

BETA PHOTO: The Belly of the Beast: The west face of Denali, v...

The climb from the 14,000 foot camp, up the fixed lines and onto the West Buttress itself. The Rescue Gully and the Messner Couloir are just out of the photo on the right. This part of the route is the limit of my first hand knowledge (and photos) of the West Buttress, as I've climbed the Upper West Rib from this point.

BETA PHOTO: The climb from the 14,000 foot camp, up the fixed ...

The West Buttress camp at 14,000 feet, viewed from a point below the Orient Express, on the way up the West Rib cutoff. The tents on the left side of the camp are staffed by the National Park Service, and typically include a rustic medical facility. The ascent to this camp is via the boot track that is visible beyond the camp. There are ice climbs on the steep ground above the boot track, on the flank of the West Buttress. The West Buttress route ascends fixed lines on a slope that is just out of the photo, on the right.

The West Buttress camp at 14,000 feet, viewed from...

A view from the West Rib cutoff of the West Buttress boot track, from Windy Corner (left) to the camp at 14,000 feet (center), to the fixed lines below 16,000 feet (right).

BETA PHOTO: A view from the West Rib cutoff of the West Buttre...

cribbage...lots and lots of cribbage

cribbage...lots and lots of cribbage

Evan...

Evan...

A day at 14K.

A day at 14K.

Denali Pass from 17K.

Denali Pass from 17K.

Well.... is that it??

Well.... is that it??

A common sight on the West Butt route. A line of climbers marching up at the top of ski hill.

BETA PHOTO: A common sight on the West Butt route. A line of ...

The view down valley from the top of Kahiltna Glacier, looking over ski hill.

The view down valley from the top of Kahiltna Glac...