Large format photos of Denali National Park · Panoramic photos of Denali National Park
Climbing Mt McKinley combines the challenges of a high-altitude climb with those of a polar expedition. Each year, about a thousand climbers seek to reach the summit, the vast majority of them through the technically easy West Buttress route, and about half of them succeed. In the spring of 1993, I set out to traverse the summit solo by ascending the technical West Rib. Thanks to favorable weather conditions, I was able to reach my goal in a total of 18 days. See pictures of the expedition. After the climb, I have returned to the park in four different years to visit the lower elevation areas, which I have experienced in four different months corresponding to the four seasons in Alaska: March, June, August, and September.
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