With only days left till we depart on our climb, I wanted to describe the necessary gear we have had to aquire.
Denali weather presents prehaps the greatest challenge when climbing the West Buttress route. The high latitude and close proximity to the ocean result in cold,wet storms with very high sustained winds. To protect ourselves from these conditions we have aquired gear that is typically not necessary on mountains in lower latitudes. This specialized gear includes:
-expedition down parka-fully baffled, hooded parka
-Plastic climbing boots with liners
-Overboots-boots that go over your boots to protect your feet from the cold
And many other pieces of Specialized equipment. I have an entire room in our house devoted to packing gear for this trip.
There is a fine line between bringing too much gear and not being prepared. Too much gear or food can really slow the team down and might jeperdize a summit attempt where as missing critical pieces, or having gear that is problematic may also force the team to turn around early.
Cheers,
Garrett
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