Denali, previously also known as Mount McKinley, means 'The High One' in the local Koyukon language and is situated in the Alaska Range 627km/390 miles from the Arctic Circle.
Our 'Low Ratio' departures offer a low guide-to-client ratio of 1:2, with a maximum group size of 6:3. This optimises your chances of summiting the highest peak in North America with increased efficiency, flexibility and safety.
Denali is a serious undertaking, and our Low Ratio option is suited to those people looking to optimise their chances of summiting by joining a small team committed to achieving their goal. Our North American based guides have extensive guiding experience on Denali and other high peaks around the world, making this an ideal expedition for those wishing to learn the essentials of high altitude mountaineering with the assurance of qualified leadership.
By reducing the guide-to-client ratio to 1:2 (with a maximum team size of 3:6) we create a smaller team, which on the mountain equates to increased efficiency, flexibility and safety and therefore higher chance of summit success. For experienced and adventurous backcountry skiers we are running a Ski Denali option, please contact us for further details on this expedition. We also offer a separate 1:3 'Standard' ratio and a Denali Prep Course for those wishing to hone their skills before taking on the expedition.
Dates 2023
| Trip 1: May 6 – 30 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 2: May 9 – June 2 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 3: May 12 – June 4 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 4: May 16 – June 9 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 5: May 20 – June 13 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 6: May 24 – June 17 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 7: May 27 - June 20 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 8: May 31 – June 24 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 9: June 3 – 27 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 10: June 13 – July 7 *Ski Approach | TRIP FULL |
| Trip 11: June 17 – July 11 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 12: June 20 – July 14 | BOOK TODAY! |
| Trip 13: June 22 – July 16 | BOOK TODAY! |
Pricing Schedule 2023
The cost of the expedition is US$11,900 per person ex Anchorage, Alaska.
NOTE: The 2022 season sold out in January. Please book in advance to avoid disappointment and secure your place on a team.
Inclusions
The price of your trip includes the following:
Exclusions
The price of your trip does not include:
Concessionaire Notice
This expedition is organised for Adventure Consultants by Mountain Trip Alaska LLC, an authorized concessionaire of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Account Information
All payments should be made by bank transfer to the following bank and account:
Bank of New Zealand
Offshore Branch
42 Willis Street
Spark Central
Wellington
New Zealand
for the account of Adventure Consultants Limited
Account # 1000-594771-0000
Account Type: US Dollars
Swift Address: BKNZNZ22
Note: All bank transfer charges are for the remitter's account.
We can accept your deposit payment by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or AMEX) plus a 3% card fee.
Deposit
A deposit of US$3,000, which includes a non-refundable $1,500 administration fee, is payable to secure a place on the Denali Low Ratio Expedition.
Balance
The balance is due 120 days from the departure date.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
An expedition member may cancel their participation on the following basis:
Trip Cancellation Insurance
We strongly recommend you take out trip cancellation insurance via your travel agent if you wish to be covered against cancellation due to medical or personal reasons.
The Expedition Trip Notes provide detailed information and background for the Adventure Consultants' Denali Low Ratio Expedition.
You can view the trip notes online by clicking the image or download a pdf by clicking the following link:
Team Membership
The maximum climber to guide ratio is 2:6. The team will have a maximum size of 6 members and 2 guides.
Our Low Ratio option gives you the best chance of success in summiting Denali. By reducing the standard guide to client ratio to 1:2 we create a smaller team, which on the mountain equates to increased efficiency, increased safety and increased chance of summit success. These smaller, more exclusive teams with a maximum of 6 climbers and 3 guides, allow us to create efficiencies and move faster on the mountain. Teamwork is still an essential part of our Low Ratio formula, and all members are still expected to contribute towards the overall functioning of the expedition, including the setting and dismantling of camps. Denali is a serious undertaking, and our Low Ratio option is suited to those people looking to optimise their chances of summiting by joining a team committed to working together to achieve their goals. Call or email our office if you wish to discuss this further, we can help you find the trip that best suits you.
Your Health
Expedition members will be provided with pre-trip medical advice and a medical questionnaire and asked to visit their family physician and receive a full medical examination. This information will be sighted only by the expedition leader and our medical adviser and treated with full confidentiality.
Climbing at altitude affects people differently; most climbers notice a lower performance rate than normal. Our climbing days are mostly short to accommodate this and vital rest days are usually welcomed! Our graduated acclimatisation program allows you to progressively consolidate your fitness. This expedition now includes a complimentary 24-week Mountaineering Training Program from our partners at Uphill Athlete to ensure you are in the best shape to make the most of your expedition. Please also see our Fitness Training Programs.
Level of Experience Required
To climb Denali you need to be physically fit, have strong mental stamina and be capable of strenuous exercise for several days' duration. Expedition members need to be capable of carrying a 20kg/50lb+ pack. Climbers must have intermediate technical snow and ice climbing experience, glacier travel and winter camping skills.
Difficulty Rating
Each of our trips is individually rated according to its physical and technical difficulty, displayed in the icons towards the top of each trip page. You can click on the accompanying question mark for additional descriptions and the full run-down of our grading system is available on our Difficulty Ratings page.
History
The Athabascans, Alaska's native people, named the mountain Denali - 'the high one'. Denali was first climbed to the true summit in 1913 from the north via Karstens ridge, by Karstens, Stuck, Harper and Tatum. No other routes were pioneered and very few reached the summit until 1951, when Bradford Washburn and team pushed through the West Buttress route. Washburn's extensive cartography and photography was key in determining this route. This landmark ascent used a ski plane to establish a Base Camp on the Kahiltna glacier at 3,000m/10,000 ft paving the way for their ascent and the most successful route today.
Clothing & Equipment
Expedition members will be sent a registration email which includes links to the climber info packet and other info to help with preparing for the trip.
| Day | |
| 1 | Travel to Anchorage |
| 2 | Team meeting and briefing |
| 3 | Travel to Talkeetna and fly to the glacier, establish Base Camp |
| 4 | Single carry to Camp 1 (2,300m/7,800ft) |
| 5 |
Haul loads up to Kahiltna Pass to cache (3,000m/9,800ft) |
| 6 | Move to Camp 2 (3,400m/11,200ft) |
| 7 | Back-carry day |
| 8 | Haul loads around Windy Corner (4,000m/13,100ft) |
| 9 | Move to Camp 3 (4,350m/14,200ft) |
| 10 | Back-carry day |
| 11 | Climb up the headwall to the ridge |
| 12 | Rest day |
| 13 | Move to High Camp (5,250m/17,200ft) |
| 14 | Rest day |
| 15 | Summit day (6,190m/20,308ft) |
| 16 | Descent |
| 17 | Descent |
| 18-23 | Contingency days |
| 24 | Return to Anchorage |
| 25 | Trip ends – depart for home |
We make four camps as we climb alpine style, moving all camps higher as we go and leaving none established above or below. It is not uncommon for temperatures high on the mountain to fall as low as -34°C/-30°F , but at lower elevations daytime temperatures on the glacier can reach as high as 21°C/70°F, so we sometimes sleep in the day and ferry loads at night when temperatures are between -9°C to -18°C and 0°F to 15°F . The night's cold improves conditions under-foot, and we still have adequate light because of the extreme northern latitude. Double carries are done during the first part of the expedition to ease the work and to help with acclimatisation.
All expeditions begin with a meeting and orientation in Anchorage. We spend one night there, then travel by van the next morning to the small town of Talkeetna. There we repack our equipment, meet our ski plane pilots, and as soon as possible, make the beautiful flight to the Kahiltna Glacier at 2,200m/7,300ft. Soon after our arrival and a review of glacier travel procedures, we begin moving to our first camp.
We establish our Camp 1 at 2,300m/7,800ft at the confluence of the main Kahiltna Glacier and its rugged Northeast Fork, the approach for West Rib and Cassin Expeditions. Enjoying spectacular views the whole way, we continue on to Cache 1 at 3,000m/9,800ft and Camp 2 at 3,400m/11,200ft while snowshoeing up moderate terrain. As we do throughout the climb, we travel in rope teams because of the ever-present crevasse hazard. To ease the burden of moving our expedition supplies, we use specially designed sleds that we tether to our packs and pull along the gentle sections of the lower mountain.
Above Camp 2, the climbing steepens as our route takes us past the terminal walls of the West Buttress. We usually cache our snowshoes and continue our climb with crampons because of the gradient of the route and the hardening snowpack. We climb out of a basin to reach Windy Corner at 4,000m/13,100ft, then make an ascending traverse through seracs and heavily crevassed terrain as we approach the head of the Kahiltna Glacier at 4,350m/14,200ft. We enjoy spectacular views as we look down to the lower Kahiltna and out to 5,304m/17,402ft Mt Foraker. In the other direction the impressive summit bulk of Denali rises above us, and we can easily see the details of the upper West Rib and Messner Couloir, as well as the steep headwall of the West Buttress that we will soon climb. At Camp 3 (4,350m/14,200ft), we take a well-deserved rest day and make final preparations for our summit bid, reorganizing our gear for the carry to the highest camps.
At this point we move into the most demanding part of the expedition: higher elevations combined with steeper ground. From Camp 3, we ascend 335m/1100ft up a gentle snow slope to the bergschrund at the base of the West Buttress. The bergschrund is at times quite steep but it is short and, with steps established in the ice, not difficult to surmount. We then begin our ascent to the top of the West Buttress on the 275m/900ft headwall of 45 and 50-degree slopes. Typically the pitches are of hard ice with some snow overlaid, and we protect them by using self-belays with jumars on a fixed rope. Because of the steepness of the route and the amount of elevation gained, we may make a double carry to establish Cache 3 at over 4,900m/16,000ft.
Emerging from the headwall onto the top of the Buttress, the atmosphere of the climb changes dramatically. While the earlier parts of the climb have all been on large glaciers and open slopes dominated by immense mountain masses towering above, we now move on an open ridge and enjoy that unmistakable feeling of climbing above most of the surrounding world. As we begin to move along the crest of the Buttress, we gain views across the Peters Glacier to the Alaskan tundra stretching out far beyond, and to the south we can look over the top of Mt. Hunter to the scores of other peaks in the Alaska Range. Initially the ridge is fairly broad, but as we reach the 5,000m/16,400ft level it narrows with steep drop-offs to both the north and south.
The traverse to our final camp, Camp 4 (High Camp) at 5,250m/17,200ft, is one of the most beautiful climbs on Denali. We follow a steadily narrowing crest and at times move between and around a series of magnificent, pointed granite gendarmes up to fifty feet high. The climbing is never steeper than 35 degrees, but the exposure is very significant and requires caution as we move up a route that in some sections is reduced to ledges six feet wide. Further east the ridge finally begins to merge with the main part of the Denali massif, and there we establish camp in a basin just below Denali Pass, the low point between Denali's higher south summit and lower, 5,934m/19,470ft north peak. From this point we will climb to the summit in a single day.
On summit day we make an ascending traverse to Denali Pass, crossing above some very large crevasses and traversing a fairly steep section between 5,350m/17,600ft and 5,500m/18,000ft. From there we climb gentle slopes to a plateau at 5,900m/19,400ft, from which we get impressive views down onto the Harper and Muldrow Glaciers and across to Denali's North Peak. Our final approach to the summit takes us up moderately steep slopes to the crest of the ridge between Kahiltna Horn (6,132m/20,120ft) and the main summit. At the crest we peer down the 2,500m/8,000ft drop of the precipitous South Face, looking between the Cassin Ridge to our right and the South Buttress to our left. We ascend the summit ridge on its exposed south side for two rope lengths, then cross to the north side for the final pitches that bring us to the 6,190m/20,308ft summit of North America. With steady drops on three sides and the abrupt face to the south, the final steps to the clearly defined summit point are a very exciting finish to a beautiful route.
You might wish to consider a Denali Prep Course prior to your expedition
For a pre-trip instruction week, check out our Alpine Expedition Course and 7 Summits Training Course in New Zealand. In Europe, we have options for instruction time with a guide at our European Climbing School, based out of Chamonix, France.
Some individuals and groups prefer private program options. Dates for all programs are dictated by the National Park Service concession contract and private program options may be limited accordingly. Please contact us for more information and pricing.
Finding the right travel and rescue insurance for your mountaineering adventure can be tricky! Rest assured when you book with the expedition specialists here at Adventure Consultants we'll help by sending through advice on what you'll need, including:
For further information check out our Travel and Rescue Insurance page or contact us.
Please note you will be emailed a set of Denali Team Reference Notes upon registration. This extensive booklet includes detailed information to assist in the planning of your trip; from travel and medical advice to equipment lists and photography tips. The following is to serve as a helpful guideline but please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. Our team is here to help!
info@adventure.co.nz
NZ: +64 3 443 8711 (Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm PST + 19 hours)
Who are American Alpine Institute (AAI) and Mountain Trip and why do they run your Denali trips?
AAI and Mountain Trip are our American alliance partners for Denali. The reason that we use them is that Denali National Park mandates that as a guide service, you must run your expedition with a concessioned company. Both AAI and Mountain Trip have a concession for operations on the mountain, so this allows us to share our collective experience in the mountains on this fantastic climb. We find that out of all the providers, AAI and Mountain Trip provide a good, quality product and we are excited to be partnered with them on this amazing expedition up one of the Seven Summits.
What sort of hotels do we stay at in the city?
Our standard expeditions stay at the Best Western Golden Lion Inn in Anchorage. On our Low Ratio expeditions, we stay at the Lakefront Anchorage (formally the Millennium Alaska Hotel) which is centrally located and includes free airport transfers. After the climb, we generally return to Anchorage rather than staying in Talkeetna and we leave our arrangements flexible to allow for any weather delays.
Will I be sharing a tent or room with other climbers? Is there a single room option on this trip?
Accommodation in Anchorage is included on a twin-share basis on the Low Ratio expedition, but a single supplement is available on request. Please contact our office for details. For the standard expedition, accommodation in Anchorage is not included and we can help you book your preferred room type at the expedition hotel. On the mountain, you will share a tent with another climber or two depending on the camp.
What kind of food do you have on the mountain?
The good news about travelling on the glacier is that we can bring a lot of perishable food! Hamburgers, bacon, bagels, and fresh cheese, all the way up to high camp - we try to eat as heartily as possible!
What time should I arrive and where do I meet my guides?
All our Denali trips begin by meeting in Anchorage for a team briefing and gear check. After you sign up for the trip, you will be advised which date you need to arrive by and we will coordinate the pickup time for the onward shuttle from Anchorage to Talkeetna, the town where all flights to Denali Base Camp originate.
What if I arrive early or depart late?
If you arrive early or depart late, it’s not a problem and our office will work with you as to these logistics.
Are there any entry or visa requirements?
Depending on what country you are from, you may need a visa and when visiting the USA, often is a simple matter of obtaning an ESTA visa, prior to your departure from home.
How heavy will my pack and sled be?
Your pack can sometimes reach weights of 60-65lbs/27-30kg and your sled could possibly reach 40-50lbs/18-23kg.
How many climbers will be on this expedition?
On the standard expedition, there are typically 9 climbers and 3 guides on each expedition. The Low Ratio expedition has a maximum of 6 climbers and 3 guides on each expedition.
Can I contact other climbers or guides for this expedition?
Sure! Getting training ideas and generally keeping each other excited about the trip is the name of the game! As the time draws closer for your expedition, contact our office and we are happy to share your contact details with the other members of your team.
How much should I tip my guide staff?
Tipping is not required but always appreciated. The level of your tip should reflect the level of interaction with your guide. If you feel that they did a good job for you, then give accordingly.
What is the conditioning level needed for this climb?
Excellent physical condition is required. The cold combined with the challenge of carrying a heavy pack and pulling a sled along in the sometimes inclement weather, can all play a part on your trip. The better shape you are in, the better you will be equipped to handle the situation. Some folks actually drag around tyres to prepare for the sled hauling! We suggest further reading on training that will help you get started. The thing to remember is that the more prepared you are, the more comfortable you will be during your trip.
What is a typical day on the mountain like?
Days start out typically in the snow kitchen, hydrating and eating heartily. We then break camp, load our packs and sleds, before setting out. Days can be as long as 7-8 hours with summit day up to 14-18 hours! Upon arrival in a new camp, you can expect at least 1-2 hours digging tent platforms and walls, as well as a kitchen platform.
I hear Denali can sometimes be colder than Antarctica! Why is that?
It actually can be! Denali is closer to the Arctic Circle than most mountains hence it can be much colder with the wet arctic weather fronts that can blow in at any time.
I hear it’s possible to get stuck on the mountain, is it true?
Yes! If bad weather moves in, it is possible to be delayed at Base Camp until the weather clears for flights. If there is snow, it could take even longer as you need to wait until the snow gets packed down before flights can land. Sometimes you are even asked to help pack it down with your snow shoes!
What are the skills/prior experience required for this climb?
You need to have at least completed one of our AAI/AC partner Denali Prep Courses or have had equivalent experience on other glaciated terrain mountaineering trips. This climb requires proficiency in glacier travel, crevasse rescue, cramponing, self-arrest with an ice axe, and general winter camping skills. Previous experience at altitude will also be beneficial. Contact our office for details if you have questions about your qualifications or need ideas for how to get the skills required.
How do I know this is the right trip for me?
We offer trips to suit all levels of ability and ambition, from your first mountain experience to extreme ascents and everything in between. To help you navigate the choices available, our trips are graded by both the level of physical exertion and the level of skill required, allowing you to find your perfect expedition match. These ratings are displayed in the icons at the top of each expedition page, with a further explanation available by clicking on the accompanying question mark. A full run-down of the categories can be found on our Difficulty Ratings page and our team is more than happy to discuss your experience to find the right trip for you.
What type of communication is available on the climb?
Your guides will typically carry satellite and cell phones, as above 14,000ft we have line-of-sight signal with cell phone towers! You can even pick up radio stations from Anchorage!
How much should I budget for this expedition? How much cash should I plan to bring?
There is nothing to buy once on the hill, but if we get stuck in Talkeetna waiting for weather to fly in, you will need money to pay for meals and hotels etc. You can also simply bring a cash card, as there are cash machines all over town. Most members get by with around USD$200-300 on each trip.
