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| West Buttress   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Alaska, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 63.06920°N / 151.0036°W Route Type: Mountaineering, Scrambling, Skiing Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Time Required: Expedition Difficulty: Advanced Snow Climb, Extreme Ski Descent Grade: II
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| Page By: kalet Created/Edited: Dec 27, 2003 / Jun 22, 2007 Object ID: 159690 Hits: 6663 Loading... Page Score: 89.07% - 16 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
OverviewThe West Buttress is the easiest way to climb Denali. Barry Bishop, Bill Hackett, Bradford Washburn, Henry Buchtel, Jerry More, Jim Gale & Mel Griffiths first climbed the Denalis West Buttress in 1951. Today, about 80% of climbers attempting Denali climb the West Buttress. On average, out of the 1000 people attempting the West Buttress annually, only about 50% are successful, 100 acquire altitude sickness or frostbite and 12 rescues are made. About 40 people have died on the West Buttress.
Denali's West Buttress. Photo & Annotation: d_shorbGetting ThereBasecamp is at 7200 feet on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. A list of Air Taxi Operators in Talkeetna, Alaska as well as Transportation to Talkeetna is available at the National Park Service website. Transportation from Anchorage to Talkeetna costs $75-290 one way. Transportation from Talkeetna to basecamp costs $400-500 roundtrip. Larger groups and early reservations save money.Route DescriptionBasecamp to 7800
Distance: 5.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000
Elevation Loss: 400
Descend Heartbreak Hill and ascend the main Kahiltna Glacier to 7800. It is common to travel at night to avoid the heat and increased danger of falling into crevasses.
7800 to 11000
Distance: 4.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 3200
Climb Ski Hill, then turn east below Kahiltna Pass and north just below 11000. Unacclimatized climbers should take at least three days to get to 11000 in order prevent altitude-related illness.
11000 to 14200
Distance: 2.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 3200
Climb Motorcycle Hill, traverse north of Squirrel Point, navigate around Windy Corner and up to 14200. Most people double carry above 11000 in order to aid acclimatization. A popular cache site is at 13500 just beyond Windy Corner.
14200 to 17200
Distance: 1.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 3000
Climb a moderate slope to the base of the 55° Headwall (15400). The Headwall has two fixed lines unofficially maintained by the guiding companies. The right (east) is for the ascent and the left (west) is for the descent. Climb the Headwall and gain the West Buttress. Follow the West Buttress east to 17200.
17200 to Summit
Distance: 2.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 3120
Ascend just south of Denali Pass, follow the ridge south-southeast to the Football Field. Climb Pig Hill to Kahiltna Horn. Follow the summit ridge to the summit.
Denali's West Buttress RouteSkiingThe West Buttress was first skied from its summit by Tsuyoshi Ueki in 1970. Skiing from the summit is uncommon today, but many climbers use skis on the lower glacier and cache them at 11000 or 14200. If you do plan to ski from the summit, expect difficult snow.Essential GearCamping
Four Season Tent
Sleeping Bag
Closed Cell Sleeping Pad
White Gas Stove & Stand
Fuel Bottle
Water Bottles
Pee Bottle
Spoon
Shovel
Saw
Probe
Climbing
Ski Mountaineering or Plastic Double Boots
Skis or Snowshoes
Poles
Mountaineering Axe
Crampons
Rope
Harness
Prussiks
Sling
Rescue Pulley
Picket
Locking Carabiners
Carabiners
Backpack
Sled (Free Rental Comes With Glacier Flight)
Wands
Miscellaneous
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Lip Balm
Food
Toilet Paper External Linkshttp://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/info/ice/mk-eubank.html
http://classic.mountainzone.com/climbing/99/denali/map-climbingroute.html
http://www.mtnguide.com/ProgramDetail.asp?program=9
http://www.climbalaska.org/denali-westbutt.htmlLiteratureDenalis West Buttress
Mount McKinley: The Conquest of Denali
Mount McKinley Climbers Guide
Surviving Denali: A Study of Accidents on Mount McKinley 1910-1982
Wild Snow Images
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Alaska Range
