Climbing Denali at 20,237 feet can be one of the toughest challenges in a mountaineers career. Over a thousand climbers come to Alaska every year to climb the tallest mountain in North America.
The climbing season generally starts from late April to mid July when the weather permits most climbers to summit the peak. Nonetheless, conditions change quickly on the mountain. In rough conditions, temperatures can reach up to -22 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and -75.5 F (-59.7 Celcius) in the winter.
It is considered one of the coldest mountains in the world with wind chill temperatures dropping to -148 F. Wind speeds routinely go past 100 mph in the winter. We were privileged to have many of the climbers stay at our hostel this year as they prepared for their climb of Denali (the great one in Athabaskan).
Calvin Harmann stayed with us in the summer of 2014 and summited Denali in 17 days.
Here is a video of his ascent and gives a good insiders look of climbing Denali.
Thank you Calvin !!!