Last year, nobody attempted to climb Denali for the first time in seventy years after the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, climbing season is returning along with its boost to businesses in the Northern Susitna Valley.
In a typical year, before the cruise ship passengers arrive, Talkeetna’s Main Street is dotted with climbers wearing brightly colored puffy jackets. Last year, climbing season was canceled before it began and served as an early indicator of the economic impact that COVID-19 would have on the Northern Susitna Valley.
Maureen Gualtieri is a public information officer for Denali National Park and Preserve. She says the National Park Service is going into this climbing season with more information about COVID than last year.
“We have better information on transmission, on prevention….We have better treatments, we’ve got more testing, more access to PPE for ourselves and our climbers, and of course the potential game-changer of vaccines becoming more prevalent.”
On average, the National Park Service expects around 1,200 climbers per year to attempt to summit Denali. Overall, that number is expected to be smaller this year. Gualtieri says the distribution of where climbers are coming from is also expected to change.
“We would expect—and have seen—a decline in foreign registrations. That said, we expect a bit of an uptick in domestic climbers.”
Part of that anticipated increase in domestic climbers comes from Americans who might otherwise consider traveling abroad for mountaineering trips. With the fluid nature of travel restrictions, it’s likely to be easier to come to Alaska than to travel to another country.
Many of the climbers who come to Denali each year do so with a guide service. Alaska Mountaineering School in Talkeetna took a big hit last year when expeditions to the highest peak in North America were taken off the menu. This year, they are looking forward to resuming their Denali trips, but are taking extra precautions. Caitlin Palmer is one of the managing partners at AMS. She says COVID-19 prevention measures begin before climbers even come to Alaska.
“We had–already had—at AMS an internal rule/guideline for everybody that’s coming in: Have a negative COVID test seventy-two hours before their flight to Alaska.”
In high-elevation environments, a respiratory disease has the potential to be particularly dangerous. Even under normal circumstances, conditions like high-altitude pulmonary edemas are a real concern for climbers and guides. Palmer says a few days Talkeetna before a guided trip and a rapid test before departure gives extra time to make sure a climber has not contracted COVID-19.
“Those climbers come a few days ahead of time…to Talkeetna just for jet lag, do to some prep…with us at headquarters. So there will be a few days that they’re off their flight and in Talkeetna.”
In addition to climber safety, keeping guides and mountaineering rangers safe is also a priority for all involved in Talkeetna’s mountaineering community. One way to do that is through vaccination. Mountaineering rangers are medical first-responders, which puts them high on the priority list to receive a vaccine. The National Park Service intends to limit the number of volunteers accompanying ranger patrols, and largely limit them to medical professionals who also get early vaccine access. Caitlin Palmer hopes that mountain guides may also be able to get higher-priority vaccinations for COVID-19.
“All the guides from all the different guide services get called upon by the rangers to help with rescues.”
For climbers, rangers, and guides, the commercial airliner to Alaska isn’t the only flight they’ll take. Air taxis in Talkeetna provide the main means of transportation to and from Denali’s base camp. Courtney Schaeffer is the office manager for Talkeetna Air Taxi. She says the business is following strict guidelines to protect staff and passengers including regular disinfecting, social distancing where possible, and requiring masks.
“Their whole experience with us is masked, from their check-in process in the office to their safety briefing to their actual flight.”
Despite all the precautions, there is a reasonable possibility that some climbers will develop COVID-19 symptoms while on Denali. Caitlin Palmer says if that happens with one of Alaska Mountaineering School’s groups, the procedure is much like for any other serious respiratory issue.
“If you have some signs and symptoms that indicate [COVID-19], then descent is the option.”
The overall tone is optimistic for climbing season this year, which could mark the beginning of a return to normal for businesses and residents in the Talkeetna area.
