Denali Report for July 7th, 2017

In total, just under 1,200 people registered to climb Denali this year. Of those, sixty-five are currently making their attempts, and 1,125 climbs have been completed. The current summit rate for Denali is forty percent, with 442 people making it to the highest point in North America. All eleven climbers registered to attempt Mt. Foraker have completed their attempts, with none making it to the summit.

The coming of Independence Day each year usually means that climbing season is nearing a close. This year is no exception. As of Thursday, all National Park Service mountaineering patrols have returned from Denali. In addition, camp infrastructure for the park service as well as private air services has largely been returned to Talkeetna.

On the 4^th, mountaineers and one patrol took advantage of the calm weather on Denali to reach the summit. Recent weeks have seen the summit rate climb by thirteen percent.

The sixty-five climbers remaining on the mountain as of Thursday are all well above base camp. Rangers report that travel on the lower glaciers is still possible during the cooler early morning hours. While the vast majority of climbers have completed their attempts, the National Park Service doesn’t consider the season finished until the last pair of boots has left Denali for the lowlands.