Denali Report for June 16th, 2017: Warm weather and low summit rate

As of Thursday, 1,169 people are registered to attempt Denali this year. Of those, 399 are on the mountain, and 650 climbs have been completed. Of those 185 people have reached the top of Denali, making the summit rate twenty-eight percent.

Fourteen climbers are registered to attempt Mt. Foraker. Two are on the mountain, and twelve climbs have been completed. No one has made it to the top of Mt. Foraker thus far in 2017.

If the last climber were to come off the mountain today, the summit rate of twenty-eight percent on Denali would be the lowest in more than fifty years. Last year’s climbing season also saw a slow start, with a spike in summits in June. Ultimately, last year’s summit rate ended up at sixty percent. According to the National Park Service, around 120 climbers were at “High Camp” at 17,200 feet as of Wednesday. That could mean a substantial bump in summit numbers if a weather window opens. In order to reach last year’s above-average summit rate, nearly every climber remaining to attempt Denali would have to make it to the top.

Weather is always a major player in Denali’s climbing season. In the last week, areas low on the mountain, including Base Camp, saw temperatures well above freezing, and even some rain. Last Friday, a report from base camp included waist-deep slush, and a glacier “riddled with crevasses.” At the same time, climbers high on the mountain retreated to Fourteen Camp due to sustained winds. Climbers looking to descend from Fourteen were advised to stay put and wait for colder weather.

That colder weather did eventually arrive. Wednesday’s weather report showed base camp below freezing once again, and the ground has begun to firm up once more. No crevasse falls were reported during the warm spell.