Denali Report for June 26th, 2026

Climbing season is winding down.  KTNA’s Colleen Love has this week’s Denali Report.

This is the Denali Report for Friday, June 26th, 2026.

There are currently 981 climbers registered to climb Denali this year. As of mid-week, 128 of them are on the mountain and 853 have finished their expeditions. There are currently 19 climbers registered to climb Mt. Foraker, and all nineteen are now off the mountain.

Teams that are still in the Range have shifted to climbing at night at the lower elevations. With June’s increased solar energy, higher temperatures translate to slushy snow during the day. Teams under 14,000 feet mainly travel after midnight when temperatures drop and the snow forms a walkable crust. 

At the upper elevations, temperatures are colder overall and climbers tend to shift to a later start. Once the full sun hits the glacier, temperatures warm up quickly.

The majority of guided expeditions have reported finishing their climbs for the season. The remaining few are high on the mountain or making their way down. The success rate for expeditions that began their climbs after May 15th is quite high this year.

Three Talkeetna-based organizations involved with operations on Denali are celebrating anniversaries this year. 

The current owners of Talkeetna Air Taxi, K2 Aviation and the Alaska Mountaineering School, are all celebrating 30 years of assisting climbers in the Alaska Range.

According to the National Park Service website, It’s also the 50th anniversary of the first solo ascent of the Cassin Ridge as well as the peak’s first hang glider descent.

The first successful hang glider descent from the peak of Denali took place in June 1976.  According to the American Alpine club, the pilots hauled their 60-pound gliders to the summit, launched from the summit ridge and flew for about 30 minutes down to the 7,000-foot level. 

Hang gliding on Denali is quite dangerous. During that 1976 expedition, an attempt on the South Face resulted in a crash shortly after takeoff. The pilot tumbled thousands of feet before the hang glider caught in the snow and halted his fall. 

Today, flying non-motorized aircraft off Denali is highly restricted. The National Park Service regulates launching, landing, and dropping objects in Park areas.  You’ve been listening to the Denali Report. 

For KTNA, I’m Colleen Love

Photo by NPS Ranger Scotty Barrier: Clouds building adjacent to 14,200’ camp from High Camp