Two American Climbers First to Summit Denali in 2017

The young climbing season on Denali has already yielded its first successful summit trip.

Forrest Barker and Connor Chilcott of Seattle reached the highest point in North America on Sunday, April 16th.

Mid-April is early in the climbing season for a group to make it to the summit of Denali and back. Barker and Chilcott say being the first to make it to the top was not their primary motivation. They say there is more freedom of choice in specific routes before hundreds of other climbers make their attempt, and both men found that prospect appealing.

The early ascent came with some difficulties. Barker and Chilcott were forced to overnight high on the mountain in windy conditions with temperatures dipping past forty-degrees-below-zero. When the sun began to set on summit day, they had to choose between pressing on or hunkering down. Low temperatures and a lack of food made the prospect of traveling at night dangerous. While camping near 18,500 feet of elevation, the climbers’ tent collapsed multiple times due to wind, but they were able to ride out the conditions and continue their descent. Barker and Chilcott were picked up and flown back to Talkeetna last Friday.

The high elevation and cold temperatures resulted in frostbite on one toe for Connor Chilcott and a high-altitude pulmonary edema for Forrest Barker. Neither condition is uncommon on Denali, and both men say they expect to recover fully.

Following their successful climb of North America’s highest mountain, Chilcott and Barker plan to continue their work with “Peaks of Life,” a Seattle-based non-profit that raises money to help pay for children’s hospital bills.