Alaska, the largest state in the US, has drawn the attention of mountain climbers from around the world for years. With 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 km2) of land and the highest peak in North America, Denali aka Mt.Kinley, the state of Alaska is so big that you could fit Texas, California and Montana within its borders. However, Alaska does not have officially defined borders delimiting Alaskan regions, there are six widely accepted ones. One of them, the South Central is a home to a small, friendly company called Mountain Trip that is guiding climbers through the Denali National Park and Preserve since 1973.
Alaska is a land of superlatives and a visit to the 49th state of the US will reveal to you, why it is often dubbed “The Last Frontier.” The wildest and most rugged area in this wild and rugged state is the Alaska Range. Forming a 400 mile long arc through south-central Alaska, the Range is home to iconic climbing destinations such as Denali, the Ruth Gorge, Mount Foraker, Mount Hunter, Mount Huntington, Little Switzerland and the Kichatna Spires.
Mount McKinley
Climbing 20,320 feet/ 6,194 meters high Denali is stressful, but with a good guide, it is likely that you will reach the summit. The classic route up Denali is the West Buttress. This iconic route is modestly technical, but physically and mentally challenging endeavor. Many Denali climbers find this to be the most challenging thing they have done in the mountains.
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Climbers looking for a more adventurous experience might consider Mount Foraker, a 17,400 feet /5,400m high peak in the central Alaska Range. The most popular line, the Sultana or Northeast Ridge route is a long, challenging route with a big summit day that demands respect and therefore should only be considered by very fit climbers with solid crampon and ice axe technique.
Sultana
Mount Hunter
Eight miles south of Denali lies the Mount Hunter, a 14,500 feet high peak. Despite being much lower in elevation than Mount McKinley, Mount Hunter is a more challenging but beautiful climb. All of the climbs on this mountain are physically and technically demanding, as they are a mix of rock, ice and snow climbing. The West Ridge is a true classic and deserves its status as one of Steck & Roper’s “50 Classic Climbs”.
Hunter's West Ridge
Mountain Trips Expeditions
Being one of the original permitted concessionaires for leading guided mountaineering expeditions in the Park, Mountain Trip has the experience to lead the highest quality climbs in this beautiful and challenging range so if your path leads you to this remote place, you should check them out - visit any of their Alaska and other mountain expedition pages to view all of their trips to destinations such as Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Ecuador Volcanoes, Elbrus, Himalayas or Vinson Massif.
meet the team
flying to Vinson Massif
Although Mountain Trip was born and raised in Alaska, the team also have an office in southwest Colorado, home to one of the greatest concentrations of ice climbing in the country. New for 2013, they have permits to guide ice in the world famous Ouray Ice Park. This phenomenal venue is home to hundreds of ice routes of all grades, all within an easy walk of downtown Ouray, Colorado.
The San Juan classic, The Ribbon, a 600 foot, WI4 gem located above the ice climbing Mecca of Ouray
ADDRESS:
Mountain Trip Alaska 15445 Kreitel St. Anchorage, AK 99516 Mountain Trip Colorado 108 Aurum, Ophir, CO 81426
CONTACT:
866-886-TRIP (8747) or +1-970-369-1153 from outside the U.S. (-7 hrs GMT), email: info@mountaintrip.com
Adam Ondra dominated the bouldering scene again and won a gold medal in the second World Cup competition in Salt Lake City. He took second place in the qualification and proceeded to the finals from the same position. This time, he was surprised by the victory and admits that a little luck was…
Adam Ondra completed today's finals in Meiringen, Switzerland, and won a gold medal in the first competition of this year's World Cup. He kept first place in bouldering continuously from the qualification until the very exciting finals. He was satisfied with his excellent form and appreciated a…
