Successful Denali Snowboard Descent
Posted 1 year, 12 months ago by AJ Linnell
AJ Linnell adjusts his Wagner Custom snowboard and approach skis on Denali's upper west ridge
I woke up on the morning of June 14th to temperatures well below zero, with frost caked around the hood of my sleeping bag and a layer of the stuff coating the inside of the tent walls. Every move brought a shower down from the ceiling. I could hear Jaime firing up the stoves in the cook Megamid while we blearily put on layer after layer of clothing and rammed our feet into frozen boot shells. The snow squeaked underfoot as we walked around camp, strapping snowboard and skis to our packs and donning harnesses that we wouldn’t remove until well past dinnertime. Looking up, I saw with apprehension a curl of spindrift blowing off the summit plateau, but the lower half of our climbing route was clear, and though the sun was hours away from us on the other side of the mountain I had a good feeling about what we would find once we got up on the Rib.
Mount Foraker in the background - AJ works towards Denali's summit
Juiced up on coffee and oatmeal, we walked out of 14-Camp and deeper into the shadow of the upper mountain, breaking trail through 20cm of fresh snow from the last few days’ flurries. We roped up to cross some bigger crevasses and work our way across the head of the glacier, arriving at the West Rib cutoff (16,200’) just as the sun hit the Russian team that was camped there. Looking down the lower Rib, it seemed like there could be some potential for a 7000’ snowboard/ski descent down to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, but on another day, on a different trip. (First descent, possibly?) Our objective was to climb the Upper West Rib for 4000’ to the summit and then ride/ski the Messner Couloir back down to 14-Camp, 6000’ below.
We had been in the Alaska Range for two weeks by the time summit day rolled around, alternating days of hauling sleds like donkeys on skis with days of making turns around camp, allowing our bodies to acclimatize to the altitude. “Rest” days typically involved a few thousand feet of climbing and riding–it felt rejuvenating to travel with light loads, purely for play. We took a week getting to 14-Camp, where we installed a basecamp that would be our home for the remainder of the expedition. Chest-high snow walls protected our tents from winds, and an excavated Megamid provided a place to escape from the snow/sun for cooking, playing cards, listening to NPR in comfort. We took advantage of good weather to climb and ride routes up to 17,200’, giving our bodies as much opportunity for acclimatization as possible. (And scouting the lower reaches of our routes for summit day.) But clouds kept us pinned closed to camp for most of our time there. We got plenty of practice riding through the whiteout, trying to find good routes back down to camp. (“Is that a crevasse? Should we rope up?”) Every day, usually multiple times a day, we wandered over to the rangers’ compound to check the weather forecast, looking for a window for our summit push.
AJ's basecamp: 14-Camp with Mt. Foraker in the background
Nobody had been up the Rib for days, so we had unblemished snow and rock stretching up to the summit plateau. The climbing started with 800’ of 60-degree snow and ice to a bench, and then layed back to ~45-degrees for the remainder of the climb. Punching steps into the snow, winding our way through pink and brown granite, finding the route for ourselves and watching the Russians follow our steps a thousand feet below, all on a windless sunny day. Wow. Jaime and Alex decided to stop at the top of the Messner Couloir (19,500’) to retain some energy for the descent while Twinkie and I continued to the top. It seems ridiculous now that 800’ of climbing would take almost two hours, but at that altitude it did.
AJ Linnell on the summit of Denali
The sun was low in the sky when we reached the summit, giving a brilliant glow to everything around us as we removed crampons and buckled down our boots for the descent. Riding off the top was the realization of a dream I had entertained for almost 10 years, and looking down at the descent that awaited us was every bit as awesome as I’d hoped. That squeaky snow turned out to be remarkably sticky—I had never ridden in conditions this cold, and hadn’t anticipated it. And riding at 20,000’ is hard, much harder than I had expected. But the knife-hard nevé held an edge, and we eventually re-joined the rest of our team back at the top of the Messner.
AJ Linnell snowboarding the summit ridge of Denali
Looking down 5000’ of continuous 45-degree snow on a perfect fall-line was as unnerving as it was sublime. The sense of exposure was terrifying, and wonderful. The consequences of an uncontrolled fall were clear as we looked down at the tiny dots of 14-Camp in the basin below. We all recognized the risk though we never spoke of it, just stayed focused on riding well. We had great turns on 20cm of windslab over firm nevé for the first 1000’, with the sun shining full on the couloir as we rode from safe zone to safe zone. Dropping further towards the narrows halfway down, the windslab turned to breakable windcrust and the riding got spicier. There is a remarkable clarity that comes in a time when every turn counts and the consequences of blowing a turn could be big, a focus that I don’t often get to experience in the rest of my life. Riding through the narrows, breaking the crust with powerful turns while looking at the continuing descent below, I felt the clarity in all its glory and had one of those rare moments when this was all I wanted to be doing, in the only place I wanted to be.
AJ Linnell snowboarding Denali's Messner Couloir
And then, just after exiting the narrows Alex made a turn through the crust and hit blue ice underneath and fear joined the clarity, threatening to replace it entirely. Every turn resulted in a short slide until our edges found full purchase and we stopped. Then another turn to a slide to a stop. Turn, slide, stop. Repeat. Alex and I had scouted the lower slopes a couple of days before and could see the point when we would reach softer snow once more, but there was a lot of wind-scoured crust over ice above that point and we were tired. Good judgment found Jaime side-stepping down while Twinkie put his crampons back on and down-climbed it. Alex and I continued making relatively controlled turns next to each other until we rode over the small crevasse at the transition to better snow, and a chance to breathe.
The rest of the descent was pretty straightforward, with fast turns on 20cm of light powder to finish it. Riding back into camp 16 hours after our departure, the sense of what we had done was subdued, dulled by fatigue and hunger and thirst. We sat in the cook ‘mid laughing about the day while I cooked ramen and quesadillas and melted pot after pot of water until the wee hours of the morning. It wasn’t until I woke up late and made coffee on a lovely, warm, sunny morning and looked back up at the route that I was able to appreciate our accomplishment, and feel the glow of a long-lived dream realized. As we made our exit down the Kahiltna toward the case of ale cached at basecamp, I felt content, tired, and a few pounds light. Ready to call it a successful expedition and go home.
Permalink · Posted by AJ Linnell · July 31st, 2008 · · Read 13 Comments
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September 7th, 2008 at 11:44 am Kat Devoe
Nice job! Are there other ridable routes off Denali?
September 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pm AJ Linnell
Yeah! There are a couple of other rideable routes on the west side–the Orient Express and you could make the West Buttress work, although it wouldn’t be as aesthetic. The Muldrow Glacier/Karstens Ridge on the north side could be ridden on a really extended expedition. Any way you slice it, the Alaska Range has a wide variety of really amazing riding to offer. It’s great to hear that there are other snowboarders out there looking for big lines to ride.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:54 pm Ben Sanders
Awesome! Beautiful trip. Denali alone is a huge accomplishment, but to have shredded it in style, that is true glory… Congrats
Can’t wait for winter!
September 10th, 2008 at 11:43 am Dave Cantrell
AJ,
I’ve never read an adventure account that gave me a better feel of being there! The pictures are a perfect complement to the words, and the words manage to tell the sequential story clearly, to give a reader the feel of the incredible ride, and to make the rush and tangle of emotions palpable. Thanks for taking me along!
September 10th, 2008 at 2:36 pm Tom Burt
Nice job,
Fun mountain. Jim Zellers and I snowboarded the Orient Express in 1991. We had minus 40 temps. The only time in my life I have climbed with down pants on and was not sweating to death.
Tom
September 20th, 2008 at 3:00 am JJ
Good job! Congratulations for great accomplishment!
I´ve been there twice. First time was -97 and rode the Messner. What a run! I had it really good, the couloir was filled in with good powder most of the way. The second time I went there, in 99,I just climbed up with my girlfriend. My friends skied and snowboarded the West Rib top to bottom and down the glacier, in about four hours, which I suppose is pretty fast a 14 000 ft descent.
There is tons and tons of superb descents in the area. Not just from the summit, but all over the place. Most everything is still up for graps, there is endless possibilities for super rad first descents.
I just love the place, been really missing it, and plan on going back there next year…
October 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm Snowboard UK
Wow! Good effort and well written up. Sounds like a heck of an experience!
October 29th, 2008 at 11:07 pm Kyle
Sweet blog, I really enjoyed reading about your trip. I was there this year as well from May 17th to June 10th. Our plans were to climb the W. Buttress and descend from the summit on skis. With intentions to return to the 19,000′ plateau and ski the Messner or Orient as well. Unfortunately, after four attempts and some variable weather, we were barely able to make the summit and had to head back home shortly thereafter.
How was the overall snow condition when you guys skied? Much variability due to elevation? It seemed like it was starting to fill in by mid-June. I remember when we first arrived at 14 camp everything was blue ice, a result of a 60-100 mph wind storm.
Planning on scheduling another trip this upcoming spring, although a little later to hopefully see more precipitation. Did you guys climb the entire Rib route from 8000′ or the Riblet from 14 camp? Here’s my major question: Would showing up in late May allow us a better chance to see better snow while allowing us access into the “Valley of Death” (NE Fork Kahiltna), or would this portion of the route be impassible that late in the season? Obviously it’s at the whim of seasonal variability but any insight you may have would be greatly appreciated.
Can’t wait to ski big peaks,
Kyle
October 31st, 2008 at 7:31 am AJ
Kyle-
I think I remember seeing you up there, on tele gear with your girlfriend/wife? You were heading down as we were heading up?
We definitely had variable conditions on the descent, from cold & sticky bulletproof off the summit and across the Football Field to fun breakable windslab in the upper Messner and then deteriorating to breakable crust. Good and challenging. The last 1000′ or so into camp were fantastic powder.
Timing the snow conditions is a funny thing up there. When I was guiding in early May, we saw great powder all over the mountain until the huge windstorm blew it all away. (We had 4 days of 80-90mph winds at high camp.) But the light storms we got in June laid down enough snow to make our descent possible. Last year found me sitting in high camp drooling while we watched Chris Davenport and crew ski the Messner in knee-deep powder, sometime around June 20th.
What time to go? So much depends on the winter precip up there–this year was huge, so the glacier-travel down low was super easy. I would guess that you could definitely get into the NE Fork in late-May, provided that they don’t have a dry winter. Some friends of mine went up the NE Fork in early June this year to climb the Cassin Ridge–seems like the “Valley of Death” went fine for them. It’s definitely warmer with long daylight hours in late-May/early June.
We climbed the Riblet from 14-camp–pretty fun, straightforward climbing that offers the most reasonable one-day ascent/descent option from 14. The full Rib sounds awesome, though. Go for it! Are you planning to carry skis up the whole thing?
Let me know if you’re ever in the Tetons–I’m always looking for fun, motivated partners.
AJ
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:44 pm Andy Carballeira
Killer trip report man, sounds amazing. Hoping to get out there next year and starting to do some research. Hate to be a tech weenie, but what was your boot/binding combo, and did you climb and ride in the same boot?
More…
Andy
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:02 am AJ
Yeah! Get up it! I climbed/rode in the Garmont Mega-Rides (A.T. boots) with Bomber TD2 plate bindings–it necessitates a bit of shaving from the boot toe to fit in the TD2 toebail, but it works fine. Another binding option that I’m looking at for this year is the Ibex Speed TC–the lightest plate binding in production and it offers more flex (more forgiving) than the TD2.
It would be trickier to do it in soft snowboard boots, but you might be able to make it work. I’ve heard that some crampons work with soft boots, so as long as you’re diligent about drying the boots out… I’m a pretty big proponent of hardboot riding for snowboard alpinism–they’re lighter, warmer, more responsive, waterproof, and they take crampons more easily. Just my opinion. I actually haven’t ridden soft boots in years.
I also wore 40-Below overboots on summit day. (The Purple Haze model stretches to fit over ski boot cuffs.) It’s wicked cold up there, and on a previous trip without overboots my parther frostbit his toes on summit day. We spent the afternoon rewarming his toes in pots of warm water instead of hitting our line. Bummer.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck up there!
August 27th, 2009 at 2:38 pm Jaime Van Lanen
AJ, I lost your email address and am trying to track you down. I continued making descents in the Alaska Range this last spring and have some questions for you about Denali. Please mail me at xstepx@hotmail.com
Thanks
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm snowboard accessories uk
woohoo i managed to find your blog again. was looking around for ages to try and find these posts hehe