Denali Expeditions: Cifelli & Team Remain at Basecamp
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns, Nicole De Petris
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,800'
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 - 2:13 pm PT
Stuck at Basecamp
Today was going to be the day, the start of the trip. The launching point of our grand adventure. We were ready. We had practiced our ice axe arrest, learned how to rig our sleds, and relearned how to use the bathrooms here. The CMCs. We went to bed anxious, ready, and excited. But that’s when the snow started, and kept going. We were socked in a cloud with no sign of any mountains around us and no viable window for a move to our next camp. So we sat and sat and drank coffee waiting for our time to come. When the sun finally showed itself, it was just too warm (I know, shocker) to head out. The biggest crevasses on our climb form on the lower Kahiltna and with the mushy snow from the strong sun/ warming temps plus the variable weather, we stayed at Basecamp. We’ll try again tomorrow to get to the base of Ski Hill, our Camp 1.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
Comments (2)
Hoping the weather holds! Best of luck to the team!
Posted by: Cheryl Goossen on
Hope for good weather.
Posted by: Steven McKinley on