Denali, West Buttress: 5/11- Passey and 5/12 - Postle

AMS teams lead by Mark Postle and Todd Passey are heading back to base camp.  After many days awaiting the weather to clear up in order to reasonably climb to high camp, storms on Denali continue to be uncooperative.

What a crazy season it has been so far.  The spring in Alaska was unusually warm and sunny yet with persistent strong winds, causing stout icy climbing conditions in early and mid May.  Currently, snowstorms are adding to the mix.  From what we hear,  there are very few climbers at high camp and no climbers moving higher from 14,200' currently.

Hopefully the high pressure over the Bering Sea will make it's way to to Alaska soon.

Here's a link to the Noaa Weather site: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/tvwx.php?img=tomorrow

AMS building camp in a storm

And the storm is still coming in, this shows you how fast the weather can move in, and how visibility is effected by it.

I'll bet the teams on their way down have experienced a day or two like this. They sure have earned their chops!