SKUD

It is snowing and graupeling in at Base Camp right now. What does that mean exactly? It means that the planes cannot go into get Postle and his wayward companions. The airtaxis can only fly if they have good visibility. In poor visibility it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between the snow in the sky and the snow on the glacier/runway.

Here a group packs the runway. 44Quebec, TAT Beaver stuck at Base camp waiting for a weather window to get back to town. Pilots do not usually like to get stuck out on the glacier.

If they get too much snow in there, all of the climbers waiting to get a lift out will have to go out onto the runway and pack it out. The pilots like a runway at least 1,500 feet long and about 50 feet wide. With enough people at Base Camp that won't take too long. We have to also pack out runways in all of the other locations we go to. Many of the other locations have few or no other people at and it can take an awfully long time to make an adequate runway.

Keep an eye on the webcam link on the right side of the screen to see when the clouds start to break up. Until then Postle will be stuck in the mountains.

Check this photo out that Leighan's Dad took yesterday of High Camp on the West Buttress and the photo of Denali in the background with some of the smaller Kahiltna peaks in the foreground.

I have not heard what the weather is doing higher up on the mountain. It could be the same or totally different.

rob