Dave, Chris, Ken, Joe, Bill, Stony & Rob climb Denali in June 2010.
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Rob
Rob Cobb
stormtrails
beckiecovill
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Rob
Rob Cobb
stormtrails
beckiecovill
17,2000 Camp!
I received a call very late last night. TZT2 is at 17,200 camp! They left camp mid-morning carrying all their supplies in the packs. The sleds stay at 14,200 as the route is too steep to pull them. They climbed the fixed lines of the headwall and retrieved the cache at 16,200. A smart move as now they will not have to climb back down to get it today. Dave said everyone was amazed by the views as they traversed the ridge of the West Buttress. One rope team took 7 1/2 hours the other took 9 1/2 to get to camp. They will spend their time resting and eating while they wait for the right weather that will allow them to make a summit attempt. Dave said everyone is feeling great and their spirits are high. Send your positive thoughts and prayers for a safe and successful summit attempt their way. Mountain Trip (a guiding company) offered a great summary of what the fixed lines means on their site
"Fixed lines are put up by the National Park Service to safeguard a particular steep and icy slope, so the team will clip into the rope with ascenders which help safeguard any slips on the ascent or descent. Protection is gear placed in either rock, snow or ice that will allow the rope teams to move together but still stay connected to the mountain should someone take a fall. Learning to efficiently clip through the gear (we call it running pro) in a variety of conditions will help keep everyone safe, conserve movement and keep the move days to a reasonable amount of time." (Thank you
Mountain Trip!)
Posted
by beckiecovill
Comments (4)
As far as I am concerned this is no example of true mountaineering and the behavior is off the scale.
I will be praying that Stony comes back safely and all the others.
My 2 cents
Chuck
There are tough decisions to be made in mountaineering that are incomprehensible if you are not there in the moment. Some don't seem fair or even human. Its the nature of the game! Moving on as a team, or not moving on at all is a fluffy perspective to have, but doesn't realistically exist in the sport of mountaineering. Having been a part of a Summiting Denali climbing team, I understand that within the team, the goal is to get as many members to the top as possible. One must attribute the success of the team to every member, on the summit or not. Sometimes sacrifices must be made to get the rest of the team higher, and those sacrifices must be taken into account when measuring success. This team IS being self sufficient, and they ARE supporting one another. It just looks a bit different to the untrained eye. Stony is still playing a role in this team. It is a lot of work to get to 14,000ft camp and without Stony's hard work, the team wouldn't have gotten there! His hands are still fully in this expedition, the team did not leave him to parish!! Success is getting off the mountain safely, not just getting to the top. If Stony was not in stable condition to wait it out at 14,00ft, I have confidence that the team's decision would have been to retreat as a team to take care of him as necessary. I encourage you to not judge the decisions of these men when you are not there to take into account the whole picture. It is a tough decision to leave a fellow teammate, but I have confidence that the guys are using their heads.
On a lighter note: Guys, I'm glad you all made it safely. I thought the ridge to 17,000 was the second best view behind the summit ridge! Now rest and EAT as much as you can! Be sure to head over to the edge looking down on 14,000 camp and the headwall if its clear. The view is incredible!!! I hope you get your weather window to "Launch all fighters" and swarm the summit!!!!! Praying for your safety and success!
~Sarah
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