» Back to Articles List

» Follow Alex Shockley, on our website, on his bid to become the youngest to climb the seven summits. Backcountry Safety proudly supports Alex with safety equipment.

Alex going for Denali

Below is a brief plan Alex emailed us about his preparations and ambitions for Denali (or Mount McKinley) up at Alaska. The expedition will take place during the month of June, 2007. Alex Shockley is attempting to become the youngest person to climb the 7 summits - the highest peak on every continent. And here is Alex:

"The next mountain on my 7 summit list is the 20,320ft Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. With the added difficulty brought by the notorious weather and the sensation of being at a much higher elevation due to its latitude, Denali will be the most technical and most challenging mountain yet. My experiences on Rainier, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and Aconcagua have taught me a great deal about high altitude mountaineering and glacier travel, and I feel confident to lead my expedition on a safe and successful trip.

We will be traveling in a team of 4 (with an additional photographer coming with to advanced base camp), and with the ability to travel as 2 independent teams of 2 (or 3) we will be able to move swiftly on the mountain and have several options for summit teams. The original plan was climb on the Muldrow Glacier route, but due to schedule conflicts we have now decided on climbing the West Buttress route. Our itinerary has us arriving at base camp, summiting, and departing base camp in 14 to 15 days, but we are planning on bringing rations for up to 21 days."

Alex climbing in Bolder, CO and preparing for his assault on Denali.

Back to top | Disclaimer | Copyrights