» 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 Shockley summits Denali

Note: Happy to hear from Alex again and learning that he summited the highest North American peak - Denali (Mt. McKinley) - that stands 6194 metres above the sea level Backcountry Safety wants to congratulate him on this amazing achievement. More from Alex himself below:

3 down, 4 to go. My climbing partner, Rick Havlak, and I reached the summit of Denali on our 21st day of the expedition, and were off the mountain several days later. The original plan of climbing with a team of four on the Muldrow Glacier fell apart shortly before the climb, and since Rick and I did not feel comfortable with the serious river crossing necessary for the Muldrow route as a team of two, we decided to climb the West Buttress route instead.

Our climb started out according to plan, and it wasn’t until we arrived at advanced basecamp at 14,200ft that we encountered any bad weather. We ended up spending 12 nights at ABC waiting for clear enough weather to move up to high camp, an experience that not only taught us much about patience and storm proofing our camp, but also about sledding and building snow sculptures (to escape the monotony of the day to day routines).

Just as we were beginning to get worried about running out of time, the winds decreased and we were able to move up to high camp and take a shot at the summit. We were blessed with incredible weather on our summit bid, and we were so acclimatized after the two weeks spent at 14,200ft that we were even able to do handstands on the summit.

After returning to and spending the night at high camp, we packed up and moved through the night down the mountain back to basecamp at 7,200ft in one push. Our feet were in pain and we were exhausted, but we had made it to the top and back safely, and we were ready to head home.

This trip taught me a great deal about the importance of planning, patience, and execution.

Planning for all possible problems and disasters, like bringing an extra weeks worth food incase we got held down due to weather, allowed us to stay on the mountain and wait for our weather window.

Remaining patient and not pushing up allowed us to avoid being stuck at high camp in 80mph winds for days on end (as several other teams were), and sure enough the weather lifted and we were given our shot eventually.

Maintaining fitness and keeping spirits high allowed us to take advantage of the opportunities the weather provided us, at which point swift and efficient movement and execution was vital.

Despite strong winds and being held back for weeks at a time, this trip came together very well and inspired in me a lot of confidence about completing the youngest seven summits project.

Back to top | Disclaimer | Copyrights