Bill's Gear List

Back to Bill's Denali 2002 page

Back to Bill's Home Page

This is a list of gear I took on Denali in 2002, updated from my 1998, 1999, and 2000 lists, or think would be useful (along with some snide remarks about gear other people think is useful, but I wouldn't take along). The major sections are Personal Gear (including gear for in-town), Group Gear, and Expendables (mostly for the group). The list isn't a hundred percent complete, but the items omitted are minor miscellaneous things. I will correct and update as I become aware of problems.

Note that these are personal opinions only. I developed the list from previous personal experience on Denali, winter climbs on other mountains, backcountry ski trips, and other climbing trips; lists of suggested gear published in books like the Mckinley Climber's Handbook; lists from several guide services; and comments from people who had been to Denali and other high altitude and arctic treks, with a lot of refining based on my experiences with the gear in use on the mountain. There are a number of items I would change (some indicated) and other brands I might try. Also, all gear, clothing especially, is a matter of personal preference. For example, while Scarpa makes their boots on a last very similar to my foot, others (my son is an example) have a very differently shaped foot. Fit is extremely important for any climb, but even more so when you are wearing the gear for three weeks straight. Finally, keep in mind that gear is constantly evolving, and the weather on the mountain changes from year to year.

I will note that, in the trips where I have used commercial guide services, the guides themselves do not adhere to their own companies' gear lists. To some extent, this is adjustment for conditions on the mountain at the time (warmer or colder than normal year, for example), but to a larger extent reflects personal preferences (perhaps influenced by sponsorships and free gear). In some cases, I find that items included or omitted from recommended gear lists make no sense in view of my actual experience on the mountains, and comparison of one guide service's list to another finds outright contradictions. An example is with Windstopper/Windblock garments. A given guide service list may "forbid" windblock jackets, while at the same time recommending something like Marmot's DriClime, which effectively behaves the same way. It is best to try things out yourself under as similar conditions as possible.

This brings up a point - in warmer mountains (Sierra, Cascades, Rockies), most people bring a change or two of clothing. Weight makes this impractical on expeditions like Denali (my personal gear added up to 44 pounds in 2000, plus snowshoes and what I wore, like boots, first layer of long johns, and shells - add group gear, food, fuel, and so on). If you manage your layers properly, you won't get your clothes wet with sweat, especially using current wicking and synthetic materials. Generally, the weather is so cold and low humidity, you are unlikely to get clothing wet from the snow. In addition, since the cold weather reduces the amount of sweating, the stench builds up more slowly. When I was in the Southeastern US, the 90-90 heat and humidity would build body odor in clothes to unbearable levels in half a day. On Denali, it took almost 10 days to reach this same level (only 2 days for the socks, however, so you just dry them each night and cycle among your 3 or 4 pairs, with a clean set in reserve for summit day, or use VBLs to eliminate the wetting of your heavy socks, with the wicking liners drying pretty quickly). Foot powders help a lot in reducing the stench of socks when you have to sit in the tent for several days at a time, but are not a cure-all. Be sure to have a "civilized" set of clothing to change into when you return to Talkeetna and take your shower, as well as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, dental floss, etc..

Mark all your personal gear with some distinctive markings BEFORE the trip. A laundry pen works well on all cloth and will not harm nylon or Goretex (Blue Water's "rope marking pen" is just a regular laundry marking pen). The metallic paint pens work well for marking water bottles, snowshoes,skis, and some of your metal climbing gear, but rubs off easily if the gear is subject to much handling. Colored tape works for carabiners and such (use some distinctive combination of 3 colors of tape), or use small spots of paint or nail polish in a spot which will not wear off easily. Even with distinctive markings, you should count on coming back with less gear than you went on the mountain (particularly carabiners - on every expedition, I have come up short at least one carabiner, two on the Denali 2002 trip).
 

For Carrying and Sorting the Gear

• Dana Terraplane OK (large) - The combination of top loading with side zips works very well. I removed the top pocket for summit day, which cuts the weight of this too heavy (but very comfortable) pack. The Terraplane X is much the same but about a pound lighter. It didn't appear until a year after I got the OK. I did not take the beavertail in 2000 or 2002, using straps on the daisy chain instead.
• Eagle Creek large wheeled duffel (to fit Terraplane, snowshoes, hiking poles, ice ax, and crampons for checked airline travel. After several expeditions struggling with a non-wheeled duffel in airports, I find the wheeled duffel to be much easier to maneuver. It doesn't work on the sleds, however, so you have to leave it in Talkeetna)
• OR large duffel (for use on sled, packed empty and rolled in wheeled duffel)
• Several large ditty bag/stuff sacks (to store gear in tent, caches. You will probably leave stuff at Basecamp, 11,000, and 14,000, so have a large enough bag to leave at each cache, lined with a large plastic garbage bag for waterproofness).
• Several small ditty bags (to store gear in tent, caches)
• Compression stuff sacks for down gear - also helps with some of the pile gear, but not as much.
• Large plastic garbage bags (3, use for liners in bags left in caches, cover pack left outside, store boots inside tent, store boot liners when in sleeping bag, etc.). Trash compactor bags are much more sturdy and may be preferable to standard garbage bags.
• Small duffel (fit under seat on plane, contains must-have gear to reduce last minute purchases if checked bags are lost)
• Lowe Attack 40 day pack (for on plane, contains in-town gear, paperwork, etc.)
• Assortment of straps for attaching gear to pack and holding foam pad in roll.

Sleeping

• Sleeping bag - Feathered Friends Ptarmigan, 800+ down, 4 ounce overfill, rated at -40F, Driloft outer, 1.6 ounce ripstop inner. I found this bag to be almost too warm, but this is a personal preference question.
• Compression stuff sack - Integral Designs medium (absolutely vital to fit sleeping bag in the pack. See also down parka and pants). I prefer the ID to Granite Gear or other brands.
• 3/4 length Thermarest Classic - and Thermarest repair kit. The Classic has denser foam than others in the Cascade Designs line, and is rated for colder weather than their Guide Lite, for example, although a couple ounces heavier. You should have a couple repair kits in the group, since you are likely to have at least one leak during the trek.
• Full length "blue foam" pad - $5 from WalMart, used in "chair" cover as chair at meals and in tent, and under Thermarest for sleeping
• "chair" cover for full length pad - took this in 1999, omitted in 2000 and 2002. Although it adds weight, I have found it extremely nice on backcountry treks.
• VBL sleeping bag liner - Integral Designs. If you like VBLs in your sleeping bag, it does boost the bag warmth and keeps your down bag drier. Also, the ID VBL can be used as a very light (5 ounce) bivy sack.
• Small foam pad for sitting on when resting or in cook area when you don't want the full chair. Used full length foam pad in cook area in 2002.

Clothing

• Feet
• Boots - double plastic - Scarpa Inverno. These fit me very well, but others tell me they find other brands fit them better. I used the regular liners in 1998-2000, but got Intuition thermofit liners for 2002. I found the Intuitions to be warmer and a lot more comfortable, although I did not need the extra warmth.
• Socks
• Wicking liners - 2 pair medium, 3 pair light, mixed brands
• VBL - Integral Design. VBL's work very well for me. I use them for most of my tele skiing. They keep my outer heavy socks dry and reduce the inevitable foot stench from plastic boots to a large extent (changes of socks and foot powder still are vital!)
• heavy outer - 3 pair Smartwool Expedition (reserved 1 pair heavy and 1 pr liner for summit day, to insure having dry, clean set)
• Overboots - OR Brooks Rangers. In past years, I had used Wild Time overboots, but got the ORs when the Wild Times wore out. The Wild Time work well with the Sabretooth and F2 stepin crampons, but even with a lot of trimming of the foam, the ORs proved problematic for the step- ins. I ended up taking my Grivel G12 Newmatics instead. Most overboots do not have "non-skid" bottoms and are very slippery on snow and ice. The "non-slip" spray from Thermarest is said to help, but it might be good to look for rubber strips on the bottoms of overboots. Overboots with the booties as liners were very nice in the higher camps to let boots and socks dry out and were more comfortable for sitting and walking around.
• Gaiters - OR Pro Expedition. I found the "large" ORs were not big enough around to fit over either my Invernos or T2s (tele boots), but the Expeditions do fit.
• Booties - CampMor Primaloft. These were very nice around camp. The synthetic (Primaloft) does not hold moisture like down would. I have down booties to compare with that I have used on BC ski trips. The synthetic is better, since you are likely to be trying to dry out damp socks with your bodyheat. For 2002, I did not take the booties, using my Intuition boot liners instead. The booties would have been preferable for sitting in the tent and around camp at 14k and 17k, especially since they breather enough to have allowed damp socks to dry more rapidly.
• Torso
• Wicking layer (also provides insulation)
• Coolmax t-shirt (1) - Coolmax is a wicking material.
• light poly long john top (1) - Campmor, white (also served as hot day shirt)
• midweight poly long john top zip turtleneck (1) - Campmor. I switched to this from 11,000 up, on this year and 2000.
• expedition wt long john top (1) - Campmor, white. I wore this on summit day.
• Coolmax underpants - these were used with the long johns, but left off when I switched to the Powerstretch, since they don't work well with the Wizip.
• light long john bottom (1) - Campmor, white (also served as hot day pant, when combined with shorts)
• Patagonia midweight bottoms - this model has a "bomb-bay" fly that works reasonably well with the Marmot Power Stretch with the Wizip. They only appear occasionally in the Pata catalog, although you can call Pata's phone order desk and get them.
• expedition wt long john bottom (1) - Campmor, white. It was never cold enough for these this year.
• one piece suit - Marmot Power Stretch (with Wizip, torso vents, sleeveless, for skin layer on coldest days - but use the zipper cautiously, or you will catch tender skin, or use with the Patagonia "bomb bay" long johns). I highly recommend the Wizip or other through-the-crotch zipper setup, especially when you need to use the latrine on stormy days - keeps your nether cheeks somewhat protected, better than rainbow seat zips that leave your whole rear end exposed to the elements.
• Nylon shorts - worn over long johns when not wearing bibs, such as on hottest days on glacier
• Insulating
• Poly jacket - Marmot Alpinist (with pit zips). At rest stops, you often do not want to remove your shell to put on an extra layer, so I suggest considering a windblocker jacket, to be put on over your shell. Marmot's Driclime, Schoeller jackets, or similar "windshirts" from Patagonia and others seemed to work well for others.
• Primaloft-filled jacket - Integral Designs Dolomiti, Marmot Alpinist Sweater, or similar. I did not bring this in 2000 or 2002, but wished I had this instead of my poly jacket.
• Down parka - Marmot 8000 meter jacket (worn over all other layers at highest camps, has Driloft shell)
• Compression stuff sack - Integral Designs small - vital to get the down stuff in the pack. The 8000 meter jacket and FF down pants both stuffed inside this sack.
• Pile pants - Marmot Alpinist, with full side zip. I took this in 1998-2000, but not in 2002, using my Feathered Friends Volant instead.
• Down pants - Feathered Friends Volant, with full side zip. Never used these, although I took them on summit day.
• Water/windproof - I prefer a 2-piece arrangement for treks like Denali, although some people like one-piece suits. I find one-piece suits (like my powder skiing suit) to be problematic when there is a large temperature range to adjust to.
• Goretex parka - Marmot Alpinist III
• Goretex bibs - Marmot Alpinist 3-layer. Nice upgrade from my old Marmot Alpinist bibs - somewhat lighter weight, handy map pocket on the leg, "security" pocket in the front pocket, velcro on leg side zips allows better venting of the legs on the inevitable hot days on the lower glaciers. But the front pocket seemed a bit smaller.
• Hands
• Light liner gloves (4 pair) - REI purple poly. These are stored in various locations for quick access, and in case they get lost or worn out. They are used all the time, and do get worn out. Count on wearing out one or two pair during the trek (I went through 3 pair in 2002).
• Pile liner gloves (2 pair) - Marmot Windbloc and Manzella pile - these were almost my main working gloves
• Shells from modular gloves - Black Diamond. Goretex shells. These have an expedition liner, but I did not take the liners in any year.
• Modular mittens, expedition weight - OR. It never got cold enough for mittens on any of my trips to Denali, but these were all June trips. In addition, I tend to have much warmer hands and feet than most people. An early May trip or colder than usual year would see cold enough temperatures, and there are a large number of people who get frostbite even in June and July.
• Goretex Shell
• Heavy pile liner - never got cold enough for these. Interestingly, the guide service's first list called for a spare liner pair, but their later list did not. The guides said to only take one pair of liners. It was never anywhere near cold enough to use the heavy liners mittens in any of the years I was on Denali.
• Medium pile liner mittens - took these in previous years, but not this year.
• Head
• Sun hat (baseball-style cap with removable wicking neck shade - Sequel)
• Windbloc peruvian-style cap - OR. Some people find that windblock caps and balaclavas cut down on hearing to an objectionable level, although I have not found this a problem.
• Light balaclava - military surplus - Some people just used a bandanna to cut the wind chill/freeze of the nose, which seemed to give freer breathing while providing enough protection.
• Heavy balaclava (Mountain Hardware) - the nose and mouth design seems to allow relatively free breathing. This balaclava has mesh over the ears, which allows unrestricted hearing.
• Face mask - "Seirus" brand (used this a couple times when sleeping to keep my nose warm, and as a neck warmer, but rarely as a face mask)

Eating

• Snow Peak titanium "spork" (spoon/fork combination) (several people used lexan or other plastic spoons - I had to laugh at a couple people who cut the handles off their lexan spoons - save a fraction of an ounce while carrying packs that weigh 7 or 8 pounds empty and have probably a pound or two of unused straps).
• 1 pint insulated cup - Aladdin
• lexan bowl
• Nalgene lexan 1 liter water bottle (2)
• OR foam cover insulator for water bottle (2) - even with the cover, you need to keep the bottle in your sleeping bag overnight at low temperatures, or inside your parka or buried in other insulating gear in your pack on summit day.
• Nissan 0.5 liter thermos - not all thermoses keep water warm adequately in low temperatures. By experiment, I have found that the Nissan 0.5 liter and 1 liter stainless thermoses will keep water warm for more than 24 hours, starting with boiling water (100C, 212F), with an outside temperature of 0F.
• Camelbak and other hydration kits - most of these are difficult or impossible to keep from freezing in the temperatures encountered above about 11k on Denali. There are insulated models, and there are techniques for keeping the contents liquid. Before you take any bladder setup, be sure you have tried it out on multi-day backcountry trips, where the temperatures are in the subzero range, not just for a day of skiing at some resort
• Lighters and matches - everyone in the party should have 2 new lighters and a box of "windproof" matches. The standard Bic lighters work well enough if you keep them warm in a pocket. "Storm" lighters do not work above 15,000 feet (some do not work above 10,000 feet). Be aware that some airlines do not allow you to take matches or lighters on board, so you should plan on buying them locally.

Climbing

• Black Diamond Blizzard harness - make sure you have enough range to adjust for a single light layer of clothing (lower glacier) through full insulation (for summit day). Also, check for "nature's call" accessability - drop seat, fly access, etc. - you do not want to be undoing the harness in crevasse territory.
• Black Diamond Arclight ice ax - The leash is a personal preference, although guides and guide services may dictate waist length or wrist length. I often do not use the loop when hiking and prefer a wrist loop on steeper terrain over a sling tethered to my harness.
• Crampons - Grivel G-12 Newmatic. I did not have antiballing plates for these, despite having found they worked very well at keeping the balling of snow to a minimum on my Sabertooths in 1999 and 2000. I had fairly serious problems from Motorcycle Hill through the 14,000 foot camp (roughly 11,200 feet through 14,200 feet). From 14,000 up, it was cold enough that balling was not much of a problem. Those in the group with antiball plates had very little problem. My opinion is that the 2 or 3 ounces extra weight is more than worth it in terms of safety, comfort, and the much lesser amount of weight collected on the bottom of the boot. The big advantages of the Newmatics were the ease with which they went on the OR overboots and the spring-loaded adjustment (no bolts and nuts to lose when changing sizes to accomodate bare boots vs. overboots).
• Crampon wrench and spare bolts and nuts, if your crampons need to be adjusted in size when putting on overboots.
• Crampon cover - OR, plus straps to hold onto pack. This will be left in one of the lower caches.
• Slings
• Short Spectra slings (2, 4-foot shoulder length)
• Spectra Daisy Chain
• Cordelet (2) - should have these in group gear
• Prussick set (waist, pack, leg, "texas kick" style, plus a couple of spare medium length) You need the loops, even if you will be using mechanical ascenders for crevasse rescue.
• Carabiners
• Locking, Munter type. I took 2 Petzl William spinball and 3 Petzl Attache screw- lock, and had all in use at times, between the rope, sled, and rescue ascenders.
• Ovals (6 Chouinard, but needed more)
• Large bent-gate D for use on fixed lines. There are two very different approaches to fixed line safety. In both approaches, your party is roped together, and each individual uses an ascender for primary safety on the fixed line. At each anchor, the ascender is moved around the anchor. For safety at the anchor, one approach is to use a carabiner on a sling to your harness to slide freely between anchors (a fall will be stopped at the next lower anchor, which means during the ascender shift process, you go only a short distance). The other is to place carabiners at each anchor, running your climbing rope through the carabiner. In either approach, the fixed line with its chain of anchors acts as one safety line, while your climbing rope and your companions act as the other. For running belays, your climbing rope is passed through the carabiner at each picket or sling anchor. Practice quick-clips to pass your knot at the anchor without completely unclipping, using your heaviest mitts. The large bent-gate D is easier to move with gloves or mitts.
• Belay/Rappel device (ATC)
• Petzl Ascension - 2 for use in crevasse rescue, but only need 1 for headwall fixed ropes. Make sure your ascenders will work on icey lines, since the fixed lines on the headwall and at Washburn's Thumb are frequently iced up. I used a Jumar ascender in 1999 and and found it could barely grip the iced rope. Some people prefer using ascenders for crevasse rescue, others prefer prussick knots which can be left on the climbing rope all the time.
• Snowshoes - Atlas 1033. Check that your bindings fit your boots.
• Ski poles - Black Diamond Expedition FlicLoc. Wrap duct tape around the poles near the top for potential use in repairs of gear and clothes during the trip. The Whippet top does not offer an advantage, since in areas you might use it, you are using your ice ax anyway. If you are descending steeper areas on skis (for example, Rescue Gully or Messner Couloir), then arrest poles would be useful.
• Skis - These are used by many parties, but require extra weight (boots, skins, the skis themselves). Skis may (or may not) be somewhat safer when crossing snow bridges on the lower glacier. Although I am an "advanced to expert" skier, skiing with a heavy pack and sled and while roped is awkward at best. It takes much practice with your rope partners to do this well. Ski Hill is about the slope of a beginner's run at a typical resort, but Motorcycle Hill (above the 11,000 foot camp) is sufficiently steep that, slow as they are, snowshoes are more efficient. Before deciding on skis, try them out extensively roped together with 2 or more similarly laden partners, with a 60 to 70 pound pack and 40 or so pound sled, especially on sidehill traverses with narrow tracks. If possible, try this in windy whiteout conditions (winds at least 30 knots). Rounding Windy Corner often involves the sled swinging sideways down the slope below you. If you are not expecting it and are not well practiced in holding the swinging sled, you can end up in one of the rather sizeable crevasses so common on Alaskan glaciers. On the plus side, skis do offer somewhat more safety when crossing hidden crevasses (up to the ski length wide, if crossing orthogonally, but no safer if you turn parallel to the slot). And they can offer more rapid transport down the mountain at the end of your trip. But I must note that a party of skiers left the 11,000 foot camp before we did on snowshoes and did not get to KIA until a couple hours after we had arrived there.

Photographic

My normal camera gear is Nikon SLRs with mostly Nikkor prime lenses, but some top-quality third-party zooms. I usually don't take the F2 on climbs, using the FM with a Tokina 24-70 zoom. I keep a UV filter on it and often add a polarizer (linear for you autofocus users who have to use circular polarizers). I do carry the F2 on backpacks, and use the FM with a motordrive for skiing. I also often carry a Nikon Actiontouch, fully waterproof to 10 meters, when I know there will be a lot of rain or wet snow, or in whitewater. It's reasonable for climbs, but you are limited to a 35mm focal length and much too much automation. I don't backpack the 4x5 view camera these days, even though I used to.

What I actually took (and worked well) was --

• Camera - Pentax IQZoom 928. This is an overly automated point and shoot zoom (28mm to 90 mm) with a few overide features (selective focus lock, several flash modes, exposure offset in 1/2 stop steps, and some others). A bit of a comedown for one used to using Nikons with prime lenses and view cameras, but at 15 ounces, it works pretty well for memory shots. Even though it doesn't take filters, the pictures work pretty well on climbs (yes, I could use duct tape to attach a polarizer). You need to keep the camera warm, but handy. This means under your parka or in the chest pocket of your bibs, ready to pull out. The Pentax is easy to pull out, switch on, point in the general direction, shoot, and stuff back in the pocket with one hand. When turned on, it is zoomed out to the widest setting (28mm), so you don't have to be too accurate in pointing. You may have to do drastic cropping later, but that isn't critical for web pictures. As a point and shoot, it is normally simple enough to hand to someone to get a photo of yourself. However, the "panorama" shot of me on the summit resulted from the person I handed the camera to wondering what this "P" next to the on-off button was and turning the ring. So I ended up with about 5 "panorama" shots before I discovered it had been re-set.
• Film - 6 rolls (36 exp), Kodak E200 Ektachrome Professional (ISO 200). This is a lower-contrast professional slide film that worked well for the high-contrast snow scenes. Photos in the 2002 Denali page were all shot on this film, although some electronic editing has been done on some of them (mostly removing dust spots). This is something like 8 to 10 pictures a day, which is enough if you are judicious in your shooting (or have studied with Ansel Adams, as I did). I would probably plan on 15 to 20 shots per day, though.
• Spare battery for camera - probably won't need it if you start with a fresh battery
• Electronic cameras - these are getting better, and smaller and lighter. However, the resolution of most of them remains significantly poorer than even the simplest zoom-lens point and shoot film cameras. It is probably adequate for a web page (the images on my page were resampled down to roughly 200x300 pixels, or 60 kilopixels, so I could get enough of them on the limited web space available to me). The major problem, though, is that batteries suffer in cold climates, and there are condensation and other cold-associated problems. One person on the 2002 trek had an electronic camera that failed several times, but did function when warmed up by putting it inside his jacket for a while. My Minolta Dimage X is small enough that I could have kept it warm inside my bib pouch, but I cannot recommend electronic cameras for Denali at this time.

Entertainment

• AM-FM radio - Sony Walkman model which uses a single AA cell battery (1 lithium AA cell lasted the entire trip). Reception of FM stations is very good at the 14,200 and 17,200 foot camps.
• Books - Others took the usual assortment of trashy novels, 007, Tom Clancy, and others. I usually do not feel like reading at altitude during storms.
• Games - cards, small chess set - didn't take any, but there were a couple of decks of cards on the trip
• Amateur radio handheld - Yaesu VX5R - 5 watt triband (6m, 2m, 70 cm), receives AM, FM, aircraft, SW, other bands). I did not take the handheld in 2002, although I had many successful contacts from 14,000 up in previous years. Communication on the mountain, however, is by CB, channel 19, rather than ham radio. CB handhelds remain fairly large and use batteries rapidly. There is some use of FRS and GMRS, but this is very limited due to the very limited capabilities of these modes and is not used by the NPS or air taxi service.
• Cell phone - Rumor has it that cell phone calls can be made from various places on the mountain. I was able to get a signal from a local cell company that refused to recognize my supposedly all-inclusive roaming and long distance plan, but offered at exorbitant cost to charge to my credit card, make a collect call, or arrange a temporary activation. At 14,000 ft, I got an indicated strong digital signal from my own carrier, but was unable to get a call through. A few people did complete calls on other carriers.
• Wind speed meters - Brunton Sherpa (altimeter, barometer, wind speed, max wind speed, average speed, wind chill, temperature).
• Log book - keep your memories and records. Remember pencil and pen (ones that will write at 0F). The logs made from waterproof paper are more durable.

Personal Food

Some expeditions and guide services provide all food, including snacks. Most suggest you provide your own favorite snacks, and at least one guide service requires you to provide all your own lunches and snacks. Frequent snacking and hydration helps keep your energy up. Some suggested snacks are:

• GU or other similar energy gel - this proved literally a life saver, when we were able to provide a quick glucose fix during our little medical incident.
• Electrolyte replacement drink mix - Ed Gookin's Hydrolyte ERG or similar.
• Your own version of GORP or trail mix
• Hard candies
• Energy bars (most guide services provide these in quantity)
• Dry salami
• Jerky (I prefer turkey jerky)
• Dried fruit

If you have special preferences in beverages, you might want to bring:

• Herbal teas
• Green tea
• Hot cider mix
• Hot cocoa (never too much for me!)
• Special coffees (bring your own filter funnel, but the little expresso makers are a bit heavy, and you might not get the use of the stove in the group).

Miscellaneous

• Eyeglasses - or contacts and contact care kit. Spare pair if you are blind without them
• Pocket knife - Swiss Army Super Tinker. Some people carried Leatherman or similar.
• Extra batteries - several lithium AAs, plus spare lithium for the camera and spare lithium for Suunto Vector altimeter watch.
• Sun block and lip balm - This is extremely important. I saw many parties with badly burned faces. Burned and chapped lips make drinking and eating very uncomfortable. I had a bunch of bottles and sticks stashed in various pockets in clothes and the pack. Lotions tend to be a problem when it gets cold, while sticks still work (but need to be rubbed in to even them up.
• Coolmax bandanna (2) - serves as towel, sunshield, handkerchief, cap, etc.
• Sunglasses
• regular prescription glasses - photogrey, to act as sunglasses
• Glacier glasses - Julbo Glacier (prescription from Opticus in Boulder, CO). These must have side shields. Mine are 8 percent visual transmission, which is a bit dark during whiteouts and the 10PM-6AM twilight hours. But you want this much blockage during most of the day when it is cloudless.
• Backup glacier glasses - Julbo Sherpa, also with side shields.
• Ski goggles - Bolle with prescription inserts (from Opticus in Boulder)
• Nose cover - Cebe brand
• Navigation
• Compass - Silva (Sweden) Ranger (has a clinometer in it)
• Maps - USGS inch-to-mile quads, laminated back to back, plus one custom-generated with MapTech's National Park series of CDROMs
• Altimeter - I took both my Avocet and Suunto Vector. A Thommens mechanical (27,000 foot model) does not depend on batteries, and has all the functionality needed for navigation.
• GPSR - Garmin 12Map, loaded with Denali maps from Garmin's MapSource Topo (Not needed for navigation, but good entertainment, IF you really know how to use it properly - my profession includes work with the GPS. Can be useful for finding caches or even for navigation if you are genuinely knowledgeable in its use and limitations)
• Grooming
• Toothbrush (toothpaste for in town; only need mechanical action of brushing plus floss on mountain)
• Comb
• Dental floss (also for repair)
• personal toilet paper supply - a new, full roll or two
• Repair kit - needles, thread (also use dental floss), safety pins, duct tape
• Personal first aid kit - personal medications (you may need to carry these inside your parka to keep from freezing), acetominophen or NSAIDS, bandaids, blister treatment, Ace bandage, cough drops.
• Pulse-Ox - This expensive device measures oxygen saturation percentage and pulse rate. If you know how to interpret it, it provides a measure of your acclimatization (waking pulse rate is a good indicator of this), and can in the proper hands provide information for certain medical problems. The NPS rangers and medical people and many guides carry these. Like all electronic devices, it is too easy to become obsessed with reading this instrument and all too easy to misunderstand what it is telling you.
• Chemical hand or footwarmers - These are handy for warming your boot liners on summit day. If you have to sit for a week at 17,200 as we did in 1999 and 2000, you may get several false starts, or get up to Denali Pass and have to turn back, then make a second or third attempt. So you should take several sets of these, just in case (or just take plastic bags and keep your boot liners in your sleeping bag with you). I have never used these personally, except as a way of heating butane cartridges of stoves in subfreezing weather.
• 20 feet or more of parachute cord
• Ear plugs - lots of people snore (or snore more loudly) at altitude.
• Eye covers - Alaska has 24 hours of light during the Denali climbing season. If you need a mask, take one.
• Pee bottle - vital for overnight in tent. Allow adequate capacity. One liter is minimum. The bottle should be of distinctive shape and markings to avoid confusion with water bottles and other containers (I use one of square cross-section). Women will also want a pee funnel.
• Flashlight - not needed, since it is light 24 hours a day during May, June, and July.

In town (Anchorage hotel or B&B; Talkeetna bunk house, hotel, hostel, Road House)

• "dress" pants, shirt, underwear, shoes, hat
• sleeping clothes (especially if you share a room or stay in a hostel or bunkhouse)
• "hut slippers"
• swim suit (at hotel)
• exercise clothes (shorts, t-shirt, sweats, running shoes - some hotels have exercise rooms, or you may want to go running when off the hill)
• toothpaste, shampoo, towel, razor

• Shelter - consider building snow caves or igloos at camps above 14,200 feet, both for storm shelter and bolt hole, and to continue exercising on days waiting for good weather to summit.
• Sleeping tents
• Cook tent
• Cooking
• Stoves - include spare stoves, since at least one will fail at a critical time. Also, be sure to consider the possibility of getting the party split at some point. Airlines have varying restrictions on stoves and empty fuel bottles, with at least one major carrier into Anchorage confiscating even brand new stoves from checked luggage. Check with the airline ahead of time. You may need to arrange to ship your stoves and fuel bottles via UPS or the Post Office.
• Pots - think about sizes needed for melting snow as well as cooking.
• Utensils for cooking (large spoons, pot grips, etc.)
• Stove overhaul kits - in 3 or more weeks on the mountain, you have a high probability of needing to do at least one stove overhaul.
• Sleds - kiddie sleds are available for loan at Base Camp from the air taxi operators. I prefer the rigid pole sleds, such as the Mountainsmith or the ones I build myself.
• Group First Aid kit - this needs to be thoroughly equipped, including prescription drugs. Check books on Wilderness First Aid, like Eric Weiss', Paul Auerbach's, or the Wilderness Medical Society-National Safety Council collaboration. Include any needed prescription medications, such as Diamox or dexamethasone.
• Climbing
• Ropes
• Pickets
• Ice screws
• Flukes
• Carabiners
• Flags, wands (get the bamboo stakes from your local garden shop, and make your own unique flagging) - you may need 100-200
• Avalanche probes (use also for marking caches)
• Slings
• Ice tools (hammers - not needed for climbing on the West Buttress, but will be useful for easy placement of pickets, flukes, and screws for protection, and in case of rescues and other emergencies - one per rope in the party)
• Shovels - for making tent platforms, cooking area, latrines, snow for melting, wind walls
• Small plastic (to collect snow for melting - this can be a metal shovel, but be sure the "water" shovel is not the same as the "latrine" shovel or vice versa - designate one shovel for each purpose for the entire trip. Note that aluminum shovels often shed paint chips - unappetizing at the least in your drinking water and food)
• Backcountry aluminum
• Grain scoops - these large shovels can move a lot of snow at a time.
• Steel bladed shovel - you will encounter ice layers which are too strong for any prying with aluminum and plastic blades
• Snow saws (pruning saws work well for this, used for cutting blocks for wind walls, igloos, etc. Climbing shops in Alaska sell a variety of pruning saws for cutting blocks)
• CB Radio - this is used to communicate with the NPS, other parties on the mountain, and receiving the daily weather reports at 8PM (transmitted by Kahiltna Base Camp)

• Fuel - this must be used for melting snow for water as well as cooking. A good rule of thumb for "add boiling water" food is 1.5 to 2 ounces of fuel per person per day to boil the liquid water. Depending on efficiency of stoves and your cooking style, inclusion of melting snow can boost this to somewhere between 6 ounces per person per day, up to as much as a liter per person per day. It is important to stay well hydrated (recommendations under conditions encountered on Denali are typically 6 to 8 liters of fluid per person per day, which will require around 8 to 16 ounces of fuel to melt, the higher numbers if you have to use the stoves in the open at sub-zero temperatures). If you are reasonably efficient in your fuel usage, 8 ounces per person per day should suffice (9 gallons for a party of 6 for a typical West Buttress climb). Part of your preparation should be measuring fuel usage on some cold snow camping and climbing treks. You will have to buy your fuel on the mountain, since the FAA prohibits carrying flammables on passenger flights. You arrange this fuel purchase with your air taxi service. In general, only white gas is available. The Park Service will check how many fuel cans you take from Basecamp and how many you bring back (part of the trash reduction program).
• Matches, lighters, and other devices for lighting your stove - remember that your airline to Alaska may restrict these items on your person or in baggage.
• Food - plan on 25 or more days to allow for waiting out weather. Fresh foods (such as salads, yogurt, meats) are practical for the first few days (at the Kahiltna Base Camp, for example), but are too heavy to carry far up the mountain. Look for foods that require little cooking (freeze dry will still require some cooking at altitude, due to the lowered boiling temperature and speed with which hot water cools). Energy bars are an efficient way to get lots of calories in compact form, but 3 weeks of a half dozen energy and candy bars a day will become hard to stomach (literally).
• Sanitary
• Plastic bags
• for human waste at camps where there are no latrines (some groups use quart or gallon ziplock bags for each person rather than group latrines with large garbage bags)
• for bagging garbage
• for packing individual lunch portions, especially for summit day
• Toilet paper - use ziplock bags to carry used toilet paper off the mountain.
• Hand sanitizer lotion - since it is difficult to wash hands under climbing conditions, this will reduce the risk of contamination of food
• Baby wipes - to help staying clean.

Back to Bill's Denali 2002 page

Back to Bill's Home Page