Absolutely amazing. I have read many mountaineering books in my day, but I really felt like I was there during this climb. I don't believe in my prime (about 40 years ago) I could have made it to the summit, but it was exciting watching this and dream that it might have been me in the group. I've seen Denali from a visit to Alaska a couple of years ago, but it was not in my face like this. Great job with the video (easy on the music next time though).
I just started to learn about mountain climbing, moving from Indianapolis to Seattle. I plan to ascend Mount Rainier in 2021 before I turn 57 on July 29th. I cannot comprehend what you guys went through to do this climb, yet. Thanks for sharing.
What a great job you did - editing, great music accompanying the different parts of the climb -- it was absolutely amazing for me. I felt like I tagged along! Thank you for creating this for everyone to enjoy.❤️
This one sat in my watch later list for a long time but was worth the wait. Congratulations on an awesome documentary of your achievement. We passed each other somewhere on the mountain - I flew in May 31 with an RMI group. We had the opposite of you - beautiful weather for a week up to 14 camp, then very cold storms and wind and descended after waiting at 17 camp for a weather break that never came. Thanks for sharing your video.
Fantastic video! I'm going to be climbing Rainier with Alpine Ascents next year after I finish the PCT. Then Denali. This was a breathtaking preview. Thanks!
You're soo lucky. Most times you can't even see the mountain because of the clouds, but you guys got to play on it. However, we did the four hour bus tour thing and saw 13 bears. And I did get to see it without clouds from waaaaay far away, and when we were in Fairbanks, it was anchorage temps and we stayed in this awesome tiny inn with the most luxurious showers. Akaska is fun.
Greetings, Gene Walker! Great video. The music from my channel fits perfectly into the landscapes that you have met in your truly epic climb to the mountains of Denali. I'm very glad that my music came up for your video. I wish you success in achieving your future goals.
Hi Kevin. The guide is Vern Tejas, certainly worth a lookup on Wikipedia. He is a living legend of mountaineering. He has also just released a book titled "Seventy Summits" which I have not yet read. He and his guiding team made our Denali adventure safe and enjoyable. My family and friends in Australia really enjoyed the nightly cybercasts.
Absolutely amazing coverage!! I was searching for footage/media of my brother's climb for a project...ugh, how I wish he had been in your group!! Spectacular!!
I found Denali to be harder to climb than Mt. Everest... Used oxygen on both... Still have all my toes and fingers... Thank God for the Sherpas... There is no trip without them... Took care of them just like they took care of me... 💖🙏
@19:34 geezuz that looked like a frozen claw! What the hell was that? Thoroughly enjoyed tagging along. I lost all my toes to frostbite many moons ago and don't think mountaineering is in the cards for me, so thanks for sharing!
Hi Laura. Sorry to hear about your frostbite. I think what you are referring to is a pastry with icing. Inside the red tent everything has a red colour cast. Glad you enjoyed.
Lucas - glad it was of value. I put the video together for my family and other climbing members. It was Vern (head guide and climbing legend) who convinced me to put it on TH-cam so that others could benefit. Hope you have a successful expedition.
Was anyone surprised that the Hollywood producer crapped out? Had it been the photographer I would have been surprised. Those guys are amazing. Not only are they doing the climbing, but they are also dealing with all the non-essential camera gear to get good photos. I wish more documentaries would be made about the men behind the extreme footage. Like that guy who got the snow leopard footage of a mom, her cub, and a hunt spent like 6 months in a small box alone in the mountains to get a few minutes of footage. That is really really hard core.
Great video! Its hard enough climbing this beast, but dealing with camera's and video is NOT as easy as you make it look. I climbed this route in '96 and only had 35mm to shoot with. It seems your team didn't go nuts building tall snow block walls around camp and digging out fancy cook kitchens? Probably smart because we spent a ton of energy at 7 camps doing that. We were pinned down in the ice cave above the fixed lines at 16,200' for 3 nights with a severe high altitude storm. Summit day was a white out and we submitted in a lenticular cap. scary as all get out walking that narrow ridge just below the peak and we never got a view. So thanks for the memories!!
Your 96 climb sounds like an epic which you will certainly not forget. Three nights at the top of 16,200 fixed lines would have been hell. Glad you got something out of the video. It was all captured from my GoPro. I was amazed at the final results. Climb safe.
Yes! 3 nights totally pinned down in a cramped snow cave was brutal. The cave only fit half the team so we also had two tents pitched out on the ridge. We were constantly going out to shore up the snow block walls and repairing snapped tent poles as the winds were over 100mph sustained. And I loved seeing how your team couldn't get around Windy Corner on the carry day due to the winds. Windy Corner was the coldest I got on the entire trip
Great video Gene! And congratz! One of the best. Learned a lot and enjoyed that you took the time to really show video other than inside tents and the summit. My goal is summit within 4 years.
Hi Michael. The yellow animated maps were created from the then Suunto watch software. I climbed with a Suunto Ambit 3 peak watch. I think the software is now obsolete however the Suunto website www.suunto.com/en-au/partners/relive/ uses Relive to produce the small movie animations. My friend uses Relive and it is very similar. I hope this proves useful. Good climbing.
I want to do this badly... Why? Because... It's there Because I am damn near 40 and haven't done shit notable in my life. Because I don't have any good stories. Because I'm fat and out of shape. Because it'd better to die trying than not at all
Try eblrus, it's one of the safest climbs if you got a good guide and should be doable even for you... I was born close to Georgia and did the tour first when I was 17... Try to start with something easy, if you like it you can go for harder mountains :)you can also try Swiss Alps in Wallis, there are so many destinations even for beginners beginners, and many 4k+ mountains
That “or die trying” or “or lose a finger” mentality is bullshit. I’ve had frost nip and it sucked. Painful at first and afterward I lost feeling in my toe for about 10 weeks.
@@vince-367 I'd be ready to bet that you haven't done anything noticeable in your life either let him accomplish his dream even if it seems unrealistic
Harambe Games actually, Everest doesn’t even have as good views. From Denali’s base to summit (prominence), it is over 20,000 feet. Meaning you can see 20,000 feet below. On Everest, it is less than 15k. Denali is so good because there aren’t any comparable in size mountains around, unlike Everest.
Amazing footage, hopefully I will be able to climb Denali one day! What camera(s) did you use, I am looking to purchase one for when I climb Mount Elbrus!
Hi Daniel, I really enjoy my photography, currently use a Nikon D810 full frame but advised that a DSLR on big mountains is not compatible. I also had done very little in way of video. After much research, I settle on the following setup: - CAMERA: GoPro Hero5 Black. I think the video was all taken in 2.7K using superview FOV at 30fps I would take photos in RAW format (.GPR) in order to regain maximum resolution and dynamic range out of the small sensor photos when I got home. Overall, I was very surprised at the results. The time lapse was cool also. - Setup - I did not use GPS, voice commands or rear screen as I was concerned about battery consumption. I did setup the camera such that if I single pressed the shutter button from the off position it would wake up and start recording video. When I finished the video it would turn off. This meant I did not have to take it off my chest clip and look at the screen etc. If I needed to take a photo, I would turn it on properly (side button) and it would be in photo mode. Learn the beeps and also how to count cycling / stepping through the different modes without looking at the screen. - BATTERIES: Total of 3. I would always have a spare battery located in my breast pocket and would sleep with my camera. - MOUNTING SYSTEM: Peak Design “Capture” mount (www.peakdesign.com). I mounted the clip on my backpack right shoulder strap. It allowed me to take running video or generally aimed photos all while having confidence that I would not loose it. I would single handed un-clip it and take footage and easily re-clip it one handed. All with gloves and ski poles. You can see the clip fitted in the video between 14:58-15:34mins. - SOLAR CHARGER: Goal Zero - Nomad 7 Plus V2. Reliable. Some people would mount this on the outside of their packs or gear bag on the sled, however I was not convinced. I hope the info helps you find something that suits your needs. Good luck climbing Mount Elbrus.
Hi. The tents were North Face VE25 (3 man tent). They were part of the gear provided by Alpine Ascents. They were great, no negative comments about them.
Hi Kandy. Good questions. All the stories relating to the names are detailed in the book “Denali’s West Buttress - A climber’s guide to Mount McKinley’s Classic Route” by Colby Coombs. I purchased the e-book some time ago in my researching of the climb. Excellent photos of the routes etc. many of which I requested permission to put into the video. Squirrel Hill is named after the 1993 sighting of a red squirrel begging for food at 12,500ft and Motorcycle Hill after a motorcycle competition that attempted to climb the steep hill. Hope you get a chance to see each for yourself. Climb safe.
Hi. You do not need a guide to climb Denali if you have some mountaineering experience. I would recommend going to the US NPS (National Park Service) and read about planning for Denali. The link is www.nps.gov/dena/plan your visit/mountaineering.htm You do need to register at the NPS and receive a brief.
Hi. Pants / Layers I used for summit day: - Heavy Expedition Base Layer: RAB Power Stretch Pants - Softshell Pants: OR Soft Shell Cirque Pants - Insulated Outer-Layer (Puffy pants): Outdoor Research Neoplume Pants (Primaloft Silver & Pertex Endurance) I just ensured I had an equivalent for each item that Alpine Ascents listed on their gear list: www.alpineascents.com/climbs/denali/gear-list/ I spent many hours searching for the best setup. Good luck on your adventure.
Gene, great video. I gained great perspective which added to the handsome respect I already had for the mountain. How did you train for this, in general, and, in particular, for the technical segments above 14,000' (e.g. the head wall, Tom's thumb and the narrow ridge line fixed rope section?
Hi Einar. I followed Alpine Ascents recommended 6 month training program - an overview can be found at www.alpineascents.com/climbs/denali/training/ Most of my mountaineering experience was in New Zealand, therefore I signed up for Alpine Ascents - Denali prep course conducted on Mt Rainier (US) three months prior to Denali. This course refreshed basic skills (crevasse rescue, etc), however covered areas of mountaineering that I had not done before - setting up and moving with sleds, fixed lines and winter camping. It also allowed me to test my gear setups (in particular boots). I would highly recommend signing up with a professional guiding company. The logistics (ie. food) and safety that that guides brought made the expedition such a success. Safe climbing.
Gene, outstanding video, it was the best video I have seen for trekking/mountaineering! Your video was exciting and showed the raw requirements of getting to the summit. Being Australian also, how did you prepare for the snow walking (I tried similar boots on and they are like wearing wooden planks on your feet), fix line work, pulling a sledge and physical preparations in general?
Hi. Glad you liked it. I originally put all my photos and video together to share with just the others on the expedition. I was encouraged to post it on You Tube by Vern Tajas to share with others to better prepare for Denali. In terms of physical preparation, once I signed up with Alpine Ascents, they sent me a recommended training guide. It very similar to what they have as at www.alpineascents.com/climbs/denali/training/ I spent most of my cardio time on my bike mounted on a wind trainer in front of the TV (made the hours pass quickly). I would do most of my hill / backpack work on the weekends. I was lucky to have pretty decent ranges to climb at my back door. In terms of boots, I did not do much walking on the tracks in my boots as the summer temperatures in my 6000m mountaineering boots would leave my socks and feet drenched in sweat. Instead, I would wear them on a stepper machine with my backpack on in the air-conditioned gym. Looked like a dork, however very effective on many levels. I did no training pulling a sled. I did a refresher climb on Mt Rainier in the months prior to Denali which covered the setup and some sled pulling. I was more than prepared - I think the general training with a heavy backpack was more than satisfactory. As you will find, the setup of it is more important. I would practice rope skills, crevasse rescue and fixed line at home with ropes strung around furniture. Tip is to use a variety of glove / mittens to add realism. I hope all this helps.
Thanks Gene, that all makes sense, the alpine ascents site looks pretty good(plenty of information) - I see your guide Vern is up again for another run up the Mountain in May/June. The steeper machine is smart way of training with a pack and boots (dork or no dork, it helped you get to the top of Denali!...lol). Mt Rainer looks like a mini Denali, I can see why it was a good mountain prior to Denali (I have never been to Washington, so could be a good excuse to head up the mountain in the future). I like the furniture idea for roping.....there is plenty of moving parts to get in position to prior to heading up Denali. Thank you for your comments and video, both have been very informative!
Amazing video but please put less music in your next video. At least in my humble opinion it's nicer to hear all the wind and the heavy breathing instead of movie trailer music while watching these. But good job and congratulations to all the members of your team.
Yes mate - agree. After all the hours to produce my first ever video, I now realize the importance of volumes settings. I hope the video helps in your adventures. Climb safe.
Mate...totally motivated to do it after watching your vid, maybe in a few years when borders open up again. It was simply amazing to watch (volume down). So how did a guy from Toowoomba manage to train for this peak?
@@epicv7dayz824In 2012 I travelled to New Zealand a few times to complete two separate mountaineering courses. In 2014 I returned to climb Mt Aspiring. Denali was my next objective. End of 2016 I started a training program (fitness & pack walks up the 1,000ft nearby range). I travelled to Seattle in Feb 2017 to do a refresher course at Mt Rainier (The use of sleds and sleeping in tents were the only new skills, however refresh of rope skills was good). My Denali climb in May 2017 was totally worth it. Again - all the best with your climbing endeavours.
nice vid guys we was the first two guys who start at 5oclock in the morning at 4th of June and summited at 10:45am as first climbers at this day i think i saw you guys on the saddle on the way down i think ;) great regards and congrats to summit check out my video
Gene, Silly question for you.... What hat/face shield are you wearing in the video? My GF is climbing Denali in June and she needs the coverage. Any info would be appreciated. Great video BTW!!
Hi Jeff. The hat/face shield is called Adapt-A-Cap Ultimate purchased from www.sunprotection.com.au (approx. AUD $35) I found the system to be very effective in sun protection. The only facet I had to overcome early on was finding the ideal position of the shield (adjustable) so that my breath would not fog my sunglasses / goggles. As you can see in the video, I still used a large nose guard which gave me the option to loosen the shield and leave my mouth exposed. That said, I found it less claustrophobic than a buff over my nose & mouth when working and breathing hard. Best of luck to your GF in her adventure. Gene
Gene Walker Thanks is much! We watched the entire video from start to finish. Congratulations on your successful summit. The Weather Gods were kind to you. If you don’t mind a follow up question, what was the GPS app you used in the video? Was it Sunnto or did you carry a GPS tracker?
Jeff, the watch I used was the Suunto Ambit 3 Peak. It was not the latest or greatest on the market, however it had great battery life. I did take my charging cable and charged it once just in case. Each day prior to each move I would turn it on and capture the route/move. I set the GPS interval to max (10secs I think) to ensure minimal battery use. I also turned sync off (to my phone) and did not take my heart rate monitor. Once off the mountain, I turned on Sync and all my data transferred to my phone (Suunto Movescount App). The app produces the cool animation videos.
Warm is a relative thing with it being so cold. Vern's double cook tent (two tents permanently put together) was fantastic, comfortable and prevented it being too cramped. If this was not the case, then all 12 of us would have been very tight. A door was generally open/half-open to provide ventilation. Condensation would freeze on the inside of the roof so you had to be careful. Sitting on your foam sleeping mat rather than the ice was essential. Thanks for your remarks.
Gene Walker thanks for the reply! That makes sense I wondered about condensation with it being -15F outside! Thanks again for the captivating video, what a trip. Cheers.
Awesome stuff man and congrats. Question . . . Is this a mountain that could be climbed by someone who is maybe above beginner level but below intermediate? If not, what are some mountains that would fit that level (I get that there are prob a ton)?
Hi Eric. I was once a beginner and unfortunately did not live near snow capped mountains to climb. I would travel to New Zealand and do some mountaineering courses with reputable guides. I learnt lots in a small amount of time. It really depends upon where you live an access. In the case of Denali, a good start point would be to read each of the minimum experience requirements from each of the guiding companies. The minimum experience is there to protect you from joining a team and have someone else in the team pulling out due to their inexperience or lack of fitness. Their withdraw part way through your climb can/will affect your climb as there are no porters to walk them out, instead a guide has to be sacrificed. For info, I travelled to Seattle and refreshed my skills on the Alpine Ascents - Denali prep course in February prior to my Denali climb. A lot was refresh, however Sled reigning and cold weather skills (eg. tents and using big gloves) was worthwhile. I hope all this helps. :-)
Gene Walker thank you for the reply. I’m on the East Coast (NJ) which I’m assuming has to be one of the worst areas for prospective mountaineers and I’m not exactly sure why I said beginner-intermediate considering I’ve never stepped foot on a mountain before outside of skiing however (and hopefully this doesn’t come off as arrogant) I think I could handle a mountain that’s slightly above beginner level. Being in shape wouldn’t be an issue, the technical aspects would be which I would assume is the most important part. What would you suggest for someone in my area? Btw I’m a normal guy as far as what I make money wise, so I can’t travel places just to learn - if that makes sense.
Hi again. I am Australian and have little knowledge of general mountaineering in the US. I did read a lot of Alan Arnette’s post about climbing (www.alanarnette.com). As an American he may have some good info - hopefully from your region. Great to read your passion and interest for the mountains. Good luck in your pursuits.
Rick returned to base camp and flew back to Talkeetna and subsequently home where he was diagnosed with bronchitis (great lesson in listening to your body on these big mountains). He tried again in 2018 and the team got to cache at 16,200ft (Ricks first signs of frostbite on his toes, fingers and nose) and they all got stuck at 14,000ft camp for 8 days due poor weather. Team eventually aborted and went down. Rick has been chipped away at some of the other 7-summits since. He has a great attitude and will succeed.
Gene Walker; big respect for listening to your body and making mature choices! Bummer about the nip and 8 day storm. People aren’t joking when they say that Denali is extreme.
You can't please everyone. Video maybe long, but I created it for friends & family and not TH-cam - I was not prepared to re-edit for TH-cam. Provided someone gets some benefit / tips for their own climb, then I am satisfied.
@Climb4Hope - Denali 2019 Why is he a dick? He said good video, but disliked the music so he said it sucked. It was a great video, so it's not like the maker should feel bad because they did a good job. I think the volume on the music should've been lower because I couldn't hear people speaking after having to turn down th loud music.
Proud of you guys!
Absolutely amazing. I have read many mountaineering books in my day, but I really felt like I was there during this climb. I don't believe in my prime (about 40 years ago) I could have made it to the summit, but it was exciting watching this and dream that it might have been me in the group. I've seen Denali from a visit to Alaska a couple of years ago, but it was not in my face like this. Great job with the video (easy on the music next time though).
Amazing. I’m reading about Joe Wilcox’s team walking in from Wonder lake Campground, amazing all around.
I should mention it took place in 1967
Good thing you had Chris along to find all the crevasses so the rest of the team could avoid them. Way to be a team player Chris!
I just started to learn about mountain climbing, moving from Indianapolis to Seattle. I plan to ascend Mount Rainier in 2021 before I turn 57 on July 29th.
I cannot comprehend what you guys went through to do this climb, yet. Thanks for sharing.
What a great job you did - editing, great music accompanying the different parts of the climb -- it was absolutely amazing for me. I felt like I tagged along! Thank you for creating this for everyone to enjoy.❤️
Great my plans to Denali next year on summer thank you for sharing ❤
Very very good experience! Thanks for sharing this amazing vlog
This one sat in my watch later list for a long time but was worth the wait. Congratulations on an awesome documentary of your achievement. We passed each other somewhere on the mountain - I flew in May 31 with an RMI group. We had the opposite of you - beautiful weather for a week up to 14 camp, then very cold storms and wind and descended after waiting at 17 camp for a weather break that never came. Thanks for sharing your video.
Thanks for the comments. Hope you get back on the horse soon and make a summit with better weather.
Fantastic video! I'm going to be climbing Rainier with Alpine Ascents next year after I finish the PCT. Then Denali. This was a breathtaking preview. Thanks!
Enjoy the experiences. Alpine Ascents were a first class outfit. Safe climbing.
Best mountain climbing video I have seen for many years. Incredible!
Jason Warren really is
Man, what a picture perfect summit day. Congratulations!! Thanks for the video !
You're soo lucky. Most times you can't even see the mountain because of the clouds, but you guys got to play on it. However, we did the four hour bus tour thing and saw 13 bears. And I did get to see it without clouds from waaaaay far away, and when we were in Fairbanks, it was anchorage temps and we stayed in this awesome tiny inn with the most luxurious showers. Akaska is fun.
Greetings, Gene Walker! Great video. The music from my channel fits perfectly into the landscapes that you have met in your truly epic climb to the mountains of Denali. I'm very glad that my music came up for your video. I wish you success in achieving your future goals.
Your music is awesome. I am very grateful for you giving me prior permission to use. Keep up the great work.
Wow! Excellent video! That guide sending updates sure seems to know how to keep the morale up!
Hi Kevin. The guide is Vern Tejas, certainly worth a lookup on Wikipedia. He is a living legend of mountaineering. He has also just released a book titled "Seventy Summits" which I have not yet read. He and his guiding team made our Denali adventure safe and enjoyable. My family and friends in Australia really enjoyed the nightly cybercasts.
I want to start climbing seriously soon. Thanks for the video.
I love Vern’s positive energy👍 great video!
He is an incredible human being. There aren't words.
Great video Gene - missing the Storm Troopers, seems like a long time ago already. Hope all is well!
Awesome!! !over every minute. Super job. Thanks for sharing. ☺.
amazing video. such awesome colours
Amazing video !! Congratulations!! 👏👏👏
Absolutely amazing coverage!! I was searching for footage/media of my brother's climb for a project...ugh, how I wish he had been in your group!! Spectacular!!
I found Denali to be harder to climb than Mt. Everest... Used oxygen on both... Still have all my toes and fingers... Thank God for the Sherpas... There is no trip without them... Took care of them just like they took care of me... 💖🙏
You used oxygen on Denali?
@19:34 geezuz that looked like a frozen claw! What the hell was that?
Thoroughly enjoyed tagging along.
I lost all my toes to frostbite many moons ago and don't think mountaineering is in the cards for me, so thanks for sharing!
Hi Laura. Sorry to hear about your frostbite. I think what you are referring to is a pastry with icing. Inside the red tent everything has a red colour cast. Glad you enjoyed.
@@genewalker i see 👀 . Im watching on my tiny old cell phone lol. I didn't think if hear back from anyone after all these years. Cheers!
Phenomenal footage...Thank you
Congratulations! the view up there is so magnificent~ and thx for the great video!
Amazing and detailed footage, thank you! I'm planning of doing Denali in 2020 and this is very helpful, thank you.
Lucas - glad it was of value. I put the video together for my family and other climbing members. It was Vern (head guide and climbing legend) who convinced me to put it on TH-cam so that others could benefit. Hope you have a successful expedition.
Well, good luck!
Was anyone surprised that the Hollywood producer crapped out? Had it been the photographer I would have been surprised. Those guys are amazing. Not only are they doing the climbing, but they are also dealing with all the non-essential camera gear to get good photos. I wish more documentaries would be made about the men behind the extreme footage. Like that guy who got the snow leopard footage of a mom, her cub, and a hunt spent like 6 months in a small box alone in the mountains to get a few minutes of footage. That is really really hard core.
Great video! Its hard enough climbing this beast, but dealing with camera's and video is NOT as easy as you make it look. I climbed this route in '96 and only had 35mm to shoot with. It seems your team didn't go nuts building tall snow block walls around camp and digging out fancy cook kitchens? Probably smart because we spent a ton of energy at 7 camps doing that. We were pinned down in the ice cave above the fixed lines at 16,200' for 3 nights with a severe high altitude storm. Summit day was a white out and we submitted in a lenticular cap. scary as all get out walking that narrow ridge just below the peak and we never got a view. So thanks for the memories!!
Your 96 climb sounds like an epic which you will certainly not forget. Three nights at the top of 16,200 fixed lines would have been hell. Glad you got something out of the video. It was all captured from my GoPro. I was amazed at the final results. Climb safe.
Yes! 3 nights totally pinned down in a cramped snow cave was brutal. The cave only fit half the team so we also had two tents pitched out on the ridge. We were constantly going out to shore up the snow block walls and repairing snapped tent poles as the winds were over 100mph sustained. And I loved seeing how your team couldn't get around Windy Corner on the carry day due to the winds. Windy Corner was the coldest I got on the entire trip
Great video! I hope to climb Denali after I finish with school!!!
Please make a video of it ! I really enjoy watching these adventures. Good luck!
Amazing video...thank you for sharing!!
Excellent video
Great video Gene! And congratz! One of the best. Learned a lot and enjoyed that you took the time to really show video other than inside tents and the summit. My goal is summit within 4 years.
Eric - Best of luck in your climbing plans. I hope the video helped you put Denali into perspective.
Lovely, thank You 🍀🌷
Its amazing....
someday, when i retire from my job, i ll try to climb denali, alone.
no you wont, but you could go with a team maybe
Good luck
@@karifurai8479 People do it alone.
The Benny bit was pure gold
Amazing!!!
Makes me want to be there
Great video thanks for sharing
Awesome awesome AWESOME!!! Great vid thank you very much and 'well Done!' :))
What an awesome video! Curios what did you use to create the cool yellow-dot animations tracing the gps track? Thanks!
Hi Michael. The yellow animated maps were created from the then Suunto watch software. I climbed with a Suunto Ambit 3 peak watch. I think the software is now obsolete however the Suunto website www.suunto.com/en-au/partners/relive/ uses Relive to produce the small movie animations. My friend uses Relive and it is very similar. I hope this proves useful. Good climbing.
I want to do this badly...
Why?
Because... It's there
Because I am damn near 40 and haven't done shit notable in my life.
Because I don't have any good stories.
Because I'm fat and out of shape.
Because it'd better to die trying than not at all
Just stop...ur not gonna do it. You're a fat man in your late 30's. That ship has sailed.
Try eblrus, it's one of the safest climbs if you got a good guide and should be doable even for you... I was born close to Georgia and did the tour first when I was 17... Try to start with something easy, if you like it you can go for harder mountains :)you can also try Swiss Alps in Wallis, there are so many destinations even for beginners beginners, and many 4k+ mountains
That “or die trying” or “or lose a finger” mentality is bullshit. I’ve had frost nip and it sucked. Painful at first and afterward I lost feeling in my toe for about 10 weeks.
@@vince-367 I'd be ready to bet that you haven't done anything noticeable in your life either
let him accomplish his dream even if it seems unrealistic
@@sleakstick hes not going to accomplish it though, it's literally just a dream
I wonder if I can see my house from up there?
That's an old-fashioned VASI by the runway at Talkeetna--I did not know any of those were left.
OlDoinyo A lot of the smaller airports in Alaska still have them.
It's like being in heaven up there WOW
Wow you guys are amazing! It's my life goal to accomplish this :D
Imagine Everest
Harambe Games actually, Everest doesn’t even have as good views. From Denali’s base to summit (prominence), it is over 20,000 feet. Meaning you can see 20,000 feet below. On Everest, it is less than 15k. Denali is so good because there aren’t any comparable in size mountains around, unlike Everest.
Amazing footage, hopefully I will be able to climb Denali one day! What camera(s) did you use, I am looking to purchase one for when I climb Mount Elbrus!
Hi Daniel, I really enjoy my photography, currently use a Nikon D810 full frame but advised that a DSLR on big mountains is not compatible. I also had done very little in way of video. After much research, I settle on the following setup:
- CAMERA: GoPro Hero5 Black. I think the video was all taken in 2.7K using superview FOV at 30fps I would take photos in RAW format (.GPR) in order to regain maximum resolution and dynamic range out of the small sensor photos when I got home. Overall, I was very surprised at the results. The time lapse was cool also.
- Setup - I did not use GPS, voice commands or rear screen as I was concerned about battery consumption. I did setup the camera such that if I single pressed the shutter button from the off position it would wake up and start recording video. When I finished the video it would turn off. This meant I did not have to take it off my chest clip and look at the screen etc. If I needed to take a photo, I would turn it on properly (side button) and it would be in photo mode. Learn the beeps and also how to count cycling / stepping through the different modes without looking at the screen.
- BATTERIES: Total of 3. I would always have a spare battery located in my breast pocket and would sleep with my camera.
- MOUNTING SYSTEM: Peak Design “Capture” mount (www.peakdesign.com). I mounted the clip on my backpack right shoulder strap. It allowed me to take running video or generally aimed photos all while having confidence that I would not loose it. I would single handed un-clip it and take footage and easily re-clip it one handed. All with gloves and ski poles. You can see the clip fitted in the video between 14:58-15:34mins.
- SOLAR CHARGER: Goal Zero - Nomad 7 Plus V2. Reliable. Some people would mount this on the outside of their packs or gear bag on the sled, however I was not convinced.
I hope the info helps you find something that suits your needs.
Good luck climbing Mount Elbrus.
it s absolutely great
fab summit congrats amte was north face tents good what model was them
cheers
Hi. The tents were North Face VE25 (3 man tent). They were part of the gear provided by Alpine Ascents. They were great, no negative comments about them.
Why do they name hills what they do? I get windy hill. But why motor cycle hill and squirrel hill?
Hi Kandy. Good questions. All the stories relating to the names are detailed in the book “Denali’s West Buttress - A climber’s guide to Mount McKinley’s Classic Route” by Colby Coombs. I purchased the e-book some time ago in my researching of the climb. Excellent photos of the routes etc. many of which I requested permission to put into the video.
Squirrel Hill is named after the 1993 sighting of a red squirrel begging for food at 12,500ft and Motorcycle Hill after a motorcycle competition that attempted to climb the steep hill.
Hope you get a chance to see each for yourself. Climb safe.
Do we need to get a guide to climb MT Denali?
Hi. You do not need a guide to climb Denali if you have some mountaineering experience. I would recommend going to the US NPS (National Park Service) and read about planning for Denali. The link is www.nps.gov/dena/plan your visit/mountaineering.htm You do need to register at the NPS and receive a brief.
www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/mountaineering.htm
Damn those gopro curvature
Can I ask what kind of pants/ layers you guys wore on your legs on summit day?
Hi. Pants / Layers I used for summit day:
- Heavy Expedition Base Layer: RAB Power Stretch Pants
- Softshell Pants: OR Soft Shell Cirque Pants
- Insulated Outer-Layer (Puffy pants): Outdoor Research Neoplume Pants (Primaloft Silver & Pertex Endurance)
I just ensured I had an equivalent for each item that Alpine Ascents listed on their gear list: www.alpineascents.com/climbs/denali/gear-list/ I spent many hours searching for the best setup. Good luck on your adventure.
Gene, great video. I gained great perspective which added to the handsome respect I already had for the mountain.
How did you train for this, in general, and, in particular, for the technical segments above 14,000' (e.g. the head wall, Tom's thumb and the narrow ridge line fixed rope section?
Hi Einar. I followed Alpine Ascents recommended 6 month training program - an overview can be found at www.alpineascents.com/climbs/denali/training/ Most of my mountaineering experience was in New Zealand, therefore I signed up for Alpine Ascents - Denali prep course conducted on Mt Rainier (US) three months prior to Denali. This course refreshed basic skills (crevasse rescue, etc), however covered areas of mountaineering that I had not done before - setting up and moving with sleds, fixed lines and winter camping. It also allowed me to test my gear setups (in particular boots). I would highly recommend signing up with a professional guiding company. The logistics (ie. food) and safety that that guides brought made the expedition such a success. Safe climbing.
Gene, outstanding video, it was the best video I have seen for trekking/mountaineering! Your video was exciting and showed the raw requirements of getting to the summit. Being Australian also, how did you prepare for the snow walking (I tried similar boots on and they are like wearing wooden planks on your feet), fix line work, pulling a sledge and physical preparations in general?
Hi. Glad you liked it. I originally put all my photos and video together to share with just the others on the expedition. I was encouraged to post it on You Tube by Vern Tajas to share with others to better prepare for Denali.
In terms of physical preparation, once I signed up with Alpine Ascents, they sent me a recommended training guide. It very similar to what they have as at www.alpineascents.com/climbs/denali/training/ I spent most of my cardio time on my bike mounted on a wind trainer in front of the TV (made the hours pass quickly). I would do most of my hill / backpack work on the weekends. I was lucky to have pretty decent ranges to climb at my back door.
In terms of boots, I did not do much walking on the tracks in my boots as the summer temperatures in my 6000m mountaineering boots would leave my socks and feet drenched in sweat. Instead, I would wear them on a stepper machine with my backpack on in the air-conditioned gym. Looked like a dork, however very effective on many levels.
I did no training pulling a sled. I did a refresher climb on Mt Rainier in the months prior to Denali which covered the setup and some sled pulling. I was more than prepared - I think the general training with a heavy backpack was more than satisfactory. As you will find, the setup of it is more important.
I would practice rope skills, crevasse rescue and fixed line at home with ropes strung around furniture. Tip is to use a variety of glove / mittens to add realism.
I hope all this helps.
Thanks Gene, that all makes sense, the alpine ascents site looks pretty good(plenty of information) - I see your guide Vern is up again for another run up the Mountain in May/June. The steeper machine is smart way of training with a pack and boots (dork or no dork, it helped you get to the top of Denali!...lol). Mt Rainer looks like a mini Denali, I can see why it was a good mountain prior to Denali (I have never been to Washington, so could be a good excuse to head up the mountain in the future). I like the furniture idea for roping.....there is plenty of moving parts to get in position to prior to heading up Denali. Thank you for your comments and video, both have been very informative!
Amazing video but please put less music in your next video. At least in my humble opinion it's nicer to hear all the wind and the heavy breathing instead of movie trailer music while watching these. But good job and congratulations to all the members of your team.
Thanks. It was my first edited video - a real learning experience. I will temper the music next time. Climb safe.
The real question is, how do you do this without costing yourself $10,000+ to do it?
Agreed. Always a tough balancing act. Living in Australia with travel / flights is a killer to the budget.
Great cinematography mate, but the music did my head in...sorry
Yes mate - agree. After all the hours to produce my first ever video, I now realize the importance of volumes settings. I hope the video helps in your adventures. Climb safe.
Mate...totally motivated to do it after watching your vid, maybe in a few years when borders open up again. It was simply amazing to watch (volume down). So how did a guy from Toowoomba manage to train for this peak?
@@epicv7dayz824In 2012 I travelled to New Zealand a few times to complete two separate mountaineering courses. In 2014 I returned to climb Mt Aspiring. Denali was my next objective. End of 2016 I started a training program (fitness & pack walks up the 1,000ft nearby range). I travelled to Seattle in Feb 2017 to do a refresher course at Mt Rainier (The use of sleds and sleeping in tents were the only new skills, however refresh of rope skills was good). My Denali climb in May 2017 was totally worth it. Again - all the best with your climbing endeavours.
this vedeo, very helpful.
nice vid guys we was the first two guys who start at 5oclock in the morning at 4th of June and summited at 10:45am as first climbers at this day i think i saw you guys on the saddle on the way down i think ;) great regards and congrats to summit check out my video
Gene, Silly question for you.... What hat/face shield are you wearing in the video? My GF is climbing Denali in June and she needs the coverage. Any info would be appreciated. Great video BTW!!
Hi Jeff. The hat/face shield is called Adapt-A-Cap Ultimate purchased from www.sunprotection.com.au (approx. AUD $35)
I found the system to be very effective in sun protection. The only facet I had to overcome early on was finding the ideal position of the shield (adjustable) so that my breath would not fog my sunglasses / goggles. As you can see in the video, I still used a large nose guard which gave me the option to loosen the shield and leave my mouth exposed.
That said, I found it less claustrophobic than a buff over my nose & mouth when working and breathing hard.
Best of luck to your GF in her adventure. Gene
Hi Jeff. There is a ladies version of the Adapt-A-Cap Ultimate. Same price.
Gene Walker Thanks is much! We watched the entire video from start to finish. Congratulations on your successful summit. The Weather Gods were kind to you.
If you don’t mind a follow up question, what was the GPS app you used in the video? Was it Sunnto or did you carry a GPS tracker?
Fantastic! We found a supplier here in the U.S. Thanks so much!
Jeff, the watch I used was the Suunto Ambit 3 Peak. It was not the latest or greatest on the market, however it had great battery life. I did take my charging cable and charged it once just in case. Each day prior to each move I would turn it on and capture the route/move. I set the GPS interval to max (10secs I think) to ensure minimal battery use. I also turned sync off (to my phone) and did not take my heart rate monitor.
Once off the mountain, I turned on Sync and all my data transferred to my phone (Suunto Movescount App). The app produces the cool animation videos.
Great video mate 👍. How warm do those cook tents get?
Warm is a relative thing with it being so cold. Vern's double cook tent (two tents permanently put together) was fantastic, comfortable and prevented it being too cramped. If this was not the case, then all 12 of us would have been very tight. A door was generally open/half-open to provide ventilation. Condensation would freeze on the inside of the roof so you had to be careful. Sitting on your foam sleeping mat rather than the ice was essential. Thanks for your remarks.
Gene Walker thanks for the reply! That makes sense I wondered about condensation with it being -15F outside! Thanks again for the captivating video, what a trip. Cheers.
Do u have an instagram we can follow?
No sorry.
Amazing video. thanks :)
Awesome stuff man and congrats. Question . . . Is this a mountain that could be climbed by someone who is maybe above beginner level but below intermediate? If not, what are some mountains that would fit that level (I get that there are prob a ton)?
Hi Eric. I was once a beginner and unfortunately did not live near snow capped mountains to climb. I would travel to New Zealand and do some mountaineering courses with reputable guides. I learnt lots in a small amount of time. It really depends upon where you live an access. In the case of Denali, a good start point would be to read each of the minimum experience requirements from each of the guiding companies.
The minimum experience is there to protect you from joining a team and have someone else in the team pulling out due to their inexperience or lack of fitness. Their withdraw part way through your climb can/will affect your climb as there are no porters to walk them out, instead a guide has to be sacrificed.
For info, I travelled to Seattle and refreshed my skills on the Alpine Ascents - Denali prep course in February prior to my Denali climb. A lot was refresh, however Sled reigning and cold weather skills (eg. tents and using big gloves) was worthwhile. I hope all this helps. :-)
Gene Walker thank you for the reply. I’m on the East Coast (NJ) which I’m assuming has to be one of the worst areas for prospective mountaineers and I’m not exactly sure why I said beginner-intermediate considering I’ve never stepped foot on a mountain before outside of skiing however (and hopefully this doesn’t come off as arrogant) I think I could handle a mountain that’s slightly above beginner level. Being in shape wouldn’t be an issue, the technical aspects would be which I would assume is the most important part. What would you suggest for someone in my area? Btw I’m a normal guy as far as what I make money wise, so I can’t travel places just to learn - if that makes sense.
Hi again. I am Australian and have little knowledge of general mountaineering in the US. I did read a lot of Alan Arnette’s post about climbing (www.alanarnette.com). As an American he may have some good info - hopefully from your region. Great to read your passion and interest for the mountains. Good luck in your pursuits.
What happened to Rick?!
Rick returned to base camp and flew back to Talkeetna and subsequently home where he was diagnosed with bronchitis (great lesson in listening to your body on these big mountains). He tried again in 2018 and the team got to cache at 16,200ft (Ricks first signs of frostbite on his toes, fingers and nose) and they all got stuck at 14,000ft camp for 8 days due poor weather. Team eventually aborted and went down. Rick has been chipped away at some of the other 7-summits since. He has a great attitude and will succeed.
Gene Walker; big respect for listening to your body and making mature choices! Bummer about the nip and 8 day storm. People aren’t joking when they say that Denali is extreme.
between the loud over kill music, general audio stuff and accents, difficult to follow much of this.
judith nicholais why does everyone have to add stupid music to these videos? Totally ruins it but everyone does it anyway..
Sadly, blaring music = automatic thumbs down for me now.
like only for benny hill scene
it s my plan, total weight, less than 30kg.
Looks like 10 people are jealous.
You can't please everyone. Video maybe long, but I created it for friends & family and not TH-cam - I was not prepared to re-edit for TH-cam. Provided someone gets some benefit / tips for their own climb, then I am satisfied.
Good video but sorry the music sucks
I agree loud music and soft talking, otherwise excellent
@Climb4Hope - Denali 2019 Why is he a dick? He said good video, but disliked the music so he said it sucked.
It was a great video, so it's not like the maker should feel bad because they did a good job.
I think the volume on the music should've been lower because I couldn't hear people speaking after having to turn down th loud music.
Excellent video