On Denali's West Buttress 6/11/2007. Photo: Joel Schenk

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On Denali's West Buttress 6/11/2007. Photo: Joel Schenk

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ABC in the Genet Basin. Messner Coular in the background.

snowboarding at 20,000'

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Brian Kalet

Nov 16, 2011

“On Denali's West Buttress 6/11/2007. Photo: Joel Schenk”

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On Denali's West Buttress 6/11/2007. Photo: Joel Schenk

snowboarding at 20,000'

At 17k camp looking down on 14k. This cliff could use some sport routes!

Snowboarding down the summit ridge 6/27/18

West Buttress made for a memorable ski trip - <br>
photo Caleb Wray - 2010

Summit Ridge

The Views for 17k

14k camp

Ridge to 17K

Motorcycle Hill, above the 11,300 foot camp. The smoking pile in the background is the west end of the West Buttress.

The West Buttress

A view from the West Rib cutoff of the West Buttress boot track, from Windy Corner (left) to the camp at 14,000 feet (center), to the fixed lines below 16,000 feet (right).

On the way to camp 1

A day at 14K.

Janelle Smiley descending the West Buttress after successfully reaching the summit via the Cassin Ridge. If you want to learn how to climb the West Buttress like a pro, please check out this new online course - http://howtodenali.com/ photo: Mark Smiley

Well.... is that it??

kahiltna base camp at 7000ft. Mt Hunter in background

The West Buttress camp at 14,000 feet, viewed from a point below the Orient Express, on the way up the West Rib cutoff. The tents on the left side of the camp are staffed by the National Park Service, and typically include a rustic medical facility. The ascent to this camp is via the boot track that is visible beyond the camp. There are ice climbs on the steep ground above the boot track, on the flank of the West Buttress. The West Buttress route ascends fixed lines on a slope that is just out of the photo, on the right.

Advanced Base Camp, 6,800 feet, and the view up the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier with the west side of Denali in the background.

The climb from the 14,000 foot camp, up the fixed lines and onto the West Buttress itself. The Rescue Gully and the Messner Couloir are just out of the photo on the right. This part of the route is the limit of my first hand knowledge (and photos) of the West Buttress, as I've climbed the Upper West Rib from this point.

cribbage...lots and lots of cribbage

cooking at the cook tent

Evan...

Advanced Base Camp, 6,800 feet. Stop gawking at Denali and look to your left. That's Ski Hill ... your introduction to the pain and glory of carrying all of that junk you brought with you up a steep hill. Beyond, opportunities for exposed camps in whiteout conditions at roughly 9,000 and 10,000 feet.

The West Buttress Camp at 11,300 feet. On this day, home to the Western State College (Gunnison, Colorado) Mountaineers.

coming into 14 camp from cache at windy corner

Day 1 of your trip, on the ground at Kahiltna Base Camp, 7,200 feet on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Looking down the landing strip toward the main Kahiltna Glacier. Mount Crosson is the peak in the background. You begin your trek up the West Buttress by walking down the hill - it's called "Heartbreak Hill" for the experience that you'll have on the way back up at the end of your trip - and turning right to begin the slog up the Kahiltna Glacier.

The Belly of the Beast: The west face of Denali, viewed from about 13,700 feet. The large camp at 14,000 feet is just out of sight, on top of the plateau that cuts across the middle of this photo. From this point you can see the West Buttress (ascend to the top of the Buttress via a slope & couloir just left of center), the Messner Couloir (just left of the large expanse of rock at center) and the Orient Express (right of center) on the west face of Denali. High camps on the West Rib are in the center of the skyline on the right, and the West Rib ascends the upper slopes of the Orient Express. The fuzz on top of the mountain is a giant cloud of wind blown snow, which suggests that it would be a really, really bad idea to go for the summit on this day.

The Autobahn. Beautiful summit day woo

Headed down Hearbreak Hill from Base Camp beside the Base Camp landing strip, at about 7,100 feet. Mount Hunter (14,570 feet) in the background.

At the top of the head wall, above fixed lines (~16K).

Looking up at the summit from our food cache just past windy corner. June 2003

Optional 9.5k Camp (2017)

Looking back down the Kahiltna Glacier from the top of Ski Hill, at about 7,500 feet. Advanced Base Camp is visible in the middle of the glacier.

Looking down at the 11,300 foot camp from the top of Motorcycle Hill.

Siege the Day. Leaving 14,000 camp for 17,000 camp.

Denali Pass from 17K.

balmy day at 17 camp, 16 June 2008

If the climb to this point at the top of Motorcycle Hill doesn't make you cry, the climb from here up to Squirrel Point might. The west end of the West Buttress is the rock massif in the background. The route follows the boot track that appears in this photo, and then follows easier, but breezier, ground (not visible in this photo) on the right side of the West Buttress.

Heading for 14k camp May 2006

please email denaliresearchproject@gmail.com for more information

Myself low on the Kahiltna (2017)

Looking down the route from Windy Corner toward Squirrel Point, as climbers make their way up from 12,000 feet. This stretch can be wonderfully sunny or brutally windswept, and may be snow covered (as in this photo) or an exposed scree field. There's a reason they call it Windy Corner. Guided teams commonly cache loads along this stretch and descend to "sleep low" in the camp at 11.300 feet.

Looking down at 11k camp from Motorcycle Hill. After a cache. (2017)

ABC in the Genet Basin. Messner Coular in the background.

In This Photo

Brian Kalet

Fort Collins, CO