navigate_next navigate_next navigate_before 7,800' Camp Welcome to 7,800' Camp! Nice work, you just completed what many might say is one of the top three hardest days of the trip. When choosing a camp here, be mindful of your future self. Choosing a camp closer to Ski Hill will save you some walking. You might be exhausted from the 110 pounds you carried for about five miles, but don’t let your guard down. While this camp sits in a compression zone, crevasses still exist and have even been known to open in the middle of the night underneath tents! Be sure to probe your camp thoroughly and mark your boundaries.

Some teams camp well short of Ski Hill. In late June, many of those camps can be seen dropping into huge crevasses that run parallel to the glacier. The compression zone here is quite large, so you don't need to camp right on top of another team. There are several hundred meters of good, relatively stress-free camping to be had here.
navigate_next navigate_before 7,800' Camp On a clear day from 7,800' Camp, you’ll get your last clear views of the summit before you’re (hopefully) standing on top of it. It might be topped on those high pressure days by a large lenticular cloud indicating high winds. Relish the thick air and sunshine of 7,800’.

Off to the east you're looking up the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, affectionately known as the “Valley of Death” due to its many crevasses and avalanches coming off of the steep flanks of the Kahiltna Peaks. On warm days (and nights) in the late season, the glacier and surrounding mountains come alive with numerous avalanches and rockfall events all around you, especially in the late afternoon and evening. Let the rumblings of these massive mountains rock you to sleep.
navigate_next navigate_before Storm Management This camp can be a somewhat "unpleasant" place to be during a storm. In the early season, feet of wet dense snow will keep you digging to prevent tents from collapsing. In the late season, you might hear the dreaded pitter-patter of rain on your tent. Like everywhere on the mountain, wind often plays a supporting role in whatever weather descends upon you.

In 2018, one of our teams got stuck in one of these storms. We were the only guided team at Camp 1 with one other private solo climber. It snowed five feet on us and the entire mountain was on hold for more than a week. Stretching five days of food into eight, and without enough fuel to waste on coffee, things looked grim. However, the storm cleared and we were able to move swiftly up the mountain from there. Crazy enough, our summit day consisted of T-shirt temperatures and bluebird weather. So, if you get stuck in a storm at the beginning of your trip, stay calm and try not to eat all of your snacks at once.
navigate_next navigate_before Cache Planning Well, you're in it now! Above 7,800' Camp is a long series of hills climbing 1,800'. Collectively known as Ski Hill, this is your first real ascent of your expedition. Most teams "double-carry" above 7,800'. Consider the weather when making decisions about how much food and fuel to cache up above, as well as how much to hold on to.

Dig your cache hole the evening before you depart for Camp 2. This is a good time to reevaluate those "light extras" that seemed like a good idea at home. Cache them, along with socks and undies that you've been wearing for the past few—possibly very hot—days.

This is also a good time to dial in your other systems, such as your cooking and dining plan. Sure, you could save a little weight by not using a kitchen tent, but you'll curse that decision during the first four-day storm. navigate_before Camp Tip You may have heard by now—it can snow a lot in the Alaska Range! True story: My first trip up Denali we had nine feet of snow in two days. The lower glacier regularly sees feet of snow fall at a time, so plan a bit in how you manage your kit on the glacier.

An ice axe laying on the snow will disappear under a few centimeters of snow. Arrange your "sharps" (you know, the pokey things like trekking poles, ice axes and snowshoes) in a tight pile, all sticking up out of the snow. It'll take a full meter of powder to bury them.

Speaking of sharps, keep them away from your tents! Axes and snowshoes can make for good tent anchors if you don't have sufficient parachute-type anchors, but take care not to get them or the rough edge of that shovel near your cold, taut tent fabric.