Did a winter campout a few nights ago with four of our Denali crew. Mainly testing our Hilliberg tentage. Looks like we’ll be using three Hilleberg shelters. Saivo is a nicely sized but still wind-friendly dome that Jordan and Caleb, being taller folks, like because it fits them better. Louie and I are in the Nammatj 3, while Caleb, Colby and Joe will bunk in the Keron 3 GT with its commodious vestibules at each end for their gear pile.
The other big test was my completed satphone blogging system. Everyone present took a turn at the computer to file a brief post via the Iridium birds. Crazy, just sitting in our kitchen snow-trench with a netbook on our laps, sending photos and text. Nice to have this working, now I can move on to refining our winter camping systems:
Jordan: Mac n cheese times three. Psyched to be out with the Denali crew. We need more gear dialing, but I feel like for the most part our crew will be physically fit.
Joe: Sitting here with the legend having a brew thinking of great turns past.
Colby: Sitting out here on McClure Pass after a dinner of mac and cheese. Jordan, Joe, Tyler and I got out earlier this morning to set up camp and get some skiing in. Lou met us out for dinner and a night out with the boys. Should be a good evening!
Tyler: Enjoying some PBR’s with Lou up on Huntington Ridge. Just finished a nice mac and cheese dinner. Nothing like playing with laptops and sat phones in the snow.
Lou: Indeed, sitting here with the Denali boys above McClure Pass, learning how to be high tech mountaineers!
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.