Are there shorter expeditions I can do?

We recognize the difficulty of trying to take up to two weeks off from responsibilities at home. We're right there with you. The weather in the Alaska Range can be fierce with storms lasting several days or even weeks. Ideally we can spend a week in the range and do one climb but in worst case scenarios we may get onto the glacier and get stuck in a storm that causes you to not only not climb but to miss your flight home. While a week is possible 10 days gives a strong likelihood of getting one, maybe two objectives climbed and not just sitting in a tent and going home.

What happens if the weather is truly horrible the whole time?

Flights onto the glacier are at the discretion of the air taxi service. Once we're there we hope for the best and we have to keep the fees. In the low likelihood event we don't ever get onto the glacier we likely have some flexibility in rolling a portion of your payment forward to a future trip.

Why don't you climb Denali?

This is actually a separate compartment of the park and not covered by our permits. Many people use a trip to the Ruth Gorge or Little Switzerland as a shakedown trip to better understand what a climbing trip in Alaska really entails. You'll likely be more successful with an initial foray into the Alaska Range and may even feel competent to pursue the summit of Denali on your own after a smaller initial expedition.