June 12, 2013
Moving up Washburn's Thumb. (Photo by Peter Dale)
Recently IMG guides Mike Haft and Peter Dale climbed and skied Mt McKinley on a personal trip. They enjoyed perfect weather for 15 days with warm temps and no wind. They succeeded in climbing and skiing the Orient Express from the summit, and skied a few other pretty neat lines around the 17k ft camp as well. Skiing conditions were reported to be firm, but that meant the climbing conditions were perfect. The photos they returned home with can really only begin to show the grandeur of the place. We encourage everyone to check it out for themselves. After a cold Spring this May has been one of the nicest on record for the Alaska Range.
While climbing, they ran into fellow IMG guides Austin Shannon, Dallas Glass, and Luke Riley who were also on the mountain on a personal trip. After a cup of coffee with Mike and Peter at the 11k ft camp, Austin, Luke and Dallas went on to summit a few days later enjoying the same conditions as Mike and Peter.
Check out more of their photos on the IMG Facebook Page.
Phil Ershler