IMGD Team 5 Summits!

June 15, 2025

IMGD x Madison Mountaineering Team 5 Summits! (Jackson Hallza)

Exciting news! Last night Garrett Madison, leading IMGD Team 5, reported a successful and gorgeous summit of North America’s tallest peak. Congrats to this crew for make quick work of the mountain and capitalizing on a pristine summit window.

IMGD Teams 3 & 4 both touched down in Talkeetna and are en route to Anchorage as we speak. We’d like to extend another big congrats to those teams as well for reaching the summit on Thursday!

That’s all the news from Alaska for now.

Team 3 and 4 Stand On Top!

June 12, 2025 –

IMG Denali Team 3 and Team 4 led by Peter Dale and Timm Phillips stood on top of Denali | McKinley today at 745PM PST. The teams report clear skies, low winds, and relatively warm temps, a welcome change in conditions after a stormy Spring.

IMG Denali Team 5 led by Garrett Madison is resting at 14 Camp and hoping to summit in the coming days.

All is well on Denali!

Garret Madison, Jackson Hallza, and client at 14' Camp

IMG Denali Team 5 at 14 Camp

Photos Coming in from 14 Camp!

June 11, 2025

Yellow tents scattered across snow with Mt. Foraker in the background

A new image from one of our climbers. Conditions at 14 Camp are looking gorgeous! (Phunuru Sherpa)

Teams 3 (Dale) and 4 (Phillips) are en route to 17 Camp today. This photo from one of our climbers just arrived last night, and looks stunning! Once they arrive at 17 Camp, they will hunker down for the night and hope for a continuation of this shining weather for a summit attempt in the coming days. Good luck 3 and 4!

Team 5 (Madison) acclimatizes at 11 Camp with their eye towards 14 Camp in the coming days.

High Hope for a Weather Window

June 10, 2025

A climber at the ‘Edge of the World’ just outside 14K Camp overlooking the Kahiltna Glacier and Mt. Foraker (Sultana). (Audrey Simonson)

Teams 3 (Dale) and 4 (Phillips) are continuing to train and prep at 14 Camp with the intent to be ready to head for the summit as soon as a viable weather window appears.

Team 5 (Madison) has arrived at 11 Camp and will spend the night there. All is well on Denali!

Team 5 Reaches Kahiltna!

June 9, 2025

Team 5 (Madison) on the airfield in Talkeetna

After a long and windy adventure, Teams 1 (Swanson) and 2 (Bond) are finally back on the ground in Washington! All parties flew out from Anchorage on June 7th, with the exception of IMG guide Jackson Hallza, who stayed in Talkeetna to meet up with Team 5 and make a second ascent.

Teams 3 (Dale) and 4 (Phillips) make it up to 14 Camp over the weekend, and are waiting on improved weather to cache their gear up high and hopefully make an attempt on the summit in the coming week.

Team 5 (Madison) flew onto the glacier this morning! Team 5 is a custom climb in collaboration with Garrett Madison from Madison Mountaineering. Garrett Madison summitted Everest for the 15th time just a few weeks ago, and assistant IMG guide Jackson Hallza is returning to the mountain for a 2nd time this season. A small but mighty team, this group is rich with experience.

Ascents and Descents on the Mountain

June 6th, 2025

Denali 2024 photo by Riley Gilson

After a valiant attempt to beat the weather, Teams 1 (Swanson) and 2 (Bond) descended to Skill Hill Camp last night, and are now waiting at the base of the Kahiltna Glacier to fly off the mountain and back to Talkeetna. They are hoping to be back in Anchorage by tomorrow morning.

Teams 3 (Dale) and 4 (Phillips) are carrying to 13 Camp, with plans to ascend to 14 Camp tomorrow. Hopefully the wind stays at a safe speed over the next couple days.

Team 5, led by Garret Madison, has arrived in Anchorage today. This will be the last IMG team of the season, and we can’t wait to track their progress up the mountain!

Bad Weather On The Mountain

June 5, 2025

Fixed Lines, heading to 17K (Peter Dale)

The weather has not been a friend to Teams 1 (Swanson) and 2 (Bond) on this trip. After waiting eight days for a weather window to make a break for 17 Camp and then for the summit, they have both had to make the decision to descend. While this isn’t ever what we hope for when we set out on an expedition, the weather has been particularly poor so far in 2025 and climber safety is always the central consideration in everything we do.

Teams 3 (Dale) and 4 (Phillips) still have a chance at the summit, and are planning to carry to 13 camp tomorrow. This should keep them on track to take advantage of any upcoming breaks in the weather that may hit on the upper mountain in the next week. Team 5 (Madison) arrives in Anchorage tomorrow.

Conditions Continue

June 3, 2025

Looking Southwest from 14K Camp at the inspiring Mt. Foraker (17,398′). Photo by Stu Johnson.

Conditions on the mountain remain the same as they’ve been the past few days, and all teams remain in place. However, there’s good weather in the near future!

Teams 1 and 2 are looking toward later this week for possible summit windows as a temporary ridging weather pattern crosses over southern Alaska. With their gear already cached near high camp, the teams are able to quickly mobilize and move to 17 camp for an attempt on the summit.

This same pattern should allow Teams 3 and 4 to ascend further, and continue their progress up the mountain.

Here’s to wishing them good luck and good weather!

All Remain at Camp

June 2, 2025

Group Kitchen, dinner family style.

All four teams have been blocked by inclement weather for another day. Teams 1 and 2 (Swanson and Bond) remain at 14 Camp where they’ve been hanging out, snacking, and performing general camp maintenance for several days. Team 3 (Dale) is hunkered down at Ski Hill Camp, and Team 4 (Phillips) is doing the same at 10 Camp. Both will use the time well to acclimate, bond as a team, and make plans for the next weather window ascent.

IMGD Teams Are Making Upwards Progress

Morning sun illuminates the clouds while climbers pass Kahiltna Dome on the Lower Kahiltna Glacier (Stu Johnson).

Another day of progress for our four teams on Denali. Team 3 (Dale) and Team 4 Custom (Phillips) will be carrying gear to cache at 9,800 feet today in order to lighten their loads when they move from Ski Hill Camp at 7,600 feet to 11K camp. The day following their move to 11K Camp (weather permitting) they will back-carry, walking down from 11K Camp with mostly empty backpacks to pickup the gear they cached (by burying it in the snow) the day before. Team 1 (Swanson) and Team 2 (Bond) are patiently anticipating improved weather while they rest and recuperate at 14K Camp. With their gear cached, all four teams are in an excellent position to move higher on the mountain as the weather improves. Check back in the coming days to follow everyone’s progress!