Polar Climb 1 Introductions

Tom Surprenant - Expedition Manager.   Tom has summited Denali, run 60-plus marathons as well as the Ironman triathlon. He’s a retired Information Technology Director, and one hell of a nice guy.

Lonnie Dupre on Denali in June

First solo winter ascent of Denali in the month of January

Denali, aka Mount McKinley, in Alaska, is North America's highest mountain at 20,320 feet. Denali's high latitude (being close to the Arctic) makes it feel like a 23,000-foot peak. This, along with its unpredictable weather and vast crevasse fields, makes it a challenging climb in summer even by Himalayan standards. But in the winter it's a whole different set of conditions. Winds often exceed 100 miles per hour, temperatures plummet below -50F, and there's an average of only six hours of sunlight.
Only nine expeditions totaling 16 people have ever reached the summit of Denali in winter. Six deaths resulted from those climbs. Only one team (comprised of three Russian climbers) has ever made the summit in January...the dead of winter. Of those nine original expeditions, four were solo, but none of the solos were in January, the darkest and coldest time.

The Plan:

Planning has already begun for the projected one-month winter climb. In June 2010, two other Minnesotans and I made an unguided climb via Denali's West Buttress route. We reached the summit after 13 days. I used that expedition to assess whether it would be possible with my 20-plus years of polar expedition experience, and some modification of climbing gear, to successfully climb the mountain in January.

I will pull a 6-foot sled and carry a backpack, a combined weight of about 150 pounds. I'll be attached to the sled via a 14-foot lightweight ladder and a waist harness. The ladder will help to span crevasses should I slip into one. I will also be using extra-long skis for bridging crevasses.

Six thousand calories per day will be needed to stave off the cold and can be eaten without cooking, with the exception of soups and drinks, to conserve weight and fuel. Some 300 bamboo wands will be carried to mark the route, dangerous crevasse crossings and camps from start to summit to help ensure a safe return during low visibility. Camps will consist of snow caves...even modern expedition tents cannot hold up to Denali's winter winds. Snow caves are more reliable and warmer, essential when it's -50° outside. To train for the expedition, I will hike with 6o-pound packs, run, pull tires, do kettle bells, ski, hone climbing skills in Washington and Colorado, and use a hyperbaric chamber to acclimatize for the altitude.

Objectives:

1. Summit Denali before the end of January 2011.
2. Submit daily blog entries, photographs and audio posts from the trail to support the expedition's website and social media.
3. Provide a platform to bring attention to Alaska's vanishing glaciers.
4. Do something big at the summit that will be documented there.
5. Produce a film and an audio documentary for radio as well as professionally shot still images for publication.