Covid measures in the West Rib Route, Denali

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity. We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in the West Rib Route, Denali please refer to Alaska Safe Travels’ COVID-19 information and Denali National Park’s current COVID-19 conditions. Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

What you get on this adventure: An experienced, local rock-climbing guide with extensive knowledge of the area Transportation from the Anchorage airport to the Lakefront Hotel Up to 2 nights lodging at the Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage prior to the tour Transportation within Anchorage for last-minute shopping Transportation from Anchorage to Talkeetna and back Scheduled flights between Talkeetna and Base Camp 16 days of mountaineering and climbing All meals while on the mountain All group equipment (tents, kitchen, ropes, sleds, snow pickets, shovels, group med kit, satellite phone, GPS tracker, etc) Custom expedition dispatch blog for your climb 25% discount on Patagonia clothing and equipment for the tour Assistance arranging for post-climb activities in Alaska What’s not included: Transportation to and from Alaska Personal clothing and equipment Meals while not on the mountain Mountaineering special use fee ($270 for climbers 24 years old and younger, $370 for older climbers) Denali National Park entrance fee ($15, paid to the National Park Service at the time you register for your individual climbing permit) Travel and/or rescue insurance Costs incurred due to evacuation or unplanned departure from the mountain Costs incurred as a result of delays beyond your guides’ control Costs as a result of force majeure

How fit do I need to be?

Ascending Denali, especially via the West Rib Route, requires a high level of physical fitness, as well as climbing and mountaineering experience. On the first day on the trail, you’ll have 100+ pounds of kit in your pack and sled. After Camp 1, you will be carrying a 40-60+ lb backpack and pulling a 30-50 lb sled on the lower glacier for up to four or more hours a day. Higher up you will need to negotiate fairly steep terrain with a 50+ lb pack. A good combination of aerobic and strength training is needed to prepare for an expedition. Summit day can be long and though your pack will be fairly light, people often call it the toughest day of their lives. If at any point you fail to demonstrate sufficient skills or fitness to climb higher, you might create an unacceptable risk to the guides and to the team, leading to the cancellation of the climb. You should know how to tie knots, know basic ice axe techniques (including self-arrest), have crampon skills (French technique), and know how to handle harnesses and prussiks/ascenders, and how to affix them.

What if I’ve never climbed before?

Climbing Denali via the West Rib Route is a serious undertaking, and can be very dangerous if you don’t have good technical experience. Prior to advancing up the mountain, you must demonstrate a minimum level of mastery of basic mountaineering techniques such as the rest step, French Technique, from pointing, running belays, and roped glacial travel techniques. Each stretch of the route has specific hazards, skill requirements, and objectives unique to the terrain you will encounter. In the later parts of the tour descending becomes very difficult, so every team member must have demonstrated that he or she is capable of contributing and climbing the route before moving up the couloir. If you’re new to alpine climbing, there are plenty of options to prepare you for an expedition like this. Learn basic alpine climbing skills on a course in the Canadian Rockies or head to Mount Superior in the Wasatch Mountains —a great training ground to get the experience to move on to an expedition of this level.

What about required equipment?

When it comes to technical climbing equipment, you’ll need to bring: Helmet Alpine climbing harness with a primary attachment locking carabiner, 3 locking carabiners, 8 regular carabiners, and a belay device Ascender Accessory/prusik cord Technical ice axes Crampons Double length runner (48”) Belay/rappel device Ski/trekking poles Here’s a list of the equipment we suggest you bring: Warm hat Face mask Sun hat Heavyweight gloves Medium weight gloves Lightweight gloves Buff neck gaiter Summit mittens Hand warmers Glacier glasses Ski goggles Nose guard Expedition down parka Base layer top Light fleece hoody Puffy light insulated jacket Hardshell jacket Softshell wind jacket Vest — optional Sun hoody — optional Base layer bottoms Light fleece bottoms Softshell pants Hardshell waterproof pants Puffy insulated expedition pants Synthetic or Merino underwear Mountaineering socks Overboots Mountaineering boots with a custom insole Snowshoes Gaiters Down-filled sleeping bag Inflatable sleeping pad Foam sleeping pad Compression stuff sack Regular stuff sacks (enough for clothes and personal items) 2 water bottles (1L) with insulated bottle covers Large plastic bowl Insulated cup or mug Lexan spoon Small knife Toiletry kit (sunscreen, lip balm, toilet paper, etc.) P-bottle and/or funnel Altimeter watch — optional Expedition Backpack (85+L) Large zippered duffel (90-100L) Camera — optional Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and prices: The groups for this tour are usually made up of 6 climbers and 3 guides, making for a 2:1 guest-to-guide ratio. Cost is per person and doesn’t decrease as the group grows. Climbing days on the West Rib Route can be arranged for bigger groups. Contact us prior to booking. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18, you’re good to go. Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to climb on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has climbers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

All Denali expeditions require a $2500 deposit to secure a spot on the team. Your submission of a deposit constitutes your acceptance of this Fee Schedule, Refund and Cancellation Policy. The deposit includes a non-refundable $1500 administration fee. Final payments for expeditions must be received 120 days prior to the adventure. Failure to pay expedition fees by the date they are due constitutes cancellation of your spot on the team and forfeiture of your deposit. If you register for a climb within 90 days of the trip, expedition fees will be due in full to secure your spot on the team. Final payments for expeditions must be received 120 days prior to the adventure. Failure to pay expedition fees by the date they are due constitutes cancellation of your spot on the team and forfeiture of your deposit. If you register for a climb within 90 days of the trip, expedition fees will be due in full to secure your spot on the team

Getting there and meeting location

To get to the West Rib Route on Denali, most people fly into the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport 5 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Your guides will organize transportation from the airport to Lakefront Hotel, where you’ll be staying for the next few days. Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.

West Rib Route | Alaska

Climb Denali via the West Rib Route

5.00 ()

Season

May through August

Intro
Brochure
Guides
Reviews
Things to know

Every ambitious climber and mountaineer dreams of conquering Denali, North America’s highest peak. The climb abounds with technical challenges, steep ravines, and blood-curdling drops with some terrifying weather sprinkled on top. Overcome these hurdles and you’ll be rewarded with some of the most stunning alpine wilderness and vistas out there! The West Rib line, sweeping alongside the monumental South Face of Denali, may just be the most visually pleasing way of experiencing the storied climb. It’s a physically and technically challenging route meant for climbers looking to test their limits. Even reaching the base of the route requires navigating complex and draining glacial terrain, a good sign of the challenges to come. But the views are bar none, the snow is perfect and the climbs are most enjoyable! The West Rib route is a true climber’s climb, so mature as a mountaineer in the Alaskan wilderness.

Adventure highlights

Ascend the legendary Denali peak via its most aesthetic route
Experience the magnificent views of the Alaskan wilderness from a height of 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Overcome West Rib’s numerous challenges and become a better and more confident climber

Climb Denali via the West Rib Route

Adventure Brochure

Brochure sent, check your inbox

If you have questions or need help with planning a trip, schedule a call with one of our adventure experts.

Meet your guides

5.00

Mountain Trip

Mountain Trip has a lot of experience leading teams of climbers on the Seven Summits. Their professional certified guides are thoroughly familiar with each destination. They’ve been guiding climbers in Denali and the Alaska Range since 1973 and were one of the original permitted concessionaires for leading guided expeditions in the Park, and they’ve grown to help more climbers ascend Denali than any other guide service!

5.00

Bill Allen

An Oregon native, Bill grew up playing in the Cascade Mountains, where he fell in love with the outdoors. His guiding career started over 20 years ago in Alaska and has taken him to all of the Seven Summits (thrice to the top of Mount Everest). Although he spends most of his time in the San Juan Mountains, he retains his love for Alaska, where he has guided around 30 expeditions on Denali.

5.00 (3 reviews)

Kale C. (source: Tripadvisor)

When competence, safety, fun, companionship, and great food all matter, choose Mountain Trip. The guides give 110% and are trusted by other guides as the best in the business. I’ve been on Denali with this company and the trip changed my life. Couldn’t give a higher review. Thank you Todd, Bill & the crew.

Britnai M. (source: Tripadvisor)

I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone looking to see breathtaking views and be challenged physically. My guide was so informative and patient with my questions and made sure I was very safe. I will be coming back and doing this again!

Vistorontheroad (source: Tripadvisor)

Mountain Trip is awesome they have outstanding guides. Not only will they teach you proper techniques they look out for your safety. Highly recommend Mountain Trip for any adventure trips they offer. Have used them previously and will do so in the future.

Things to know

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in the West Rib Route, Denali please refer to Alaska Safe Travels’ COVID-19 information and Denali National Park’s current COVID-19 conditions.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get on this adventure:
- - An experienced, local rock-climbing guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  - Transportation from the Anchorage airport to the Lakefront
  - Hotel
  - Up to 2 nights lodging at the Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage prior to the tour
  - Transportation within Anchorage for last-minute shopping
  - Transportation from Anchorage to Talkeetna and back
  - Scheduled flights between Talkeetna and Base Camp
  - 16 days of mountaineering and climbing
  - All meals while on the mountain
  - All group equipment (tents, kitchen, ropes, sleds, snow pickets, shovels, group med kit, satellite phone, GPS tracker, etc)
  - Custom expedition dispatch blog for your climb
  - 25% discount on Patagonia clothing and equipment for the tour
  - Assistance arranging for post-climb activities in Alaska
What’s not included:
- - Transportation to and from Alaska
  - Personal clothing and equipment
  - Meals while not on the mountain
  - Mountaineering special use fee ($270 for climbers 24 years old and younger, $370 for older climbers)
  - Denali National Park entrance fee ($15, paid to the National Park Service at the time you register for your individual climbing permit)
  - Travel and/or rescue insurance
  - Costs incurred due to evacuation or unplanned departure from the mountain
  - Costs incurred as a result of delays beyond your guides’ control
  - Costs as a result of force majeure
Ascending Denali, especially via the West Rib Route, requires a high level of physical fitness, as well as climbing and mountaineering experience. On the first day on the trail, you’ll have 100+ pounds of kit in your pack and sled. After Camp 1, you will be carrying a 40-60+ lb backpack and pulling a 30-50 lb sled on the lower glacier for up to four or more hours a day. Higher up you will need to negotiate fairly steep terrain with a 50+ lb pack.
A good combination of aerobic and strength training is needed to prepare for an expedition. Summit day can be long and though your pack will be fairly light, people often call it the toughest day of their lives. If at any point you fail to demonstrate sufficient skills or fitness to climb higher, you might create an unacceptable risk to the guides and to the team, leading to the cancellation of the climb.
You should know how to tie knots, know basic ice axe techniques (including self-arrest), have crampon skills (French technique), and know how to handle harnesses and prussiks/ascenders, and how to affix them.
Climbing Denali via the West Rib Route is a serious undertaking, and can be very dangerous if you don’t have good technical experience. Prior to advancing up the mountain, you must demonstrate a minimum level of mastery of basic mountaineering techniques such as the rest step, French Technique, from pointing, running belays, and roped glacial travel techniques. Each stretch of the route has specific hazards, skill requirements, and objectives unique to the terrain you will encounter. In the later parts of the tour descending becomes very difficult, so every team member must have demonstrated that he or she is capable of contributing and climbing the route before moving up the couloir.
If you’re new to alpine climbing, there are plenty of options to prepare you for an expedition like this. Learn basic alpine climbing skills on a course in the Canadian Rockies or head to Mount Superior in the Wasatch Mountains —a great training ground to get the experience to move on to an expedition of this level.
When it comes to technical climbing equipment, you’ll need to bring:
- - Helmet
  - Alpine climbing harness with a primary attachment locking carabiner, 3 locking carabiners, 8 regular carabiners, and a belay device
  - Ascender
  - Accessory/prusik cord
  - Technical ice axes
  - Crampons
  - Double length runner (48”)
  - Belay/rappel device
  - Ski/trekking poles
Here’s a list of the equipment we suggest you bring:
- - Warm hat
  - Face mask
  - Sun hat
  - Heavyweight gloves
  - Medium weight gloves
  - Lightweight gloves
  - Buff neck gaiter
  - Summit mittens
  - Hand warmers
  - Glacier glasses
  - Ski goggles
  - Nose guard
  - Expedition down parka
  - Base layer top
  - Light fleece hoody
  - Puffy light insulated jacket
  - Hardshell jacket
  - Softshell wind jacket
  - Vest — optional
  - Sun hoody — optional
  - Base layer bottoms
  - Light fleece bottoms
  - Softshell pants
  - Hardshell waterproof pants
  - Puffy insulated expedition pants
  - Synthetic or Merino underwear
  - Mountaineering socks
  - Overboots
  - Mountaineering boots with a custom insole
  - Snowshoes
  - Gaiters
  - Down-filled sleeping bag
  - Inflatable sleeping pad
  - Foam sleeping pad
  - Compression stuff sack
  - Regular stuff sacks (enough for clothes and personal items)
  - 2 water bottles (1L) with insulated bottle covers
  - Large plastic bowl
  - Insulated cup or mug
  - Lexan spoon
  - Small knife
  - Toiletry kit (sunscreen, lip balm, toilet paper, etc.)
  - P-bottle and/or funnel
  - Altimeter watch — optional
  - Expedition Backpack (85+L)
  - Large zippered duffel (90-100L)
  - Camera — optional
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season.
Group sizes and prices:
- - The groups for this tour are usually made up of 6 climbers and 3 guides, making for a 2:1 guest-to-guide ratio.
  - Cost is per person and doesn’t decrease as the group grows.
Climbing days on the West Rib Route can be arranged for bigger groups. Contact us prior to booking.

Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to climb on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has climbers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
All Denali expeditions require a $2500 deposit to secure a spot on the team. Your submission of a deposit constitutes your acceptance of this Fee Schedule, Refund and Cancellation Policy. The deposit includes a non-refundable $1500 administration fee.

Final payments for expeditions must be received 120 days prior to the adventure. Failure to pay expedition fees by the date they are due constitutes cancellation of your spot on the team and forfeiture of your deposit. If you register for a climb within 90 days of the trip, expedition fees will be due in full to secure your spot on the team.

Final payments for expeditions must be received 120 days prior to the adventure. Failure to pay expedition fees by the date they are due constitutes cancellation of your spot on the team and forfeiture of your deposit. If you register for a climb within 90 days of the trip, expedition fees will be due in full to secure your spot on the team
To get to the West Rib Route on Denali, most people fly into the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport 5 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Your guides will organize transportation from the airport to Lakefront Hotel, where you’ll be staying for the next few days.

Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
Any cancellation 120+ days before your trip will be refunded in full, less the administration fee. If you cancel 120-90 days before your trip, you are eligible for a refund of 50% of any money paid, less the deposit. No refunds will be provided for cancellations occurring within the last 89 days prior to an expedition.

Your guides reserve the right to cancel an expedition prior to the departure date for any reason. In such an event, all money for that expedition shall be refunded.

For the 2022 Denali season, your guides require that all climbers are fully vaccinated prior to departing for Anchorage. A person is considered fully vaccinated greater than or equal to 2 weeks after completion of a two-dose mRNA series or single dose of Janssen vaccine. All climbers joining Mountain Trip Alaska for expeditions in Denali National Park and Preserve will be required to sign a COVID-19 Declaration stating the following:
- - You are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19, and;
  - You are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 , and;
  - You are not waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test, and;
  - You agree to comply with all Mountain Trip Alaska COVID-19 specific guidelines and protocols.
57hours partners with Redpoint Travel Protection, offering you a fully integrated program with a single point of contact for all your needs, from emergency services to travel assistance and protection claims. We highly recommend purchasing a comprehensive protection policy from Redpoint, which will protect you both before and during your travels. Before your departure, your investment is protected by the trip cancellation benefit. Once you depart, your policy provides coverage for trip interruption, medical assistance and rescue, baggage loss, trip delay, and more. Once you complete booking with 57hours, we'll create bespoke quote for you (and your group), making sure you're fully protected for the adventure ahead.