The next adventure is going to be in Alaska

12.05.2004

I fly from Calgary to Anhorage by Alaskan Airlines in the early morning of May 15. One day ahead of me Fabrizio Zongrilli flies there from the US. Once we meet at Anhorage we’re supposed to share the tiny tent on the glacier and work together for a month. Our targets will depend on ambitions of each of us. And we’ll do our best to realize our combined potential.

Back in Himalaya at Nuptse Base Camp I was camping tent by tent with American team. Fabrizio and Billy were my neighbors for more then a month. And there I’ve got my special feeling to these guys as very good friends and climbers. Every time either of us would come back down we would be really glad to see each other. It was that easy and nice!

Together with Fabrizio, I expect myself on the glacier at Denali’s Kahiltna Base Camp by May 16 or 17. This is a start point for all expeditions heading to Mt. McKinley

What are my preferences for Alaska today? Fist we plan to climb up The Mini Moonflower (700-800m, mixed route). Then we plan a high technical, already existing route on the 1,200m-high North Buttress of Mt. Hunter.

But the most important plan is to climb a new route on the South Face of Mt. McKinley (6,194m)

As far as I know, this spring lots of famous climbers from around the world head to Alaska. It may be that our plans will cross somewhere. But nobody knows until we meet there.

I’d like to get through all the routes fast as possible. We plan to climb in alpine style. I shall be back to Calgary on June 15.

So, these are my planes.