"New route "Infinite Direct"
on MacKinley SouthWest Face Expedition to Alaska in photos.
Valery Babanov and Raphael Slawinski
Part I
Acclimatization climb Mt.McKinley
West Buttress via classical route. Every year hundreds climbers
summit the highest point of Northern America Mt.McKinley, 6194
m, via classical route
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Mt.McKinley from Kahiltna base camp, 2200 m |
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Kahiltna Base Camp "Airport" on a glacier at 2200m.
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In base camp |
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Medical Camp at 14,300 ft (4300m) |
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Medical Camp at 4300m |
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Raphael. Minutes of rest |
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Valery Babanov and Raphael Slawinski at High Camp |
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We are not lonely on the way upwards. |
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High Camp 17,200 ft (5200m) |
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Contrast of shadows... |
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Climb to high-altitude camp at 5200 m |
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Valery Babanov. Denali Pass 5600m |
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Altitude 5800m |
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McKinley, a view from altitude 6000m |
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McKinley summit. 1.00 am. Negative 40 centigrade |
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Part II
New route "Infinity Direct"
on MacKinley SouthWest Face. Almost two kilometers of climbing.
14 hours of nonstop "fun". It is the route I dreamed
all the year about. Everything that I like: beauty, logicality,
complexity and challenge, at last, met in it.
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Valery Babanov. It is very easy to go amiss on such huge wall | |
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"Infinity Direct" goes up the center of the wall | |
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Approach under the route | |
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Approach under the route. NE Fork glacier | |
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"Infinity Direct" is seen up close | |
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Our High Camp before start | |
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Beginning of the route | |
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Forward and upwards... | |
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Valery Babanov | |
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The leader climbs with a rucksack | |
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On the route | |
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Rocks, ice, snow... More shortly MIXED site | |
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The wall's slowly leaving downwards | |
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What is yet to come? | |
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Raphael | |
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Belaying. | |
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We are climbing out of the misty thickness... | |
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Kahiltna peak. A view from the wall. | |
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Rare minutes of rest. | |
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On the wall | |
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The glacier we crossed approaching the route is seen far below. | |
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In the chaos of rocks. | |
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Mixed climbing. Ice hammers are good in using in rocky cracks as well as in ice. |
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Someone's tents are well visible on West Rib. | |
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We are already higher than Medical Camp (4300m). | |
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After our ascent. In Base Camp. Maria Shtremfel, Valery Babanov, Andrey Shtremfel. |
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In Base Camp. Andrey Shtremfel and Valery Babanov. | |
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After our ascent. In Talkitna. Raphael, Richard Povlovsky, Grzegorz, Valery Babanov. |
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