"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
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.
Valery Babanov. It is very easy to go amiss on such huge wall | |
"Infinity Direct" goes up the center of the wall | |
Approach under the route | |
Approach under the route. NE Fork glacier | |
"Infinity Direct" is seen up close | |
Our High Camp before start | |
Beginning of the route | |
Forward and upwards... | |
Valery Babanov | |
The leader climbs with a rucksack | |
On the route | |
Rocks, ice, snow... More shortly MIXED site | |
The wall's slowly leaving downwards | |
What is yet to come? | |
Raphael | |
Belaying. | |
We are climbing out of the misty thickness... | |
Kahiltna peak. A view from the wall. | |
Rare minutes of rest. | |
On the wall | |
The glacier we crossed approaching the route is seen far below. | |
In the chaos of rocks. | |
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. | |
We are already higher than Medical Camp (4300m). | |
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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