The biggest variable that is completely out of your control as a climber and will make the difference between a safe and successful climb (or suffering in the Alaska Range) is the weather. There’s nothing you can do to change the weather, but with a good Denali weather forecast, you can maximize your chances of taking advantage of good weather windows on the mountain and, more importantly, keep yourself out of trouble. Weather forecasting in Alaska, and especially Denali, is a challenge for even the best forecasters. Huge and powerful weather systems crossing the Bering Sea, or warm and humid systems coming from the Gulf of Alaska, bear down on the Alaska Range, creating dynamic and difficult-to-predict winds and snowfall. Alaska is surrounded by ocean and located in Arctic latitudes, and there simply isn’t as much data for weather models as there is in the continental United States.
Weather forecasting in Denali has improved significantly over the past decade and there are valuable resources, both free forecasts from the National Weather Service and paid forecasts from mountain meteorologists. While you are on the mountain, you will receive daily radio forecasts announced by the base camp manager. You will need an FRS/GMRS radio for the trip and it will broadcast on FRS Channel 1 at 8pm every evening. It’s a bit of a social hour on the radio with forecasts, general announcements and an evening trivia question that everyone chimes in on. Even if you don’t need the forecast, it’s a great opportunity to connect with the Denali climbing community.
Current Denali Conditions
- National Park Service Denali Climbing Information Page. The NPS has compiled some good information and, during the season, will periodically post climbing blog updates with information about the mountain.
- Mountain Travel: Denali Travel Reports. During the season, we write daily reports from each team on the mountain. This is a good place to follow movements on the mountain and the progress of the teams.
Weather Forecast Resources for Denali
- Denali Climbers Forecast from the National Weather Service. The NWS office in Fairbanks, AK, publishes forecasts specifically for Denali climbers twice daily during the climbing season. It’s a good resource and these are the forecasts they will announce on the radio (FRS Channel 1) every evening at 8pm.
- Weather 4 Expeditions. This is a paid weather forecast service made by professional mountain meteorologists. Mountain Trip has used Marc DeKeyser’s forecasts for over a decade now for our Himalayan programs, including Mount Everest, and for the past five years Marc has been producing weather forecasts for us on Denali. He is the leading weather forecaster for Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, as well as high-altitude mountaineering in the Himalayas, and is trusted by many guiding services and private expeditions.
Denali veterans will always tell you that you have to stick your nose out of the tent and that you can’t just make decisions based on the weather forecast. The most important thing a good weather forecast can do for you as a climber is keep you out of trouble. If you know there will be a big storm and high winds in 12 hours, do not climb High Camp from 14,000 feet. If a storm is coming, it may not be the time to attempt to summit. Denali is not the place to dictate the weather; it’s a big mountain with a lot of consequences, not the local ski area.
Before you even leave for Alaska, read the forecasts, familiarize yourself with the language they use, and get a sense of what’s happening on the mountain. While you’re in the mountains, listen to the NWS daily forecasts and consider subscribing to paid forecasts from a professional mountain meteorologist. Mountain Trip pays for weather forecasts because we believe it makes a difference and allows our guides to have the best information available to make the best decisions. It’s a game of marginal gains, but over the course of the climbing season it will make a difference.
