Denali Research

There is a tremendous amount of research material available for my study of this expedition. Given that I have signed up with Alaskan Mountaineering School (AMS) for the climb, I first read AMS founder, Colby Coombs' book, "Denali's West Buttress: A Climber's Guide to Mount McKinley's Classic Route." This book is a must for all West Buttress climbs.

The second book I read is "Denali Climbing Guide" by R.J. Secor. Secor describes all known and as yet unclimbed routes. Also an excellent preparation resource.

I've been studying books on cold injuries. One of the best books, for it's scientific discussion of such injuries, is "Hypothermia, Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries" by Gordon Giesbrecht and James A. Wilkerson. Another relevant book, and much more readable, is "Surviving the Extremes" by Kenneth Kamler, M.D. The author details the human body's reaction to extreme environments. It's great for incorporating high-altitude preparation into my training program.

I also recommend, "Knots for Climbers" by Craig Luebben. From my training course with AMS in 2002, I learned the importance of securing people and things with a set of key knots. Remember that mountaineers must be able to tie these knots in some of the worst conditions, which Mt. Denali is only too happy to provide. I practice tying these knots with my overmitts. this sounds impossible, but I witnesses my AMS guides do this on the Ruth Glacier.