My first trip to the Alaska Range was an incredible one. I learned a lot, and feel that I planned physically, mentally and logistically well for this expedition. Much of the latter preparation was due to the advice, insight and previous gear beta from those that had been there before. It’s for that reason, I’d like to give back and share the gear we brought on our ascent of the Cassin Ridge.
We planned to climb as a party of 2, but last-minute changes had us adapt for a party of 3. I’ve outlined gear for the party of 3, but noted some modifications for a party of 2, as well as what I might do differently next time.
Full disclosure, our ascent took us 40+ hours from schrund to summit (and a little under 60 hours from Camp 14 to Camp 14) We had planned for an absolute max of 3 days of food and 5 days of fuel(water). Use this list at your own risk and adapt as needed for your specific style of ascent.
Me, near our only bivy spot (16,500’) just below the 2nd Rock band w/ the Valley of Death below. This HMG pack was perfect for the Cassin Ridge.
Gear for the Cassin Ridge:
| Gear Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Footwear | |
| Mountaineering Boots | La Sportiva G2 SM |
| Socks (2) | 1 pair Smartwool ski Merino & 1 Pair Darn tough |
| Outerwear | |
| Baselayer Shirt | Merrell Paradox T (wool/poly) |
| T-shirt Baselayer | Merrell Merino |
| Long sleeve Baselayer | Patagonia Sunshade Hoody |
| Upper Insulation Layer | Merrel Unbound Jacket |
| Soft Shell/Wind Jacket | Patagonia Levitation Jacket |
| Hardshell/Goretex Jacket | Arc'teryx Alpha SV |
| Expedition Down Parka [800 Fill] | Patagonia Fitzroy |
| Underwear | Saxx Merino |
| Lower Baselayer (thermal long Underwear) | Icebreaker Merino |
| Softshell Pants | Patagonia Simulalpine |
| Hardshell Bibs | Arc'teryx Theta SV Bib |
| Insulated Pants | BD Stance Insulated Pant |
| Head + Neck + Face | |
| Helmet | BD Vector |
| Light Beanie (Under Helmet) | Merrell Skull Cap |
| Buff | Merrell Buff |
| Balaclava (thick/Windstopper) | Smartwool Buff |
| glacier glasses | Julbo Explorer |
| glasses case | Julbo Plastic Case |
| goggles | Dragon Eyewear (old pair) |
| lip balm | Dermatone Tin |
| sunscreen | Dermatone Tin |
| Hands | |
| Liner Gloves | Arc'teryx Ignis Liner |
| Climbing Gloves | BD Terminator Glove |
| Insulated Ski/Climbing Gloves | BD Enforcer Glove |
| Insulated Mittens | MH Alti-Mitt |
| Shelter System | |
| Sleeping Bag #1 | Marmot Phase 20 |
| Sleeping Bag #2 | Feathered Friends Spoonbill UL |
| sleeping bag compresson bag | |
| full lentgh sleep pad #1 (air) | Exped Downmat 9 |
| full lentgh sleep pad #2 (air) | Therma Rest X-Therm |
| 2-Man Alpine Tent | Mountain Hardware Direkt 2 |
| Personal Climbing Gear | |
| crampons | BD Snaggletooths |
| technical ice tools | Grivel North Machines |
| Spare Ice tool pick | Grivel |
| Wrench | |
| Leash/Tether | CAMP Cassin X-Gyro Lash |
| Harness | BD Xeno |
| Ice Clippers | (2) BD & DMM Vault |
| Belay Device + Locking Carabiner | BD ATC Guide + Camp HMS Nitro |
| Ascender | Petzl Microtraxion |
| Hollowblock/Prussic | Sterling Hollow block |
| locking carabiners (3) | CAMP Photon Lock |
| Cordelette | Sterling Tech Cord |
| (120cm) 5mm Perlon Cord | |
| pulley | DMM Revolver |
| 120cm Sling | Mammut Contact Sling |
| Team Technical Gear | |
| Rope | 70M Sterling Fusion Photon (7.8mm) |
| snow pickets | (3) 2x MSR 24" + 1x Yates 22" |
| Ice screws | (5) Petzl LaserScrews: 3x 13cm, 1x 16cm 1x 19cm |
| Alpine Draws | (6) CAMP MACH Express Draws |
| Ultralight Cams | (4) Black Diamond UL Cams [# 1, .75, .5, .4] |
| Stoppers | Light set of nuts |
| V-thread tool | |
| Laminated Topo & Route Description | "Alaska Climbing" J. Puryear |
| Cooking Gear | |
| Stove | Jetboil 1.8L w/ Lid |
| Lighters | (3) Bic's |
| "Alpine Bomb" | (homemade copper heat exchanger) |
| Stove Repair Kit | MSR Expedition Kit |
| Fuel | 5x MSR Fuel Canisters (3.9oz/110g) |
| Food/Nutrition | |
| Dehyrated Meals | Backpacker's Pantry (3 days worth) |
| Breakfast | Quaker Instant Packets & Starbucks Via Coffee (3 Days) |
| Snacks | Variety of energy fuel (see food post) |
| Personal Cookwear | |
| Nalgene/water bottles | (2) Nalgenes |
| Nalgene/Water bottles insulator (2 Per Person) | (2) OR Insulator |
| Mug/Cup | Snowpeak Titaium 450 mug |
| Spoon/Spork | Sea-to-summit Titanium Spork |
| Repair Kit | |
| Athletic Tape | |
| Multitool | |
| 3' Duct Tape | |
| 3' Bailing Wire | |
| 3' 2mm Cord | |
| Med Kit | |
| Alcohol Swabs | |
| Moleskin | |
| Small Nail Clippers | |
| 1.5" Leuko Tape | |
| Large Safety Pins | 4 |
| Pulse Oximter | |
| Triangular Bandage | |
| 3' of 3" Coban | 3 feet |
| Band-Aids | |
| 4"x4" Guaze Pads | 2 |
| Surgical ABD | |
| Perscription Meds | 3 |
| ibuprofen (200mg) | 20 Tablets |
| acetaminophen | 20 tablets |
| Albuterol | |
| Prednisone (20mg) | 6 tablets |
| Diamox (125mg) | |
| antibiotics(respiratory) | |
| antibiotics(GI) | |
| Pepto Bismol | 6 Tablets |
| Cough Drops | 10x 1oz Losenges |
| Hand/Foot Warmers | 3 Sets |
| Electronics & Navigation | |
| Mobile/iPhone | iphone 6+ |
| Sattellite Communication | Garmin InReach SE+ |
| GPS | Garmin InReach SE+ & GAIA |
| Video Camera | goPro Hero 5 |
| Altimeter | Suunto Ambit 3 Peak |
| Other Gear | |
| Alpine Climbing Pack | Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Ice Pack (2400 cu./39L) |
| Toilet Paper | 1/4 Roll of Mountain Money |
Denali GPX Files
West Buttress
Upper West Rib
Orient Express
Messner Couloir
Cassin Ridge
*Note that terrain and routes vary in big mountain terrain. Please use at your own risk.
Time to eat once the storm broke at 16,500. Backpacker’s Pantry was fuel for the body and mind.
Modifications for Party of 2:
40M Sterling Fusion Photon (7.8mm) instead of 70M
0-2 Snow pickets instead of 3
Just the spoonbill, and leave the 2nd sleeping bag behind.
For a future ascent:
I would debate bringing the pickets. They gave us piece of mind, but were very time consuming and difficult to place (think t-slot, deadman anchors) every single time based on the snow pack during our ascent.
MSR Reactor Stove (1.8L) instead of the JetBoil. The MSR Reactor has won me over as the more reliable stove for alpine ascents.
I used the DeLorme InReach to msg, but used almost exclusively GAIA on my iPhone 7+ for GPS/Compass. The iPhone 7+ has a much larger screen that is easier to see.
Ryan Edwards, Nate Kenney and I on the Summit of Denali after climbing the Cassin Ridge.
As I mentioned above, I am incredibly grateful for the info I received from folks who had been there – Mark Smiley, Max Neale, Colin Haley, Jonathan Griffin and Colin Simon all spent time relaying their personal experiences in this area which helped me greatly in planning for a route like the Cassin Ridge.
With that in mind, I hope you find my gear info helpful and If you are planning on a trip to the SW face of Denali don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly, I’ll do my best to help you wherever I can.