Day 1: Travel
4:00 p.m.	Meet the guides at Anchorage International Airport (Domestic Terminal), carousel 1 in Alaska Airlines baggage claim.

Shuttle transportation to Talkeetna is arranged by RMI (please see Travel Details). The shuttle leaves at 4:30 p.m. and it is a three hour drive to Talkeetna. The group will stop at a grocery store in Wasilla, for the opportunity to purchase any fresh food you’d like to bring on the mountain (cheese, salami, etc). The team will arrive in Talkeetna at approximately 9:00 p.m. Participants need overnight accommodations for that night and the following night. Guides, and most RMI climbers, stay at the Talkeetna Motel (please see Travel Details).

Day 2: Pre-Trip Preparation and Fly On
7:00 a.m.	Meet at The Roadhouse Restaurant, Talkeetna, AK

There are a number of important items to accomplish in Talkeetna. After a breakfast meeting we begin our training at the Hudson Air Service hanger.  The team will go through extensive personal equipment checks. Final recommendations and suggestions concerning gear will be made at that time. The team will plan meals and ready group food and equipment for the glacier flight.

After lunch we will meet at Hudson Air Service and begin shuttling members into the Kahiltna Base Camp, weather permitting. This spectacular scenic flight requires approximately 45 minutes, one way.  Once at Kahiltna Base Camp we continue the training by learning camp site selection and how to build a mountain camp and kitchen.

DAYS 3 - 10-: The Expedition Seminar

The following seminar itinerary is approximate and depends on such considerations as weather, route conditions and strength of the party. Eight man-days of food and fuel are carried on the mountain. There are emergency food rations at Base Camp, in case weather prevents the group from flying off. It is best to purchase an airline ticket booked to depart Anchorage one week after the seminar’s end date. When you return to Anchorage, you can then reschedule your flight.

DAY 3: We begin building the foundational skills that allow travel and access to more varied terrain. Skills covered on this day include: knots, harness, carabiner and avalanche transceiver use., proper use of the ice axe for balance and self and team arrest, cramponing on moderate terrain, and the basics of roped glacier travel. Evening discussions will take place throughout the seminar and cover a variety of mountaineering topics such as: mountain medicine and wellness, weather, route finding and navigation, expeditionary climbing techniques, alpine climbing techniques, self care and the art of climbing efficiently.

DAY 4: We spend the morning learning how to construct a variety of snow and ice anchors for use in belaying, rappelling, and crevasse rescue. In the afternoon, we hone our glacier travel and route finding skills as we make our way to a group of seracs (ice towers) to practice front pointing and the use of two ice axes on steeper terrain.

DAY 5: Our first summit day. A moderate climbing objective will be picked by the guides for the first summit attempt of the trip. Our goal is to apply the techniques we have learned up to this point, have an adventurous and safe climb, and be back in camp by early evening.

DAY 6:  Our focus today is on expedition skills such as fixed rope travel, sled rigging and crevasse rescue. During our crevasse rescue practice we learn self rescue, how to extricate ourselves from a crevasse if we have fallen in, and companion rescue, how we extricate a team member. These are essential skills for an ascent of a large expeditionary peak like Denali.

DAY 7: Today we are introduced to lead climbing including belaying, anchors and rappelling techniques on moderate and steep terrain in a mock lead setting. This is a fun day where we learn the skills necessary to set up top ropes and lead moderate ice climbs.

DAY 8: The goal of our second climbing objective is to safely apply all of the skills we have learned during our course. This is a two-day summit bid. If conditions allow the team, will move to a high camp on day 7. This will entail breaking camp, packing and pulling sleds, and re-pitching camp at a high point that will allow for a manageable summit bid. We then bed down early for the next day’s climb.

DAY 9: The high point of the trip! This will be an exciting, all-day climb. Standing on the summit we are able to see the surrounding peaks of Mt. McKinley, Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter. We descend to our high camp and, energy permitting, all the way back to base camp.

DAY 10: Today can be used for additional training or for an extra summit attempt. We fly from the Kahiltna Base Camp to Talkeetna for a celebratory dinner.