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Mountain Trip
P.O. Box 3325 Telluride, CO 81435

About

Born in Alaska in 1973, Mountain Trip is now one of the world’s outstanding mountain guide services, providing expert, professional trips while also offering an approachable, collaborative, and easygoing environment across all of our programs.

An industry leader and AMGA accredited business, Mountain Trip offers the highest quality expeditions in rock climbing, skiing, and alpine, to big, remote mountains around the world. We are the only guide service in Colorado that can take you from the San Juan Mountains to the Seven Summits and are the longest continually operating guide service on Denali, since 1976.

Activities

San Juan Guided Backcountry Skiing
Telluride, CO
Ripping down dreamy powder lines in the San Juan Mountains is a one-of-a-kind experience, which is why Mountain Trip offers guided backcountry trips in the surreal terrain surrounding Telluride and Red Mountain Pass. Whether you’re looking to avoid resort crowds or have been eyeing a steep, technical descent of a beautiful couloir, we can craft an ideal day for you in the backcountry.

Our Guided Backcountry Skiing trip is geared toward skiers and splitboarders with experience in the backcountry, and who prefer to be joined by an experienced guide. We will provide route finding and terrain assessment, with less of a focus on coaching and in-depth teaching about any point of the process, and more of a focus on finding the best zones, with the best snow, for the best possible day of skiing or riding.

The snowpack in the San Juan Mountains is unique in many ways. With cold temperatures and high altitudes, we can find great powder during or long after a storm. Our local AMGA trained or certified guides are familiar with the local snowpack and are avalanche professionals with extensive training and experience. Routes are condition dependent, and guides will select the most appropriate route for the day.

Seasonality
Jan-Mar
Denali West Buttress Expedition
Denali Park, AK
Join one of our small-sized teams, with a high guide-to-climber ratio, on the West Buttress of Denali—North America’s classic mountaineering objective. First pioneered in 1950 by the indefatigable Bradford Washburn, it has become the route of choice for most who choose to climb Denali due to its relative ease of access in this modern age of Air Taxis. Mountain Trip has helped more climbers achieve their Denali dreams than any other guide service. The legacy of Mountain Trip stretches back to before the National Park Service started the current concession system, and with the exception of 2020, Mountain Trip has been guiding climbers up the West Buttress each season since 1976.

Our West Buttress expeditions begin at 7,200 feet on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. They follow the Kahiltna north before ascending up onto the West Buttress proper. Though it’s not one of the most technical routes on the mountain, climbers must use a variety of mountaineering techniques to make their way around crevasses and up moderately steep terrain. The route culminates on summit day by following an incredible knife-edged ridge to the highest point in North America.

Denali is a place of superlatives. Carrying the heaviest pack of your life in the thin air of altitude at such a northern latitude can make West Buttress expeditions very physically challenging. Extreme winds, heavy snowfall and arctic cold all conspire to make it a serious undertaking. If you want to climb Denali, you need to be in top physical shape and prepared to suffer with a smile. To help you better prepare for the physical challenges of Denali, we provide a 24-week custom Mountaineering Training program designed by the professional coaches at Uphill Athlete to all of our Denali climbers (including guides!), so you can be confident that you will be in great shape, and your teammates will be as well.

Mountain Trip is a small company and we like it that way. It enables us to give personal, attentive service, and to provide our climbers with the most experienced guides on the mountain. No other Denali guide service has our stringent guidelines for whom we allow to lead West Buttress expeditions on the mountain. Our lead guides have a minimum of five Denali ascents under their boots—some have 20, 30, or more. Our office staff includes Denali guides who can answer your questions from their personal experience and love to talk about climbing big, cold mountains. Give us a call and climb Denali with us! All Denali expeditions are run by Mountain Trip Alaska, LLC, which is an authorized concessionaire of Denali National Park and Preserve.


Seasonality
May-Jul

Guides

Bill Allen

Recommended Gear

Denali Expedition

The following is a list of specific required gear for climbing Denali with Mountain Trip. Unless an item is listed as *optional, it is required to participate. Your guides will do a thorough gear check in Alaska prior to departure; any gear or clothing that is not determined to be adequate will need to be replaced at the discretion of the guides. Climbing gear needs to be in good condition. If your helmet is cracked it’s time to buy a new one. Only bring good gear that is in very good condition, as it will all get tested, perhaps to the extreme!

Many of the items on the list need to fit you well in order for you to fully enjoy your experience on the mountain. Please plan ahead with equipment purchased for your trip so you can be certain your gear fits you well. 7,800′ on Denali is not the place to discover your pack is too small for your torso or that your boots give you blisters. Recommended items reflect the opinions of our guides. We have used and have faith in all of our recommendations, but they may not necessarily fit or work for you.

Please follow this list closely and don’t hesitate to call or email us for clarifications, or to solicit an opinion about anything you are considering. There is a great selection of gear available in Anchorage, but please plan ahead and order any items that are size specific. We want you to be as prepared as possible for your expedition.

Outdoor Research
Crocodile Gore-Tex Gaiter
Outdoor Research
Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters
La Sportiva
G2 Evo Mountaineering Boots - Men's
Outdoor Research
Helios Sun Hat
Black Diamond
Guide Glove - Men's
Smartwool
Liner Glove
Outdoor Research
Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts - Men's
Outdoor Research
Alti II GORE-TEX Mitts - Women's
Black Diamond
Trekker Glove
Black Diamond
Cirque Glove
Buff
Original
Julbo
Explorer 2.0 Sunglasses
Hothands
Hand Warmers 2pk
Arc'teryx
Cerium Hoodie - Women's
Black Diamond
Approach Down Hoody - Women's
Black Diamond
Coefficient LT Hybrid Hoodie - Women's
Black Diamond
Coefficient LT Hybrid Hoody - Men's
Smartwool
Merino 250 Baselayer Crew - Men's
Smartwool
Merino 250 Baselayer Crew - Women's
Black Diamond
Alpenglow Hoody - Women's
Arc'teryx
*Atom Vest - Women's
Black Diamond
Alpenglow Hoody - Men's
Arc'teryx
*Atom Vest - Men's
Black Diamond
Alpine Start Hoody - Women's
Arc'teryx
Cerium Hoodie - Men's
Black Diamond
Alpine Start Hoody - Men's
Black Diamond
Approach Down Hoody - Men's
Arc'teryx
Rho LT Bottoms - Men's
Mountain Equipment
Compressor Pant - Men's
Arc'teryx
Rho Boot Cut Bottoms - Women's
Thermarest
Z-Lite Sol Sleep Pad
Exped
Ultra 7R Sleeping Mat
Granite Gear
Air Compressor Sack
Patagonia
Black Hole Duffel Bag
Gregory
Denali 100L Pack
MSR
Evo Explore Snowshoes
Black Diamond
Raven Ice Axe
Petzl
Altitude Harnesses
MSR
Evo Trail Snowshoes
Petzl
OK Locking Carabiner Triact Lock
Black Diamond
Half Dome Helmet
Black Diamond
VaporLock Screwgate Carabiner
Black Diamond
Couloir Harness
Black Diamond
OZ Rackpack
Black Diamond
Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles
Black Diamond
Sabretooth Crampon
Garmin
inReach Mini 2 Satellite Communicator
Suunto
Core Watch w/ Altimeter and Compass Alpha One Size
Nalgene
Wide Mouth Canteen
Balm Shot
SPF 15 Lip Balm
Klean Kanteen
Klean Kanteen Insulated TKWide w/ Cafe Cap 20oz Brushed Stainless
Gsi Outdoors
Collapsible Fairshare Mug
Toaks
Titanium Long Handle Spoon
Alps Mountaineering
Lightweight Compression Stuff Sack 20L
Granite Gear
Air Zippditty
Nalgene
Wide Mouth Sustain Water Bottle 32 oz
Backcountry Ski Gear

The following is a list of guide-recommended gear for Backcountry Skiing with Mountain Trip. In general, you’ll want a selection of warm layers that work together. Clothing designed for a day of resort skiing is fine; however, dedicated touring clothing is better—specifically touring skis or a splitboard, and boots, which differ from a resort setup. Whatever gear you choose, please make sure it fits well so you fully enjoy your experience in the mountains.

All avalanche rescue equipment (beacon, shovel and probe) is included with the cost of the trip. Mountain Trip has a fleet of top-of-the-line Black Diamond touring skis, skins and poles, as well as La Sportiva touring boots and Black Diamond airbag skiing packs available for rent.

In addition to what we provide and have available to rent, there is also a good selection of gear available in Telluride and Ouray. If you have any specific questions about what you might need, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Mountain Trip office.

Dakine
Freeride Sock - Men's
Dakine
Freeride Sock - Women's
Arc'teryx
*Atom Vest - Women's
Arc'teryx
*Atom Vest - Men's
Black Diamond
Alpine Start Insulated Hoody - Women's
Black Diamond
Alpine Start Hoody - Men's
Black Diamond
Coefficient LT Hybrid Hoody - Women's
Black Diamond
Coefficient LT Hybrid Hoody - Men's Tundra/Black Large
Smartwool
Merino 250 Baselayer - Men's
Icebreaker
200 Oasis Base Layer Crew - Women's
Arc'teryx
Rho LT Bottoms - Men's
Arc'teryx
Rho Boot Cut Bottoms - Women's
Smith
I/O Mag S Goggle ChromaPop
Outdoor Research
Sombriolet Sun Hat
Buff
Original EcoStretch
Julbo
Montebianco 2 Reactiv Sunglasses
Hothands
Hand Warmers 2pk
Salomon
MTN Lab Ski Helmet
Black Diamond
Impulse 104 Ti Skis
Black Diamond
Ascension Climbing Skins
Dynafit
Radical Pro Boot - Men's
Black Diamond
Traverse Ski Poles
Black Diamond
Transfer Shovel
Mammut
Barryvox Avalanche Beacon
Black Diamond
Cirque 45 Pack
Black Diamond
Quickdraw Pro 280 Probe
Black Diamond
Guide Bluetooth Avalanche Beacon
Clif
Energy Bars
Balm Shot
SPF 15 Lip Balm
Nalgene
Wide Mouth Sustain Water Bottle 32 oz
Sun Bum
SPF 50 Sunscreen

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