WHAT ARE THE PARTICULAR CHALLENGES OF CLIMBING MOUNT MCKINLEY?
“Mount McKinley has a larger bulk and rise than Mount Everest, although the summit of Everest is higher measured from sea level at 29,028 feet. “The mountain is also characterized by extremely cold weather. Temperatures as low as minus 75.5 degrees Fahrenheit and windchills as low as minus 118.1 degrees Fahrenheit have been recorded by an automated weather station located at 18,700 feet . There is also a higher risk of altitude illness for climbers than its altitude would otherwise suggest, due to its high latitude. “At the equator, a mountain as high as Mount McKinley would have 47 percent as much oxygen available on its summit as there is at sea level, but because of its latitude, the pressure on the summit of McKinley is even lower (42 percent). “The availability of Sherpa support on Everest reduces the workload on the climbers. This is not the case on Denali. The average starting load is about 130 pounds per climber. This would include personal gear and group gear. The need to buil
