McKinley(6194) - Page 3

6/11- Hello from Alaska! We have exciting news! The president of 7 Summits Club Alex Abramov has arrived in Alaska!
Stop by our office in Talkeetna to meet him personally and say hello!

The 7 Summits Club is proud to announce that our Alaska office is fully ready to meet and greet all Denali climbers this season. We are excited to personally welcome each mountaineer who has taken on the challenge of North America's highest peak.
Our team is looking forward to meeting every climber in person, celebrating their achievement, and awarding special medals and certificates to those who have successfully reached the summit. Whether you climbed with us or independently, you're part of the global climbing community and we’re here to honor your accomplishment.
Stop by, share your story, and let us congratulate you on your Denali success!

6/9- Today our old friend Garrett Madison from Madison Mountaineering stopped by our office to say Hello and Welcome the 7 Summits Club to Alaska.

Garrett Madison summited Everest for the 15th time just a few weeks ago and now he left for the Denali Expedition. 

6/8- Sad news from Denali.

Denali took its first victim this season. Alex Chiu from Brooklyn, New York died after he fell 3,000 feet from Alaska’s Mount McKinley on June 2. Alex Chiu with 2 other partners were ascending Mount McKiney’s West Buttress climbing route on to the Peters Glacier on June 2, which is roughly 12,000 feet above sea level. Chiu was not wearing a rope during the adventure when he fell, and National Park Service officials said the two other mountaineers witnessed Chiu fall and they lowered themselves over the edge of the mountain as far as they could but couldn’t see or hear Chiu fall. The body was recovered on June 4 by helicopter.

Visit the 7 Summits Club office in Talkeetna after summiting Denali and we will present you ⁠a medal, a personalized certificate, a gift pack with 7 Summits Club items (t-shirt, sticker packs, etc)!

*The 7 Summits Club, an international mountaineering club, was founded to unite those who dream of summiting the world’s highest peaks and to support adventurers on their journey.

Alex Abramov from the plane: Hi everybody! Now I fly to Alaska to climb Denali. We have two groups and also we open an office in Talkeetna in front of the Ranger station. Welcome to our office! Because for people who climb Denali we present medals and certificate. It is official from the 7 Summits Club. So, please welcome! See you in Talkeetna!

Super-guide of the 7 Summits Club Alexey Lonchinsky reports from the Elbrus region:

 Today, as planned, we moved "into the fields". We have reached our usual base, near the Elbrus Lake. The climb took place at a calm pace, everyone feels good, the mood is excellent. The bivouac is set up, dinner is cooked!

Your guides: Alexey Lonchinsky and Dmitry Semenov.

  Yesterday, a big meeting of friends of the 7 Summits Club took place in the lecture hall of the Sports Marathon Travelers Club.  The program included the presentation of Alexander Abramov's book "The Height-Altitude  Gene" and the first ever presentation of orders “Seven Summits”.  The hall was crowded, and everyone showed great interest in what was happening "on stage".  The procedure for awarding orders has turned into a solemn presentation of outstanding personalities, such are the heroes, the climbers of all "Seven Summits".   

 The Order of the Seven Summits is an honorary award to climbers who have climbed the highest peaks of all seven continents of our planet. In total, there are almost half a thousand people who have completed it.  There are already about fifty of them in the list of Russians. The first number in it is the famous Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov, who completed the program back in 1997.

  The presentation of the badge of honor, which is called the order, is a long-standing idea of the president of the 7 Summits Club company, Alexander Abramov, who, by the way, has already completed the program three times. Finally, the idea that the climbers of the "SevenSummits" are worthy of a separate award has been brought to life.  And the heroes who have passed through all continents, climbed to their highest peaks, received a beautiful order!  The 7 Summits Club plans to make the solemn procedure of awarding the Seven Summits Orders traditional. After all, the award can only be received in person, not everyone could be in Moscow that evening. Well, we are waiting for new heroes, the mountains are calling and waiting for us!

 The list of climbers who received the order (themselves or through family representatives):

Konyukhov Fyodor

Moskalev Dmitry

Abramov Alexander

Korobeshko Lyudmila

Bobok Victor

Ashurli Israfil

Larin Sergey

Kofanov Sergey  

Prinzyuk Igor

Turovsky Mikhail

Podolyan Andrey

Sokov Dmitry

Simonovich Vitaly

Filkov Andrey

Kadochin Igor

Dudko Sergey

Krasnov Dmitry

Dmitriev Sergey

Kravt Evgeny

Bautin Alexey

Balakin Alexey

Tertychny Alexander

Tertychny Dmitry

Sadetsky George

Belkovich Vladimir

Semeshkin Kirill

Lachkarev Vladislav

Popov  Alexander

Rostovtsev Artem

Zisman Irina

Gurgov Yuri.

The Order of the Seven Summits is an honorary award for climbers on the highest peaks of all continents. Alexander Abramov's long-standing idea has finally been realized. And the heroes who have passed through all continents, who have climbed on their highest peaks, will receive an honorary award – a beautiful order! Those who will be able to be in Moscow on June 9 will receive it personally during the ceremonial part of the evening meeting of friends of the 7 Summits Club. It will start at 19 o'clock in the lecture hall of the Sports Marathon Travelers Club.  The Order will be awarded to Russian citizens for the time being. However, exceptions are possible. We remind you that another important event of the evening will be the presentation of Alexander Abramov's book "The High-Altitude Gene". As well as the accompanying autograph session.

Hurray! There is the summit of Mount Denali! Today, a joyful message came from Alaska from members of the 7 Summits Club. They successfully climbed to the top of Mount Denali in a sporty style, without guides. Yesterday, 6 climbers stood at the highest point of North America: Lilya, Volodya, Mikhail, Artem, Mircea and Sergey! 100% success! We congratulate them, wish them a safe descent and return home!

Alexey Lonchinsky, coach, guide of the 7 Summits Club from the Elbrus region: Good afternoon! Our team successfully spent last night at the refuge, and Igor Kamynin spent that night in a comfortable snow cave made by us day before! In the morning, we continued training on snow, and mastered the skills of building wind protection snow walls. In the afternoon we went down to the Azau Glade. At this point, all the tasks of the preparation courses for climbing Mount Everest, Denali and Antarctica can be considered successfully completed!!!

The new group arrived in the Elbrus region for training courses preparation for climbing Mount Everest, Denali and in Antarctica. Today we had an introductory and preparatory day. We learned how to set up tents, how to use burners, and also practiced climbing on fixed lines. In the afternoon, there was a lecture about the use of oxygen at eight-thousand meters peaks. After that, we started preparing equipment for the next day's trip to the glacier. The group guides Alexey Lonchinsky and Andrey Berezin.

Alexey Lonchinsky, coach, guide of the 7 Summits Club from the Elbrus region: The 7 Summits Club is completing the second group of training courses for climbing Mount Everest, Denali and  in Antarctica. All the days on Elbrus, the weather conditions were difficult. A lot of snow fell, avalanche danger appeared. However, the entire program was executed.

The course participants practiced on technical snow climbing skills and belay on snow slopes, basic skills of climbing on ice in crampons, organization of belay on ice screw, climbing with fixed lines. The participants learned how to set up a tent camp in the snow, build protective wind walls from firn blocks, tear off and equip snow caves.

Alexey Lonchinsky, guide of the 7 Summits Club from the Elbrus region: Yesterday, the second group of training  preparation courses for climbing Mount Everest, Denali and Antarctica arrived. Yesterday I checked the equipment, today we had a lecture on the use of public equipment (sledges, kitchen, tents). Then we went for a walk on snowshoes, set up a tent camp, and studied the operation of a gasoline burner. Then we repeated the movement on fixed lines and other techniques of working with the rope.

The first group of courses of the 7 Summits Club in preparation for climbing Mount Everest, Denali and in Antarctica has completed its work. On the final day, the team made an attempt to climb to the top of Elbrus. Due to the poor weather forecast, it was decided that it would be possible to limit the ascent to an altitude of about 5000 meters. The strong wind made reaching the summit too risky, and the conditions were quite harsh. See what the participants say about the course.

 The 7 Summits Club completes the first part of the preparation course for climbing Mount Everest, Denali and Antarctica. Under the guidance of the Club's President Alexander Abramov and our other experienced guides, the course participants completed a series of practical exercises in the conditions of almost winter Elbrus. In particular, classes were held on technical snow climbing skills and belay on snow slopes, basic skills of climbing on ice in crampons, organization of belay on ice screw, climbing with fixed lines. The participants learned how to set up a tent camp in the snow, build protective wind walls from firn blocks, tear off and equip snow caves. All participants of the training camp were delighted with the program.

Alex Abramov from the slopes of Elbrus: The team of the 7 Summits Club training courses for Everest, Denali and Antarctica began practice on the slopes of Elbrus. Today we had a 4-hour trek to the camp on the glaciers of Elbrus. We went up with tents and sledges. The participants built their own camp, pitch tents, and two toilets made of snow blocks. They made their own dinner. In the evening, a blizzard began. The camp held out. Tomorrow we will have snow and ice classes and continue to strengthen our camp with protective walls of firn bricks. All participants are happy, very interesting program.

Alex Abramov from Elbrus region:  Today, the participants of the school of preparation for climbing Mount Everest, Denali, and Antarctica enthusiastically practiced all the necessary survival techniques on these mountains. These are: climbing on fixed ropes, pulling from crevasses, walking in snowshoes, setting up and protecting tents, cooking food. In the morning, all the girls, except for flowers and sweets, were given a snow shovel by the guides. In the evening, we celebrated the holiday on March 8 with champagne. Tomorrow, according to the plan, there will be an exit with tents on the glaciers of Elbrus for 2 days. We will learn how to set up a bivouac, build snow walls, heat snow and cook food, and even go to the toilet in bags. The day after tomorrow we will continue, we will have ice classes on real crevasses.

Training courses for Everest, Denali and Antarctica climbs have started in the Elbrus region. Today, the guides and some of the participants conducted a survey of the place of classes on Elbrus. We went on snowshoes on the glacier, dug caves. We prepared equipment:  sledges, ropes, oxygen, snowshoes, tents, food burners, and much more. The main group arrives tomorrow. The participants will have a fantastic adventure, a lot of unique knowledge and ascent on Elbrus.

There are video fragments of the ascent on Denali of the team of the 7 Summits Club. June-July 2019. The author, who is also the expedition leader, Alexander Abramov. It was the successful completion of his project "Seven summits in seven months" with over-fulfillment of the plan. It turned out – for 6 months.

On 7 July, the team of the 7 Summits Club under the leadership of Alexander Abramov, 13 persons, climbed to the top of Mount Denali.  Among the climbers there was Vasily Shakhnovsky, who by this ascent "closed" the program "Seven summits". A great achievement for a great person!  Congratulations!

The team of the 7 Summits Club under the leadership of its President Alexander Abramov in full, 13 people, climbed to the top of Denali on Sunday, July 7th at 8 PM. As a result, three people completed the "Seven summits": Vladimir Kotlyar, Irina Zisman and Vasily Shakhnovsky.  Alexander Abramov did it for the third time. This time – in record time – all "seven summits" for 6 months and 1 day.