As a climber, the biggest variable is weather, which is completely beyond your control and will determine a safe and successful climb (or encounter on the Alaska Range). You can’t change the weather, but with a good Denali weather forecast, you can maximize your chances of good weather on the mountain and, more importantly, keep you out of trouble. Weather forecasting in Alaska, especially on Denali, can be a challenge for even the best forecasters. Large, powerful weather systems moving across the Bering Sea, or warm, moist systems from the Gulf of Alaska, slam into the Alaska Range, producing dynamic and unpredictable winds and snowfall. Alaska is surrounded by ocean and located at arctic latitudes, and does not have as much data for weather models as the continental United States.
Denali weather forecasts have improved significantly over the past decade, and there are several valuable resources including free National Weather Service forecasts and paid forecasts from mountain weather forecasters. While you’re on the mountain, you’ll receive a daily radio weather forecast announced by the base camp manager. You’ll need an FRS/GMRS radio for your travels, they broadcast on FRS channel 1 at 8pm every night. It’s kind of like a broadcast social hour with weather reports, general announcements and evening trivia questions that everyone participates in. Even if you don’t need a weather report, this is a great opportunity to connect with the Denali climber community.
Current status of Mount Denali
- national park service Denali climbing information page. The NPS collects some helpful information and will regularly update the climbing blog with information from the mountain during the climbing season.
- Mountain travel: Denali trip report. During the season we record trip reports for each team on the mountain daily. This is a great place to track movement on the hill and how your team is progressing.
Denali Weather Forecast Resources
- National Weather Service Denali Climber Forecast. The National Weather Service office in Fairbanks, Alaska, issues weather forecasts specifically for Denali climbers twice daily during the climbing season. This is a great resource and is the forecast they announce every night on the radio (FRS Channel 1) at 8pm
- Weather 4 Adventure. This is a paid weather forecast service provided by professional mountain weather forecasters. Mountain Trip has been using Marc DeKeyser’s forecasts for over a decade on our Himalayan projects, including EverestMark has been producing Denali weather forecasts for us for the past five years. He is a leading weather forecaster for Arctic and Antarctic expeditions and high-altitude mountaineering in the Himalayas, and is trusted by many guide services and private expeditions.
Denali veterans will always tell you that you need to stick your nose out of the tent and not make decisions based solely on the weather forecast. As a climber, the most important thing a good weather forecast can do for you is to keep you out of trouble. If you know there will be severe storms and high winds within 12 hours, do not travel to High Camp from 14,000 feet. If a storm is approaching, this may not be the day to attempt the summit. Denali is not a place where you can change the weather. This is a big mountain with a lot of consequences, not your local ski area.
Before you set out for Alaska, read the weather forecasts and become familiar with the language they use, and understand what’s happening on the mountain. While you’re in the mountains, listen to daily weather forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) and consider subscribing to paid forecasts from professional mountain weather forecasters. Mountain Trip pays for weather forecasts because we believe weather forecasts make a difference and allow our guides to have the best information to make the best decisions. It’s a marginal gains game, but over the course of the climbing season it will have consequences.
