At 20,310 feet, Denali is the tallest peak in North America鈥攌nown as 鈥渢he high one鈥� by Athabascan tribes. The summit success rate up the standard West Buttress route usually hovers around 50 percent, although last year鈥檚 unprecedented dry spring created many weather windows, availing a 70 percent success rate (the 2023 season was around 31 percent due to challenging weather).

One of those ascents was completed by Mountain Trip ski guide, Jed Porter, assistant guide, Jake Skeen, and guided guest, Dave Riggs, in June 2022. 鈥淒enali is extremely hard in every single way,鈥� said Porter, a full-time IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Association) guide since 2005. While the challenges to summit may be vast, the glory comes in the experience and the knowledge gained along the way. Here鈥檚 the gear that Porter relied on to get himself up and down Denali safely.

Boots

Denali records some of the coldest temperatures of all the high peaks in North America. Throughout the spring and summer, temperatures between high camp and the summit dip well below freezing, oftentimes lingering around minus 20 to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit and comfortable extremities are an absolute necessity. Keeping this in mind, Porter chose to go with the lightweight boot ($899). 鈥淐old temperatures at high endeavors meant a need for thicker foam liners,鈥� says Porter, who opted to go with a shell two sizes larger than his usual size to accommodate a thicker boot liner.

Skis

Ski mountaineering objectives tend to be more enjoyable with a lighter ski setup because they require less effort on the ascent. However, lightweight setups do compromise stability while traveling downhill, which Porter wasn鈥檛 willing to risk. With this insight he used the , a versatile and reliable option that weighs 1300 grams per ski with a hybrid Paulownia and PU core. In general, Porter recommends choosing a ski that weighs around 1400 grams per ski with a width of 90 to 100 millimeters and provides a good amount of agility and precision.聽

Ski Sleds

Denali requires a lot of equipment, which means guides often rely on a durable sled to transport gear between camps. Typically, groups will carry at least 60 pounds worth of gear in their backpack (sometimes even more), with a little less in the sled. Porter鈥檚 team climbed with sleds up to 14 Camp, and advanced without sleds from there to the summit. Skiing with a sled can present some challenges (for example, it can be difficult to stay balanced and keep the sled from rolling over on tricky terrain while the sled is pushing on the skier from behind). Porter went with ($260) and the ($145). 鈥淚t took ten minutes to set up and helped a ton with the downhill,鈥� he remarked.

Tent

Deciding between tents on Denali can be somewhat of a gamble. Some teams choose to haul up one tent for sleeping and another for a kitchen鈥攚hile others may just elect to bring one group tent. Porter and his group decided on one tent鈥攖he ($1,535), because the team didn鈥檛 want to be weighed down with any unnecessary gear. The Keron is quite strong thanks to the tent鈥檚 Kerlon 1800 outer fabric and 10-millimeter poles. Plus, the spacious vestibule provides enough room to dig out a kitchen for three people (which is great when the forecast is predicting dry weather). While the team lucked out on the weather, Porter said if they did catch a surprise storm, they would have been confined to one tent all day, which would have been a tight squeeze.

Crampons and Ice Axes

On a route like the West Buttress, crampons matter most on the upper mountain above 14 Camp. Porter and his crew down-climbed and belayed a section of the Rescue Gully from around 17,000 feet to just below 16,000 feet when conditions turned icy, with a fair bit of consequence below鈥攐pen crevasses, rocks, steep slopes, and slide for life conditions. Because of situations like these, the crampons, ice axe, and pickets to bring up 鈥渢he high one鈥� has to be a calculated decision. Guides need to consider weight and the ski mountaineering objectives. If you opt for lightweight crampons, you may compromise on security on unpredictable slopes. 12-point steel crampons, while heavy, are more durable and secure.

Porter chose to go with a modified, all-steel ($280) and the 45 cm ($120) aluminum ice axe. He picked lighter-weight options because he knew his team was experienced and wouldn鈥檛 need to use their axes for the majority of the climb given the current conditions. While Porter thought the ice axe was the right decision, he wish he had brought the ($170) instead, a more stable, lightweight steel crampon that holds 10 points (the Skimo Pure Nanotech crampon is 596 grams per pair, and the Ascent Universal is 776 grams per pair). According to Porter, the Skimo Pure Nanotech crampon was a little too light, with points that are too short (he described the Nanotech crampons as 鈥渟quirrely鈥�).聽

Porter also decided not to take any pickets, which he admitted was a slightly aggressive decision. A picket is an aluminum T beam with a pointed end that can be hammered into snow or ice to add extra protection on a climb or serve as an anchor for crevasse rescue. Bringing pickets is widely debated in the ski mountaineering community鈥攕ome argue that they鈥檙e always worth the extra weight. In this case, Porter figured his team could use a combination of the ice axes, screws, and skis if they needed to administer a rescue haul.聽

Rope

Deciding which ropes to bring up Denali requires a good amount of planning. Bring excess rope, and you could be carrying too much weight. Bring too little, and you could jeopardize your team in a dangerous situation. Ultimately, Porter and his team went with the ($195) at 46 meters for their ascent and descent below 14,000 feet, where navigating bigger crevasses is more prominent. They selected two 6-millimeter, 30-meter ($240) ropes tied together in the middle for the upper mountain. This allowed the front and the back person to drop an extra 10-18 meters of rope at the top, which helped lighten the load for the summit push.

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I鈥檝e collected countless ski straps while working as an instructor and ski guide over the past seven years, and I鈥檓 convinced you can鈥檛 find a more versatile or capable product for ski or snowboard touring. Often called the duct tape of the backcountry鈥攐r backcountry rubber bands鈥攖hey鈥檝e saved my butt more than a few times, and they should accompany anyone stepping into the skin track. Here are eight different ways they can help you in the backcountry.

Fix Malfunctioning Boots

Perhaps the Boa system on your snowboard boot fails in the middle of a long tour, or the lockout mode on your ski boot refuses to stay in place. By tightening a ski strap around the malfunctioning area, you can create a little more sturdiness and security around the foot, ankle, or calf. This is only a temporary fix, but it should still let you score powder turns.

Tighten a Broken Binding聽

Whether you lose a screw, your buckle straps break, or a toepiece fails to lock out, broken bindings are extremely frustrating and downright dangerous on the downhill. Keep your snowboard bindings locked in by running a strap through two loop openings, and ratchet the strap down. For a backcountry ski with a toepiece lever that won鈥檛 stay up, place the strap underneath the toe lever and attach it to your ski-boot buckle. With enough pressure, it should keep the toepiece locked up.

Manage Your Skins

Have your skins ever refused to stick to the bases of your skis or splitboard? Fixing straps around your skins and your planks鈥� topsheets and bases can help keep them in place. Or have you ever gotten to distant trailhead and discovered you鈥檝e forgotten your skins? (We鈥檝e all been there鈥攁dmit it.) Collect some pine branches (off the ground so you don鈥檛 disturb Mother Nature!) and fasten them to your skis with a few straps. They should create just enough friction to get you up that track.

Fasten Backpack Straps

If you鈥檝e ever had a chest buckle malfunction or shoulder strap snap, you know how aggravating it is to lug around a pack that鈥檚 falling off your body. A carefully placed ski strap can help shoulder straps rest comfortably and prevent wonky buckles from loosening up. For the former, attach the ski strap between the two shoulder straps and tighten down across your chest. If a buckle is broken, wrap a ski strap below the adjusters and bind it down.

Administer First Aid

I always recommend that my AIARE students take a course so they鈥檙e that much more prepared in an emergency. Those skills, in combination with ski straps, can be a literal lifesaver. A strap can help to control bleeding by tightening gauze to a wound, and it can create a makeshift splint with your poles and skins (pictured above). Straps can also be used to extricate and stabilize an injured party member by securing them to a sled.

Keep Your Skis or Splitboard on Your Back

Every once in a while, a backcountry tour turns into a scramble or a boot-pack. Securing your skis or splitboard to your backpack is extremely convenient because it keeps your hands free to swing an ice ax, grip poles, or to hold on to rocks when climbing up a slope. Use ski straps to keep that equipment more firmly in place on your pack, as shown in the A-frame arrangement above (the strap is keeping the tips of the skis together). If your pack doesn鈥檛 have the right buckles to hold your gear at all, you can secure straps to loops on your pack and make them fasteners.

Lash Equipment to a Bike

Spring is here, and commuting to your favorite backcountry trail by bike only adds to the human-powered experience. Luckily, it only takes a couple straps to mount your skis or splitboard to your two-wheeled rig. Hook your straps around your skis, bike frame, and/or seatpost, one near the tips and one near the tails鈥攋ust make sure they aren鈥檛 in the way of your legs, the spokes, or the chain. Soon you鈥檒l be on your merry way to that precious corn snow.

Meet Your Lifestyle Needs

While Voile straps are mainly known to get skiers and snowboarders out of a bind, let鈥檚 not discount their sartorial abilities. Forgot your belt? Have a little too much hair flailing around in your face? Voile!聽Use a strap to keep your ski pants up or as an on-the-fly hairband.

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