www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE
| 33
It is also known for its savage storms, which drift in
from the pacific and can leave mountaineers tent bound
for days on end.
The expedition team consists of six personnel from dif-
ferent walks of life. Two members of the team serving in
the Defence Forces and the expedition leader is a former
member of the Defence Forces.
During the months leading up to the expedition
the team will be in training mode, personal and team
scheduled. The team training will include honing vital
skills such as crevasse rescue techniques and Alpine/
Arctic mountaineering skills. Training trips to Scotland
in February and the Alps in April are proposed to tweak
all necessary skills and get some vital altitude under the
belts. Meanwhile personal training is on going, as a good
level of fitness is needed to attain the summit.
The main objective is to summit the mountain via the
west buttress route, with the possibility of members
summiting more technical routes if possible.
The expedition flies out on the 3rd June 2019 and flies
back to Ireland on the 30th June 2019. The approach on
to the mountain begins on the 5th June, with a small
fixed wing flight from Talkeetna, which lands on the
Kahiltna glacier near the basecamp. From here over the
next few weeks the team will acclimatise by climbing
higher up the mountain, setting up camps and caching
food supplies on route.
The objective dangers on the mountain are crevasses,
avalanche and higher up the altitude will take its toll due
to oxygen levels. The Team expects to summit between
the 18th and 23rd June depending on an opportunistic
weather window to stand on the summit safely and
descend to high camp. The Team will then descend to
basecamp and depart the glacier on the 27th June by
fixed wing aircraft.
Simon Byrne
