Granite Gear athlete, arctic explorer and climber, Lonnie Dupre became the first to summit Denali in January – alone. With just six hours of sunlight each day, 100 mile per hour winds and temperatures reaching 60º F below, January is a daunting time on Denali, where elevation of 20,237 feet makes it North America’s highest mountain. Dupre achieved his goal in 25 days and reached the summit at 17:04 (CST) on January 11, 2015.
Dupre has spent a total of 60 days during the last 3 winters on Denali, during which he made 2 fast ascents to 17,200 feet, only to be thwarted by bad weather just hours from the summit. Only nine expeditions, totaling 16 people, have ever reached the Denali summit in winter, and six deaths occurred during those climbs. Of these previous winter expeditions, four were solo, but none were achieved in January, the darkest and coldest time of the year on the mountain. Only a team of three Russian climbers has ever successfully summited Denali in January.
“It was an amazing trip and challenge, but I wouldn’t want to repeat it,” Dupre laughingly said. “It was the type of journey where one had to be on his toes at all times, monitoring the weather, available daylight, overall plan and supplies all while being at high altitude.”
Currently on his descent from the summit, Dupre is wearing his Granite Gear Nimbus Trace Access 70L backpack, and pulling a 5-foot sled. On the lower elevations, the sled was packed with 165 pounds of supplies, and Dupre then switched to backpacking his supplies up the steeper parts. Dupre is also carrying 175 bamboo wands to mark the route, dangerous crevasses and his camps, increasing his chances for a safe return, which is when most climbing deaths occur.
Lonnie Dupre and the One World Endeavors team will be showing their first adventure documentary, Cold Love, at the upcoming Winter Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, UT on Friday, January 23rd at Brewvies Cinema Pub. Free showing starts at 6pm. Learn more about the film and Dupre’s summit at OneWorldEndeavors.com.
Photo credit: John Walter Whittier
