Climbing Denali in the 1940s and 1950s

Season 5 Finale

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  This will be our last episode for season five. As is often the case, we are going to close out the season with a few topics that we wanted to make sure we covered.  Today, we’ll discuss solo winter climbing, changes on Denali, and advice for aspiring mountaineers from experts.  Whether you’re an old timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show [https://ktna.org/donate/]

Episode 7: Close Calls on Denali

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  So far this season, we’ve covered many aspects of climbing Denali, including how harrowing expeditions can be when they go wrong.  Today, we’re going to hear from Alaskan climbers, most of whom have been on the mountain many times, about some of the scarier situations they’ve faced while on North America’s highest peak.  We welcome you to join us as we hear about bad weather, rescues, and close calls.  Whether you’re an old timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show [https://ktna.org/donate/]

Episode 6: Women on Denali

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  This season, we’ve heard many stories about climbing Denali. Whether they were stories of triumph, tragedy, or something in between, one thing has been true about nearly all of them. They are stories of men on Denali.  Today, we will change that. While mountaineering was, and to an extent still is, a male-dominated activity, plenty of women have made an impact in the Alaska Range. Today, we will hear from a few of them.  Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show [https://ktna.org/donate/]

Triumph and Tragedy in 1967

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  We are now past the halfway point in our season about mountaineering on Denali, North America’s tallest peak. Today, we’re jumping forward in time once again, but instead of covering an entire era of climbing in the Alaska Range as we have with previous episodes, we’re going focus on the year that saw the largest tragedy to date on the mountain as well as its first winter ascent.  Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show [https://ktna.org/donate/]

Climbing Denali in the 1940s and 1950s

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  Unlike previous seasons of this program, the episodes so far have been primarily a chronological history lesson of mountaineering on Denali.  Today, we’ll continue to tell some of that history by looking at a period of innovation in routes to climb Denali in the 1940s and 50s. Some of those attempts were successful, while others resulted in tragedy. Whether you’re an old timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show [https://ktna.org/donate/]