Denali’s Howl

The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America’s Wildest Peak

In 1967, twelve young men attempted to climb Alaska’s Mount McKinley – known
to locals as Denali, ‹The High One› – one of the most popular and deadly
mountaineering destinations in the world. Only five survived.

Journalist Andy Hall grew up in the mountain’s shadow, the son of the ranger
on duty at the time of the tragedy, and has spent years tracking down
survivors, lost documents and recordings of radio communications to piece
together the chain of events. In Denali’s Howl, Hall reveals the full story of
an expedition facing conditions conclusively established here for the first
time: At an elevation of nearly 20,000 feet, these young men endured an arctic
super blizzard, with howling winds of up to 300 miles an hour and wind chill
that freezes flesh solid in minutes. All this without the high-tech gear and
equipment climbers use today.

As well as the story of the men caught inside the storm, Denali’s Howl is the
story of those caught outside it trying to save them – Hall’s father among
them. The book gives readers a detailed look at the culture of climbing then
and now and raises uncomfortable questions about each player in this tragedy.
Was enough done to rescue the climbers, or were their fates sealed when they
ascended into the path of this unprecedented storm?