The Best Guides on Denali
Hands down the best operators on Denali, and the best guides I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Ty, Aili & Taylor led our group of five in May 2025. Their combined experience turned what is technically a very inhospitable and hazardous place into a safe and fun experience for us all. We all learned heaps of technical skills from them, right down to the very small tips and tricks that only come from 10+ trips to the Alaskan Range. They went above and beyond in every way, and each brought their own unique style and energies. Always hard working and always positive. They were a perfect model for us to (try to) emulate in terms of managing yourself and a group on a long expedition. As a guiding team they were damn near perfect. Every decision they made was well considered, weighed up based on each of their experiences, communicated expertly, and every single time was correct. Once you reach 17k camp, and go beyond for the summit push their experience is even more important. Things become a level more serious, and that was handled with respect and in a way that gave us a lot of confidence in them. Planning from here involved the Mountain Trip office via radio also, and ultimately they put together a plan which saw safe and successful summits. Once back at camp we were back to the fun humour and laughing that defined our trip, but I respected the manner with which the summit push was treated and ultimately tackled to make it as safe as possible. You’ll find that Mountain Trip are usually the most recommended company when you ask around about Denali. This is what led me to them, and my experience has me echoing that whole heartedly. This mountain poses considerable risks, and at a minimum is a huge investment of both training and money. To ensure the best chances of a safe and positive experience I’d look to no one else. Thank you all for such a great trip.
By Brian