Denali is more often covered in clouds than not. When visible, it reveals two things: first, it is huge—I missed even seeing it from a distance the first time it was cloud free because I was looking too low! The 20,000 foot plus rise from the Earth’s surface is beyond comprehension. This image of Denali is only the lower one-third of the whole mountain! The other thing about seeing it that blew my mind, as can be seen in this image, is the incredible ruggedness of the surface, a sort of storm of tumbling mountains of snow and rock that just doesn’t let up. No doubt some here have actually climbed it. Perhaps I’m stretching the week’s definition of “storm,” but trust not so far that this photo can’t be considered and enjoyed.
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Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Pentax K-7, 1/800, f/6.3, 120mm, ISO200, minor adjustments to tone curves in LR
I love how the clouds are opening the screen to allow peeking into the mysteries and intricacies of the mountain. It makes it feel very special (aside from knowing also personally how hard it is to shoot this mountain with no clouds), The contrast of the green in the front and the white above also emphasizes the power of the mountain. I don’t know if it’s a storm but it is a wonderful image.
Yes, Denali is a giant of a mountain, and the weather around it is impressive, as you show in this image.
About climbing Denali: when I was there, say 35 years ago, I met a group of young climbers that just had come down. Most people hire a small plane to be dropped on the glacier, to get a quick start. But these guys had hiked and climbed every single foot. Going up and down took them 30 days. One had to give up one day below the summit. Probably kept him alive, but the disappointment was huge.
