For all serving and ex members of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service

RAFMRS MILITARY FIELD TRAINING EXERCISE - "DENALI DOUBLE" POST EXERCISE REPORT

INTRODUCTION

1. The RAF Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) undertook Exercise 'Denali Double' as the primary Military Field Training (MFT) project for 2003. The exercise took place in the Denali National Park, Alaska between 17 May and 9 Jun 03. A total of 8 MRS personnel participated in the exercise. Authority and administrative instruction for the exercise were given at Reference A.

MISSION

2. To make an ascent of Denali 20,320' (Mt McKinley) by it's West Buttress in order to meet the MRS training requirement for out of area operations in remote high altitude areas and to further develop existing operational relationships with military and civilian rescue agencies.

3. Comment. Typical time to summit Denali is between 14-21 days with an average success rate of 50%. Six of the exercise participants reached the summit on day 10. This success was largely due to their fitness, teamwork and training but more importantly being able to move quickly when the opportunity (weather) presented itself. One participant suffered severe blisters to both feet during a cache run to 13,500' and despite best immediate medical treatment was unable to ascend any further. Due to the crevasse dangers it was necessary to escort him safely back to base camp. Both members were then airlifted off the mountain. A detailed exercise diary is at Annex A to this report.

EXECUTION

4. Overview. Mt McKinley, or Denali (the Great One) by its original Indian name, is North America's highest peak, standing some 20,320ft (6194m) above the Alaskan tundra.
The mountain's northerly latitude effectively adds a further 3000ft to the summit altitude in terms of oxygen availability and gives the mountain further notoriety as the coldest peak on earth. The West Buttress is the "normal" route to the summit which, although not technically demanding, remains a considerable challenge requiring strong logistics, good teamwork and settled weather to maximise chances of success. Transport (including flights to and from the mountain) was to be hired as required and tented accommodation was to be used during the mountain phase of the exercise. Civ air was to be used to transport exercise personnel to/from Anchorage/UK and lodge accommodation was to be used in both Anchorage and Talkeetna.

5. Comment. Denali by the West Buttress was indeed a most appropriate challenge for the RAF MRS as a MFT exercise requiring robust logistics, planning and teamwork.
Temperatures ranged from 32C to -40C and each member transported heavy loads (60-90lbs) split between backpack and sledge.

6.Movement Arrangements.

a. Phase 1. Exercise personnel were to travel by civ air from LHR to Anchorage and by hired minibus from Anchorage to Talkeetna.

b. Phase 2. Personnel were to travel from Talkeetna to Denali base camp by skiplane to commence mountain activities, returning to Talkeetna by ski-plane approximatel y 3 weeks later.

c. Phase 3. Exercise personnel were to return to Anchorage from Talkeetna by hired minibus and to the UK by civ air for RTU.

d. Booking Arrangements. The exercise leader, assisted by the MRS HQ, made all necessary civ air bookings and other arrangements for exercise personnel. Civ air bookings were to be made through PSF at RAF Stafford. Where personnel were required to travel to the UK point of departure, they were to make their own arrangements, using this Admin Order as authority.

7. Comment. K2 Aviation provided a comprehensive climber service. They booked our lodge style accommodation in both Anchorage and Talkeetna, arranged transportation to/from Anchorage/Talkeetna by the Talkeetna Shuttle Bus service and provided a secure lock-up for equipment not taken onto the glacier. The accommodation in Anchorage (Earth Tours B&B), although basic, is adequate and is centrally located to all necessary shops within walking distance. In order to visit the local military rescue agencies, to further develop existing operational relationships, exercise personnel were required to hire a suitable vehicle from personal contributions. Consideration should therefore be given to the hiring of transportation, for the group whilst staying in Anchorage, at public expense. MRS HQ Flight identified significant savings on civ air bookings by using the services available on the Internet as compared to those obtained by PSF at RAF Stafford. Consideration should be given to using an 'open-ticket', as additional costs were incurred as a result of changing the flight times for an earlier return.

8. Diplomatic Clearance. Diplomatic clearance was carried out by SO2 MRS, HQ 3 Gp in liaison with the British Embassy Washington Defence section (RAF Sp 1).

9. Personnel. Nominations were taken from each of the 5 MRTs and a mixture of experienced and "novice" troops were taken. A Nominal Roll of exercise personnel is at Annex B.

10. Comment. It was decided to 'pair-up' exercise personnel beforehand. This enabled better glacier movement, rationalisation of equipment and provided improved logistical options.

SERVICE SUPPORT

11. Finance and Accounting. The Exercise Leader was responsible to SO2 MRS for controlling and accounting for all expenditure during the exercise.

12. Comment. Nil

13. Rations. All exercise personnel submitted a completed Annex B to Chapter 7 of JSP 456 to OC Catering at their parent station to arrange to draw double CILOR as detailed at Annex D, using this Admin Order as authority. Excluding travel to and from the exercise departure points, CILOR was to be used throughout the exercise to purchase fresh and dried rations while on the mountain. Prepared meals were to be purchased during periods in lodges/hostels.

14. Comment. A combination of fresh, dried and specialist high altitude rations for 21 days were purchased for consumption whilst on the mountain. Many of the 'specialist' products were expensive, however double CILOR was sufficient to cover these purchases.
Contingency plans should be considered for exercise personnel who return early to lodge accommodation, either through injury or as a result of an earlier than planned summit, whereby they have to purchase prepared meals. Food purchased through CILOR was only suitable whilst on the mountain, it did not keep once off the mountain nor was it possible to cook it whilst in lodges/ hotels.

15. Transport. The SNCO ic HQ FIt arranged for service MT to transport exercise personnel from Stafford to LHR and from LHR to Stafford at the start/end of the exercise as required.

16. Accommodation. The exercise leader booked the necessary accommodation through the Central Hotel Booking Service (UK) and through K2 Aviation (USA).

17. Comment. Lodge accommodation was booked, through K2 Aviation, for the initial stay in Anchorage and Talkeetna before flying onto the glacier. This accommodation, although basic, was more than adequate and typically priced at $35 pp. The exercise did experience some difficulty in finding suitable lodge accommodation on return from the glacier. This was mainly due being in the middle of the 'busy' period when most hostels were fully booked or at best could only offer one or two places. It was therefore necessary to stay in a more expensive hotel style accommodation at $110 pp (inclusive of forces discount).

This is an unavoidable situation, however future exercises would benefit from budgeting for this added expense.

18. Equipment. Standard MRS clothing and equipment was used throughout the exercise.
This was supplemented by additional equipment necessary for high altitude/arctic conditions.
A full equipment list is at Annex E.

19. Comment. Future exercises would benefit from obtaining the additional specialist equipment in the UK before departure. This would not only reduce the costs to the MFT budget, but would also ensure that all personnel are suitably equipped prior to departure as some difficulty was experienced in purchasing equipment in Anchorage. It is recommended that MRS HQ FIt SNCO OOA should hold the specialist equipment centrally so that it is not only readily available for any OOA, but also any future exercises.

20. Medical. The Exercise Leader ensured that a comprehensive medical kit was deployed on the exercise. All personnel carried an individual First Aid Kit. Individuals were nominated to act as SAR IEC Providers for the duration of the exercise.

21. Comment. Permission was obtained, from the CFMO beforehand for SAR IEC providers to hold and, if necessary, to administer specialist 'high altitude' medicines. All exercise members experienced mild Acute Mountain Sickness at some time or other during the exercise, with symptoms ranging from mild headaches, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and peri-orbital oedema. This is typical and expected for any high altitude exercise and gave no undue cause for concern.

22. Documentation.

All exercise personnel deployed with the following

a. Valid passport
b. F 1250
c. NATO Travel Order
d. Medical Identification Letter

GENERAL COMMENTS ON LOGISTICS

23. Communications. It was decided to take a Motorola 'Timeport' T280 mobile telephone (RAF Stafford Crash 1), which is a tri-band telephone, to use as the main means of contact for the exercise duration. However, it was not possible to register with any network whilst in the USA despite having a SIM card with the relevant 'international roaming access' permissions and compatible (i.e. Tri-band) telephone. It is recommended that SNCO MRS HQ investigate this anomaly. Future exercises should consider the use of a Satellite Telephone for use whilst on the mountain. Carrying a two-way radio was recommended for all parties and the Citizen's Band (CB) radio was the preferred radio carried by most expeditions. Channel 19 (27.185 MHz) on the CB is monitored by all air services and the Park Service in Talkeetna. Daily mountain weather forecasts were also broadcast from the Base Camp operator however at certain camps it was not possible to receive these due to the nature of the terrain. A standard 3-watt handheld CB radio was purchased from Talkeetna Outdoor Centre for use during the exercise.

25. Food. Exercise members purchased a variety of dry and fresh rations. Fresh rations, such as breads, cheeses and meat products were used mainly for the first few days, whilst they remained reasonably fresh, however after this most then relied on dry rations. A 'cache' of at least 2-days food was buried at base camp in anticipation of any delay on the exit flight; this does not have to be the expensive 'dry ration' style as weight and bulk is not an issue, indeed most purchased tinned products for this. Much of the specialist 'high-altitude' dry rations were purchased from REI, with a typical meal for one costing $6. REI hold a very good range with discounts for bulk purchases, however it was also discovered, sadly after the event, that the BX at the nearby Air Force Base also stocked these products at reduced prices. Packaging the rations beforehand into 24-hour packs proved to be an effective method, particularly when considering quantities for 'cache' drops. It also enabled a rapid check of food, that is days, remaining. All packaging that could be removed beforehand was removed thereby reducing the amount of garbage and weight. It is mandatory to remove all garbage from the mountain. To that end, the Park Rangers inspect and weigh all garbage on return to base camp.

26. Fuel. Fuel for the MSR stoves was purchased through K2 aviation at competitive prices. This is then collected from the National Park Rangers on arrival at Base Camp.
Recommended quantities were 6 fluid ounces per person per day, which for 21 days, equates to one US gallon per person. It was also considered prudent to take an additional 2 gallons, which were later 'cached' at the 11,000' camp. Fuel cans are marked with the unique expedition number and must be returned to, or accounted for, on return to base camp.

27. Denali National Park Ranger Service. Each expedition member must register with the Talkeetna Ranger Station at least 60 days in advance. The cost of registration is $25 per person and only one addition is permitted after this. The group forms, which were available on Internet, should all be sent in together. Since the rangers deal with over 300 expeditions each year, each party must have a distinct name which should be used on all correspondence. Payment is typically made by credit card and future exercises should consider this critical element as early as possible.

CONCLUSION

27. Denali by the West Buttress route was a most appropriate venture for the RAF MRS as a MFT exercise. It required considerable planning, liaison with civilian and service rescue agencies, strong logistics, excellent teamwork, fitness and commitment. Success, as far as summitting was concerned, was never a forgone conclusion; Denali is renowned for its unpredictable and harsh weather conditions, which can thwart the very best climbers with ease. This exercise was very successful, with 6 participants reaching the summit within 10 days; this was largely due to prior planning, excellent logistics and a measure of good fortune as regards to the weather. Every opportunity was taken to maximise the good weather, often continuing on to the next camp higher, or forfeiting rest days; this was only feasible because of the high fitness levels maintained by the exercise personnel and indeed the MRS. Much useful training was completed with a number of "novice" mountaineers gaining their first taste of "big hills and altitude". Equally, a number of our party leaders have had opportunity to expand their knowledge and leadership skills. The exercise can be considered to be a success in many ways and the MRS is, without doubt, better prepared for any out of area operations with which we may be faced in the future, whensoever.

A B ELLIOTT
Expedition Leader

ANNEX A - DATED 16 JUN 03

EXERCISE "DENALI DOUBLE" - DIARY

Fri 16th May - We, CT Elliott (Ex Leader) plus Cpl Sugars, Cpl Brown and JT Cregan, departed RAF Stafford for London Heathrow by Mini-bus which was hired by RAF Stafford MT. The remaining exercise members, Sgt Crombie, Sgt Blythe, Cpl Thorne and Cpl Kitt, who were all from RAF Leuchars were flying down from Edinburgh and would meet at the Hotel (Radisson Edwardian). Coincidentally we all arrived at the hotel at the same time. Although we all knew each other this was the first time all exercise members had met as one and so it was a good time to discuss the ins and outs of the next 4 weeks.

Sat 17th May - An early start was required (0530) due to the scheduled take off time (0930).
Breakfast was served in the rooms because the restaurant did not open until later; time to savour this last luxury as we all felt sure we would be dreaming of this in the weeks to come. We took the shuttle to LHR (£3 PP), booked in our baggage and 24 hours later and 9 hours behind UK time, landed at Anchorage at 2100(L) Booked in to Earth Tours B&B, which is a short walk from downtown Anchorage.

Sun 18th May - Jetlag hits today despite the brave fight which everyone put up last night in the bars. It's a short walk to REI and Alaska Mountaineering Inc to purchase neoprene overboots, down booties and other essential items. Time also to start buying the 21 days food for the hill.

Mon 19th May - Jetlag getting better. Last day to buy all the essential items for the hill.
The pairings principle is working well, especially where the food is concerned. Most guys laid out the food in the garage and divided it up into 24 hour packs. This will greatly help on the hill when we start to do cache runs. Two Dutch climbers returned today, one with mild frostbite to his fingers and stories of horrendous weather conditions. This put many troops on edge, thinking of the hardship to come.

Tue 20th May - Caught the Talkeetna Shuttle, which was booked through K2, at 0800hrs. It's a 128mile journey which takes about 3 hours. Dropped off at the Talkeetna hostel, which is a charming lodge run by a lady called Heather. It's quite cheap ($25pp), clean, centrally located (so is everything in Talkeetna) and comfortable. We should have, in hindsight, had our baggage dropped off at K2 aviation as we only had to arrange for it to be moved there later that afternoon. Booking in with the Park Ranger service is mandatory for all expeditions. It takes about an hour and a half and although to us much of the information was old hat, there were some very useful snippets to be had. After this we proceeded to K2, where we completed the Rucksack make-safe drill, which is a complete unload followed by a load.

Wed 21st May - Breakfast at the Roadhouse followed by the weigh in at K2. Everyone had to have their rucksack weighed, followed by their sledge bag and finally themselves and any carry-on equipment. There were some wide eyes as the realisation of just how much weight each one was to carry. With this done, K2 allocated which aircraft we were to fly in, load up and take off. Beautiful landscape which changed from tundra, to glacier to mountains and before we knew it we were preparing to land. The landing strip, NE fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, was very icy and when the first plane in turned around to stop it found that it couldn't and had to take off again!
Base camp was very busy with many expeditions preparing for the long slog along the glacier. Because we had prepared so well, we were able to pick up our fuel, bury our cache and get out of there very quickly indeed. It was good to be on the move after so many months of preparation. The intention was to see how far we could go and stop when we felt tired. Before long we were at the base of 'Ski Hill' at 7600' and decided to bed down for the night. First lesson of the trip, do not dig the latrine pit 2 metres from the tents! (phew) Everyone was feeling good especially as we were already 1 day ahead of the game.

Thu 22nd May - Up at 0700, not too cold in the night most slypt without too much on although we still had frozen condensation on the inside of the tents.
Plan to push on to 9800' but first we had to tackle 'Ski Hill' which after two steep sections flattened out to a plateau. Thought about pushing on to 10,000' proper but some wouldn't like this and with a day in hand we settled in for the night. It started to snow just before bedtime and we were concerned that this may be the start of the bad weather. On average Denali has 4 days of bad weather once a month and 4 days of settled good weather twice a month. The trick is knowing where you are in this cycle.

Fri 23rd May - Thankfully not too much snow fell last night. We agreed to wake up when the sun hit the tents as it makes it far more pleasant to get out in warm sunshine. Chris Thorne obviously didn't hear this as he was up and about at 0630, which meant that we were ready to go by about 0930 and still the sun hadn't hit our tents. Although steep, it was a relatively short day today and before long we were pulling into the 11,000' camp. Many expeds stay here for two days and take a full days rest, as this is usually the altitude where many people start to suffer.

Sat 24th May - A gentleman's start to the day, much warmer here as the sun hits the tents earlier. Everyone was feeling good and so we took the decision to do a cache run instead of resting. As you look out of your tent your view is dominated by 'Motorcycle Hill' which is a very steep 600' hill.
We timed people to go from the bottom to the top and most took about an hour.
Snowshoes were cached in favour of crampons and with this target in mind we set off with everything apart from the tents, cooking equipment and 4 days rations. It's a mind game, we kept telling ourselves; one foot in front of the other. 23 minutes later we were all at the top of 'Motorcycle Hill' nothing to it! We planned to stop at 13,000' and look at the possibility of burying our cache there, however when the lead pair got their it was evident that it was not going to be possible to bury anything larger than a karabiner and so we pressed on around 'Windy Corner' (which was breathless) to 13,500'. Here we dug a large pit (lm deep) and buried our cache. The return to 11,000' camp was bliss for all except Abbey who realised that his boots, now with crampons, were badly rubbing his heals. With no place to stop and adjust he pressed on to camp. Here he found that he had 2 huge blisters on each heel and further blisters on his toes. We dressed them in 'Compeed' and hoped that they would be better the next day. We were now 2 days ahead of schedule with more days in hand should we need them and so if we had to stay here for a while until they healed (no pun) then we could.

Sun 25th May - Abbey's feet are trashed, he has dressed them as best he could and tried a short walk. Abbey is gutted and so are we. This is the first real test of the team. Do we stay and let them heal or do we press on? We looked at all the options and even if we stayed for a week and let them heal, there is nothing to say that it wouldn't re-occur further up the mountain. Faced with this Abbey himself decided that he had to go down and thankfully Steve magnanimously offered to escort him. This was a very sad moment for all. As we went our separate ways not too much was said as we each were consumed with our own thoughts.
'Motorcycle Hill' was nothing today as we each thought about Abbey and Steve. Before long we were again at 13,500' and digging up the cache. We had to divvy up Abbey and Steve's cache and the decision was taken to push on to 14,200' camp. Most expeds stop at 13,000' or 13,500' for a night before pushing on to '14' as it is known. We knew that bad weather was forecast for the next 3 days and did not relish the possibility of being storm bound at 13,500' which was very exposed and subject to avalanche and stone fall. We thought it was better to push on and use the storm bound days to recover and acclimatize at '14'. It was a long slog up the final 700' where we were met by John Evans (Ogwen MRT) who works for the Denali National Park Service as a Ranger for the climbing season.
John advised us to keep going to the back of the camp, which was an extra 500m or so as it is better there. '14' was very busy and there were no empty 'campsites' and so we had to dig our own, again. Our neighbour must have been an Eskimo or something because he constructed this perfect ice wall, which any Irish brick layer would have been proud of. We were now 3 days ahead of schedule, but feeling it!

Mon 26th May - The storm arrived, as forecast and as we each lay there in our tents we took refuge in the knowledge that we made the right decision to push on. My eyes had puffed up in the night which is a sign of poor acclimatisation or more likely that we had pushed it too much. I just hoped that I would recover over the next few days.

Tue 27th May - More storms in the night. Eyes getting better, although still out of breath doing the easiest of tasks. Eat, drink and sleep today.

Wed 28th May - Planned to sleep in today until John Evans came over. He told us that if we were planning on summitting within the next few days we should consider a cache run today to the top of the fixed lines, 16200', as there was bad weather forecast from Sunday onwards. With this in mind we joined the never-ending line of mountaineers plodding up to the fixed lines. The headwall was 700' of rock hard blue ice, which typically is no harder than a Scottish grade 1 or less. This year it was considerably steeper and harder and we were pleased to have the fixed lines to clip into for added security. Nevertheless it was hard work getting to the top. We buried our cache, hung around for as long as we could before descending to '14'. Found out that a light aircraft had just crashed near to base camp killing all 4 pax. Very sad and thought provoking.

Thu 29th May - We packed up everything except one tent which we left behind to maintain our claim over our pitch. That meant that we would be sharing 3 to a tent (2-man tents), which would be a bit snug, but the added warmth should be welcoming at 17,000'. It was a long slog up the fixed ropes, comforted only by the thought that this could be the last time we have to do this. At '16' we picked up our cache which made our bags even heavier and continued to '17' by the lovely and exposed West Buttress proper. Again we had to dig our own pitch, but this time we were better educated and using the snow saw to good effect we soon fashioned a shelter.

Fri 30th May - Summit day. The weather was looking good and so with nothing but warm clothing, water and food we set off for the last 3,000' to the summit. It was a long and very cold pull up to 'Denali Pass' where we were met by a fierce wind, no place to stop and adjust your clothing. Tony complained that he couldn't feel one of his feet or his hands and I was concerned that it may be too late to do anything about it. We pushed on until we could find some form of shelter and after much rubbing managed to get some form of sensation back.
Before long we were heading across the 'Football Pitch' with the summit ridge in sight. After a slog up the final hill we were on the ridge, which was a spectacular knife edge of ice and snow.

We slowed down so that Tim, who had tried twice before to summit, could be the first to reach it. He not only deserved it for this fact but also due to the fact that he had only recently recovered from cancer. Summit reached, obligatory photos taken and time to run away. This was without doubt the coldest day of all. On reaching the camp at 17,200' the plan was to see how we felt and maybe descend to '14' however most were very tired and so we decided to stay the night.

Sat 31st May - Up early and packing up in a strong, cold wind that blew spindrift into every crevice. Not very pleasant, however the prospect of descending to '14' kept us all going and before long we were each heading down the buttress. With each step the wind decreased and it became more and more pleasant. Arriving at '14' we were greeted with a hot 'English' cuppa from our friendly ranger John. The weather was forecast to worsen and so we were faced with the prospect of staying at '14' or pushing on to lower altitudes and eventually base camp. We decided to see how far we could go. At 2000hrs we arrived at base camp having left' 17' at 0900 that morning. It was a long slog out, made worse by the final pull up 'Heartbreak Hill'. Retrieving our cache, which we buried on arrival, was made worse due to amount of additional snowfall; we buried it at least 1 metre deep and had a further metre snowfall since.

Sun 1st Jun - Awoke at 0700hr with the prospect of an early flight off the glacier. However the weather had other plans. The forecast bad weather had arrived and things didn't look good for getting out today. Then, at about 1000hrs we were alerted by the Rangers that an aircraft would try to get through in about 20 minutes, and if he managed it more would then follow. It got through and more followed until, after what seemed like an eternity, we eventually took off and headed back to Talkeetna for a well-earned beer and real food! We booked into the Chinook Winds, which offers lodge accommodation at reasonable prices, and were re-united with Abbey and Steve.

Mon 2nd Jun - Day spent eating, shopping and drinking in Talkeetna. Abbey arranged early return flights ($164pp extra) and booked the Talkeetna Shuttle for midday tomorrow. Accommodation in Anchorage was hard to get, as many couldn't accommodate 8. We eventually got places in a hotel adjacent to the Airport, Microtel, which was OK at $ll0pp. However it was a long way from downtown and required taxis to get there.

Tue 3rd Jun - Travel to Anchorage, book into hotel.

Wed 4th Jun - Anchorage

Thu 5th Jun - Anchorage

Fri 6th Jun - Visit to 210 Rescue Squadron and PJs (Parachute Jumpers). Hosted by Lt. Col. Donald Keese.
A very worthwhile visit!

Sat 17th Jun - A day kicking heels. Our flight wasn't until midnight and the earliest we could book in was 4 hours before. Many made their way to the airport and kicked around there all day. We eventually took off for the start of another marathon journey.

Mon 9th Jun - Arrived 0530 at LHR, amazingly it was a nice day. After picking up our baggage and hire car we set off for our homes. The Leuchars gang were again flying north and we were driving. We stopped at the first service station we could and all ordered a full English breakfast with a cup of tea; it was nice to not be faced with a barrage of questions regarding which milk you would like with that, how do you like your eggs.........

ANNEX B

EXERCISE "DENALI DOUBLE" - NOMINAL ROLL

Andrew Elliott, Exercise Leader: Stafford (HQ 3 Gp)
Steven Blythe, Leuchars MRT
Anthony Crombie, Leuchars MRT
Timothy Sugars, Kinloss MRT (RAF Lossiemouth)
Gary Brown, Leeming MRT
Christopher Kitt, Leuchars MRT
Christopher Thorne, Leuchars MRT
Anthony Cregan, Stafford MRT

Reserve: Iain Marr, Leeming MRT

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