What was it like to climb Denali in 1970? This past summer the Denali climb C-4 M-4 gathered in Talkeetna to reminisce on the 50th anniversary of their climb up the Muldrow route, and host Paul Twardock was there to record and share with the Outdoor Explorer audience. Team members Dan Osborne, Dick Jabonowski, Ed Minot, Steve O’Brien, Tom Kensler, and Mike Sallee had a mix of climbing experience in Alaska and elsewhere, but none were professional climbers or guides. They wore wool, bunny boots, used gold line ropes, wooden skis and had minimal communication with civilization. Along the way they learned a lot and had one epic rescue at altitude. Their story is a very descriptive account of climbing in the 1970s.
HOST: Paul Twardock
GUESTS: Dan Osborne, Dick Jabonowski, Ed Minot, Steve O’Brien, Tom Kensler, and Mike
Sallee
LINKS:
Denali Climbing History
BROADCAST: Thursday, February 2nd, 2022. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, February 2nd, 2022. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
Paul Twardock is a Professor of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, where he has worked since 1988. He is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and help found the Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium/Paddle Sport Fun Day. At APU he teaches a variety of undergraduate classes included Sea Kayaking, Recreation Program Design, Nordic Skiing, The Business of Recreation, and Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts. Paul received his BS in Outdoor Recreation from Western Illinois University, went to work instructing for NOLS in Alaska, then received his MBA from APU. Paul’s research includes monitoring of campsites in Prince William Sound and Chugach State Park for human impact, trail use in Chugach State Park, and the Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Incident Database. His passions include sea kayaking, river boating of all sorts, hiking, mountain running, climbing, skiing of any kind, and birding. One of his last adventures involved a mule ride.
Paul is one of several hosts for Outdoor Explorer
