Turns off the summit of Denali
Naheed Henderson

It was pure work as we shuttled loads up to 14,000 feet; head down, legs and lungs pumping, body leaning forward to maximize tug strength, and mind sharply focused on the task at hand. Before we could visualize making turns off the summit we had to haul over 600 lbs of gear up 7,000 feet to base camp. Thankfully we had skis. Thankfully I had the Ascent binding saving me energy, pain, and time while offering me the ability to conquer long days with heavy loads with a smile on my face.
 
We spent 2 weeks at base camp acclimatizing, eating, hydrating, and living through intense windstorms and unusually cold temperatures. We spent days skiing multiple slopes out of camp that beckoned to be skied and have historically offered the treasured ski runs of Denali. We were patient and remained committed to waiting for the perfect weather window to punch for the summit. 
 
It was finally forecasted. A 24 hour window of extremely cold temperatures but low winds and blue skies. We had to make a move from 14,000 feet to the summit at 20, 123 in one push. 14 hours after our departure from camp I was finally clicking into my ascent bindings. I was grinning about the healthy coat of alpine powder that stuck to the otherwise blue face that we were about to ski. It really was the perfect summit day. Drawing on focus and one more deep breath, I dropped into my dream of making telemark turns off the summit of Denali.