FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

Words by: Tailer Gray
Photos by: Tailer Gray & Elena Hight

What’s up friends? My name is Tailer Gray and I am a professional adventurer, splitboarder, mountain guide, and storyteller riding for United Shapes, Haglöfs, Spark R&D, etc. I am eager to share with you all a bit about an expedition I was fortunate to be a part of this spring with my dear friend Elena Hight, a world-renowned professional snowboarder that Jones, Arc’teryx, Smith, Spark R&D, etc. are lucky to sponsor. Strap in, play your favorite song, and drop in to a tale of two ladies putting passion in pursuit.

Dee-naa-Lee translates to “the High One” from the Koyukon Athabaskan language—the Indigenous name for the tallest mountain in North America. Honoring this name and the peoples who have cared for the land encompassing this majestic mountain since time immemorial is the least we can do as visitors. I believe in “tuning in & dropping out,” and this life motto means many things, but the overarching theme is allowing outside noise to dissipate and connect. Elena and I began the expedition with exactly that. We prioritized time to tune out the noise and pressure of prepping and packing by visiting the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Intentionally slowing down to learn about Native history, traditions, and ways of life left us deeply inspired and with greater respect. We asked for guidance and protection on our journey into the Alaska Range before heading north to the end of the road.

This expedition was fueled by 3 goals:
• Find the portal
• Celebrate life
• Get high

Being in the mountains, truly immersing ourselves in the unknown, especially for an extended period of time, allows me to feel a sense of connection that often feels as if you are closer to the spiritual realm, something beyond this dimension we exist in. It is as if you can hear more clearly… your senses are more attuned. On top of it all, the daily distractions diminish, allowing the mind, body, and soul to fully drop into each moment.

Elena invited me on this expedition, informing me of her purpose behind the pursuit: to feel closer to her recent love. He spent a large portion of his life dedicated to the Alaska Range, and we were venturing into the void with hopes of finding the portal that would bring them together again. Just about every day, in some version, we were asked, “What are you two doing up here?” and with no offense taken we would most often answer, “Celebrating life!”

To me, to truly live is to experience this connection that my soul craves and thrives in. Existing with a friend for 16 days in a tent—making decisions, meals, and pow turns together—brings organic connection through these seemingly mundane yet very special daily interactions. Creating memories that will last a lifetime, solidifying a friendship with mutual trust, and sharing our passion for snowboarding in this dramatically distant, colossal landscape. We ventured here to celebrate the life of a magical human who was loved so hard and lost too soon, and in turn that celebration engulfed the entire essence of the expedition—life here on Earth and beyond.

We had multiple experiences that shined a light and seemingly opened the portal to connect with Mikey; however, one moment in particular seemed to bring our mission full circle—on our summit day. After 7 days of hunkering down and patiently waiting out a wind event, with patience fueled by pancake breakfasts, skincare spa days, good music, and consistently building our snow palace walls higher, we saw a short weather window in the forecast. Although this break in the unstable weather was seemingly insignificant, we put our heads together and strategized.

What time should we start? What time would it be possible to start considering the extremely frigid morning temperatures? What gear are we bringing and how will we split it between the two of us? What will we eat for breakfast? What is our turnaround plan? These were just a few main considerations when deciding to make a summit attempt. We were camped at 14 Camp and chose to push for the top from our palace. Setting out that morning, motivation was low. I didn’t feel 100%, but I felt good enough to make a goal of eating my PB&J at 17 Camp. At the top of the fixed lines I became quite light-headed, feeling grateful I was connected to the rope with my ascender. Topping out and disconnecting from the fixed lines, Elena passed me a snack. I inhaled it and immediately came back to life, ready to continue our climb. After ascending the dynamic and exposed 16 Ridge, we found ourselves above the clouds, feeling great in our bodies and with the weather conditions. We felt so good we nearly averted our day’s goal—to eat our PB&Js at 17 Camp! We laughed while making a point to tick this off the list and celebrate the accomplishment.

As we pushed forward and higher, the effort and exertion multiplied while our pace slowed. With one slow step at a time, we found ourselves with the summit in sight. We had been above the clouds all day, with not the slightest breeze, and although the temperature was below –30°F, the sun was shining. We neared the base of Pig Hill, the final climb to the summit ridge, when clouds began to rise. We both felt a subtle somberness rush over us as we accepted the possibility of being in the clouds once we reached the summit. With this acceptance we continued to push higher and see how high the mountain would allow us. It was as if those clouds were a test of our ability to tune into the mountain’s voice. We discussed the potential of the clouds, the whiteout we might find ourselves in, the forecasted weather moving in, how we would manage these scenarios, and ultimately listened to our inner knowing that encouraged us to continue climbing. Cresting Pig Hill, we were again in clear weather—no wind, sunshine, and well above the clouds. As we reached the summit of 20,310 feet above sea level, tears filled our eyes, quivering laughter filled the air, while the striking, glitter-filled sunbeam that our souls knew was Mikey split the sky, opening the portal to that connection this entire effort was dedicated to.

We were able to board from the summit, choosing to take the West Buttress route back to our palace due to uncertainty in the snowpack from the major wind event. After our laborious summit day, we reflected and relished in the success within our goals on this adventure. Arriving back safely to the end-of-the-road town closed the loop that encompasses a true tune out and drop in experience, powered by our love for splitboarding and the mountains.

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