Lonnie Dupre emerges from his plane at base camp and begins Denali ascent. Credit: One World Endeavors

Grand Marais Arctic explorer Lonnie Dupre is one step closer to being the first person to solo summit Alaska’s Denali, known also as Mount McKinley, in January. Poor flying conditions kept Dupre off of the mountain until now.

Lonnie has safely landed at base camp on the Kahiltna glacier. He’s already making headway on the glacier with good light. (One World Endeavors)

The immediate weather conditions look favorable for Dupre. The Denali weather forecast calls for warmer than average temperatures with some periods of snow.

Only nine expeditions, totaling 16 people, have ever reached the Denali summit in winter, and six deaths occurred during those climbs. Of these previous winter expeditions, four were solo, but none was in January, the darkest and coldest time of the year on the mountain. Only one team of three Russian climbers has ever successfully summited Denali in January. (Release)

Dupre plane parked on glacier near Denali. Credit One World Endeavors

While waiting for the weather to clear to access the base camp by plane Dupre posted the following video explaining the weather challenges.