The Opportunity to Try

Written by Athlete Meredith Edwards

I started skiing when I was two years old and racing by four. At the time, I had no idea the sport would eventually shape my entire life. Skiing became more than competition. It became how I learned to move through the world.

At 22, I moved to Jackson, Wyoming, where I spent the next 12 years immersed in mountain culture and ski mountaineering in the Tetons. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with the long days that started with skis on my pack and ended running back to the car. Those days felt like freedom. Over time, skiing evolved into ultrarunning, endurance sports, and eventually expedition-style objectives in the bigger ranges.

Through sport I’ve raced at Skimo World Championships, podiumed at ultramarathons like UTMB, skied big lines, and traveled all over the world. But the older I get, the less I believe the outcome is the point. I keep coming back to the idea that you never really know what training is preparing you for. Every season, every setback, every long day in the mountains eventually opens doors you could never have predicted.

This year will be my third expedition to Denali and the fourth year of this project. My first trip in 2023 taught me what it meant to truly live on a glacier. I spent 29 days on the mountain during a difficult weather year and fell in love with the simplicity of expedition life. Everything important fit into a sled. Removed from normal life, I felt a sense of purpose and connection I had never experienced before.

In 2024, my climbing partner Jeremy Liebeirr and I returned with a more structured objective and a better understanding of the mountain. We executed our plan well, but ultimately missed our weather window by only a few days after needing additional time to acclimate at 14 camp. By the time we descended, the Kahiltna Glacier had stopped freezing overnight and the crevasses were beginning to open.

That trip taught me two important lessons. First, I needed to become stronger. As a smaller athlete, carrying heavy loads at altitude came with a much higher metabolic cost than I could sustainably recover from. Second, I needed more glacier and rescue experience. When the conditions warmed and the margin for error became smaller, I knew I wasn’t confident enough in my ability to fully manage every rescue scenario after a maximal effort push. Walking away from the attempt was heartbreaking, but I knew it was the right decision. I never want ego to override safety or respect for the mountain.

In 2025, after tearing four ligaments in my ankle and undergoing reconstruction surgery, I shifted my focus toward rebuilding differently. Instead of rushing recovery, I spent time developing technical rescue systems and glacier experience through work with the Slava Topol Project and Mountain Safety initiatives in Kyrgyzstan on Peak Lenin. I completed rescue rigging certifications, spent weeks fixing anchors and assisting climbers on the

mountain, and gained a completely different level of comfort operating around crevasses and glacial terrain.

At the same time, I committed more seriously to strength development. Working with my coaches Chris Butler and Chantelle Robitaille, the past year has focused heavily on durability, load carrying, and long aerobic days in the mountains. Over the course of this project (4 years), I’ve gained nearly seven pounds of muscle and dramatically improved my ability to move efficiently under weight. Most weekends have been spent skiing laps at Wolf Creek accumulating 10,000 feet of climbing over two days — one day carrying heavier loads and the other moving lighter and faster. The training itself is not glamorous. It’s mostly repetition, patience, and time on my feet.

Throughout this process, my HAGAN setups have become a huge part of how I think about movement in the mountains. For training and longer objectives, I’ve spent most of this build-up on the ULTRA 89 in a 154 cm paired with the Ultra Race binding. At 123-89-106 and roughly 1080 grams per ski in the 154 length, it has become my dream setup because it feels incredibly light without sacrificing downhill performance or confidence in variable conditions.

The ski feels intuitive and predictable in consequential terrain, which matters deeply to me on a mountain like Denali where efficiency and safety are closely connected. For the attempt itself, I’m even considering using the ULTRA 65 setup to 14 camp before transitioning onto the ULTRA 89 higher on the mountain. It may not be the choice everyone would make, but for me it comes back to understanding metabolic cost, energy conservation, and making decisions that allow me to move safely and confidently in the environment.

Going back this year, I feel more prepared than ever before. At the same time, I know none of that guarantees anything. Denali does not care how much training you’ve done. Ultimately, you are always at the mercy of the mountain, the weather, and the conditions it decides to give you.

But I’ve realized that the outcome is no longer the only thing that matters to me. This project has already given me more than I could have imagined. It has shaped who I am, introduced me to incredible people, and brought experiences into my life that I will carry forever. I met my husband Ross Hill on the Kahiltna Glacier. I’ve learned from partners, mentors, and the mountain itself. Most importantly, I’ve learned that success is not always about conquering something.

Sometimes success is simply earning the opportunity to try.