An American Ascent documents the first African American expedition to tackle Denali, North America's highest peak and explores the complex relationship many African-Americans have with the outdoors. As the United States transitions to a 'minority majority' nation, a staggering number of people of color do not identify with America's wild places. By embarking on the grueling multi-week climb of the 20,327ft Denali, nine African-American climbers set out to bridge this 'adventure gap' - challenging outdated notions of what adventure looks like by changing the face of America's biggest and baddest mountain on the 100th anniversary of its first summit.
Shelton Johnson
Stephen Shobe
Erica Wynn
Tyrhee Moore
Scott Briscoe
Billy Long
Rosemary Saal
Ryan Mitchell
Stephen DeBerry
Adina Scott
James Kagambi
Robby Rechord
Madhu Chikkaraju
Aaron Divine
Jon Krakauer
Conrad Anker
Tom Choate