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Posts from 08/2012

Mt. Rainier: August 31st Summit!

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Solveig Waterfall | August 31, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'

Our Mt. Rainier Summit Climb led by Billy Nugent and Solveig Waterfall reached the crater rim at 6:59 a.m. this morning.  The teams reported clear and windy skies and very cold temperatures.  Billy and Solveig radioed at 8:15 a.m. that both teams started their descent back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations to today’s summit climbers!

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Mt. Elbrus: The Northside Team Carry Supplies to High Camp

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, J.J. Justman | August 31, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 12m,300'

Hi there this is Seth checking in for the Mt. Elbrus Northside Expedition.  Our friend the wind finally gave us a break today!  At around 2 am the big gusts died off and by sunup everything was calm.  Everyone was stoked to get up and finally get on the glacier.  By 9:00 we were cramponed up and climbing.  The route was great and JJ set a nice pace.  We made it to our high camp in 4.5 hours.  We dropped off some food, fuel and a little gear there and then boogied back down to Camp 1.  If the weather allows we will move up to high camp tomorrow!

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

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Mt. Elbrus: Team Waiting Out the Wind

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, J.J. Justman | August 30, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 12,500'

What to do when the wind is blowing 70 mph at Camp 1 on Mt. Elbrus? That is the question. And the answer is tough filled with so many choices. Read my book? Nope, forgot it at base camp. Read Seth’s Harper magazine? Done. Drink hot drinks? Check!

The team was productive today at Camp 1. We secured our tents for the heavy winds and during a lull we went down and retrieved our cache at 11,500 feet. We now are sitting on a stockpile of food and fuel so Bring it On wind!

Everyone is feeling great at 12,500 feet. And a little adversity does a body good. I just hope my iTunes movie hasn’t expired on my iPhone!

RMI Guide J.J. Justman

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Mt. Rainier: August 30th Summit!

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Geoff Schellens | August 30, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Geoff Schellens led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The Four Day Summit Climb August 27 - 30 teams reported clear skies and chilly temperatures with winds blowing 15-20 mph.  The team were approaching the crater rim at 7:30 a.m.
After spending some time on top they will descend to Camp Muir to repack and rest a bit before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon.  We look forward to seeing the teams back in Ashford this afternoon.

Congratulations to today’s summit climbers!

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Mt. Rainier: August 29th Summit!

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike Walter | August 29, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams August 26 - 29 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Mike Walter.  Dave Hahn reported clear skies above and light winds with a cloud deck below at 9,000’.  The teams were walking into the crater at 8:15 a.m. and will spend some time on top before starting their descent to Camp Muir and continuing to Paradise.  We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.

Congratulations to today’s teams!

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Mt. Elbrus: Team Moves to Camp One

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Seth Waterfall | August 29, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 12,300'

Hello from Mt. Elbrus,

It wouldn’t be an expedition without a little bad weather. Today we awoke to rain and thunder showers. However, it wasn’t really that bad so we packed our bags and hit the road for Camp One.

The team did great carrying heavy packs that only got heavier with all the rain. We made it into camp mid afternoon, got our camp set up and just finished a hot gourmet meal by yours truly.

Tomorrow we are going to wake up late, enjoy some Starbucks coffee at 12,500 feet and then head down to 11,500 feet to grab the rest of our gear. We hope everyone is enjoying our blog. Take care and we will touch base again soon.

RMI Guide J.J. Justman

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Mt. Elbrus: Team Carries Gear Above Base Camp

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Seth Waterfall | August 28, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 8,500'

Hi everyone,
This is the Mt. Elbrus North-side Expedition checking in from our Base Camp.  Today we carried a big chunk of our gear up to about 11,500’ before returning to 8,500’.  The summit was socked in today but the lower slopes had mostly sunny skies which was perfect for us.  Our group is 100% healthy and strong and everyone is having fun.  We’re going to spend the afternoon relaxing and prepping for our move up to Camp 1 tomorrow.

RMI Guide J.J. Justman

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Mt. Rainier: August 28th Update

Posted by: Jake Beren, Pete Van Deventer | August 28, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,600'

The Four Day Summit climb August 25 - 28 led by RMI Guide Jake Beren and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by Pete Van Deventer were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier today due to high winds.  The teams waited at Camp Muir for a break in the weather and eventually started out on their summit attempt.  Consistent high winds with gusts up to 60 mph turned the teams around at Cathedral Gap.  The teams will start their descent from Camp Muir at approximately 8:30 am.  The Expeditions Skills Seminar will continue their training at Rainier BaseCamp before concluding their week long adventure later this afternoon.

We look forward to seeing the teams at BaseCamp this afternoon.

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Mt. Rainier: August 28th Update

Posted by: Shaun Sears, Eric Frank | August 27, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,500'

The Four Day Summit Climb August 24 - 27 led by RMI Guides Shaun Sears and Eric Frank were unable to summit today.  High winds kept the teams from leaving Camp Muir as scheduled.  The Camp Muir Telemetry shows an average wind speed between 55 - 80 mph. over night.  The teams did climb to Ingraham Flats later in the morning.  The wind was still blowing approximately 40 mph and they began their descent from this high point just before 8 am.  The teams returned to Camp Muir to repack and rest before starting their descent to Paradise shortly after 10 am.

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise checked in this morning from the Paradise Glacier.  The team will be breaking camp and moving to Camp Muir.  They plan to do some additional training around Muir today and will be making their summit attempt tomorrow morning.

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Mt. Elbrus: Team Arrives North Side Base Camp

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Seth Waterfall | August 27, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Elbrus Northside
Elevation: 8,300'

We have put the adventure back in adventure travel! Today our team made the arduous and breathtaking seat of your pants four wheel drive ride into Base Camp on the North side of Mount Elbrus.

It really was smooth sailing but the road demands full attention. It’s a rally car racers dream. We have set up camp in this beautiful Russian valley. We took an afternoon stroll to the mineral springs that bubble out of the ground (Perrier and San Pelligrino eat your heart out)! However no one had the guts to take a dip in the enclosed mineral pool. The water is a balmy 40 degrees!

The team has packed the packs with group gear consisting of dinners and breakfasts for up high: ropes, pickets, fuel and personal clothing. Tomorrow we will carry to Camp 1 and return to base.

I have to get going, tonight Seth and I rock/paper/scissored for who gets to make chow…I lost. Get ready for chili cheese hot dogs with southern quesadillas!

RMI Guide JJ Justman

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