RMI Expeditions BlogRSS

Posts from 12/2012

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Wait for the Storm to Pass

Posted by: Dave Hahn | December 20, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'

Same storm, different day.  We are still at Basecamp and this big system of clouds and wind is still hitting the Ellsworth Mountains.  It came on a bit more today, with thicker clouds and hours of light snow falling, but so far we have been spared the big winds.  The teams we flew in with journeyed on up to Low Camp despite the weather today, so we are alone at base, but none of us is particularly worried that we are missing some golden opportunity.

We ate, read, listened to music, ate, slept and ate again… getting set for the end of the world, or a good day for climbing… whichever comes first.

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2012 Email Alerts

2

---

ECUADOR’S VOLCANOES: Cotopaxi Summit!

Posted by: Casey Grom, Eric Frank | December 20, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 19,348'

Summit on Cotopaxi!

Casey Grom and Team phoned in from the summit of Cotopaxi early this morning.  It was windy and cold, but the team did great.

Congratulations Team!

Sign Up For Ecuador 2012 Email Alerts

2

---

Aconcagua: Beren & Team Getting Started in Mendoza

Posted by: Jake Beren, Leon Davis, Zeb Blais | December 19, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Aconcagua

Greetings from Mendoza!  The entire team has arrived with all bags accounted for and after a siesta, team meeting and feast we are ready to head out tomorrow. When we get up we’ll hopefully have a busy day, securing permits and driving to Penitentes to load up our gear for the Mulas and enjoy one last restaurant meal before hitting the trail. Wish us luck for our last bit of off-mountain logistics. It feels great to be one step closer to getting on the hill.

RMI Guide Jake Beren

Sign Up For Aconcagua 2012 Email Alerts

1

---

Vinson Massif: Stormy at Basecamp

Posted by: Dave Hahn | December 19, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'

We had higher hopes for today.  But no, we didn’t go anywhere.  It was stormy with a forecast for more, so we sat at Basecamp.  The mountain was partially visible from time to time, but mostly it was socked in with a thick layer of cloud covering all but the bottom of the western face.  As the afternoon wore on there was even a little wind right here in Basecamp (which is rare) but mostly it was just calm cool and cloudy.  The team rode it out in the tents; reading, writing, talking, eating and sleeping.  By evening the sun had broken free of the clouds that were piled up against the mountain and things got downright pleasant for a while.  Fingers crossed for more pleasantries tomorrow. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2012 Email Alerts

1

---

Ecuador’s Volcanoes: Casey Grom Checks in from Cotopaxi’s Hut

Posted by: Casey Grom, Eric Frank | December 19, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 16,000'

Hello everybody back home.  This is Casey Grom checking in from the Ecuador’s Expedition. I just wanted to check in to let everyone know that all’s going well. We had a nice leisurely day today at Chilcabamba. Got up this morning, got things packed up and had about just over an hour drive up to the parking lot to the Cotopaxi Hut. We got out of the car little bit of cloud and took us about 40 minutes to hike up a nice easy trail to get up here to the hut. It sits at about, oh just shy of 16,000’...(transmission lost)

RMI Guide Casey Grom

On The Map

Sign Up For Ecuador 2012 Email Alerts

---

Aconcagua: Justman & Team head back to Mendoza

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Geoff Schellens | December 19, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Aconcagua

Hey this is JJ and Team One on Aconcagua,

The weather is fouling up the satellite so I will make this quick.  We have left Aconcagua Base Camp, and it was probably the worst day walking out of Base Camp I have ever had. Usually we are worried about sunburn, but today we have to be worried about windburn in a blinding blizzard snow storm.  Something I have never seen before.  It is definitely nice to be out of that weather and a little bit lower in the valley. The team is doing great and we’re real happy.  We are actually having a great dinner of filet mignon with the cowboys that are carrying our stuff out via the mules.

This will be our Final Dispatch of what was one incredible adventure, with the weather that is still not letting up is going to miserable for the next few days, so hopefully Mendoza will be a little sunnier, a little warmer, and a little more hospitable.  The Team definitely deserves it!

Thanks again everyone for following along, and definitely stay tuned because Geoff Schellens, Garrett Stevens, and I will be back at it with another Expedition her on Aconcagua.  We hope the weather gods will be kinder to us.

I can’t say enough great things about this team and the great experience we have had.  No summit but that is the way the weather goes. 

That’s all for now from Argentina, Ciao!

JJ Justman, Geoff Schellens, and Team

Sign Up For Aconcagua 2012 Email Alerts

2

---

Ecuador’s Volcanoes: The Team Resting Prior to Cotopaxi Summit

Posted by: Eric Frank, Casey Grom | December 18, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador

Hello, this is the Ecuador crew checking in. We had a great rest day. We are at the Hacienda Chilcabamba here at the base of Cotopaxi. Most of us took a nap in the afternoon, just getting ready for our next big push. So tomorrow morning we’ll head up to the Jose Ribas Refugio and get ready to climb. Things are beautiful down here. Hope everyone is doing well back home in the states.

RMI Guide Eric Frank

On The Map

Sign Up For Ecuador 2012 Email Alerts

1

---

Vinson Massif: Team Refreshes on the Basics and Caches Supplies Uphill

Posted by: Dave Hahn | December 18, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'

Clouds and murk rule the Ellsworth Mountains for the moment.  But even so, the weather isn’t all that bad down here on the Branscomb Glacier.  We did a normal mid-morning wake-up at Vinson Base (earlier than that one risks discomfort from cold shadows and down glacier breezes).  A leisurely breakfast was followed by a brief review of the basic mountaineering techniques we’ll employ for travel on the lower mountain.  In mid-afternoon we set out to carry loads up the long gentle hills between base and the big ninety degree turn of the glacier at the foot of Vinson’s massive Western escarpment.  This carry wasn’t performed so much out of a great need to get supplies up the hill, but more out of a desire to test systems and our legs and lungs.  All good.  We cached the load at around 8,700 ft and walked easily back to our 7,000 ft Basecamp.  We even got a few grand views of the endless ice to the west.  These had to suffice for scenery since the clouds closed in while we were eating dinner and put us in a world of gauze and grey.  The sun will come out tomorrow.  Possibly. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2012 Email Alerts

---

Aconcagua: Justman & Team Back at Base Camp

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Geoff Schellens | December 18, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'

Hi All,

RMI Aconcagua team one here in Base Camp watching the torrent on the upper mountain as we pack and organize gear for the mules.  After soup and snacks we moved on to sports and movie trivia with some of our German climbing friends.  Although we are all disappointed to be leaving the mountain with out a summit, the foul weather and thoughts of steak and wine are reassuring. 

We will start our hike out tomorrow and get back to Mendoza on Thursday the 20th.  Thank you all for all the support and we look forward to talking to all our friends and family soon.

RMI Guides JJ Justman, Geoff Schellens & Team

Sign Up For Aconcagua 2012 Email Alerts

---

Vinson Massif:  Team #2 Arrives in Antarctica

Posted by: Dave Hahn | December 17, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif
Elevation: 7,200'

Union Glacier camp was a busy place this morning.  There were snowcat sledge trains and big-wheeled vans and tracked vehicles and snow machines of every sort and size zipping from A to B, plowing things flat, and simply hauling freight and people.  Fuel drums were being fed to the Twin Otters and names were being written on luggage tags.  The ALE staff were in overdrive and sixty outbound climbers and Antarctic enthusiasts were pleased, mellow and smiling.  It was “Ilyushin Day”.... Out with the old and in with the new on a grand scale. 
My successful climbing team packed their bags and knocked their tents down in about five minutes… Ready to go home but also a little sad to be leaving this cold paradise.  Around 1:30 PM, the big four engine Russian jet touched down with a great roar of reversed thrust out on the ice runway.  My old gang got in one big offroad van with Seth Waterfall and headed for the plane and Punta.  I’d shaken their hands and advised them to have a heck of a victory feast in town.  They’d earned it.  I stood for a while watching all the action and before long another big offroad van pulled up with my new climbing team. 
Nicole, Brian, Joe and Bart were snapping pictures in all directions and smiling broadly.  We got acquainted and oriented, waited a bit and then hurried up for a flight to Mount Vinson.  By then it was dinner time and the Union folk felt bad about kicking us out of camp without a big feed, but clouds were closing in and we needed to get to the mountain.  Mission accomplished (with a big pan full of hot pigs-in-a-blanket for inflight food) despite the encroaching storm, there were still a few thousand peaks to be seen out the windows of our ski plane.  We landed at Vinson Basecamp around 8 PM and built our tents in our new home.  My climbers haven’t yet seen their mountain as it is cloaked in mist and light falling snow, but they will see plenty of the big hill, soon enough. 
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2012 Email Alerts

4

---

Previous Page More Entries