- Melissa Arnot
- Alex Barber
- Gabriel Barral
- Jake Beren
- Zeb Blais
- Katrina Bloemsma
- Katie Bono
- Anne Gilbert Chase
- Sean Collon
- Leon Davis
- Elias de Andres Martos
- Cody Doolan
- Paul Edgren
- Mark Falender
- Leah Fisher
- Eric Frank
- Steve Gately
- Josh Gautreau
- Thomas Greene
- Casey Grom
- Dave Hahn
- Walter Hailes
- Tim Hardin
- Mike Haugen
- Bryan Hendrick
- Andy Hildebrand
- Mike Hinckley
- Joe Horiskey
- Nick Hunt
- Tyler Jones
- J.J. Justman
- Levi Kepsel
- Mike King
- Adam Knoff
- Katy Laveck
- Ben Liken
- Josh Maggard
- Paul Maier
- Linden Mallory
- Lindsay Mann
- Andres Marin
- Jeff Martin
- Robert Montague
- Erik Nelson
- Chase Nelson
- Billy Nugent
- Brent Okita
- Logan Randolph
- Tyler Reid
- Dave Reynolds
- Kel Rossiter
- Geoff Schellens
- Shaun Sears
- Garrett Stevens
- Jason Thompson
- Mike Tomlinson
- Mark Tucker
- Mike Uchal
- Pete Van Deventer
- Alex Van Steen
- Ed Viesturs
- Maile Wade
- Mike Walter
- Seth Waterfall
- Solveig Waterfall
- Peter Whittaker
- Win Whittaker
- Bryson Williams
- Dan Windham
- Robby Young
Entries By adam knoff
Ecuador: Team heads for the mountains
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Casey Grom | January 04, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
This morning was a welcomed departure from the hustle and bustle of Ecuador’s largest city. Despite the plush hotel, easy Internet access and wild night life, our team was ready to relocate to the country getting us one step closer the big mountains we came here to climb. Although we haven’t seen any glaciated peaks yet because of the constant cloud coverage, the guides have thoroughly convinced the team they do exist. Such confidence was not instilled in our team when our driver today told us he knew where the trail head was to our second acclimating hike on a mountain called Fuya Fuya. Doing his best to convince us he was not indeed lost, it became undeniable when the road, if one could call it that, ended in the face of a giant bulldozer actually clearing jungle so the “road” could go further. Always expecting the unexpected, we made the best of the situation by pushing headlong up a muddy, steep trail hoping to find a lake we knew existed somewhere up in the mountains above. Surprisingly we did not find the lake but instead stumbled across the main road we should have been on in the first place. With a good laugh we headed back down the muddy trail to the waiting van and then got settled into our beautiful hacienda. Chuck, Jan, Albert and I had a great soccer match and the rest of us simply relaxed. A quick packing lesson prepared us for tomorrow’s departure to the mountains and a great dinner has now prepared us for sleep. The team is doing very well and in good spirits. Hasta mañana.
RMI Guides Adam Knoff & Casey Grom
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Expedition Skills Seminar: Ecuador - Team Hikes Pinchincha Rucu
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Casey Grom | January 03, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Elevation: 15,500'
Greetings from expedition skills seminar, Ecuador!
Day two:
Not all of our mountaineering challenges down here should be considered overly stressful. Granted we aren’t exactly roughing it here in hotel Mercure Alemeda, we figured starting the team off gently would ease us into the trip’s first acclimating hike.
Quito is flanked on its western edge by the frequently active Pinchincha Rucu volcano who’s 15,500 foot summit makes for a perfect first excursion to altitude. Oh ya, back to a gentle start. After another delicious breakfast the team loaded into a sporty looking minivan with a sporty looking driver to match and headed ten minutes up the road to the loading dock of Quito’s famous Pinchincha gondola. I don’t know much, but I do know riding from 10,000 feet to 13,800 feet is better than walking. Who knew? From the top of the tram, views of Quito ‘s expansive size and beautiful setting blessed us before our trail was soon overtaken by the rising cloud bank. Despite the apparent fitness of our team, much hard breathing was done welcoming in the lower oxygen levels. Soon we found our rhythm and pushed steadily upward further into the cold clouds until the sign on the summit said we were there. By that time we were all in gloves, hats and warm jackets. We then descended quickly before the rain hit.
The rest of the afternoon will be spent relaxing and exploring the neighborhood around the hotel. We are all psyched to be leaving the city and heading north.
More to come,
RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Casey Grom and Team
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Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador: Quito and the Equator
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Casey Grom | January 02, 2013
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Ecuador
Hello from Quito, Ecuador. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador has arrived in full, all bags included and is settling in nicely. Today the group had a busy itinerary starting with a top notch breakfast which of course is the day’s most important meal. Once fully caffeinated we spent a pleasant hour doing personal introductions and breaking down the week’s objectives. After our team’s bonding exercises of trust falls and human pyramids in the hotel lobby we put our well being in the hands of our tour operator and ventured into the heart of Quito where traffic can rival the adventurous nature of mountain climbing. We visited many historic sites including the Presidential Palace, Independence Plaza and multiple churches centuries older than the United States itself. This concluded our history lesson, next was science. From the old town of Quito we drove 45 minutes north to the “Mitad del Mundo” translated to the middle of the world. Don’t get this confused with middle earth, we saw no hobbits or elves. What we did experience were the wild supernatural effects of being directly on equator. Although no one earned their diploma for balancing an egg on a nail, we did see it happen. Other party tricks include failing a DWI balance test walking the actual line and watching the coriolis effect spin water in opposite directions five feet into each hemisphere. After the tour we rested, regrouped and went out for a well deserved team dinner. Everyone is in good health and excited to begin acclimatizing.
RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Casey Grom
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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 26th Summit!
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Tyler Jones | August 26, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Tyler Jones led their teams to the Mt. Rainier summit this morning! A cloud cap was snuggled over the top of the mountain, which brought on some 30-40 mph winds. Both teams are doing well and began their descent at 7:30 a.m.
Congratulations to today’s summit climbers!
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Mt. Rainier: August 21st Summit!
Posted by: Adam Knoff | August 21, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: Summit
Our Four Day Summit Climb Team led by Adam Knoff reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. There was a cloud cap with a bit of wind on top, but as the team started their descent the cap was beginning to dissipate and the weather was getting clear. The team is en route to Camp Muir and expected back to Ashford Basecamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today’s team!
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Mt. Rainier: August 16th Summit!
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Adam Knoff | August 16, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb August 13 - 16, 2012, led by RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:30 a.m. this morning. They reported a beautiful day on the mountain with clear skies, light wind and warm temperatures. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 7:30 a.m.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise completed their six day program with a summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team began their descent from the top shortly after 8:00 a.m. They will return to Camp Muir and spend some time repacking their gear before continuing their descent to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today’s teams!
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Mt. McKinley: Knoff & Team Waiting at Basecamp
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais | July 08, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
At 3:30 this morning I was startled awake by what I thought was the rumbling of a distant avalanche. Perhaps my mountain senses have an automatic alertness to these deep thunderous roars that will pull me from the deepest sleep. As I poked my head out of the tent door, I remembered where we are.
Two days ago I broke the news to the team that a serious storm was brewing and the risk of staying at high camp, in my opinion, outweighed the reward of a potential summit. Going for the top on Monday or Tuesday would put our total time there at eight or nine days, well beyond anyone’s preference. So we packed camp with heavy hearts and set off on our descent.
We moved efficiently down to eleven thousand feet where we rested for six hours. The alarm went off at 5:00 am to no one’s delight and we headed toward basecamp at 7:30. By 3:00 pm we were drinking MGD and relaxing in the sun. K2 aviation was optimistic about flying us off so morale, all things considered, was high. That was until one hour later the clouds moved in and it began to to snow. That was more than 24 hours ago.
Now as I write this at 4 pm on Sunday, we have received two feet of snow. Welcome to Mt. McKinley! We have all just come in for lunch after two solid hours stomping down the runway so if the storm does abate, planes might fly. This is all we hope for now, the high pitch sound of propellers and don’t think twice about those avalanches in the distance.
This is Adam Knoff signing out.
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Mt. McKinley: Knoff & Team Beat Feet to Basecamp
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais | July 07, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
Adam Knoff called into the office just before 6PM. With a storm expected, the team was hoping to make it to basecamp in order to fly off in front of the storm. The weather didn’t quite hold and it began to snow in the last hour upon reaching basecamp. The team’s plan to unwind in Talkeetna has been thwarted until further notice.
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Mt. McKinley: Knoff & Team Descend to 14K Camp
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais | July 06, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
This is Adam calling in from 17,000’ on Denali. We woke this morning to continued snow and wind, with a major low pressure system forecast to dominate the region over the next several days. We have endured this weather at high camp since Monday and have decided to descend back to 14K camp. Even the approach route, between 14,000’ and basecamp, can be a bear to navigate in foul weather, and we need to stay strong and focused. We’ll begin our descent of the West Buttress and the infamous fixed lines to reach Advanced Base at 14,200’ where Dave Hahn’s RMI party is encamped. We’ll check in tomorrow and advise everyone of our plans and progress.
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