Entries By eric frank
Mon 6/8/2026 2:45 PM PST
The Ecuador team made it to the Illinizas Hut today after braving the rain for 2.5 hours.
A highlight of the day was looking back down on the beautiful pastoral valley from our position high on the peak.
We are all a little soggy, but in good spirits and anticipate drying out before our attempt on Illiniza Norte tomorrow.
- RMI Guide Eric Frank
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
6/7 - Given a questionable forecast, the team met at 5:30am this morning for a quick coffee and early launch for Rucu. It turned out to be a great decision as we were rewarded with spectacular views of the other Ecuadorian volcanoes and dry conditions for our climb. After traversing the grassy plains below the peak, we linked together sections of easy trail with some short rock scrambles until we arrived at the top in only 3 hours.
Everyone performed well and felt strong despite the fact that we are only on our second day in country. After returning from the climb we gorged on pizza and look forward to an afternoon of relaxing before we pack up to head to our next peak - Illiniza Norte.
- RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
6/6 - After a long day of travel and a few overnight flights, our team is here in Quito! We spent today visiting many of the tourist hotspots and wandering around town. Our purpose was two-fold: experience a taste of Ecuadorian culture and begin the acclimatization process. Moving around town, even on flat ground, at 9,300' felt like a significant effort and we look forward to a good night of sleep before heading out into the mountains.
- RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
Posted by: Eric Frank, Tom Skoog, Stella Johnson, Miles Watson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Day 1: We left Ashford at 7:30 this morning and enjoyed good views and generally cool weather on our approach to the kautz. We’ve made an excellent camp on the lower castle and are batoning down the hatches for rough weather tonight—an essential expedition skill. - RMI Guide Eric frank
Day 2: Today we practiced a variety of skills including fixed line travel, crevasse rescue and avalanche beacon searches. We even took a little time for yoga before our summit talk! - RMI Guide Tom Skoog
Day 5: SUMMIT! The Kautz Seminar team left camp and ascended the Kautz Ice Chute and reached the top of Wapowety Cleaver before gaining Point Success and then contining across to Columbia Crest. The team enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent. The team climbed strong with 100% of the group reaching the summit. They will return to camp and enjoy some rest and a final tent night. Tomorrow they will continue their descent to Paradise and conclude their program.
Nice work team!
Photos: Tom Skoog
Posted by: Eric Frank, Joe Hoch, Dylan Anderson, Mitch Valaitis, Layne Peters, Arianna Drechsler, Jack Ritterson, Brooks Ordway Smith, David Rathbun
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Joe Hoch led their Four Day Climb June 2 - 5 to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. They reached the summit shortly after 7 am and reported clear skies and light winds. The teams will enjoy some time in the crater before starting their descent back to Camp Muir. After a short stop, they will continue down to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
PC: Layne Peters & Joe Hoch
I’m so thankful to have met and climbed (to Muir) with this group of people. There was so much positivity and honesty amongst this group of strangers. It was inspiring to watch each person climb and battle their way to the summit and back. RMI’s guides are beyond impressive. The strength you all posses is incredible. To do what you do AND be personable AND lighthearted is truly a gift. I cant say enough about all the things you had to juggle to make this trip a success. Thank you to everyone for making this one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Posted by: Nate on 6/6/2025 at 9:53 am
Posted by: Tatum Whatford, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
We’re excited to share that the Four-Day Climb led by Tatum Whatford and Eric Frank reached the summit early this morning! The team reported encountering some wind but otherwise enjoyed a beautiful morning high on the mountain.
After taking in the views from the summit, the climbers began their descent and are currently en route back to Camp Muir. They’re expected to return to Basecamp in Ashford, Washington, later this afternoon.
Congratulations to the entire team on a successful climb and summit!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Mitch Valaitis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,500'
The team turned around just above the Cleaver yesterday due to difficult walking conditions and challenging weather, which proved too demanding for the group. Eric and his team departed Camp Muir this morning at 7:40 a.m. and are en route back to Paradise.
Everyone is safe, in good spirits, and coming away with valuable mountain experience.
Posted by: Eric Frank, Joe Hoch, Ben Ammon, Calvin Jiricko, Tom Skoog, Hannah Billings
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,100'
Led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Joe Hoch, the Four Day Climb May 8 - 11 teams reached an elevation of 13,100 feet today before being turned back due to route conditions. They are currently descending to Camp Muir for a short rest and to repack before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz June 11 - 16, 2023 led by RMI Guide Eric Frank reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning via the Kautz Glacier. After two days of training at BaseCamp and Paradise the team began their ascent via Paradise. They established camp and spent the next two nights on the mountain practice and learning more alpine skills including some crevasse rescue training. This morning the team made their summit attempt, they checked in around 7:30 from just below the Wapowety Cleaver. Eric reported a beautiful day with no wind and warm temperatures. However, when they reached the summit the winds were strong. The team enjoyed a bit of time on the summit before starting their descent back to camp. They will stay tonight on the mountain and continue their descent tomorrow, perhaps with a bit more training.
Nice climbing team!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Mike King, George Hedreen, Mike Bennett, Bailey Servais, Calvin Jiricko
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Mike King led their Four Day Climb June 5 - 8 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Mike reported good climb and a good route but they climbed in a cloud cap with limited visability. The teams reached the crater rim around 6:30 am and were starting their descent shortly before 7:30 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the groups at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Congrats! I hear this was a tough route and you did it!
Posted by: Connie on 6/19/2025 at 6:39 pm
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