Entries By eric frank
Antisana was a challenging, but rewarding experience for the entire team. In contrast to multiple other parties of the previous peaks, we had the mountain to ourselves. A midnight start allowed us to climb the route in only six hours, summitting right at sunrise. The route on Antisana is a great mixture of rocky moraines, glacial ice, big crevasses and steep pitches. We felt fortunate to have it on the itinerary for this trip.
Today, we are at an eco lodge several hours from Antisana recovering from our efforts and preparing for the next mountain. We had a lazy breakfast with lots of coffee and group yoga. This afternoon we plan to nap, read books, check email and catch up with friends and family.
RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
Frank & Team reached the summit of Antisana, fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, this morning. They summitted at 6:50 am GMT in 6.5 hours. Nice work team!
RMI Guide Eric Frank left a voicemail from the summit, scroll below the next photo to listen!
Photos by Local Ecuadorian Guides, Reynaldo Camacho and Jaime Avila
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
The last 24 hours have been a bit of a blur, but we are happy to report that everyone on the team summited Illiniza Norte this morning. It is only an "acclimatization peak" on our itinerary in preparation for the upcoming attempts on Antisana and Cotopaxi, but this morning's climb was exhilarating in its own right.
Yesterday morning we left Quito under sunny skies with high excitement and a questionable forecast. Midway through our approach to the Illiniza Refugio the skies opened up and we walked in a deluge for 30+ minutes. The rain tapered a bit for the final hour, but we arrived at the refugio quite wet. Gore-tex can only stop so much water!
Nevertheless, the team did a great job staying motivated and even though it rained off and on through the night we woke up at 5am to make the best of it. Our motivation paid off and by 6:15am we were headed uphill under partly clear skies. The rain through the night did leave a nice coating of snow over the entire mountain, which added to the challenge. Scrambling sections that normally would be easy were slick with slush and required careful movement.
Two and a half hours of climbing later, we reached the summit and quickly decided to descend before the weather turned on us. A slippery and muddy descent brought us back to the trailhead.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
We summited Illiniza Norte at 8:30am this morning. Cloudy and threatening but we started dry and had a great climb.
I'll write a proper dispatch once we get down to the refugio and send some photos.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Expedition June 5 - 15, 2026
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!
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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