Entries By lindsay mann

June 2, 2015 - 10:40 pm PT (Both updates received) New heights achieved! Today we rose early to no wind and blue skies with a satellite lenticular cloud slowly inching closer, cluing us into the fact that the weather may change in the next few days. We loaded our food, fuel and other equipment making for a smooth and relatively quick trip up to our next camp at 14,000'. We dug a large pit in the snow in the center of the Genet basin and filled it with many of the supplies that we will need for the next stages of the climb. With the weather still holding we passed the infamous Windy Corner in breathless air. The crew flowed down hill flawlessly making a short stop at the rarely visited lunch rock bump view point. Taking in the full panorama of the enormous Father and Son wall, the upper Peters Glacier, NW Buttress and the Washburn Wall! Spectacular! The short nap was well deserved this afternoon and the days timing was impeccable. The snow and a brisk breeze blew in shortly after our arrival. Which was followed by one of the best Ramen meals ever consumed on the slopes of Denali. Now as we crawl into our tents a light snow continues and we wait to see what tomorrow brings. Good evening all. RMI Guide Tyler Jones June 1, 2015 Blog Today was another great weather day! We had bagels salmon and cream cheese. Not bad for mountain food! Yet we decided after four days of hard work we took a real full rest day in order to regain our strength and further our acclimatization. The day progressed with some tent time laying around like mushrooms on a pizza. As the afternoon rolled in we spent time training our walking skills and prepping our kits for carrying our load to 14,000 Camp. We're hoping for good weather tomorrow. Send us good vibes. As the sun crests the horizon to the north in this latitude we stare at purple sky's to the south in the shade of the mountain. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Sunday, May 31st 11:45pm PDT Today the weather was wonderful! We woke up with the sun warming the tents. With a leisurely breakfast of pop tarts and grits we then sauntered down to hit our cache at 10,000ft. The groceries now in hand, we walked back up hill on firm snow dawning our crampons which was a pleasant change from waddling like platypus in snowshoes! Do platypus even walk anyway? Back at camp our food bags were calling us as we climbed in our tents to beat the afternoon radiation. We welcomed RMI teams Walter and Van Deventer back to 11 camp fresh from the summit yesterday. Great work teams! After giving high-fives to our friends, we worked on fortifying our camp. We built walls, bathrooms and a new cook tent. Camp looks good and we are snug as a bug in a rug here at 11,000ft. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

May 31, 2015 - 2:39 am PT Good evening from 11,000 feet! We woke this morning to more sunny skies and warm temperatures. After a casual start to the day and a nice breakfast, we ducked into the tents for a couple hours to get out of the heat. By late afternoon things cooled for more comfortable hiking conditions, so we broke down camp and got on the move! Even though it's been just a few days on the glacier, the team has adjusted well to mountain life and is traveling efficiently. So after a few hours of moving we arrived at camp, quickly put up our tents, and enjoyed a late dinner. Now we're all settled in for the night and it's time to get some sleep! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Saturday, May 30th 2:45 am PDT Hello all! We have our gear and groceries moved up to 10,000 feet. Life is good out on the glacier for our team. Today the high pressure over the area made for very hot conditions in the low altitudes so we delayed our departure until the heat subsided late this afternoon. We are doing our best to save energy and avoid getting cooked like lobsters from the sun. Our plan worked great and after a number of hours working our way to the cache site, we quickly dug a large hole to store our gear until after we move the camp up to 11,000 feet. On our descent we enjoyed fabulous evening light while carrying our sled like a turtle shell strapped on our backs. Hot soup and a meal warmed our souls as we settle in for the night. Tomorrow evening if the hot and blue-bird weather continues, we will try to move up to our second camp and gain some acclimatization over the next few days. Stay tuned and we'll have a report when more progress has been made! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Thursday, May 28th 10:37 pm PDT We woke up this morning to blue skies in Talkeetna, which meant great weather for flying! After a meal at the roadhouse we scurried over to hangar to transition from Talkeetna street walkers to Denali climbers. With climbing boots on and smiles on our faces we enjoyed a great flight onto the mountain. Once we arrived at Basecamp the team was highly efficient organizing their gear. After a minimal amount of time at Basecamp we embarked on our journey up the Kahiltna Glacier. Several hours later we arrived at our camp for the night at 7,800'. The team immediately set up tents to shade themselves from sun and nestled in. After a delicious meal of Annie's Mac and cheese we hunkered down for the night. We will check in again tomorrow night after another day of good work. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Thursday, May 28th 12:32 pm PDT The team is all assembled and packed in Talkeetna! Yesterday we had a thorough gear check and sorting session in the K2 Aviation hangar. Everyone's kits are dialed and we are ready to go. It seems like we have a great team and we are hoping for a great trip. Hopefully we have some good weather today and are able to fly on! RMI Guide Tyler Jones and team

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Lindsay Mann reached the crater rim of Mt. Rainier around 7:30 am. Billy reported clear, cold and breezy conditions overnight, now the winds have calmed, the sun is shining and they are enjoying the views. They will spend some time on the summit before starting their descent. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams.

The Mount Rainier Summit Climbs led by Casey Grom and Lindsay Mann are on the summit! They reported clear skies above, cloud deck at 7,000’, and light winds. Since they just crested the crater rim at 7:00 a.m., they are enjoying the views and crossing over to the true summit, Columbia Crest, before beginning their descent.

With support from the Eddie Bauer - RMI Guide Grant, RMI Guide Lindsay Mann took part in an American Avalanche Institute Level 3 Avalanche Course this winter in Jackson, Wyoming. Afterward, Lindsay sat down to reflect on the course. This past January I participated in an American Avalanche Institute Level 3 Course in Jackson, Wyoming. A Level 3 Avi Course entails a great deal of prep work as participants need to complete snow observations, make numerous snow pit profiles, and spend ample experience traveling and making decisions in avalanche terrain before the course even begins. After several days of classroom and field learning, the course concluded with several testing components. These test involved completing a full data snow pit in under an hour, finding three buried avalanche beacons in less than seven minutes, and completing a written test. The conditions for our course were ideal for learning. Midway through the course a major storm cycle came through the area, resulting in rapidly changing conditions within the snowpack that had a wide array of implications on avalanche risk. While the class focused on the technical aspects of snow crystal identification and anticipating the array of components that contribute to avalanche forecasting, we were also able to enjoy some great skiing between the times we spent observing and forecasting the rapidly changing snowpack. I walked away from the course with a sense of accomplishment, as this is the highest-level avalanche education course available in the U.S., and a greater understanding for mechanics of avalanches and and avalanche forecasting. The complexities of avalanches are remarkable and this course was invaluable in contributing to the toolbox of skills upon which I rely for decision making in the mountains and in avalanche terrain. ________ Lindsay Mann is a Senior Guide at RMI Expeditions and a NCAA D1 Skiing Champion. She has climbed and guided around the world, from Peru to Alaska. Learn more about Lindsay and see her upcoming trips here…

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guide JJ Justman along with the All Women's Team led by Lindsay Mann reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams delayed their departure from Camp Muir due to rain but once the rain dissipated they began their summit attempt. They were rewarded with great route conditions, light winds and clear skies above. The teams will spend some time on the summit before starting their descent to Camp Muir and then continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!