RMI Expeditions BlogRSS

Entries By seth waterfall

Mt. Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar - Winter

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | February 09, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,060'

Hi this is RMI Guide Seth Waterfall checking in from Camp Muir on Day 5 of our Expedition Skills Seminar - Winter.  We’ve been having some serious winter weather up here.  Although it has kept us off of the upper mountain, we have been able to do a lot of training out in the elements.  Yesterday the storms kept us inside for a bit but we were able to venture outside to practice our crevasse rescue systems.  This morning we had a great session on a fixed-line course and also practiced rappelling.  This afternoon we have more activities planned and the we’ll settle in for our last night at Camp Muir.

3

---

Mt. Rainier: Winter Expedition Skills Seminar at Camp Muir

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | February 07, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,060'

Hi from Camp Muir.  After a long day on the Muir Snowfield yesterday we awoke to clear skies and light winds.  We are taking full advantage of the beautiful conditions by practicing our cramponing, ice axe technique and self arrest skills.  This afternoon we plan on breaking out the ropes and practicing glacier travel and pitched climbing techniques.  We’re hoping the weather holds for the rest of the week!

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and the Winter Skills Seminar crew.

---

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall Receives Valuable Avy 3 Training

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | January 27, 2012
Categories: *Guide News

I’ve just returned to Washington after taking part in a six day Avalanche Level 3 course in Jackson, WY.  ‘Avy 3’ is the highest level of formal avalanche training in the US.  It is a professional level course designed for Guides, Ski Patrollers and other avalanche forecasters.  One of the best parts of the course was interacting with the other participants who all came with a high level of experience.  The instructors were top-notch as well, but the best learning opportunity came from the weather.  Our course began with a huge winter storm dumping several feet of snow on top of a very weak base.  This was a perfect recipe for avalanches and over the remainder of the course we were able to study the cycle as it progressed.  It was fascinating to say the least and we were able to sharpen our skills while closely examining the highly unstable snowpack.  The ability to take weather reports and our own observations, then build a hypothesis of how the snowpack should behave, followed by then going out into the field and testing our predictions was invaluable.  It was a very productive week to say the least!  I’m also very thankful for the professionalism of the instructors and the participants.  We were able to keep the course very safe while also being able to get the most out of the time we spent in the field.

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

---

Vinson Massif: Summit!

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall, Billy Nugent | November 26, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif
Elevation: 16,067'

Hey, this is Dave Hahn, and I’m on the summit of Vinson with a wonderful team. I’m with Billy Nugent, Seth Waterfall, and eight very strong climbers. We had a wonderful day. We got up on top at 4:45 in the afternoon. We headed out of camp this morning at 9:30, it all went really well and we lucked out on the weather. We’ve got blue sky and sunshine. On the top right now with gloves off and it’s just a beautiful day.  We’re all feeling extremely lucky.  We will give a call again from our high camp, when we get back there. I don’t expect to have too many troubles getting back there as everybody’s climbing really well.  Everybody seems quite happy here on the highest point in Antarctica, 16,067 feet. There we are. Very good.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2011 Email Alerts

8

---

Vinson Massif: Team Checks in from Camp 1

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | November 24, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif
Elevation: 9,100'

Hey, this is Seth Waterfall checking in from Camp 1 on Vinson Massif on the continent of Antarctica.

The group is doing great, we just returned a few hours ago from a carry to High Camp.  We are sitting pretty now with our cache in up high and we are going to take a rest day tomorrow after three solid days of working our way up the mountain.  The full team is looking forward to catching up on our hydration and doing some reading and relaxing around camp.  Then we will be all set for a summit bid.

We are hoping for good weather, the forecast looks great for the next couple of days and hopefully that holds.  Today was a beautiful day up on the fixed ropes and getting on the upper plateau of Vinson.  We are hoping for continued sun and calm weather which has been the name of the game for last two days.

All is well here.  Happy Thanksgiving to everybody back home, we are thinking about everybody.  We need to stand on the top of this mountain and then we’ll start heading back.

Take care,

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2011 Email Alerts

6

---

Vinson Massif: Guides Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | November 14, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif

This is Seth and Billy checking in from Punta Arenas, Chile.  We arrived yesterday afternoon after 31 straight hours of travel.  Lucky for us all of our 13 bags made the trip with us!

We’re meeting up with the rest of the crew this evening and in the meantime we are going to get some fresh food to take to Antarctica.  We are also going to continue to enjoy the one (1) song that is on continuous loop here in the hotel restaurant.

We’ll check in again tomorrow!

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2011 Email Alerts

3

---

Vinson: Season Beginning Soon!

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall | November 08, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif

Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall and Billy Nugent leave the US for Punta Arenas, Chile, in a few days!  Once in Punta Arenas, the team will meet for their orientation and final preparation before flying to the Union Glacier in Antarctica!

If you would like to follow along as the RMI team pushes their way to the highest point in Antarctica, please sign up for alerts below.

Sign Up For Vinson Massif 2011 Email Alerts

3

---

Kilimanjaro: Team Enjoys Final Sunset Together

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | September 23, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

Jambo!

The Safari Team is back at the Dik Dik!  We’ve had a great couple of weeks but our trip is just about over.  Last night we stayed at Kikoti Camp, an amazing safari camp that has tons of wildlife literally right in the middle of it. We went on a great little hike to a rock outcropping where we had drinks delivered while we enjoyed the sunset. It made for a great finish to an outstanding trip.  Now everyone is busy getting ready for their respective flights home.

Thanks for a great trip guys!

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Sign Up For Kilimanjaro 2011 Email Alerts

---

Kilimanjaro: Last Day on Safari

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | September 22, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

This is Seth and the safari crew checking in from the Kikoti Camp at Tarangire National Park. This was our last full day of safari and it was a good one. We managed to see several big cats again including a leopard. That was the last one we needed to complete our finding of the ‘Big Five’. The Big Five includes: lions, elephants, water buffalo, leopard and the rhino. The game viewing has been outstanding for us. Tomorrow we are heading back to town as several folks have an afternoon flight from Arusha heading home.

Our trip has been awesome and we will enjoy this last day before we board planes tomorrow and head back to our friends and family.

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Sign Up For Kilimanjaro 2011 Email Alerts

---

Kilimanjaro: Big Cats in Ngorongoro

Posted by: Seth Waterfall | September 21, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

It’s been a great day for viewing big cats in Ngorongoro Crater.  This huge caldera is home to thousands of animals and usually the cats will rest in the heat of the day.  But today the weather is cool enough for the cats to be mobile.  We had a young male lion walk right in front of our cars as soon a we pulled into the crater this morning.  We’ve also seen a cheetah and caught a rare sighting of a serval, a smaller, spotted cat that hunts in the grassy plains.

Tonight we are staying at the Plantation Lodge again before heading to Tarangire National Park tomorrow.

RMI Guide Seth Waterfall & the Safari Crew

Sign Up For Kilimanjaro 2011 Email Alerts

---

More Entries