Entries By 12/2012

Hello everyone at the RMI blog site for Team One here on Aconcagua. Wanted to give you a little bit of an update as far as what we are up to. First of all the team is doing absolutely great. We actually moved our camp to Camp Two at 18,000' and we are nestled in, tents are up. We've already had a round of hot drinks and now we are just resting and relaxing. We always want to be optimistic, but to let you know a little bit of the weather forecast that we have. It is not looking that great. The winds are picking up, there is a big lenticular right now over the summit, and they are calling for incredibly strong winds for the next 4 to 5 days. However, you never know if those forecasts are wrong so we are hunkered down here, our tents are nice and solid. So, the winds are not as strong down here as they are up high. So everyone is doing great, but this is part of big mountain expedition climbing. Little bit of a waiting game and that's what we need to do is just kind of see what Mother Nature gives us, so we've got high hopes. And we'll basically give a call tomorrow and get a little more updates on the weather and see what's happening. But for right now. Everyone's doing great, and we'll check back in tomorrow and let you know what we're up to. Most likely maybe a walk up towards high camp. And a little more resting and recovery. So take care everyone. Will talk again soon. Ciao from Argentina. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Back to perfect weather. We made the summit of Mt. Vinson one more time today. Just a small rope team to get the final climber -who rested yesterday- up to see the sights. And there were unlimited sights to be seen. The entire Ellsworth chain was visible from end to end and beyond, at least two hundred miles of jagged peaks and endless ice. There wasn't any wind at all on the summit today, so it was the most comfortable -30 C one is ever likely to see. We made the top in 6 hours and 45 minutes, spent a half hour up there saying "wow" over and over, and descended to high camp in two hours. Seth Waterfall and the rest of the team took things easy at high camp throughout a nice long sunny day, snacking and catching up on hydration. Tomorrow we'll all drop back down the mountain and begin the journey home. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Things are winding down for the night here at the beautiful Hacienda San Luis - The team had a big day. By 8am we had eaten breakfast and loaded our duffels into the bus transporting us for the day. A two hour bus ride brought us north of Quito to our second acclimatization climb on Cerro Negro, 13,976 feet. Despite being lower then our previous days climb, the team found the terrain quite challenging. The trail led us up some slippery, nearly vertical sections of grass and short bits of rock climbing before the summit cone. On top we were treated with clear skies and stunning views of a nearby lake. We all felt that we had put in a hard days work by the time we returned to the bus 3.5 hours later. After stopping for some roadside refreshments, we arrived at Hacienda San Luis, a working Ecuadorian ranch that also boasts modern amenities. We spent the afternoon relaxing, getting gear in order and catching up with the outside world. We hope all is well and appreciate everyone who is following along on our adventure. RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Ecuador Team.

On The Map

Coffee and Quesadillas is what rest days are all about! This is team #1 here on Aconcagua at Camp 1 (16,500’). After our carry yesterday the team definitely earned a day to acclimatize, rest, and recover after a good long day’s work. Everyone is doing just fantastic. We’re continually eating up quesadillas, drinking coffee, telling stories, and just having a good time. The weather is pretty decent a little bit of wind. It looks like there might be a bit of a change, but overall not too bad. So tomorrow our plan is to wake up early, break camp, and then move to Camp 2 at 18,000’. Everyone wants to say hello to friends and family back home and thanks for following along. We will touch base with you again and let you know how our move to a new altitude at Camp 2 on Aconcagua goes. Take care everyone! Ciao from Argentina, RMI Guide JJ Justman & Team

From Expedition Dispatches, to interviews, to new records set by RMI Guides, see what the this year's top 10 most popular posts on the RMI Blog! 10. RMI GUIDE SETH WATERFALL RECEIVES VALUABLE AVY 3 TRAINING 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. Read more... 9. MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING | NUTRITION FOR MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING Mountain Climbing has a high requirement for energy. Quality nutrition is a key component of training success. In this conversation with Registered Dietician Sally Hara of Kirkland, Washington, I had a chance to ask some of the questions which often come up in training for mountaineering. Read More... 8. MT. EVEREST EXPEDITION: RMI TEAM REACHES SUMMIT! On Saturday, May 26th at 9:31 a.m. Nepali time the RMI 2012 Mt. Everest Expedition reached the summit! RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Melissa Arnot led the team of climbers to the summit of Mt. Everest at 29,035’. Read More... 7. MT. EVEREST EXPEDITION: REST DAY AT ABC Our team enjoyed a rest day at Camp 2 (ABC) today. Their plan is to head for Camp 3 tomorrow. This really is the start of the Mt. Everest summit push in my eyes. How the next two days go, can have real impact on the summit day. Read More... 6. MT EVEREST EXPEDITION: DAVE HAHN AND TEAM AT CAMP 3 ON LHOTSE FACE Hello from Everest Base Camp, I spoke with Dave and Melissa at Camp 3 and WOW did they sound great! The climbing team left Camp 2 early this morning under perfect conditions. Read More... 5. RMI GUIDE KATIE BONO RECOUNTS MT. RAINIER SPEED ASCENT I first thought of doing a speed ascent on Rainier late in the summer of 2011. I started guiding with RMI that summer and spent plenty of time that year carrying heavy loads up the Muir snowfield as quickly as possible. I come from a cross-country ski racing background and I raced professionally for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, the Rossignol Factory Team, and Dartmouth College before that. Read More... 4. MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING | SETTING A BASELINE: EVALUATING YOUR CURRENT FITNESS To begin a conditioning plan for mountaineering, first establish the baseline of your current fitness level. This baseline allows you to compare your current strengths to what you’ll need on the climb. With this, we can compose a training plan that builds steady improvement between now and the day you set off for the mountains. Read More... 3. LOU WHITTAKER INTERVIEW RMI Founder Lou Whittaker was interviewed last month by the Magic Valley Newspaper in Twin Falls, ID. Lou took some time off from skiing in Sun Valley to sit down and talk about his lifetime of climbing. Read More... 2. MOUNTAINEERING TRAINING | INTERVAL TRAINING Interval Training is a training technique employed in many endurance sports. It refers to a training session where periods of high intensity effort, followed by rest, are repeated during a training session. Read More... 1. RMI GUIDE KATIE BONO MAKES SPEED ASCENT Katie Bono climbs Mount Rainier in 4 hours, 58 minutes on July 24, 2012. RMI Guide Katie Bono completed a car-to-car speed ascent of the classic Disappointment Cleaver route. Her effort is significant not only because it sets the female speed record but also because it adds a female presence to a list which had been exclusively male dominated. Read More...

Hola from Quito! We started the day with another wonderful breakfast here at the hotel full of fruits, eggs, fresh baked breads and plenty of coffee. We then took a short cab ride to the Teleferico and rode the gondola up to around 13,500'. From here we hiked for about 3 hours to the top of Rucu Pichincha (15,696'). It was mostly cloudy on our acclimatization hike until we nearly reached the summit. The clouds broke up a bit and allowed us a few views of the surrounding valley. The team did great on the hike and a few team members reached new altitude records. We spent the rest of the day doing a little shopping, sightseeing and a few of us took siestas. All is well here in Ecuador and we are looking forward to tomorrow's adventure. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

If at first you don't succeed... The forecast really wasn't all that good for today, but when Seth Waterfall and I looked out of the tent at 7:30 AM, we couldn't find too much wrong with the day. We started stoves, woke the team and geared up once again for a summit bid. We got out of camp at around 10 AM and made steady progress in bright sunshine. Eventually the sky clouded up (as we'd been told it might) but we kept a careful watch out for wind on the heights... and didn't see any. The team moved well, with many commenting that they actually felt stronger today than they had in yesterday's bid. We reached the old high point and then seemed to be getting above the clouds as we worked our way onto Vinson's summit ridge. We all thought it was going to be cold and windy on the final ridge but instead it was delightfully calm, sunny and even warm (it certainly didn't feel like the forecasted -28 C...although it might have with any wind whatsoever). The team loved the big blocky rocks and delicate traverses of the summit ridge. We got on top at 5:00 PM and stayed there for thirty minutes, shooting pictures and shaking hands. The clouds took a way a good chunk of the view possibilities, but we had glimpses enough through the mist to know we were way up in the air over Antarctica. The descent took a mere 2.5 hours and we were back in camp by 8:00 PM. Tired and happy. Our plan is for the majority of the team to rest at high camp tomorrow while I make one more try at the top with a climber who sat out today's bid. Weather permitting. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn [Transcribed audio] Hey this is Seth checking from the summit of Vinson Massif, highest point in Antarctica. Had a great day of climbing. Started out in sun, ended up in the clouds, but we were on top in almost zero wind and light snow flurries. We are up pretty high. We are going to take a couple of photos and head on back to high camp and we'll check in then. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

From videos shot by RMI Climbers to interviews with RMI Guides and clips from the world's greatest peaks, see 2012's top ten most viewed videos from the RMI Video Collection! 10: CONGRATULATIONS SETH WATERFALL, 100 RAINIER SUMMITS 9: MELISSA ARNOT TRAINS TO CLIMB MAKALU 8: MEET JJ JUSTMAN 7: DAVE HAHN: 14TH EVEREST SUMMIT 6: MT. McKINLEY WEATHER WITH DAVE HAHN 5. RMI CLIMBER VIDEO: PANORAMIC ECUADOR 4. MELISSA ARNOT INTERVIEW 3. CLIMBING MEXICO'S VOLCANOES: VIDEO BY JJ JUSTMAN 2. EXTREME ECUADOR: CULTURE AND CLIMB 1. ACONCAGUA SUMMIT DAY: VIDEO BY JJ JUSTMAN

Hello everyone this is Team #1 on Aconcagua, Today we went from Camp 1 to Camp 2. We carried some of the gear we will need higher on the mountain making a cache of gear. Everyone did a great job getting up to 18,100’ we hung out for a little bit and then we enjoyed a beautiful walk back down here to Camp 1 at 16,500’. Everything is going very well a little bit of a breeze, but that is not too bad. We are just resting and recovering now. We will be taking a full rest day tomorrow which has been well deserved. We have a few surprises for the team tomorrow a smorgasbord of food, but we will get into that tomorrow when we get in touch with the RMI Blog and let you know what we do to hang out at 16,500’ having just a great time. Things are going very well here; it is really nice to be higher in the mountain. Great views! We will talk again very soon. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide JJ Justman & Team

Hello everyone. After a day of long flights, our team arrived in Quito last night and moved into the Hotel Mercure Alameda to rest and recover. This morning the team indulged in a great breakfast including various local fruits and dishes. After a quick orientation meeting, we headed out for a city tour and visit to the Equator. Warm weather and a sunny day made our time walking around the city enjoyable. We were able to visit Independence Plaza, the Jesuit church La Compania, and the Virgin of Quito - a 100+ foot statue with gorgeous views overlooking the city. Seated at 9,350 feet, the air in Quito is thin, especially for those of us coming from sea level. The city tour, in addition to exposing us to some of the best sights in Quito, gave us a chance to stretch our legs and aid in the acclimatization process. The time that we spend here is building the base to increase our chances of success later in the trip. We spent the afternoon exploring the Equatorial line and phenomenon associated with it. We watched basins of water, only a dozen feet apart, swirl opposite directions on each side of the line and learned when the indigenous people first discovered their location. After taking a few hour siesta, the team met for our first dinner to round out the day. The conversation and laughter at our table made it feel like a group of old friends, who will only grow closer in the coming days. RMI Guide Casey Grom