Entries from Mexico

Blog- Interview style with father and son 

We beg your indulgence for any poor grammar, mispelllings, provocative language, or boldface lies. We are writing on an iPhone on the bus back to CDMX. Also some of us apparently watch Anthony Bourdain videos during class. 

Hardest part of the peak? 

G-Descending the glacier, I was leading our rope team. i wanted to set a good pace but didn’t want anyone to slip.

What was the make or break elevation? 

G- 16,800.  It reminded me of being at the top of the DC on Rainier. It ‘s  a point where you have to commit to finishing.  Climbing Ixta was a great reference point. Once we got past 17,100, it was a new highest altitude for each of us, and once I got there I believed I could get to the summit. 

What did the mountain teach you about life?

G- When things feel too hard you have to dig deeper. 

Describe Pulque, and how did it affect your progress up the mountain? 

E- One of the things I was most looking forward to in Puebla, after watching Anthony Bourdain’s “no reservations” in my math class, pulque or as we referred to it Mexican cactus jizz was as one would expect, pretty awful. The one redeeming quality was that it did give me the extra confidence to push through the glacier on orizaba, cause if I can tank half a liter of Pulque I can do anything.

G- I would describe Pulque as the glue you use to hang wallpaper, but slightly less appetizing, came in a cool jug though. I don’t drink, so I didn’t try it, but I am sure it puts hair on your ice ax. 

 How much sleep did you get?

G- That question presupposes that I got any sleep. I might have accidentally napped for 30 minutes.

E- I slept like a log from a cool 7:00 pm to when la jefa (Lacie) shook us awake at 12:30 am 

First thing you did when you got to the hostel/ or off the mountain?

G- tried to clean up the tent but fell asleep on Eli’s sleeping bag. 

E- shower beer.

Best mountain snack on Orizaba?

G-our amazing guide gave us meat sticks which we could not find in Mexico. 

E- my 400 mg of caffeine through various supplements including guu, shot blocks, and a yerba mate from the states.

How did you prepare in the morning?

G-1st question my sanity, then put leukotape on my heels. I never get blisters when I tape up and that small ritual of taking care of my body prepares my mindfor the climb. 

E- Threw in headphones and blasted some Strokes until I was able to start fighting the cold and leave the comfort of my sleeping bag.

How many times did you eat shit?

G- Not expressible in a number, it’s more a state of being. Fortunately it only happened when I was wearing my approch shoes lower on the mountain. I also caught myself as many times as I fell. Falling your way down the mountain can be a safe, acceptable means of descent. 

E- Question not applicable.

G- Show off. 

Worst part?

G- A couple of climbers had to turn around part way through, which was the absolute right judgment call, but made me question if I should go down too.

E- post summit I had a headache for about an hour and a half which blowed.

What new mountaineering techniques did you learn?

E-How to breathe through my nose which was only possible from 12 to 18 thousand feet. As well as more technical skills such as: climbing with a rope, walking flat footed, the most optimal height for a hiking pole( which I will be gatekeeping), and how to take a very scenic piss. 

What was it like to breathe at 18k feet?

G- surprisingly easy! that elevation was my biggest worry about the trip, and I am grateful it was not a problem. 

Describe the labyrinth. 

G- to quote Gimli: “an impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks.” I really enjoyed it because it involved scrambling through mixed Ice and rock, and made my rock climbing brain happy. 

Best part of Orizaba?

G-Walking up to the summit with my son was a high point of my life, not just of the trip. Also I enjoyed climbing through the base glacier above the labyrinth and listening to the crackle of the ice which was like shattering glass under my crampons.

E- Finally reaching the summit and taking in the views from 18 thousand feet above sea level.

What did you enjoy about Mexico on rest days?

G - Exploring central Puebla. It’s a gorgeous city and I will definitely come back.

E- The amazing food we found by wandering around aimlessly.

How hard was it for your dad to convince you to skip a week of your final semester of high school? 

E- It was a pretty hard decision, I had to choose between sitting through my brainless Math, Government, and Bio classes or go to Mexico and climb some of the highest peaks in North America, while eating great food and meeting amazing people.

Thanks for reading,

RMI Climbers Greg and Eli Robillard

Thursday, February 5, 2026 - 8:32 pm PT

Puebla, Mexico a city founded in April 1531 was the location of the Cinco de Mayo battle where Mexican forces defeated the French on May 5, 1862 even though they were outnumbered two to one.  This is also the location where the 2026 RMI Mexican Volcano expedition team took its first day of rest after summiting volcano Ixta.  Puebla is a bustling city with beautiful churches, lots of shopping, and very kind locals.  Some of the RMI expedition team did sight seeing tours, some shopped for loved ones back home, and others just took it easy. 

Puebla is set up in a grid system so it’s easy to navigate.  Like everywhere else the team has been all the locals are excited to interact with the expedition team even know our Spanish is mediocre at best.  

During our evening in Puebla the team enjoyed a group dinner where we chatted about preparations for Orizaba and discussed how each other’s days went.  We also had the privilege to listen to live karaoke at the supper establishment.  

Highlights of Puebla, good rest, good people, and wonderful food! The expedition team is now physically and mentally ready for Orizaba.  Puebla is an absolute hidden gem of inland  Mexico.

RMI Climber Jason White

Shadows and light in pairs that cling, 10 climbers made it to the top of Iztaccíhuatl- Mexico's third highest peak at 17,160'. We spent a chilly night in warm tents at 14,500' before continuing the chilly night with a 1:40 wakeup. Taking the low (and now dry) route to gain the main ridge we wandered over bouldery moraines, dusty ridges, freshly ground pumice, striated and marred rock all under the looming, dark, dozing distaff walls of the ancient overlapping cones. After much plodding we gained the summit ridge just in time for a much welcomed, warming sunrise. Scratching our way to the summit we took in views of a deep but diminishing hanging glacier in the mountain's highest crater. Surrounded by glacial erosion, to see one of the old ones hanging on begs the question how long until there's no ice left at all? Popocatépetl, Itza's neighbor (and mythical lover) has recently shed his in an extended period of eruption. Thankfully, these peaks have enjoyed a chilly start to the winter. That said, we had excellent climbing conditions which enhanced an already wonderful day in the high above, as well as a clean return. But our legs feel inconsequential in the current state they're in. Now it is time to look for leisure and recovery in Puebla before heading to Orizaba. 

RMI Guide Will Ambler

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - 7:30 am PT

In the van, headed towards La Joya, we are entertained by Lacie's enduring tunes and John's incredible stories of dirty ice caves and saving lives on Denali and windy ski traverses of Greenland (before the days of heated socks) while our lungs and legs attempt recovery from yesterday's ascent of La Malinche:

Starting our walk 5 minutes after 5 de la mañana we wandered up through the persisting forest, cutting service road switchbacks along the direct, dusty and well-traveled camino. By headlamps and the light of a pale, crisp and nearly full moon we ambled upwards, through the woodsmoke soaked forest - owned and cherished by the Mexican public. Sunrise, when it came, was a pleasant affair, painting our objective with its precipitous walls a soft orange glow while pastel pink skies warmed behind us. Cold but amicable clear and calm weather allowed us a welcome summit caesura. Those of us who attempted the peak found éxito and those who returned to las cabañas at Malintzi have recovered from the GI disputes. From our climb we were able to lay eyes on the rest of our lofty plans and now, our feet freshly exfoliated from grinding the pervasive volcanic sand, we are ready for Iztaccíhuatl.

RMI Guide Will Ambler

After the team has trickled in to Mexico City over the past two days, we all met up for a team meeting followed by a group dinner. Some folks traveled outside of the city to site see some historic pyramids while others stayed close and roamed the city museums. 

Today we head to La malinche cabins where we plan to go for an evening walk before eating dinner and getting ready for tomorrow’s hike ! 

We are sending  all of our warm thoughts to Bill, whom had to go home due to his family’s donkey ( Simone ) falling ill. We miss you already Bill! 

RMI Guide Lacie Smtih

'Un clima raro' -strange weather- has been the theme of our Mexico Volcanos trip.

Though it’s the ‘dry season’ we had a full winter ascent of Ixta, and as we pulled into high camp at Pico de Orizaba with a forecast of a clear calm sky, we instead were greeted by a dark cloud deck streaming over the mountain at what we estimated to be 40+ mph. Not ideal for a 18500ft volcano. 

But Team Mexican Koala has proven quite hearty and as I poked my head out of the tent at 12am, a clear starry sky and a light breeze greeted me. Classic Orizaba!

We left camp with 6 of 9 climbers (something has been working through the group) and as we fought freezing winds and bone-chilling temps it looked like we would pull off a sunny summit!

Having not had a summit view yet, we spent almost 45 minutes on the Orizaba summit taking in the cloudless sky and expansive views of Ixta, Malinche and a sea of other Mexican volcanos. A perfect end to our week! 

Congratulations team Mexican Koala-3 for 3 on summits, and a full week of Mexican adventure!

RMI Guide Joe Hoch

After a restful couple nights in Puebla, team Mexican Koala has arrived in Tlachichuca to prepare for our ultimate challenge, 18,500ft Pico de Orizaba!

Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful rooftop of our Hotel Colonial to do some sunset Snow-School Review, then everyone got to explore their favorite culinary adventures. 

Reports from the mountain are great route, good weather, and cold! 

Wish us luck!

Team Mexican Koala was in high spirits on the van ride to Ixta Base Camp. We played “What’s That Song?” to our guide Joe’s epic 80’s playlist, and even managed to get phone reception for a bit to send quick updates to family and friends.

Once we arrived at base camp, the team refueled with soup and chicken tacos, then made our way up to high camp at 14,500 feet. The scenery was unreal, and some of the most beautiful any of us had ever seen-tall yellow prairie grass dotted with pine trees across massive mountainsides, and the Popo volcano belching ash and smoke. 

After an alpine start, the team tagged the summit of Ixta, even with Mother Nature throwing us a curveball in the form of a full-on whiteout and a quarter inch of rime ice on helmets, backpacks, sunglasses, goggles, eyelashes, everything……

Huge thanks to our incredible guides, Joe and Bailey, for getting us up and down safely!

Now we’re looking forward to a hot shower and a rest day in Puebla before our summit push on Orizaba.

RMI Climber Matt Hirschberg-Team Mexico Koala

Leaving Mexico City, team Mexican Koala - our girl Bec flew all the way from Australia - was excited to tackle our first volcano, Malinche at 14,501. 

Our van ride went smoothly and before we knew it we were enjoying the crowd-favorite bbq meat towers at the Malinche cabins restaurant. Our weather was cold but clear, and folks went to bed ready for an early-ish morning. 

Alarms went off at 4:30am, and unfortunately Bec’s long trip from Australia had her under the weather. But the rest of them team rallied for her and left the cabins in the dark. At around 13,500’ we walked into a moody mist cloud, and with our army of mountain-dogs, around 11am, we climbed onto the summit just in time for a sun break! 100% for those who left the cabins!

More meat towers yesterday evening and a good night’s sleep and we’re off to Ixta!

RMI Guide Joe Hoch

Our excited team of climbers met face to face for the first time last night in the lobby of our lovely Hotel Geneve in Mexico City. They have been messaging excitedly on WhatsApp for months, so even the Bills' heartbreaking loss to the Broncos couldn't stifle the excitement (our thoughts go out to Micheal). 

After a logistics chat we headed of to the local taco spot. We have a great crew and everyone is excited for our week to come. 

Off to Malinche and our first climb!

RMI Guide Joe Hoch