Entries from Mt. McKinley

RMI Guide Nikki Champion and her team flew onto Kahiltna Base Camp this afternoon and are all settled in, ready to begin their climb.

Friday, May 30, 2025 - 11:47 pm PT

RMI Denali Team #4 is assembled and after a full day of packing, is ready to embark on a grand adventure. What exact adventure awaits is somewhat of an unknown, an uncertainty that is a part of the process.

Today was spent packing, leaving no stone unturned because once we land on the glacier we basically just have what we have. Sure, some bartering can take place at the various camps, but we must make every effort to remember every item. Details matter.

Also throughout the day we continued to acquaint ourselves with the logistics of climbing and specifically of climbing this route in full expedition style. The K2 Aviation team gave us a quick orientation about flying on; and we were in close contact with them all day, sorting some additional details about our flights and basecamp logistics. The National Park Service briefed us on the route and provided some information that will help us climb responsibly in regard to our safety as a team and our ability to keep the mountain clean.

To wrap up the day we had a meal at the Denali Brewpub and got to bed hopefully early enough to get a full night's rest in a real bed, possibly our last for a few weeks. One big sigh of relief for every climber, knowing they have everything they need packed and ready to go.

RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier, Lacie Smith, Will Ambler & Team

Friday, May 30, 2025 - 7:57pm PDT

Waiting at 14,000

Our guides warned us that days at 14,000 feet could be among the hardest. Not because of the altitude, the vertical climbs, or the heavy loads—but because of the waiting.

Today, we hoped for a weather window to move to 17, the penultimate step in our push for the summit. Instead, we were sequestered in camp by wind and snow. Nerves and hopes for tomorrow run high. These are the days that can wear on you—but I am fortunate to be part of an intrepid, resolved, and collegial team.

I am inspired by you, my fellow climbers—by your humor and strength, your spirit of adventure and fierce determination, your perseverance and positivity. We came together by different paths, but we now share a common journey. When I falter, you wait. When you ascend, I cheer. We move together, always supporting, never judging.

I am equally emboldened by our guides—by their friendliness, focus, and vision. They work while we rest. They carry the heavier loads. Though their frustration with our poor packing skills and questionable foot care is sometimes apparent, their patience, calm, and capability give me confidence—not in the outcome, which even they cannot promise, but in the possibility. There are a thousand reasons—weather, injury, error—that any one of us might not summit. But these three remarkable people are the reason we can try.

I don’t know what the next few days hold. But I know this: the ten of us will face what comes together, as we have faced everything so far—one expedition, one team, one rope.

– David and team

Friday May 30, 2025 -5:06 pm PDT

Well, we got everyone ready. Spirits were high, packs were packed, and the skies were crystal clear in town when we woke up… but sadly, the mountain had other plans. Basecamp was totally socked in.

So we got put on standby, crossing fingers and toes for a break in the weather.

And then we waited… and waited… and waited some more.

Unfortunately, instead of a magical clearing, the weather just kept building, and it became pretty clear that our window wasn’t going to open today. So, we shifted gears—found some lodging in town, went on a few sanity-preserving jogs, and then regrouped for dinner as a team.

Wash, rinse, repeat… and hope Friday brings the goods.

Think clear thoughts!

Thursday May 29, 2025 11:15 pm PDT

The rest day at 14K. Waiting on the weather.

99% of people come to Denali with the sole aspiration of reaching the summit. Don’t be like these folks, they are basic and miss out While tent-bound and waiting for our weather window (hopefully Saturday or Sunday by the way, put it on your calendars), we’ve been busy with:

1. Building an ice monument at camp to honor the ice Pharaohs that will last a thousand suns.
2. Setting up an HOA and developing our surrounding community.
3. Reenacting 12 Angry Men, except the crime is who left a covert poop in our bathroom?
4. Putting up “Wanted” posters for Shannon’s friend, the elusive Bill “Big Moxy” Marshall.
5. Filming our workout tape, Body by Denali, guaranteed to deliver muscle loss in 22 days.

Once we complete all these side quests, I think we unlock a free ride to the top.

-  RMI Climber Jason

Friday, May 23, 2025 11:08 pm PDT

Happy Friday Everyone!

To our family and friends back at home, I’m excited to share that we have made it to Camp 3—14,200’—a huge milestone in our journey! This is where we will call home for the next week or so while we acclimatize and hit the fixed lines around 17,000’ to prepare for summit attempts.

Today we woke up to a cool, crisp, bluebird sky, and that meant one thing: we were packing up Camp 2 and headed to Camp 3. After a quick breakfast, we packed up our camp, stuffed our packs to the breaking point, and loaded a couple of sleds with all our gear and food.

It was time to trade in our snowshoes and put on our crampons. That’s right—it was time to go climbing, finally! As we headed out with an ice axe in one hand and a trekking pole in the other, we stared up at Motorcycle Hill. It was time to go to work.

We had a 35-degree pitch with roughly 1,000’ of gain. From there, we made our way to Squirrel Hill—another 30-degree pitch—then up to the Polo Fields, where we finally got a bit of flatter terrain. The views are like no other and bring grace to the grind.

Then it was up and around Windy Corner, which didn’t disappoint, greeting us with some lovely wind :). We continued to embrace the day as we made our last push into Camp 3. We are home! Our biggest push in one day with 3,000’ of vertical gain.

As I sit here and write this—and I know the team feels the same—with a sunburnt face, a back that feels like it carried an elephant, and feet that feel like they ran an ultramarathon, I couldn’t be more grateful and proud of this team and all we’ve accomplished over the past six days. Getting to Camp 3 took everything we’ve got—congrats, team!

To our guides: every day you continue to inspire us, nail the weather reports, and keep us moving upward. Thank you for all your efforts!

That’s all for now—time for dinner (bacon mac and cheese!) and some much-needed rest days. Onward and upward this team goes! Keep sending the positive vibes and prayers our way—they’re working!

- Will

Friday May 23, 2025, 6:48 pm PDT

After yesterday’s big effort, we took today to rest and recover. It’s been a beautiful, warm, and sunny day here at 14,000 feet. We treated ourselves to a brunch of bagels and smoked salmon, and spent the day stretching, reading, and drying out gear in the sun.

With our carry complete, we’re fully focused on the summit window now—and hopeful that it comes soon. All the preparation is behind us; now it’s just a matter of timing. Once the push begins, things will move quickly.

Send us all your summit-weather vibes!

—Pete, Ben, Nick, and the Team

Friday, May 23, 2025 - 2:24pm PDT

Yesterday It was a cold, clear morning that promised to warm quickly with the sun. The ridge above looked calm, and everything pointed to a great day to go climbing. We watched a few other teams with similar intentions start out as we packed, and then set out ourselves. We made smooth progress to the fixed lines and then up to the ridge at 16,200. Surprisingly, we found ourselves effectively at the front of the pack, and feeling spry, we continued on along the West Buttress to 17k camp. It is some of the most engaging and interesting climbing on the route, and the views were stunning. We dropped our small caches at 17 and headed back for 14. It was a long, big-effort day, but 9.5 hours of work got the job done and got us back to camp happy and hungry. We’ll take a rest day tomorrow and then start looking for our summit window.

RMI Guides Pete, Nick, Ben, and Team

The hottest new restaurant in Alaska is Maureen’s, currently located at the 11K camp on Denali. Started by a trio of up-and-coming chefs (Jackson, Ray, and Seth), who also happen to moonlight as mountain guides, Maureen’s serves up delicious Tex-Mex fare with Asian and Creole inspirations, reflective of the chefs’ diverse backgrounds. “Corn is pretty much my greatest inspiration; I can turn a tortilla into just about anything,” says Chef Jackson, citing his Iowan roots. The pop-up restaurant is small, seating 9 and squatting 1.

On a busy night of service, guests can hear Chef “Sweet Baby” Ray rapping to OutKast with an inexplicably thick Eastern European accent while whipping up a jambalaya in the open kitchen. The portions are generous, much appreciated on big efforts such as caching heavy packs of gear up to 13K ft.

When not working the breakfast shift, Chef Seth runs front of house, chatting up the regulars and offering sweet words of affirmation, which they desperately need to wake up each morning. There is relatively little to complain about, except maybe the limited beverage list (despite the chefs’ weird insistence on tasting the glacial terroir — it’s just hot water), the overpowering red polyester decor (reportedly Maureen’s favorite color), and the ever-present undertones of body odor. Dress code is casual, although insulated down is highly recommended. Gluten-free options are available upon request.

– Jason

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - 12:31 pm PDT

Well, we woke up this morning to much better weather. Headed over to the cook tent for a quick bowl or two of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and coffee.  Breakfast of champions! We got our sleds and packs ready to set off for our first cache of the expedition. Everybody was anxious to get going after a great rest day.  Many other teams had the same idea, and we certainly didn’t mind a few of them in front of us breaking trail after we got about a foot of snow at camp in the last 24hrs.  All three teams were moving great up the mountain led by our fearless leaders Seth, Jackson and Ray.  They rock!  We had three breaks on the way up and as we moved up the mountain, clouds and a wisp of wind and snow started to move in. We reached 10,200' and cached our gear and food.  Super nice being able to walk downhill with a light pack and no sled! We made our way quickly downhill passing teams as we did on the way up. We are now snug back at our lower camp waiting for what we know will be an amazing dinner of jambalaya. Being originally from Louisiana and all…no pressure on Chef Ray.  Ha!

Our team is really firing on all cylinders and feeling good. Happy for that!  Hydrating, fixing feet and getting some rest are on the agenda after dinner. Oh, and the skies parted on the way back a bit giving us spectacular views when we arrived back at camp, so grateful to be in this moment.

RMI Climber Shannon and Team