It was a beautiful day in Cheget today and we made the most of it. We started the day with a nice breakfast of porridge, eggs and fresh juice, then headed out to stretch our legs a bit. Being that this is a ski town in the winter, we took advantage of the chairlifts and rode them up to about 10,000ft to start our hike. The team hiked for a little over an hour to reach a sub-summit of Cheget Peak. The team did great on our first acclimatization hike and spent about 20 minutes on top to enjoy the view (our first of Mt. Elbrus). Again the team did great descending down the mountain side all the way back to town where we stopped in at a local cafe for lunch. Shortly after lunch we headed over to the gear shop for a few last minute items and have settled in back in our cosy hotel.
Things look good on the mountain and we're even heard that climbing conditions are great too. Two of RMI's great guides Mark Tucker and Jeff Justman aka JJ are also in town after two successful climbs. It was a pleasure to see them and hear about their climbs too.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Yeehaw! We did it!
The team took full advantage of perfect weather and great route conditions on Mt. Elbrus today. We could not help but stand on top this morning.
We returned to the Garabashi Hut, our home for the last few nights, packed our gear and continued our descent. We are back down in the Baksan valley at the base of Mt. Elbrus. Let the celebration begin!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hi Dr.Raj, following your journey. Enjoy your expedition. Take care. Liz
Posted by: Liz on 7/9/2013 at 8:02 pm
Hi, Mama Z here. So exciting to ride and hike the mountain with you. I am exhausted. Good luck with tomorrow and the bathroom situation. I heard about that. Can’t wait for the next set of pictures. Love Mama Z. Tell Jennifer I love her
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Jake Beren reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams reported clear skies, light winds and pleasant temperatures. They began their descent from the crater rim after 7 a.m. PT. The teams will return to Camp Muir (10,060') for a short break and then continue down to Paradise (5,400') this afternoon.
RMI Guide Kel Rossiter and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons team called from Camp Schurman. They reported good conditions and great weather. The team made their summit attempt today and reached 13,500' but decided to call that their high point and return to camp. The team will spend tonight on the mountain with some additional time for training. They will break camp tomorrow morning, descend to the trail head and return to Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford in the late afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbing teams!
Monday, July 8, 2013
One of our better weather days of the trip. That said, it is snowing good and hard now at our 14,200 ft camp, but that isn't so important (yet). It was clear and calm this morning when we were interested in starting our carry up onto the West Buttress of Denali. By far, this was our coldest morning. We were guessing it was -10F or thereabouts. We started climbing at a quarter to 10 this morning in bright sunshine. The route goes uphill in a hurry out of 14 camp and we made steady progress toward the "fixed ropes". This steep and intimidating section of the climb was tough, as expected. Hard ice, 45 degree angles, unrelentingly uphill and airy feeling... but it was also spectacular when one was able to look up from the hard work for a moment to see the lower Kahiltna Glacier or Foraker across the way or the clean granite of Denali all around us. We reached the ridge crest (16,200 ft) at 2 PM and took a welcome break, gazing down at the Peters Glacier and the Northwest Buttress on the "other" side of our perch. Thus we broke Max's altitude record, which was momentous. But his was the only one to fall as our other climbers had previously topped mountains like Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua. All noted that 16,200 on Denali felt a little different than similar heights on other mountains. We cached our supplies and descended in gathering cloud and murk. We'd reached 14 camp by 4:30 and took a few hours to kick back and drink water before dinner. Tomorrow is a rest day, and a welcome one after four hard days of moving and acclimating to uncomfortable new altitudes.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Way to go guys! Sounds like conquering the headwall is an accomplishment all in itself. Something to celebrate in the POSH with your melted ice cocktails!!
Enjoy your very much deserved rest day, saving some energy and positive mental fortitude for the next leg.
Thanks Dave for describing the day so vividly!
Posted by: judychristofferson on 7/9/2013 at 11:08 am
Wow, Max! We are so impressed. Take care, climb safely and we are praying for good weather. Love, Grandma & Grandpa
Posted by: Bill & Caryl Reese on 7/9/2013 at 9:18 am
Our climbing team has all arrived in Ecuador, and we just got back from our first acclimatization hike up Rucu Pichincha, a 15,400' volcano outside of Quito. Now we're traveling to the town of Papallacta, well-known for its natural hot springs, for another acclimatization hike.
Everyone is doing great with the rapid increase in altitude, but we all felt the thin air and were huffing and puffing up above 15,000'.
Thanks for checking in. We'll be in touch...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Today the team left Moscow and caught a flight to Mineralnye Vody, which is a medium size city here in southern Russian known for its abundant mineral springs. The flight over Russia's inland reminded me of the rural Midwest back home. We quickly hopped on our waiting bus and headed further south into the Baksan Valley where Elbrus sits on the border between Russia and Georgia. The area is mostly farmland with a few small towns that are predominately Islamic via its Turkish roots. We arrived in Cheget which sits at the base of Elbrus and is our launching point for our climb. We are currently getting ready for bed in our hotel after a wonderful authentic Russian meal.
It was another long day of travel and the team is doing great. Everyone is looking forward to stretching their legs tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Glad everyone and every thing is doing great. Success to all. The blog is wonderful. Almost feel like I am there!! Mom
Posted by: Gerri Seaton on 7/10/2013 at 12:20 pm
Larry: You are looking great, sage and youthful. All the best for another of the Seven. Godspeed, Walter Tell the peak “hey” from Lori and I, June 2010.
RMI Guide JJ Justman and 100% of his Mt. Elbrus team reached the summit this morning! Everyone is back, safe and sound, at the Garabashi Hut. The team sent a video as well as a photo from their successful summit.
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls from the Mt. Elbrus Summit!
The Four and Five Day Mt. Rainier Summit Climbs led by Eric Frank and Solveig Waterfall, respectively, reached the summit this morning. Eric reported beautiful weather, no wind and the cloud deck below Paradise. The teams ventured to Columbia Crest and enjoyed the summit views before they began their descent at 8 a.m.
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Solveig Waterfall
The mountain might as well surrender right now. It has no chance against this intrepid group of climbers. Ok, kind of kidding. But we are summit bound early tomorrow morning.
We topped off our preparation for our summit climb of Mt. Elbrus with a bit of training early this morning. Focus was on the use of the mountain climbers best friend, the ice axe, used primarily while ascending steep snow covered slopes. The team practiced with care and enthusiasm ,confidence in this arena will help immensely when confronted with some challenging terrain. And yes, that is what the near future holds for us.
Honestly we go at this climb like all climbs, humble and hopeful. If this beautiful hunk of Mother Earth allows us to stand on the summit, we will be grateful and thrilled. Nature is the boss and we will give it the utmost respect.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
This morning was the first in a while that we weren't getting up early, desperate for conditions to be favorable. We got the stoves started around nine, which sounds late and lazy, except in these parts, the sun doesn't get around the mountain until 9:30. It was socked in and cloudy for our breakfast, and then snowing again, but without any wind. We were set to do our "back carry" -dropping down to pick up our cache from the other day, but we'd also been in touch with Pete VanDeventer and knew his team was descending and would pop out of the clouds any minute. It made sense to greet his gang and to exchange notes at 14,200 before going to get our carry done. It was fun to see their team, flush with success and excited to nearly be done with their climb. In the early afternoon, although it was still snowing, we set off into the murk to find our 13,600 ft cache. The cache was undisturbed, which was a relief. Guess we'd buried it all too deeply for the Ravens. It took just over an hour to make it back up to camp with the cargo. People retreated to their tents for a snooze while a few of us built a new kitchen-dining complex. The clouds began to drop and the sun got shining brightly for dinner and the few remaining hours of the day -it ducks behind the West Buttress at 9 PM and the temperature seems to drop about fifty degrees in a few minutes at that point. But we were treated to great views of Mounts Foraker and Hunter sticking out from the solid base of clouds spread below us. The forecasts still call for snow, but luckily they aren't always right in just how much snow we'll get and at which elevation it will fall. A calm day tomorrow for our carry to 16,200 ft would be greatly appreciated.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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Hi Dr.Raj, following your journey. Enjoy your expedition. Take care. Liz
Posted by: Liz on 7/9/2013 at 8:02 pm
Hi, Mama Z here. So exciting to ride and hike the mountain with you. I am exhausted. Good luck with tomorrow and the bathroom situation. I heard about that. Can’t wait for the next set of pictures. Love Mama Z. Tell Jennifer I love her
Posted by: patricia Blitz on 7/9/2013 at 2:57 pm
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