Entries from Expedition Dispatches
The
ALA Climb for Clean Air led by
Win Whittaker and our Four Day Summit Climb led by
Tyler Jones reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6 am this morning. Win reported cold and breezy conditions with some high clouds. The teams have started their descent and are now en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's teams!
It started out like Groundhog Day as we got out to start the stoves.... socked in with clouds and light falling snow... 14,200 camp was in the soup. I joked to the gang at breakfast that there certainly wouldn't be any climbing on this day (admittedly a lame joke on the heels of so many non-climbing days). We took a few enjoyable extra minutes at breakfast since the weather was so poor outside the POSH tent. It seemed a good time to read out the comments posted on the blog (and cut and pasted into a message for us by the RMI office). We all got laughing and forgot about the storm and then a funny thing happened. We unzipped the tent, walked outside and the storm was gone. There was the usual sea of clouds just below us, but only calm, blue skies above. Within a few minutes, a plan was hatched to team up with the other guided teams at 14,200, to get the climb leaders up in the direction of those suspect slopes and to determine once again just how suspect they still were. Mountain Trip sent two guides, Alaska Mountaineering School sent three, and
Tim and I went to represent RMI. Meanwhile
Cody and
Solveig conducted a course in ropework and belay techniques for the gang in camp. Those of us on the survey mission found ways to keep getting higher without taking unreasonable risks. It took all day long and a few mini-conferences as to the best way to proceed -we traded off the honor of being out front where trailbreaking and risk evaluation were both essential and intense jobs. By late afternoon we felt we had a good understanding of the snowpack and where we could and couldn't go. We agreed that it was reasonable to try busting through the last couple hundred feet of snow to reach the fixed ropes. We took a cautious approach, setting up good anchors and a protected belay station, since by this point we were dealing with a fairly steep slope, crevasses, and all that recent snow we've been moaning and groaning about for days. It all paid off as we reached the security of the ropes without incident.
We knew we finally had a safe route to take our teams climbing toward the
West Buttress in the morning. Which is just what we'll do if the weather cooperates. Having reached about 15,500 ft in elevation, it was a thrill to ramble down the "safe trail" at flank speed and spread the good news to our climbers.
We still need plenty of luck, and there still may be insurmountable obstacles between us and the summit, but at least we finally get to go looking for them.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
The weather has been steadily improving each day on the mountain and today was no exception: we've had beautiful clear skies all day here on
Mt. Elbrus. We enjoyed a relaxed breakfast this morning of French toast and fresh fruit before heading out on the surrounding glacier to cover some additional mountaineering training in preparation for tomorrow's climb. By lunch the team was well versed in a variety of climbing techniques, including ice axe arrest, climbing as a rope team, and crampon techniques for a variety of conditions.
In the afternoon we took a walk down to the top of the tram station where a little museum sits. In translated Russian, the museum keeper walked us through the small rooms, explaining the significance and events of Mt. Elbrus during World War II. So close to Russia's oil supply at the time, the Caucasus were a major focus of Hitler's advances into Russia and there was a great deal of fighting between 1941-1943, including on Mt. Elbrus itself as the mountain held symbolic importance in the fighting. It was a very interesting tour and a very different change of pace from the climbing focus we've had.
We returned to huts in the afternoon and prepared our gear for tomorrow's climb. The weather forecast looks promising and the team is feeling strong so we are going for the top tomorrow morning. We will make an early start, getting up around 2:00am, and hope to reach Europe's highest point by mid morning. We will check in tomorrow to let you know how the climb goes; keep your fingers crossed for good weather and smooth climbing conditions for us!
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb July 10 - 13 led by RMI Guides
Andres Marin and
Geoff Schellens reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. The teams reported clear skies, light winds and beautiful day. Both teams began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 am PT. They will return to Camp Muir for a brief stop before continuing to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Another day at 14,200 ft on Denali... waiting for the sun. For as ominous as things appeared when we turned in last night, things stayed relatively calm through morning. We enjoyed a few hours of sunshine and the team made good use by cutting snow blocks and fortifying our dining tent. Meanwhile, a couple of guides from each of three different teams (and three different guide companies) made forays onto the first hill en route to the fixed ropes. Each made assessments of the snowpack independently, but then we compared notes and found all were in agreement... there were positive signs that stabilizing processes were ongoing, but these were still definitely outweighed by the signs that unstable conditions prevailed. Too much chance of avalanche. No climbing the
West Buttress today. Back together at 14 camp, Tim Hardin gave our assembled team a great lesson in snow science, explaining how a pit dug in suspect snow could reveal plenty about the layers within the pack and their ability to hold to one another... or slide. The day turned cloudy as usual and light snow fell again. There was some letup at dinner and we enjoyed views of the wind-sculpted cloud caps on Denali, Foraker and Hunter. We were each challenged again to stay tough, patient and focused as we said goodbye to three more of the guided groups we've shared the hill with. This once bustling and eager climbing camp is down to three guided teams and one small independent team. We're still getting good forecasts for the days ahead- of cloud and snow and more cloud, we are just hoping they turn out to be wrong.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our teams on the
Four Day Summit Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Disappointment Cleaver Route early this morning. With this bluebird weather we have on the mountain, the teams were on their descent by 7:20 a.m. They will be back at Camp Muir by approximately 11:30 a.m. and will celebrate their feat on Rainier Basecamp later this afternoon.
Jake Beren and the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons was on top via the Emmons Glacier Route at 8:00 a.m. His team will stay another night at Camp Schurman and descend off Mt. Rainier tomorrow.
Congratulations to today’s teams summitting on both routes!
We caught our first real views of the mountain this morning when we emerged from the Barrels. The clouds were low in the valley below us, and above
Mt. Elbrus rose clearly in the morning light. We could see the entire first portion of the route and high above, several teams were visible traversing into the saddle between the two summits of Mt. Elbrus.
We set out on our acclimatization hike shortly after breakfast. The cold night temperatures left the snow still frozen firmly, giving our crampons good purchase. We retraced our route from yesterday, quickly passing our high point and gaining elevation. By late morning the clouds returned and we climbed in a fog bank, occasional rock outcroppings appearing out of the mist ahead and gradually disappearing below us. By the time we reached around 14,400' - the same height as
Mt. Rainier - a cold breeze picked up and we climbed the remaining portion in our jackets with the hoods pulled closely to protect us from the wind.
We reached Pastuhkova Rocks, at 15,100', and dropped our packs, resting in the thin air of today's high point before returning to the hut for a late lunch. The team climbed well today, negotiating the altitude and varying weather conditions well. It was a long day on our feet and we are looking forward to a mellow day tomorrow to brush up on some of the final training we still need to cover and get in a restful afternoon before our planned summit bid on Saturday.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
This day started out fine. We definitely felt like we'd dodged a bullet since forecasts had predicted 6 to 12 inches of new snow overnight at
14,200 ft. We got nothing and liked it. The morning seemed perfect as we ate breakfast in strong sunshine and calm conditions. We had high hopes for the sun working its stabilizing magic on the avalanche slopes between us and our climbing goals. Since the clouds were gone, the team geared up for another walk to the Edge of the World. This trip would be pretty simple compared to yesterday's as we now had a packed trail to follow. It was a thrill to reach the rocks this time and to look down into the abyss. We took hero shots, posing on the high points and basked in the sunshine. The clouds began to form as we walked back toward camp. Unfortunately, they kept building and by dinner there was a massive cap on the mountain and wind was scraping hard at the ridges around us. We happen to be perfectly sheltered from this particular storm at the moment, but it is obviously nasty above and around us... not exactly the stabilizing influence we were seeking. So we'll go to bed and hope for better things in the morning. We are still doing fine for food and fuel, but are aware that a few more of the teams around us have reached their limits and are now focused on descent.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
It is a beautiful day on Mt. Rainier. The Five Day Summit Climb July 7 - 11 led by Eric Frank and the Four Day Summit Climb July 8 - 11 led by Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reached the crater rim around 7:30 a.m. They reported clear skies, great conditions and winds ranging from 0 to none.
The Five Day Kautz Climb is descending to Paradise this morning. Their entire team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday morning.
Congratulations to today's summit teams!
The thick rain clouds that have been covering the region for the last several days began to dissipate overnight. Leaving our hotel this morning, the sky above was a patchy mix of clouds and blue sky. We loaded our mountain gear into our van and made the ten minute drive up the valley to the tiny village of Azau. In Azau we hauled our gear from the van and through the base terminal of the tram station. A few minutes later the red cabin dropped down from the station above and we piled our team and gear into the tram.
We made two tram rides, going from the green valley floor to the top station, sitting on a rocky morraine along the edges of
Elbrus' glaciers. To get our gear the final 700' we took turns loading our duffels, packs, and climbers onto a little single seater chairlift. Despite the slow moving chairs it was still a tricky transfer to put on and pull off the bags from the chairs as they swung by.
Nevertheless, it was a smooth process and by midday we were settled into out bunks in the Garabashi Huts, a series of old diesel tanks that have been converted into bunk rooms. Despite the long cylindrical shape, they are quite comfortable inside, especially when the hail and rain starts up outside.
After a great lunch of borsch, meats, cheeses, and French toast we set off on an acclimatization hike. The clouds once again settled onto the mountain, although with no moisture in them. We climbed for a couple of hours, ascending the glacier right above the hut and getting used to hiking in climbing boots and traveling on snow. After reaching just over 13,000' we turned around and descended back to the hut.
We are resting in the huts now before dinner. Everyone climbed well today, making the transition from low elevation trails to the high altitude snows well. After close to a week of traveling to reach this mountain, we are happy to be here and comfortable in the huts. Tomorrow we are planning on making our final acclimatization hike up to Pastuhkova Rocks at 15,000' before resting on Friday. We will check-in when we return from the hike.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Thank you Win, Gilbert and Josh for passing on your climbing know-how and for a successful summit experience. You were there for us 110% of the time allowing me to enjoy the experience and work harder than I ever have for that last 2000’! And kudos to all on our ALA team - great team work for a good cause, and a good time!
Posted by: John Granen on 7/15/2012 at 10:05 pm
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