Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: JJ Justman, Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 12,000'
Buenas tardes from refugio "Altzomoni" at the feet of Ixtaccihuatl.
We are pre-packing as we speak for our move to high camp tomorrow. After our hike up "la Malinche" yesterday, we had an easy day today; on our drive to Amecameca, (Where we bought food for Ixta climb with the highlight being fresh handmade corn tortillas.) We were able to see our objective between the clouds from the road. The skies closed up and fog reigns now at our hut.
We'll keep you posted tomorrow of our progress. Best regards from 12,000'!!!
RMI Guides JJ Justman & Elias de Andres Martos
Posted by: JJ Justman, Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 14,636'
Hi everyone! Team Mexico finally checking in. Yesterday we had an epic day! The weather did not cooperate at all as it rained cats and dogs. However, our team toughed it out and we made the summit of La Malinche.
Today we are currently having a great breakfast and then we are off to our next objective, Ixta. Stay tuned to our progress. But for now we gotta go and dry out a few soggy boots!
RMI Guides JJ Justman & Elias de Andres Martos
Posted by: JJ Justman, Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
OK! Here we go! The photo may be a bit fuzzy and who is that guy holding his hand up in the mirror? Well folks, the fall season in Mexico is under way.
The team is all here and we have all the typical characters...those individuals who love to travel internationally seeking a little bit of culture and a few high places.
Stay tuned to the blog because I can already tell with this team...we are going to have a lot of fun and a few stories to tell!!
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Elias de Andres Martos
Alex called from the summit of Manaslu on October 1st 10:50 a.m. Nepali time (September 30th 10:32 pm PT)
"It was a really chilly morning. Keeping moving on the summit to keep my fingers and toes warm. There are some clouds starting to come in and it's starting to snow. Hoping to go all the way down to Basecamp today. Looking forward to some good food and a decent mattress. The pace was pretty grueling: Base to Camp 2 in 8 hours, Camp 3 to Camp 4 in 3 hours and 45 minutes, and Camp 4 to summit in just over 4 hours. I have the summit almost entirely to himself. Just one other climber up here. Pretty cool. Going to start making my way down. I'll check in when I hit base. Ciao."Email from Alex received October 1st 8:25 pm Nepali time (7:40 a.m. PT) I stood on the peak of Manaslu at 11am on October 1st! Funny thing is that exactly one year ago to the day I was at the summit of Cho Oyu. Tired and cold, I just arrived back at Camp 3. I'm going to have something warm to drink and bundle up here for the night. I'll post something more descriptive tomorrow from Basecamp. To those who have been following my trek, thanks for all your thoughts (and words) of encouragement. RMI Guide Alex Barber
Posted by: Tyler Reid
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Chile Ski
We launched for the north side of Volcan Llaima with overnight gear, optimism, and our fuel tanks filled to the brim with carne. Our send off from Malalcahuello was the asado of all asados: Chilean grass fed beef, homemade sausages, and lamb slow cooked over a wood fired grill masterfully by Sergio (our Chilean outfitter and owner of the lodge in Malalcahuello).
The wind was steady and the views nonexistent as we toured up an expansive lava field that just five years ago was flowing red. Above the monkey puzzle trees the wind was whipping, and feeling energetic we opted for the storm camping experience. We carved tent platforms into the leeward side of a small rock outcrop and proceeded to build Alaska style wind walls around our camp.
The next morning was frigid. The sun came out and as we packed up our gear for the summit ascent, we had the feeling that everything was lining up. Almost. The nice springlike snow surface we'd skinned up the day before was now a skating rink. Our ski crampons, even under full body weight, were not biting into the ice. This was not the type of frozen snow that softens throughout the day.
About 600 vertical feet above camp it became apparent that the snow wasn't getting any better. Getting on the face above us - which Katy and I had learned the year before is deceptively enormous and quite steep at the top, was out of the question. Just climbing the 3,700' would require pitching out full rope lengths and building 40+ anchors.
We ripped our skins and skied east coast style "packed powder" (very loud turns) 1,000' down to a small sub peak to the east. Views across the way of Sierra Nevada rising above the beautiful Lago Conguillio (a huge lake) began to the open up. We cramponed to the summit of our mini peak, skied down, and as we contoured back to camp, the decision not to go higher on Llaima was further reinforced. The winds ramped up, and visibility dropped to ping-pong ball status. We packed up camp and skied down out of the clouds.
El Niño has had some influence on every one of our ski outings on this trip, whether providing powder turns in September, a deep snowpack and fantastic coverage... or a moist wind that turns a big beautiful face into a sheet of ice. We've had a blast every day of this trip, whether standing on summits, or touring in stormy weather.
Overused statement of the trip, uttered multiple times at the end of every ski day: "Well that was an adventure."
This is a truly amazing place to have skis on your feet.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Hey, This is Tyler with the Chilean Volcanoes crew. We are calling from the base of Volcán Llaima. We have had an interesting couple of days on the mountain, yesterday we camped above treeline. It was pretty windy and getting up there, but we were able to build a bomb proof camp. We woke up this morning to sunshine and potentially clearing skies which was a little bit of a tease. We got up the big face that we wanted to ski from the summit and it was pretty much a sheet of ice, which made it a no-go, and then the weather also closed in to sort of seal the deal that it wasn’t happening. We were able to ski nearby sub peak on the north peak, and now we are almost back to the trailhead.
We will head back to Temuco tonight and have our final night of the trip. We look forward to seeing everyone back home and we will send one more dispatch before the trip is over.
We will talk to you all soon, best from all of us.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid & Team.
The Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guide Casey Grom reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team was able to spend about an hour enjoying the views from the crater of Mt. Rainier. They began their descent around 8:30 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!
Posted by: Tyler Reid
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Chile Ski
We didn’t take Sergio seriously when he said “I have a snowcat”. We were discussing the approach to Sierra Nevada, which would typically involve four-wheel drive pickups to get to where the snow starts. As our Chilean outfitter and local guru, Sergio has been with us the whole trip, and here in Malalcahuello we are staying at his ideally positioned lodge, the SuizAndina.
It turns out Sergio has two mini snowcat-like vehicles he recently acquired, and he was psyched to give one of them a try in getting us to Sierra Nevada. If all went well, it seemed possible that we'd found a loophole in the “No Shortcuts to the Top” argument. The mini snowcat would deliver us to treeline, we could spend more time touring in the alpine, and maybe get a few bonus turns at the end of the day.
Apparently the universe is on Ed Viesturs’ side. Before we even hit the snow, the mini snowcat had lost one of its tracks. These are the moments where us skiers start to panic internally. Will we make it to the snow? Will we ski today?
With one track down and Sergio at the helm, the mini snowcat still performed amazingly well in getting us up the gnarly road. When we hit the snow, it was time to earn our turns.
We ascended through mysterious Araucaria forest (monkey puzzle trees) and out on to a long alpine ridge. Cornice on one side, rocks on the other. The terrain became particularly interesting on the upper mountain, with a series of intersecting ridges, alpine bowls, and mushroomy ice features. The weather was perfect, the views endless, and we were able to ski from the highest point beneath the summit (the last 50’ was steep rime ice).
Sierra Nevada is one of those descents that just goes on forever. Photos tell the story better than words.
Chilean ski adventure to the max.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14, 410'
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team climbed in fresh snow deposited by the most recent storm, and enjoyed clear skies and light winds. The team has started their descent and are en-route back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to Today's Team!
I’m so proud of you Ryan - going after and accomplishing your dreams and crossing an item off of your bucket list - can’t wait to give you a big hug when you get back to base camp!! Love always ... Dad
Posted by: Mark Polin on 9/27/2014 at 11:44 am
First summit of the trip! We may or may not have had a slight mechanical advantage on the approach this morning (chairlift) to Volcan Lonquimay. We were teased with beautiful views of the mountain, although the wind was clearly howling up high. The visibility started to deteriorate as we climbed high above the ski area. We transitioned from skins to boot crampons where the broad terrain gives way to a semi-sharp ridge, and we climbed up and up into the clouds. The wind came in waves with periods of eerie calm in between. We climbed until we could climb no further, enjoyed some nice celebratory summit time, and clicked into our skis.
The upper mountain required careful turns in the limited visibility, but 3,000’ lower we were able to finally open it up and just ski. The lifts were still spinning after our huge descent, so we snuck in a few extra laps at the ski area before heading for the lodge for chocolate caliente and cervezas. Lonquimay!
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
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RMI Guide Tyler Reid calls from the Lonquimay summit!
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Alex B - CONGRATS!!!! My son Eric and I climbed Rainier with you in July, 2012. We’ve been excited and inspired to follow (and root you on, telepathically?) on your Himalayan adventure. Eric (without father) will climb Denali in May ‘15 with RMI. Hoping our mountain paths cross again. Best - Alex A
Posted by: Alex Alimanestianu on 10/2/2014 at 9:44 am
Alex. Congratulations getting to the summit. Particularly after having to retreat at first. And then to get it all together to try again. Lots of determination.
Posted by: Wally Young on 10/2/2014 at 5:17 am
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