Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Monday, June 2, 2025 - 10:30 am PT

After our last post after descending to 11,000', things happened quickly. We went to bed to moderate snowfall on the tents and woke to something of the same. With clouds all around, and a cloud cap above on the mountain, and after three big days, we didn’t rush out of 11,000' Camp, but took the time to get some coffee, breakfast, and repack into sleds, duffels, and packs for the snowshoe to Base Camp. By midmorning we were ready, and started out. That walk is always special, as the clouds and light played on the lower peaks of the range, there is a certain quiet and reflectiveness to the descent as we contemplate all we have just done, and how soon we will hopefully be home and this will all start to feel like a bit of a dream. We passed several teams headed uphill, still looking fresh, stubble only a day or two old, excited for everything to come. We made a brief stop at the base of Ski Hill to pick up our cache, then continued through the long flat stretches of the lower Kahiltna. Finally it was time for one more burn, the roughly hour stretch up Heartbreak Hill that would bring us to our destination. All day we had walked in and underneath clouds and didn’t hear much in the way of airplane traffic. Quite truthfully as we took our final steps into Base Camp, a message arrived via inReach from K2 asking if we were at Base Camp yet - weather hadn’t been flyable that day, but things were turning. So we arrived, but rather than sit and recover, we continued the movement and prep, quickly pulling apart sleds and bags, organizing, digging up our Base Camp cache, and shortly thereafter we got the news that two planes had launched to come get us. Just before 7 pm, the two red otters dipped out of the sky on the final approach to Base Camp. We loaded, and before we knew it, were being whisked back to town. Just as we seemed to swing into a stroke of luck with our summit day window (there hadn't been one since), we walked into quite a bit of luck with flying off as well. By 8:45 pm that evening, we were showered and sitting on the deck of the Denali Brew Pub enjoying a meal that hadn’t been boiled in water. 

Nick, Ben, and myself would like to thank this team for the incredible dedication they showed throughout this expedition, to themselves, to each other, and to us. That teamwork and selflessness was the key component in the success of our climb and it was such a pleasure for us to climb with this team.

Signing off for this year,

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

Sunday, June 1, 2025 - 7:20 pm PT

We have arrived at the base of Ski Hill after flying on yesterday evening. Due to our late arrival, we setup at Basecamp and spent the evening reviewing skills and learning how to build an expedition glacier camp. Now our heaviest move of the trip is complete and we are hoping to carry tomorrow.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

RMI Guide Casey Grom led the Four-Day Climb from May 30 to June 2, reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning.
Casey reported breezy and cold conditions, but the team was rewarded with a rare and stunning view of the northern lights. The group climbed well, with six of the eight climbers successfully reaching the summit.

At approximately 7:15 a.m., the team began their descent from the crater rim, and is making their way back to Camp Muir. After a brief rest and repack, they’ll continue the final 4.5 miles down to Paradise. The team is expected to return to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Great job, team!

PC: Layne Peters

We’re excited to share that the Four-Day Climb led by Tatum Whatford and Eric Frank reached the summit early this morning! The team reported encountering some wind but otherwise enjoyed a beautiful morning high on the mountain.

After taking in the views from the summit, the climbers began their descent and are currently en route back to Camp Muir. They’re expected to return to Basecamp in Ashford, Washington, later this afternoon.

Congratulations to the entire team on a successful climb and summit!

Sunday, June 1, 2025 12:25am PDT

Everyone’s weather dance must have worked, because we finally made it onto the mountain. After two and a half days of waiting, the stars aligned, and we got the call to load up around 1 PM. Everyone put on their mountain boots, threw their duffles into the conex for the next 20 days, took one final team picture, and boarded the planes.

After a flight above the clouds, we quickly descended to basecamp and unloaded into a pocket of sunshine. We went through group gear, repacked our duffles, and rigged the sleds to set out on our journey. Around 3 PM, we were finally walking and beginning the long-awaited climb.

We inched our way across the lower Kahiltna until we made it to Camp One, with the sun still above the mountains. This was our first chance to practice the craft of camp building—everyone set up their tents, crawled in, and waited for a late-night dinner of pesto tortellini. Finally, close to midnight, we wrapped up our day and prepped for tomorrow, when we hope to cache somewhere above 9,500 feet.

We’re excited to finally be climbing!

RMI Guide Nikki Champion & Team

Saturday, May 31, 2025 9:20pm PDT

After 8 days in the comfort of 14,000' camp we went climbing today.  The team packed up and we made our way once again up the fixed lines.  The west buttress did not disappoint, delivering panoramic views.  The weather could not have been better with only the slightest of breezes and the occasional cloud. While tired, the team is ready to hopefully take advantage of a small weather window.   Send good weather vibes our way!

RMI Guide Seth and Team

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier and his team checked in from the K2 Aviation airstrip to let us know they’re en route to Base Camp. Their next update will come from the slopes of 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.

The Four-Day Climb with Dominic Cifelli & Sam Marjerison turned around at High Break (13,600’) today due to high winds and heavy clouds forming on the upper mountain during their ascent. The team is en route back to Camp Muir and should return to Basecamp early this afternoon.

Congratulations to the team on a strong 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