RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Four Day Summit Climb July 1-4, 2016 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The cloud deck was at 8,800' and the windy conditions from last night had subsided enough for the team to make their attempt. They reported breezy conditions on the summit and everyone was doing well. They started their descent from the crater rim at 7:30 am PT.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team and Happy Independence Day!
July 3, 2016 - 10:35 pm PT
Hey all,
Today was a day of rest for our team as snow piled up and continues to pile up as I write this. We have received at least 18 inches of snow since last night and all we see is white, not a rock in sight. The team kept busy by reading, eating, and playing with electronics until they were surprised by some lunch time quesadillas; cooked up special by RMI guides Bridget and Hannah.
The snow flakes are still coming down but we are locked and loaded to move up to 17,200 camp when the weather breaks.
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide Ben Liken
Thinking of you Andrew and your Team. Sending warm 30 degree C wishes from hot and humid Cayman! You are all our heroes!
Posted by: Sue on 7/5/2016 at 7:13 am
Congrats on your hard work and fortune so far, team. Seattle and Merica are sending out positive vibes for good weather the rest of the way. Keep on steppin, Mike Waters!
And another summit came our way! Urus East proved to be a steep challenge today; bare glacier ramps of crystal clear ice preceded by long stretches of gnarly boulders and slabs and an engaging fourth class summit pyramid, sure squeezed our skills and endurance. But the views of our pinnacle objective coming up, Nevado Copa, across the valley to the north, reminded us that today was only another milestone in our journey to the 6,000-meter mark, and we descended in style, as guides like to say "keeping it together", (and perhaps also animated by the improvised karaoke that Dan improvised on top to the tunes of Phil Collins' "On a The Air Tonight" song.)
Tomorrow we finish our leg in the Ishinca Valley; we'll be heading back out to Huaraz for the evening, and to an earned shower before "getting dirty" again for the last leg of our trip. Check tomorrow for some pics as soon as we get internet again.
Good night, RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres and team.
-Spanish climbing word of the day: "mochila" (backpack)
Hello Everyone!! Happy 4th of July from Russia! Our team had a great first day in Moscow. We took in the sights and visited some of the great historical places of this great city. Have a glance at the video to see what you are missing! Tomorrow, we fly to get a little closer to Mount Elbrus…Stay Tuned!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Good morning. This is Elias and the team calling from the summit of Urus East, 5,380 meters. It's 9:30 am local time. We are having a good time. The weather is perfect, and we are about to start our descent. Check us out on the blog tonight for a full recap. We'll be heading out tomorrow for a rest day in Huaraz before heading out to Copa. That's all for now. Bye.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
July 2, 2016 - 11:13 pm PT
It wasn't really supposed to be a perfect day. It was still snowy and socked in yesterday evening, the forecast called for the same thing it always calls for -more snow- but when we poked heads out of tents this morning for a 7 AM check.., it was perfect. No clouds above and no sign of wind on the crest of the West Buttress. It was about as cold as we've been though, getting up and fed and ready in the shadows. The sun doesn't hit 14 camp until 9:20... Which is when we started climbing today. Things were slightly tougher because we did a fair amount of breaking trail uphill through new snow, but there were a couple of other climbers out who seemed determined to stay ahead of us -so that helped. We took two breaks before the start of the steep "fixed rope" section of the climb. Most had been looking up for a few days and wondering how we'd get up something that appeared to be so difficult from afar. It still looked hard from close up, but we did it anyway -step by step. We topped out at the magical little notch in the ridge at 16,200ft to find magnificent views and a steady zero miles per hour in the wind department. It was tough climbing, most said... but they said it while grinning from ear to ear. Five of our twelve climbers broke altitude records today. We dug a raven-proof hole in the snow and cached supplies. Then it was back down the ropes, saying hello to several groups still on their way up to sleep at high camp (17,200ft). It was hot and still on our way down, but our packs were light and the distances were small. Clouds had formed up and we were enveloped by them before we reached 14 camp at 4:15PM. Sure enough, it started snowing lightly as we climbed in the tents for a rest. A few hours later, it was still snowing but we were sheltered in our dining tent, eating dinner and talking about another great day in the mountains.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
We are cheering you on from Alabama! Praying that the weather cooperates and the team has a safe journey to the top and back!! See you soon David! We miss you!
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Tyler Jones and Mike Uchal reached the summit of Mt. Rainier Early this morning. Tyler reported Breezy, but clear skies above 7800’. They started their descent at about 7:10 am.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Buenas tardes from Ishinca Base camp. Rest day today with a good session of rope self rescue and abseiling in the afternoon is what was in the agenda. We're climbing Urus East tonight, so an even heartier dinner was served before early bed time, which was delayed by the stories shared over the after-dessert tea. Weather keeps holding pretty good, and all seems lined up for a good day up the closest of the towers reigning over this unreal valley.
Stay tuned for our recap tomorrow,
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team
-Spanish climbing word of the day; "grieta" (crevasse)
The summit climbs, led by Jake Beren and Paul Maier, successfully summitted Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams began their decent at 7:45 AM, reporting clouds above and below them.
July 2, 2016 - 1:23 am PT
We were very lucky to fly off the glacier yesterday since the weather closed in on Denali and may have prevented us from flying for days. We spent a celebratory evening in rainy Talkeetna thankful for not being stuck in snowy Basecamp!
After the long process of sorting, cleaning, and drying all of the gear it takes to get to the top of such a huge mountain, we paused to thank each other over a meal that did not require mixing with hot water or adding copious amounts of cheese to maximize calories. It really was an amazing team that assembled two weeks ago in Anchorage and made a smooth ascent of the highest mountain in North America. The team was very strong and had a great attitude that allowed them to experience an amazing, windless summit and a seamless two-day descent back to base camp and ski planes that almost beat us to the glacier landing strip.
Thank you for the great expedition El Siete!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Congratulations to Vivian Roach (and your team!)!!!! Your posse is so proud of you!!!!
Posted by: Karen on 7/5/2016 at 4:33 am
Congrats to Paul Baker!!!! Love and Support You Always!!!!
Love, Jane
Posted by: Jane Decker on 7/5/2016 at 3:49 am
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