Most of the Mt. Elbrus South Side team has arrived with most of their equipment, which is pretty good by Russian standards. We all got settled into our hotel rooms, did some quick introductions, and then went out to dinner next to the Moscow River. I always forget that outside dining in Russia comes with blanket service. We all wrapped up, enjoyed our meals, and then returned to our hotel and promptly went to sleep.
Tomorrow we'll spend the day exploring Moscow. We'll let you know what we discover!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
How many mountains have you climbed this year Gorum? And, number of countries involved? Nevermind, this is a one way communique. Good luck team with equipment that did arrive! I’d love to see locals. How are average Moscovites fairing? Enjoy!
Hey this is Dave Hahn with the final RMI Denali climb of the season. We are on the summit of Denali. We got here ten minutes after two, and it's ten minutes to three now, so we've been here a good 40 minutes. It's that kind of day, a perfect day, beautiful sunshine, nice and calm, absolutely wonderful day on top! We're going to have a nice safe descent back to high camp, and we'll be in touch. Bye for now!
Dave Hahn calling from the Summit of Denali July 6, 2019
100% on top!
We did it! We stood on Mt. Elbrus, the highest point of Europe.
I have to admit we were pretty lucky with the weather, as it was near perfect. The team did a fantastic job of taking care of themselves and climbed strong. We reached the summit at 7:30 AM in clear skies with a wonderful view of the entire Caucus mountain range with very little wind, which is rare here.
But it didn't end there, after descending back to the saddle between the 2 summits that Elbrus has, a few of us decided to climb both summits while the rest of the team descended safely back to camp. It only added an additional 1.5hrs, so not too bad, especially since we had such amazing weather.
After everyone returned to camp, we had a quick lunch and then packed up to head down valley to our hotel at the base of the mountain.
Everyone is in high spirits and feeling great after some much needed hot showers.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
Friday, July 5, 2019 - 11:02 PM PT
We woke up when the direct sun hit our tents and sprung into action. We had done coffee and ate some breakfast and headed downhill.
After a great climb along the ridge out of 17,000' Camp, we hit the fixed lines and made our way down to 14,000' Camp.
Since the temperatures have been so warm lately, we decided to set up camp here at 14k. We will head further downhill when the temps are cooler and the glaciers are more frozen. We will see how far we make it on our walk out tomorrow. We may make it as far as Basecamp and catch a plane tomorrow. If the snow gets too soft, we can camp one more night and head back to Talkeetna the next day. Let's hope for a good freeze!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team Siete
I bet you are all ready to get off the mountain- Meghan did you bring any wine to celebrate?
Congratulations and hope everyone has an easy descent!
Hugs, Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Miller on 7/6/2019 at 10:43 am
Who ever thought you would need cooler temps to continue? Prepare yourself. It’s 100 degrees and higher, in many states throughout the US, and California has had its share of earthquakes/aftershocks during the past 2-3 days.
Enjoy yourselves and be safe as you complete this amazing journey. Kristen is looking forward to seeing you,Tym. Don’t forget to send a few pictures.
Friday, July 5, 2019 - 9:46 PM PT
Finally, the perfect weather arrived! We made good use of this clear, calm, sunny, relatively warm day as we motivated on up to 17,200' Camp. The alarms at 14 Camp went off at 4:30 and we were walking uphill in pleasantly cool shadows by 6:45. We had the advantage of having traveled this terrain before, we had the added advantage that other teams had tracked it in for us yesterday following the days of new and blowing snow. And finally we had the huge advantage of the extra acclimatization days and nights spent at 14,000. We were on the beautiful crest of the West Buttress proper before the morning sun found us. And we were up Washburn’s Thumb and taking a break close to 16,900 when we greeted Mike Haugen’s victorious team making their way carefully down the ridge crest. It wasn’t long after that -at 12:40- when we rolled into the camp they’d just left for us at 17,200. The early arrival and pre-built camp meant we had a very easy afternoon of resting and drinking water. We tried to limit our time out in the intense high altitude sun, but every now and then one of our climbers or guides could be found at the easily accessible edge of camp, staring wide-eyed at the drop down to 14 Camp or the bigger drop to the Kahiltna Glacier... or to the bigger drop down to Anchorage. There is still smoke in the air, but I didn’t hear many complaints about limited views.
In late afternoon we sat down to talk about the summit attempt we’ll make in the morning. The forecast could not be better. We’re feeling quite lucky and optimistic.
Even so, it will be a tough climb and it will work us hard. Every climber took an extra portion at dinner with the big day in mind.
Dead calm at 8:40 PM, sun still high in the sky, all for tonight. Stay tuned.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Alex Halliday led their Four Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported a beautiful day and a great climb as they were reaching the crater rim just before 7 AM PT.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Good evening from Huaraz!
We have officially started our 2019 multi-peak climbing adventure. Everyone arrived in Peru on time, and we proceeded yesterday to do the long drive between the country's capital and the Huaraz, the epicenter of climbing activity in this Andean country. The drive brought us over Conochocha Pass, nearing 4,200 meters of elevation and with astonishing views of the immediate massif of Pastoruri mountains, as the gateway to the Cordillera Blanca.
Without much hesitation, we continued on today with an acclimatization hike to Lake Churup, at 14,400ft above town. Beautiful turquoise waters below a steep peak of the same name, provided the best rewards for the first day of activity on our trip. The day followed with a team's lunch in town, and getting pre packed for tomorrows drive and approach to Base Camp. Everyone is excited, in great spirits and the weather looks good for the next few days. Cebollapampa Base Camp, between Chopicalqui and Yanapacha (our next objectives over the next few days) await!
Stay tuned for our updates from the mountain.
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos & JT Schmitt
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise Glacier team, led by RMI Guide Ben Ammon, spent the week on Mt. Rainier. The crowning point was this morning. They reached the summit of Mt. Rainier! The week entailed various mountaineering skills, such as crevasse rescue techniques, anchor placements, ice climbing, belays, rappelling and much more.
We look forward to congratulating them on a successful week this afternoon!
Hello again from Russia!
Things are good here and the team is excited for tonight! We did a little prep for tomorrow by reviewing a few climbing techniques with our crampons and ice axe and then relaxed the remainder of the day. Ok, there might have been a little more volleyball and some snowmobiling.
Our cook, Dasha, has done a great job of filling our bellies with plenty of good old home cooked Russian food, which includes borsch and plenty of soups and salads. We had a thorough discussion about tonight's upcoming climb and everyone is packed up and ready. Hopefully the weather continues to hold and we'll be up shortly after midnight and after a quick breakfast hop on the snowcat to give us a bump a little further up the mountain. This will shorten our climb a little and increase our chance of reaching the highest point in Europe.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and comrades
RMI Guide Brent Okita and the Mt. Rainier Summit Climb left Columbia Crest at 7:45 am. Brent said the weather was a little chilly with 15 mph winds, sunny skies and some clouds around.
Congratulations to today's summit climb team!
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How many mountains have you climbed this year Gorum? And, number of countries involved? Nevermind, this is a one way communique. Good luck team with equipment that did arrive! I’d love to see locals. How are average Moscovites fairing? Enjoy!
Posted by: Susan Moore on 7/7/2019 at 8:11 am
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