Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Bolivia: Frank & Team Summit Pequeño Alpamayo

May 31, 2018

Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia

Elevation: 17,618'

RMI Guide Andy Bond and Team just called from the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo a 5370 m peak in the Condoriri Group. Andy reported great climbing conditions and beautiful weather. The team climbed strong, and will be starting their descent shorty. Congratulations Team! Update: 5:19 pm PT Hey just letting you know we’re back at camp safe and sound... well fed and ready for some sleep. Long day on a challenging route but everyone is doing great! We’ll update tomorrow with an actual blog post RMI Guides Eric Frank and Andy Bond

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Great job
Strong team
Way to go

Posted by: John Zabinski on 6/1/2018 at 7:19 pm

Wow!!! Great Job Team! From Anna, Shelby and Sammie!!!

Posted by: Anna Baldwin on 5/31/2018 at 6:09 pm

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Take Full Rest Day at 11,000’ Camp

May 31, 2018

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 10:53 PM PT After yesterday's big effort, it took some snow and evidence of wind at Windy Corner to decide to take a full chill day at our 11,000' Camp today. Food, movies, books, and naps filled the time, and left little room for anything else. We are feeling good about a move to 14,000 ft Camp tomorrow, and after today, everyone is excited for a change in scenery. RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Taylor, and team

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Rich aka dad,

You’re almost there! Keep it up. Been enjoying watching the blog and your climb. Love you and can’t wait to hear all about it!!

Posted by: Eleni Lewis on 6/5/2018 at 6:13 am

Way to go Rich and team-have a good rest and safe ascent!

Posted by: Keith Salzman on 6/1/2018 at 4:53 pm

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Denali Expedition: Jones & Team Land on the Kahiltna Glacier

May 31, 2018

Posted by: Tyler Jones, Bryan Mazaika, Nick Scott

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,300'

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 11:40 PM PT Today we got a nice breakfast in town and headed over to the hanger for a final bit of packing. The weather turned out to be a bit fickle so we started some training to pass the time and our fingers were crossed for improving weather. We went to our lunch break and just when the rain started in town the mountains opened and we got the word we would try to fly on the glacier. We’re finally here at Base Camp and will make our first move early in the morning toward 7,800 camp at the base of Ski Hill. We enjoyed our first dinner as the skies were clearing and caught a glimpse of Denali in the distance! RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Bryan Mazaika and Nick Scott

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Thank you for all of the updates. We are praying for good weather and for your safety on this incredible adventure! Love you Tyler, mom and dad

Posted by: donna shearburn on 6/1/2018 at 6:33 am

Glad you guys made it to base camp Shawn! It looks beautiful up there. I will be checking in daily. Mom and I miss you already! Take care, we love you! Kam

Posted by: Kam on 5/31/2018 at 2:05 pm

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Alaska Seminar: Rope Skills and Laughter

May 30, 2018

Posted by: Christina Dale, Lucas Haaland, Alex Halliday

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar

Elevation: 7,300'

After a lazy morning of hiding in tents or the cook tent from the snow and wind we had brunch. It was a two hot drink kind of morning. But then the temps warmed and the clouds lightened and we set up a ropes course on the glacier. We used ascenders to climb ropes, rappels to descend, and tethers to traverse. After some avalanche beacon searching drills, we hunkered down for some lunch and an avalanche formation lecture. All in all, a lot of practice clipping carabiners and using gear. This group has taken everything in stride and keeps impressing us with their focus and energy. We also have been enjoying the laughter that seems to roll out of the kitchen tent all evening. Tomorrow we'll rig sleds and head back to Kahiltna Basecamp and then into a hot shower way too soon after that. Whether we're climbing, learning, or hanging out, this group has been a true pleasure to be with for the past eight days. RMI Guides Christina Dale, Lucas Haaland, and Alex Halliday

Bolivia: Frank & Team Prep for Climb

May 30, 2018

Posted by: Eric Frank, Andy Bond

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia

Elevation: 15,200'

It’s a few minutes after 8pm and the Bolivia climbing team members are already cuddled inside our respective sleeping bags, excited for tomorrow. Today was a good day. We awoke to a quick breakfast and broke down our tents as the sun crested the ridge to our east. Thirty minutes later, our duffels were loaded on donkeys and we moved camp uphill two hours to our high camp. This afternoon we hiked to the toe of the glacier and did some training on advanced techniques- cramponing on ice, short roping and the finer points of pitched climbing. Now we have the skill set we need to tackle our first climb, Pequeño Alpamayo, tomorrow. The weather looks good and with any luck we should be calling from the top by mid to late morning. RMI Guide Eric Frank

Mt. Rainier: Brent Okita Recaps Summit Day

May 30, 2018

Posted by: Brent Okita, Jordan Cargill, JT Schmitt, Gloria Roe, Ross Morgan

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

This morning we awoke just before 2:00am hoping to take advantage of some favorable weather on the mountain. We were rewarded with an incredible morning. Calm winds and clear skies! A full moon and stars everywhere confirmed that we had made the right call to climb. Leaving just a little later than we would on a regular summit climb allowed us minimal exposure to the coldest part of the night, yet still get down before it got too darned hot out. We reached the summit just before 8:00 with no wind and the sun's rays beginning to warm us up. After an hour on top we started our descent, which our team rocked. We're all back at Muir now, relaxing in the sun or catching up on some sleep in the sleeping bags, taking a well deserved rest. But the day's not over yet. This crew is still psyched to hone their mountain skills, so later on we'll be learning about anchors, belaying and anything else they are interested in. This will get us ready for our day of crevasse rescue and ice climbing tomorrow. All for now, RMI Guides Brent Okita, Jordan Cargill, JT Schmitt, Gloria Roe, and Ross Morgan

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Enjoy a Rest Day at 14K Camp

May 30, 2018

Posted by: Mike Walter, Robby Young, Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 1:50 pm PT Our team is taking another planned rest day today, the first multiple rest day stint of our trip. The weather at 14,200' right now is chilly with very light snow. This unsettled weather is forecasted to last into tomorrow before clearer weather moves in through the weekend. We are hopeful the weather will allow us to move to high camp tomorrow so that we can take advantage of a potentially good weather window (Fri/Sat/Sun) for a summit attempt. We're all doing well, and optimistic that our chance to tag the top is right around the corner. Until then, we'll be resting and getting stronger. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Dave and Shane….. you guys are so close now. Great progress and great weather is seems.

May the Sun shine for you each day and the winds blow gentle.

Love,

Dad

Posted by: George Head on 5/31/2018 at 11:59 am

Dave and Shane…wow…almost there. I can’t believe you are almost at the summit. We can’t wait to hear ALL about this adventure. We hope you are all feeling well. Miss you to pieces. Have a great day!! Love, Mom and Ken

Posted by: Dean and Ken on 5/31/2018 at 7:01 am

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Mt. Rainier: Expeditions Skills Seminar Reaches Summit

May 30, 2018

Posted by: Brent Okita, Jordan Cargill, JT Schmitt, Ross Morgan, Gloria Roe

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 7:30 AM. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Jordan Cargill chose to make their summit attempt today due to the nice weather. Brent reported no wind and a perfect day on the mountain. The team will return to Camp Muir and continue to their training until Friday when they will descend to Paradise. The top photos are from today's summit climb, the bottom two photos are from Tuesday's training above Camp Muir. Congratulations to the climbers!

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Cache Gear at 14,000’ Camp

May 30, 2018

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 11:38 PM PT It was another pretty perfect morning on Denali, so we made hay. We started off a bit earlier with a smoked salmon and bagel breakfast, then loaded up most of our food and fuel, strapped on crampons for the first time, and started up Motorcycle Hill. The was a slight breeze to keep things cool, and a few moments of windy corner were cold enough to elicit brain freeze, but everything went incredibly smoothly. So smoothly that we decided to keep going all the way to Mike Walter and team's Camp at 14. They were nice enough to let us stash our load in their camp and keep an eye on it. We spent an hour visiting with friends and enjoying the new scene before we had back for our own Camp at 11. With our stuff up high, we're ready to move up at the next opportunity! RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Taylor, and team

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Hey Rich

Wow! Amazing photos! Wishing you all great weather and good times! Kids send their love!

Posted by: Susie and the Kids on 5/31/2018 at 5:18 pm

The pictures look amazing, thanks for posting them! Congrats on your successes so far and best of luck to the top!! #teamdietz

Posted by: Susan Dietz on 5/31/2018 at 12:59 pm

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Denali Expedition: Hailes & Team Camp at 9,800’

May 29, 2018

Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,800'

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 9:08 pm PT We had our first overcast day today and it was a nice break from the intense sunshine. Temperatures were much cooler under the cloud cover and that made the climbing more pleasant for us all. After an early dinner we all kicked back in the cook tent and enjoyed movie night. Tonight's feature was "The brothers grimsby". Back to climbing in the morning when we head to Camp at 11,200 ft. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Go Old Guard.

Posted by: Jason taormino on 5/30/2018 at 6:37 pm

Tyler - Family is excited to track your adventure/progress -looks like great weather & hope it continues for you & your team . The pics are amazing & the commentary gives us a tiny window into your Denali experience !!
Love -Dadio

Posted by: Kim Shearburn on 5/30/2018 at 3:46 pm

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Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Bolivia: Frank & Team Summit Pequeño Alpamayo

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Take Full Rest Day at 11,000’ Camp

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Jones & Team Land on the Kahiltna Glacier

On The Map

Alaska Seminar: Rope Skills and Laughter

Bolivia: Frank & Team Prep for Climb

Mt. Rainier: Brent Okita Recaps Summit Day

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Enjoy a Rest Day at 14K Camp

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: Expeditions Skills Seminar Reaches Summit

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Cache Gear at 14,000’ Camp

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Hailes & Team Camp at 9,800’

On The Map

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