The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Chris Ebeling reached 12,600' today before deteriorating weather and snow conditions forced their decision to turn back. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Blessed to have alpine with you and your Tele-tuesday gang thru Bear Pit,Many Years Ago,Which was Completely Memorable, Will always be thankful for you and Julie ‘s friendship even back when you lived on Gold HILL
Posted by: James ( Spud) on 6/1/2019 at 1:12 am
Maybe not quite as hoped but had to be an unforgettable experience for all, none-the-less! Can’t wait to hear the details, Chandra!
‘Love u to the mountains & back!’
Mom ❤
Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 9:31 PM PT
Good evening all. We crawled out of our tents today to clear sunny skies. A perfect day to take a walk and learn some skills. After filling our bellies with bagels and cream cheese, we learned about rope travel. The best way to learn is to do, so we took the learning on the road. After a short stroll we came across a perfect place to park it for the day and learn different techniques to walk efficiently and also how to self and team arrest. Our day finished with a lesson on knots and hitches as the clouds descended and snow flurries danced from the sky. It looks like some weather might be moving in, but that's alright. We will just learn about defending camp and how to stay occupied in our tents. Crucial skills on big mountains.
Nighty night,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Today we woke to more clear skies, but with a hint of wind. We had a quick breakfast and then headed downhill to grab our cache. About twenty minutes of downhill walking got us to all of our gear, and then about an hour and a half of walking uphill got us back to camp. Throughout the day winds increased and snow started to fall, so we didn’t get to relax the afternoon away like we wanted. Instead we spent the second half of our day building snow walls and fortifying our camp. It seems like the weather system that forecasters have been calling for might actually be materializing. That’s no problem for us, as we’ve got a strong camp with all of our gear, so we are prepared to wait for as long as we may need to. We are planning on carrying some gear up to 14,000' Camp tomorrow, but unless the weather improves we will just be resting here at 11,200'. The team sends their best to everyone back home!
RMI Guide JM Gorum
Today dawned beautifully clear, cold and calm. But we knew it wouldn't last as a multi day storm was forecast to start impacting the mountain today. So we got up early and had breakfast and fellow guide Alan Davis and the crew took advantage of the clear weather to head over to the Edge of the World, a dramatic overlook just outside of 14 camp that looks down on the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and out to the Base of Ski Hill on the main Kahiltna Glacier where we established our first camp nearly two weeks ago.
After returning from the Edge, the team returned to camp and got right to work fortifying our already impressive snow walls. The goal was to be ready for any strong winds that will hit out camp during this imminent storm.
Meanwhile, fellow guide Alex Halliday and I went back down to the 11,200' camp where we had cached some extra food and fuel. We dug up the cache and snagged the supplies and returned back up to 14,200'. The goal here was to be sure we had sufficient supplies should the storm extend further than forecast.
All in all, it was a productive day. And now the storm has begun. It is currently snowing with very limited visibility and gusty winds. And we're ready for it. We hope to weather the storm and take advantage of a potential weather window early next week to make a bid for the summit.
That's it for now,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The team slept in this morning after a long day climbing to 16,400' yesterday. With our cache in place we are now just waiting for the right weather window. Unfortunately the forecast is calling for a strong low pressure system to move through the area starting this evening through possibly Tuesday. The system is expected to bring high winds and heavy snowfall. The weather up until now has been spectacular so I suppose we can handle a few days of rest. That's all for now. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Steve Gately
Hey, this is Andy with RMI we had a successful beautiful summit today on Huayna Potosi, not a cloud in the sky! 100%! Everyone is looking forward to showers and a meal tonight in La Paz. Everyone's doing great and we'll check in with you guys later!
RMI Guide Andy Bond calling from the summit of Huayna Potosi
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Mike King and Nick Scott reached 11,900' today on Mt. Rainier before route conditions forced them to turn. Mike reported clear and calm skies on the upper mountain with a marine layer coming in and out at 8,500'. They plan to depart Camp Muir, and be back at Rainier Basecamp early this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team!
Friday, May 24, 2019 11:19 PM PT
After awaking to an uncertain forecast and thick clouds passing through camp, the team gathered for breakfast to wait and see what the day held. After a short wait, the clouds began to break and we were greeted with views of the West Buttress. The day went on to deliver excellent weather and we were able to establish a cache at the base of Washburn's Thumb, around 16,400 feet. With our final cache in position, we are now resting at 14k camp and waiting for a weather window to move to 17k camp and then make our attempt on the summit.
RMI Guide Steve Gately & Team
Friday, May 24, 2019 11:08 PM PT
Last night the forecast called for increasing snow and wind, but we woke up this morning to find that to be 100% incorrect. Skies were clear all the way down the Kahiltna and all the way to the summit. We packed up camp early in an attempt to beat the heat, and it worked out pretty well. We got moved in to our new home around 2pm, got a quick nap in, and ate a lot of food. Now we’re all relaxing in our tents and heading towards sleep. It’s always a long day getting up here, but the team handled it with grace and style.
Tomorrow we will retrieve our cache that is just downhill. It should be a short day, with a lot of relaxing and resting in the afternoon. Everyone is in good health and good spirits, though a few folks are concerned about NBA results.
RMI Guide JM Gorum & Team
Reading and smiling about this adventure. Love you’re listening to the mountain and her weather and VERY glad you had a beautiful window today. More pics please! Climb on.
Posted by: Jane Gagnon Baxter on 5/25/2019 at 10:22 am
Friday, May 24, 2019 11:03 PM PT
There is nothing better than starting your day with a pancake bigger than your face and your morning commute on an otter plane. The clouds stayed at bay and we were able to fly on to the Kahiltna Glacier. The views are mesmerizing. Words cant explain how beautiful it all is. We gathered are things from the plane, said goodbye to our pilots, and settled into camp. Excitement continues to grow for what is to come in the next week. But for now we are snuggled into out tents ready to catch some Z's.
Talk to you all tomorrow,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
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Blessed to have alpine with you and your Tele-tuesday gang thru Bear Pit,Many Years Ago,Which was Completely Memorable, Will always be thankful for you and Julie ‘s friendship even back when you lived on Gold HILL
Posted by: James ( Spud) on 6/1/2019 at 1:12 am
Maybe not quite as hoped but had to be an unforgettable experience for all, none-the-less! Can’t wait to hear the details, Chandra!
‘Love u to the mountains & back!’
Mom ❤
Posted by: Kari on 5/26/2019 at 9:27 am
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