Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Jake Beren
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
What great luck! After arriving at the hut on Pico de Orizaba, it soon began to rain. Our team remained optimistic and were rewarded to a starry night! While clouds and small storm cells circulated in the distance, our mountain stayed clear and the team did a wonderful job moving through the terrain. The sunrise was exceptional and a little wind didn't do much to slow us down. It was about as perfect of a day as one could hope for and we made the most of it! The climb was relatively smooth (for 18,700 ft above the sea) and we returned to Tlachichuca tired, but happy.
Now the team has gone their separate ways, off to different adventures. Thanks for a great adventure and best of luck in the future!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Hello, this is Jake and team on the top of Pico de Orizaba under an absolutely beautiful sky today. It's a little stormy around us, but it's blue above us. And we had just about perfect conditions today on the way. So we are super happy, everyone did very well and we're at the halfway mark. So we'll give you a shout when we get down, and let you know how everything went. For right now, I'm super proud of the team. Everyone did well and the halfway mark has been reached. So take care everybody. Talk to you later.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba, Mexico.
On The Map
Buenas noches from our camp on Pico de Orizaba!
Today we traveled from Puebla well rested and ready for our next adventure. Arriving in Tlachichuca we rigged for the mountain in the familia Reyes compound, our base of operations. It is always a treat to come here and enjoy the hospitality (and lunch!) of old friends. What a way to start off the climb!
Now we are tucked away in our sleeping bags and off to the night land for a while before launching upward under the moonlight! Wish us suerte!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
We awoke yesterday from our odd "hut" at the base of Ixtaccihuatl (a hut for sure, but surrounded by a peculiar number of antennae) to clear skies and a perfect view of our lady and her fuming lover, Popo. These two volcanoes picked up a dusting of new snow with the weather of the last few days and could not look more beautiful in their fresh duds.
With a possible closing of this weather window the team launched towards high camp on Ixta, accompanied by grumbles from Popo as huge plumes of ash and steam spewed from the angry mountain. Ixta remained calm and welcoming to her respectful visitors. We made our camp and turned in for our first night up high on our host and awoke to perfect climbing conditions.
As we climbed this anthropomorphic mountain, up and down the anatomy of a passionate princess of the past, we eventually found ourselves on the unsupported summit at sunrise. We can only assume that Popo admired our approach as he belched approval on our descent.
It was quite a day and as we returned to the land of mortals in beautiful Puebla, a fresh blanket of clouds covered our hostess. We are grateful for the hospitality and look forward to resting in the lowlands of Puebla for a day. Perhaps Pico de Orizaba will shun the blanket for us mountain lovers from the North in a few days time. Put in a word for us will you?
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Hello, This is Jake calling in from the summit of Ixta. The entire team is sitting on top watching the sunrise on a beautiful morning. We have light winds and temps are pretty pleasant. We did a great job today, and everybody climbed super strong [call lost].
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren calls from the summit of Ixtaccihuatl.
On The Map
Buenos tardes from High Camp on Ixta.
The team is doing great, and we are about to shut down for the night so that we can get up super early and go for the climb. But the team is strong, spirits are high, and everybody did a great job getting to camp today. We'll give you a shout from as high as we get tomorrow and look forward to checking in then.
Buenos noches.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in from High Camp on Ixtaccihuatl.
On The Map
Yesterday our exodus from the beating heart of Mexico City brought us to the cloudy base of La Malinche, an extinct Volcano and site of our first foray to altitude. The clouds stayed saturated with moisture, but didn't really unleash on us for the bulk of the hike. We were able to make it to around 12,500 feet before the wet cloud was accompanied by some wind and it became clear that we weren't going to get much benefit by soaking ourselves for a few hundred feet more of elevation. Keeping things civilized, we returned to our cabin in the hills for a little R&R, some gear sorting and a nice fire after dinner. The team is doing great and we are now enjoying a fantastic breakfast next to a waterfall before getting rustic on Ixta. The weather looks to clearing up a little and just in time! Keep those fingers crossed for some good weather for our team and we will check in from high camp on Ixta!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Last night our crew assembled for the first time in the lobby of our hotel to start the process of building a team. There is quite a lot of experience spread throughout our squad and I look forward to seeing everyone get to know a few of Mexico's big mountains.
Today we will leave this bustling metropolis and head for La Malinche, our first acclimatization hike. We ought to be on the trail this afternoon for our first taste of some thin air. Tonight we will stay at the old Olympic training facility to sleep around 10,000 feet above the sea. We've hit the ground running (or efficiently jogging) and look forward to getting started.
Off to a good start!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Posted by: Tyler Reid
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Chile Ski
My last experience on Volcan Lanin was two years ago, and it was severely windy. Since then I've yet to talk to anyone who has had a calm experience on this mountain.
Two days ago as our team was climbing a steep gully, with 7,000' of vertical relief above us, that Lanin wind taunted us. The weather forecast called for things to calm down in the late afternoon, but weather forecasts in southern Chile should be read with a degree of skepticism - there's simply a lack data points in these parts to expect much accuracy.
At 3:30 in the afternoon I thought to myself, we'll give it 45 more minutes. The wind needs to mellow out significantly. And we need to find a safe place to camp. Basically some alignment of the stars, or we're going to have to retreat to the monkey puzzle forest...
At 4:15 I scampered up the steep edge of the gully while our group took a break under a rock outcrop. On a protruding ridge I stumbled upon a perfect, safe, snowy ledge carved out by that Lanin wind. And then I thought wait a minute - where's the wind? Gone.
We had an amazing evening camped in our fortified perch, looking out on dramatic cloud layers. Darkness turned to what felt like daytime, with a very full moon illuminating our tent walls.
The next morning we started climbing - kicking steps in the frozen snow with crampons on our boots.
Our Chile Volcanoes trip landed in the middle of a very unsettled weather pattern here in Araucania. 1,500' above our camp on Lanin, the snow started to fall, the wind started to blow, the clouds came in, and my attention started to turn from my surroundings to my GPS.
Time to go down. Good thing skiing is so much fun in and of itself. We were smiling big by the time we rolled into camp, and smiling bigger by the time we hit the snow line on the lower flanks of the mountain. 3000' or so of perfectly smooth corn...
Thanks Chile for 8 awesome days of skiing, and thanks Lonquimay and Sollipulli for allowing us to visit your summits. Llaima and Lanin...we'll be back next year. And thanks to our awesome Chile 2015 crew: JP, Stephen, and Wendy. And a special thanks to our amazing local outfitter and guide, Sergio Perez.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
Posted by: Tyler Reid
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Chile Ski
Today we're having a rest day in the town of Pucon with an afternoon trip to the Termas (hot springs). Tomorrow we set out for two days on Volcan Lanin, our final objective of the trip. We'll keep you posted on how things go the next couple of day but for now, it's time to rest.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
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