Entries from Expedition Dispatches
June 22, 2016 - 12:17 a.m. P.D.T.
The final RMI Expeditions
Denali trip of 2016 is kicking off. The team assembled in Anchorage today, with a few reunions and a few introductions, and made the traditional pilgrimage to Talkeetna. Bill, our Denali Overland driver, got the van out of the Anchorage rush hour traffic and out onto the open road with big views of the Chugach foothills and the Talkeetna Mountains. After a last stop for provisions in Wasilla, we cruised on up to epic views of the Alaska Range itself just before pulling into Talkeetna. We settled our climbing gear at the airplane hangar and checked in to the venerable Talkeetna Motel. Some of the team ventured out to sample local beer and appetizers, some went straight to the mattresses after long days of prep and travel. We'll dial down on pre-climb details tomorrow morning...Tonight it was unwind and get settled in the land of the midnight sun.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
RMI Guide
Mike King and the
Five Day Summit Climb completed their two nights on Mt. Rainier with a successful summit this morning. The team spent a little time on the summit before beginning their descent around 7:15 a.m. PDT. We look forward to seeing the team in Ashford later today and hearing about their time on the mountain.
Congratulations climbers!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the entire
Four Day Summit Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. On the summit, the team experienced a Mt. Rainier cloud cap with snow, low visibility and 25 m.p.h. winds. The team began their descent around 7:15 a.m. PDT. We look forward to seeing them at
Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Way to climb!
After two days of training the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons June 19 - 24, 2016 began their climb. They drove this morning to their trail head near the White River Camp Ground.
RMI Guide JJ Justman checked in this afternoon to let us know the team was setting up camp on a beautiful day. Everyone is great and they are going to spend the evening learning how to build snow anchors. Tomorrow they will break camp and ascend to Camp Schurman, their High Camp.
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz June 17 -22, 2016 led by
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team had a very full day and were safely back to their high camp around 4:30 pm PT. Tomorrow is the last day of their program so they will break camp and return to Paradise.
We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow and hope they enjoyed their time on Mt. Rainier.
Congratulations Kautz Seminar Team!
Today we rode the chairlift up the lower flanks of
Cheget, a little ski area adjacent to Mt. Elbrus, and were treated to our first views of the mountain. As skiers, we were pleased to see some fresh snow up high. Above the chairlifts we had a beautiful alpine walk up to 11,400' - a good start to the acclimatization process. We spent the afternoon going through our equipment and making final preparations to head up the mountain tomorrow to our camp. All is great with us...
RMI Guide
Tyler Reid and the Elbrus Ski Crew
June 20, 2016 - 11:11 P.M. PDT
Few things are as satisfying as watching a storm clear and being able to once again see the mountain you are trying to climb. Our stormy weather did just that, allowing us to do a rapid pack and move up to our 11,200 ft. camp.
We spent the afternoon digging in and letting our tents dry out, and everyone is looking forward to a well deserved day of
rest and acclimatization tomorrow. It was a stunningly beautiful evening up here, watching the clouds roll over Kahiltna Dome and streaks of solstice sunlight streak Mount Foraker. Fingers crossed for good weather to come.
Love from,
RMI Guide
Mike Haugen and Team El Siete
On The Map
RMI Guide
Brent Okita led the
Four Day Summit Climb to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Brent reported increasing winds speeds from light winds on their ascent to windy conditions on the summit. The team started their descent shortly before 8:30 a.m. We look forward to greeting the team in Ashford later this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
The
Five Day Muir Summit Climb, led by
Zeb Blais, was unable to summit today due to the avalanche danger on Mt. Rainier's upper mountain. The team ascended to 12,300' when the guides assessed it was no longer to safely continue upward. Everyone is back at Camp Muir, packing up, to begin their descent to Paradise.
The
Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams turned at the top of the Disappointment Cleaver due to avalanche danger on the upper mountain. The teams were back to Camp Muir at 8:20 a.m. where it is snowing lightly. They are planning to depart from Camp Muir at 9:30 a.m.
Best of luck Team 8, everyone from Texas to Grand Cayman is cheering for y’all and we’ll be watching as you make your way to the top! Safe climbing and enjoy the ride David Schnautz, love ya long time!
Posted by: Sondra Schnautz on 6/23/2016 at 7:29 pm
KirkMan - Proud of you Bro! Miss you already!
Posted by: Charles Holliman on 6/23/2016 at 2:51 pm
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