Entries from Expedition Dispatches
June 7, 2016 - 12:10 am PT
Yep, patience is an inherent component of alpine climbing. Patience for weather, patience for conditions. Little could we do today with about 1 foot of snow in the last 24 hours. We spent the morning digging camp out, and then made the most of the afternoon with a thorough session of rope skills at camp. A break in the weather motivated a tour of the Pika later, which for about 1 1/2 hours, kept us around its eastern perimeter, below the formations of "The Trolls", which we aspire to climb soon. A hearty dinner of pasta and steak (that's how we roll on the
Alpine Seminar) brought us back to warmth, while the laughter was a constant because of the funny music played out of
Chase's phone (Will promises to do the Michael Jackson's moves of Thriller after our first summit).
Expectant to see what the weather will bring us tomorrow,
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
June 6, 2016 - 11:12 pm PT
D- Day 2016
The team launched at dawn, storming the Kahiltna, avoiding the pillbox seracs overhead and the minefields of crevasses below. After a few hours on the offensive the team took the hill at 10,000 feet and moved into a classic flanking maneuver to set up for our assault on
11K. Once the initial defenses were breached, we dug our foxholes and hunkered down to await the next wave. A reprieve came in the afternoon and the team was able to enjoy a hot meal of Mac and cheese before bedding down for the evening. We suffered no casualties and took no prisoners.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
June 6, 2016 - 10:20 pm PT
Welcome back folks! Our team woke this morning to clearing skies down the Kahiltna Glacier with views of Mount Frances, Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker. This is really the first opportunity our team had to get a sense of where we were and what's around us. What a brilliant way to start our day after a stormy evening yesterday! After a quick breakfast we broke down camp, packed our sleds and headed north towards
11k Camp. This day is hard work. Faced with about 1,800ft of vertical and 100lbs of gear per person, it's easily the hardest day we've had so far this trip. But, it's also our last day with heavy sleds until we start our descent. Our team quite excited by that prospect basically drug us to 11k! Okay, well, not quite drug us but they out performed our expectations by a long shot! We're now settled into camp after a few hours of hard work shoveling and digging tent platforms. The clouds have eased there way back in but were hoping for clearer skies tomorrow for the first well-earned rest day of the trip. Thanks for following along! Stay tuned for more!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. Mike reported clear skies and 25 mph winds. The team has started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
June 6, 2016 - 7:01 pm PT
Today we woke to another gray cold morning! And we're well rested now after another 24 hours at
14 Camp. The forecast has been fickle but we forge on with a few laps around camp for the guys. There was a lot of packing, drying, and fidgeting with our equipment. We're preparing for a summit push . The team is excited and well prepared. With some weather on our side we will try to move to high camp at 17,200'! Now we eat, drink and sleep. Will be in touch tomorrow.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
The May 10th Denali Expedition led by
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, and Jess Matthews were able to fly off the Kahiltna Glacier around 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3rd. After 24 days long days on the mountain, the team rushed off for showers, greasy burgers, and real beds. The team's patience paid off with a successful summit of
Denali but everyone is excited to be returning home to their loved ones.
Congratulations climbers!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by
RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Nick Hut reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team reported clear skies and great climbing conditions. They were able to some time on top enjoying the views before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's teams!
June 5, 2016 - 11:33 p.m. PDT
After a late night walking the lower Kahiltna Glacier we decided to sleep in. We had coffee and brunch around 10:30 and then waited to see if the weather would improve before breaking camp. We passed by
Jake's crew and woke them from an afternoon nap, and then on towards Ski Hill. With a heavy pack and sled, there is no way to make the climb up ski enjoyable. The team did a great job gritting their teeth as we slowly made our way up Ski Hill. As we made our way above 9,000' the light snow we had become accustomed to picked up with the wind so we found a flat place around 9,500' and settled in for the night. After pesto tortellini and a hot drink, we crawled into our sleeping bags. Everyone is doing very well and having fun despite the mediocre weather.
Thanks for following along, more tomorrow.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the
UWR Team
On The Map
June 5, 2016 - 9:46 p.m. PDT
A clear night allowed the radiant heat from yesterday to escape, meaning quite the cool and crisp morning was upon us. When temperatures drop well below zero as they did this morning, it is another level of cold. There is a threshold where the mouths of our insulated Nalgene bottles freeze over, and our 12-liter aluminum water pots in the kitchen become lined with a thick layer of ice all around.
The clear morning lured some climbers and neighbors to break camp and begin a push up to high camp. Within a few hours though, the forecast proved accurate as
Denali began to cap over and a storm develop. Light to moderate winds here at 14 camp, but still cold and no real warming yet with increasing snowfall intensity. The "nowcast" and short lived morning sun surely tricked those climbers as they were turned around just a thousand feet up by extreme cold and back in camp by noon.
Only becoming stronger with continued acclimatization, and tall snow-brick walls fortifying the windward sides of our homestead, we are content with staying put. Our camp now sits in a wind eddy as gusts strong enough to bend trees push into our walls and curl over as we lay in the tents and nap. Nice to have spent a few days dialing in our camp! The team is ready and excited to make a move once the mountain allows, but only with a high safety margin and good style. For now though we'll keep kickin' it at camp: remodeling, relaxing, pancake eating, and cold hard chilling until the weather changes.
Also worth noting was last nights impromptu trip to "The Edge of the World". A short walk across Genet Basin brought us to an amazing vista overlooking the Kahiltna Glacier, Mount Hunter and Foraker, and a large portion of the route we traveled in the past week. Evening light and periodic clearing made for a special view. Snow crystals flickered and glittered through the gaps of misty clouds floating 5,000' above the ominous cracks and towering walls of the NE fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Learning how to stay busy during our first real "storm day" isn't so bad!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
Greetings from the Pika!
Our trip started yesterday with a true alpine lesson; learning about weather Windows. Heavy rain in Talkeetna meant snow on the Range. Patience and trust in what's beyond our control (that being our K2 Aviation staff) delivered a landing opportunity in the only feasible hour of time frame possible all day. Close to dinner time, we found ourselves digging our campsite for the week. The day today came with plenty of snow, so we have been trying our best to remain dry. The now timid features around us, soon will come into full view, and we'll be able to tell you more. In the meantime, we're not in a bad place to enjoy good food, review some skills, and feel the magic of the
Alaska Range.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team.
.jpg)
Go Jason!!
Posted by: Hoppes on 6/7/2016 at 8:58 pm
Whoo Hoo Jason our gang is cheering you on! Continuing to pray for you and your teams success and safety ! The Broek Family
Posted by: Broek Gang on 6/7/2016 at 4:41 pm
View All Comments