Volcan Villarica warm up day...
Our goal for today was to have skis on our feet, and driving through the lush lowlands in the rain, there was a sense of disbelief circulating through the van that we would soon see snow, let alone be skiing. Next thing we knew, with Sergio at the helm (our Chilean outfitter) we were fully utilizing the Mitsubishi's 4-wheel drive capabilities to precision glide past stuck vehicles on the steep access road. High snowfall intensity from the sky, high psych intensity from our crew.
We spent the afternoon Volcano Storm Skiing. Not to be confused with below treeline storm skiing, where the forest provides terrain definition and the ability to see; Volcano Storm Skiing involves using rocks, closed chairlifts, other skiers, and/or their tracks for definition. When in doubt, have someone else go first. If your hat says 'Guide' on it, that means you are the sacrificial lamb.
Get blasted by the wind on the way up, seek refuge in a closed lift station high on the mountain, look up at your teammates and see huge smiles, transition to ski mode. Random outbursts of laughter. Volcano Storm Skiing is awesome. Especially the part about skiing in September.
Ski bag = reunited with Jonathan. Sergio was invaluable in solving the logistics of getting it to Pucon. He lent Jon his gear for today and we never missed a beat. Tomorrow looks even stormier...
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams for September 19 - 22 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Geoff Schellens reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning just before 7 am PT. Casey reported a change in the weather with increasing winds as the teams approached the crater rim. Both teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Greetings,
So far so good in Chile. Everyone is here and in good spirits and we had a great welcome dinner in the center of Temuco.
Powder skiing in the forecast! We'll keep you posted as things progress.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and the Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier shortly after 7 a.m. The team spent about 90 minutes on the summit enjoying light winds and clear skies before beginning their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at Camp Muir, the team will rest and re-fuel before continuing their descent. We look forward to greeting them in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulation's Climbers!
Summit! The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by RMI Guide Billy Nugent, reached the top with crystal-blue skies all around. The team began their descent at 8:20 a.m. from the crater rim.
Congratulations!
Today, RMI Guides Brent Okita and JJ Justman led their teams to the summit of Mount Rainier! With a looming forecast of a change in our glorious weather, the guides decided today was the day! They crested the crater rim around 7:40 a.m. and spent an hour on the summit before a cloud cap started to form and they began their descent. The team is currently on the last stretch between Ingraham Flats (11,200') and Camp Muir (10,000') where they will celebrate and rest for the night. The seminar has two more days to gain additional training before they end their week on Mount Rainier.
Congratulations to the teams!!!
RMI Guides Tyler Reid and Geoff Schellens led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Both teams reported great route conditions and a beautiful day. The teams began their descent from Mt. Rainier's crater rim shortly before 8 am. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Four & Five Day Summit Climb teams!
RMI Guide Jake Beren and the Four Day Summit Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team enjoyed warm, calm weather while on the summit. They are currently descending back to Camp Muir where they will pack up and refuel before continuing their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the team in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team.
4:50 pm PT Update: Billy called in after the team returned safely to camp. A bit breezy but beautiful views on the summit. Billy's photos below.
Call from the summit:
Hey it's Billy here. I'm checking in from the summit of Mount Shuksan!. We are on top with seven climbers and three guides, enjoying perfect weather. Not a cloud in the sky. Views all the way down to Mount Rainier, out to the Olympic Range and the Puget Sound. We can see Vancouver, up into the Coast Range and over into the thickets of the deep North Cascades. Just spectacular today. We'll give you guys a shout when we are back in camp, safe-and-sound. All for now.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent calls from the Mt. Shuksan summit!
Safari is over and that means the trip is coming to a close. We are all in a bus headed back to Arusha. We're planning one more shopping mission before heading back to the Dik Dik Hotel to get ready for our flights. Everyone is scheduled to fly out tonight.
It's been a great adventure that was capped off by a wonderful evening last night and a really nice morning game drive. We got extremely close to some elephants and got a great look at a female leopard. Everyone's still having a blast but the idea of heading home to our friends and family is taking hold. Hopefully our travels homeward are all as smooth as the rest of this trip has been.
I would like to give a big thanks on behalf of both my climbing teams this summer to the staff of the Dik Dik Hotel and tour operations and the RMI support team. The program here is excellent and everyone has really enjoyed their time in Africa.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Looks like earlier I posted this message on wrong climb.
Nice achievement, congratulations.
I just wanted to know about current ebola situation and did U guys feel any special effects of that, in terms of special screenings etc. We are planning on doing this early next year. Any information is well appreciated and did the climbers take any special travel insurance and if yes, which one. Thanks in advance
AWESOME! So proud Patrick, John and Joseph!
Posted by: Darlene Halloran on 9/22/2014 at 12:46 pm
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