RMI Expeditions Blog

The Five Day Kautz Climb, led by RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo, climbed to the top of the Kautz Ice Chute this morning and continued to approximately 13,000 feet before determining that overnight rain had significantly deteriorated the route conditions. With safety as the top priority, the team made the decision to turn around and begin their descent.

The climbers will return to camp, spend one final night on the mountain, and complete their descent to the Paradise trailhead tomorrow, concluding their five-day adventure.

A thunder and lightning storm rolled through the area yesterday evening which kept the Four Day Climb July 20 - 23 from making their summit attempt.  The teams led by RMI Guides Mike Bennett and Sam Hoffman were able to ascend to Ingraham Flats around 8 am to see a bit of the route and use their glacier travel skills.  They will descend from Camp Muir later this morning.

After a hot and hazy day yesterday, two four-day climbs led by Dave Hahn and Tom Skoog reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning under beautiful skies and improved air quality. The teams reported good route conditions on the DC and winds of 15-20 mph. They began their descent from the crater rim at 7:00 a.m.

After a short break at Camp Muir, the climbers will continue down to Paradise. To conclude their journey, we'll welcome them back to Ashford this afternoon.

Great job, climbers! 

July 22, 2026 11:00 am, From the Emmons Emmons team:

We submitted the emmons yesterday in and eventually above the first wildfire smoke of the Washington summer. After resting in the afternoon we scrambled up steamboat prow to take in the views and then called it an early night. We'll leave Sherman early this morning to head back to ashford in search of showers and ice cream.  

RMI Guide Nick Sinapius

July 21, 2026 9:00am

The ESS–Emmons team, led by Nick Sinipius, also reached the summit via the Emmons Glacier and reported clear, calm conditions on the mountain, with smoke moving in and out around 12,500 feet. The team will spend one more night at Camp Schurman before descending to the trailhead near White River Campground tomorrow.

Congratultions Team! 

RMI Guides Jackson Breen and Calvin Jiricko, climbing with the Four Day Climb team, reached the summit early this morning under clear skies and calm conditions. After spending some time enjoying the views from the top, they began their descent. A smoke layer remains settled around 12,500 feet. The team is currently making its way back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations Team!

Sunday, July 19 - 9:01pm PST

Today we woke up bright and early and packed our bags for our climbing objective, the North Face of Mount Shuksan. After coffee and some breakfast, we descended the White Salmon Glacier and began climbing up towards the north face. We encountered pitches of 5.6 rock, steep snow, and bits of glacier ice on our ascent. After topping out the north face, we descended back to camp where we enjoyed afternoon naps and a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow, we plan to sleep in and work on some skills!

Saturday, July 18 - 7:15pm PST

We had a wonderful morning that started at the Wake N’ Bakery and ended at the Lower Winnie’s bivouac site. We enjoyed a lovely hike up to Lake Ann that was filled with expansive views of Baker Lake and the west side of Shuksan. The Fisher Chimneys were pleasant, and we enjoyed great climbing conditions up to the White Salmon Glacier. 

Tomorrow, we plan to descend the White Salmon Glacier and over to the North Face of Shuksan. After our planned ascent of the North Face, we will plan to continue to the summit before descending back to camp! 

Sunday, July 19 - 9:40pm PST

Luedtke and team made it to the summit of Mt Baker for a sunset climb, with 100% of the team at the top. 

Great work team!

The Four-Day climb led by RMI guide Nikki Champion enjoyed the summit of Mt Rainier this morning. They reported clear conditions and decreasing winds. They were leaving the crater at 7:22am and are on their descent back to Camp Muir. They will return to Ashford later this afternoon. 

Great work up there!

The July 16–20 Five Day Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today under beautiful weather and great climbing conditions.

After spending time on the summit enjoying clear skies and incredible views, the team is now descending back to Camp Muir, where they will spend their second night on the mountain. Tomorrow, they'll complete the final leg of their journey with the descent to Paradise.

Congratulations to all of the climbers and guides on a successful summit. We look forward to welcoming the team back tomorrow!

The Four Day Climb July 16 - 19 led by RMI Guide Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams enjoyed some time on top before starting their descent from the crater rim around 7 am.  Climbers will return to Camp Muir for a quick break then they repack and continue the final 4.5 miles to Paradise. Their program will conclude this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp with a celebration ceremony.

Congratulations to today's climbers!