RMI Expeditions Blog

Sunday June 29, 2025 - 10:49 pm PT

It was the ultimate luxury to lie in until the sun came around this morning. We ate our last bagel breakfast and lounged about in the sunshine. We rested, but we also schemed and plotted our ascent for the next few days, and that scheming got tougher as the day progressed. We became aware that the teams at 17K had turned around from their summit bids after finding avalanche conditions on the "autobahn". Of course we will need some improvement in that condition by the time we reach the same terrain, so the team will have the challenge of trying to remain optimistic and positive while acknowledging that a problem lies ahead. We said goodbye to Dom's RMI team as they descended through 14 camp, we ate our dinner and we prepared to climb. 

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guides Tatum Whatford and Felipe Guarderas led their Five Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The guides reported an amazing day with light winds and clear skies.  The route is busy with climbers so the teams reached the crater rim and have started their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at camp the climbers will enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the mountain and celebrate their accomplishment.  The team will spend tonight at 10,080' and continue the remaining 4.5 miles/4,500' down to Paradise tomorrow.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 12:24 am PT

1 step, 1 breathe. 2 steps, 2 breaths. On and on, the rhythm continues as we leave 14,200 feet, move up the fixed lines, around Washburn's thumb, over the exposed yet beautiful West Buttress, and crest the hill to grandma's. Kidding about that last part, but we did finally arrive at 17,200 feet. Again, the tabloids misconstrue, do not listen to them, listen to us! :) it has been a long wait at Camp 3, but a huge shoutout to our entire team for sticking it out; Together! Its hard to wait for the right window while hanging with a bunch of strangers, but this Brady's bunch ain't no strangers no more. So, we're not done just yet. Tomorrow will test the reason we came here in the first place. Making it to the top of North America has already proven itself difficult. We're either gonna bring it home hot or bring it home cold. It's up to us. Cheers to everyone back home following along, we miss you, we're close, wish us luck, and we'll see you soon.

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team 

Saturday, June 28, 2025 - 10:28 pm PT

Today was the day for us to get up on the West Buttress. But it was the day for everybody else to get up on the West Buttress too. We had no choice but to climb in a crowd. That said, it was a crowd of pretty nice folks all around. We didn’t try to be the first out of camp, there was no desire to race anybody. We had a leisurely breakfast and geared up in time to leave by around 10 AM. There were perhaps thirty climbers ahead of us and thirty behind. The storm and waiting for snow to stabilize had put everybody on the same schedule. The downside of that was that we couldn’t go at our own pace, the upside was that we didn’t have to break trail. Patience was the word of the day and that paid off for us. It was neither cold nor windy and we could afford to be patient. The entire team did just fine on the much anticipated “fixed rope” section and then we topped out on the ridge at 16,200 ft, shattering altitude records for Bailey, Calvin, Rahul and Frederick. We cached our food and fuel and got down to camp by 5 PM. Tomorrow will be a rest and recovery day and we’ll be keeping fingers crossed for Dom Cifelli’s RMI team to ring the summit bell. 

- RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Lael Butler and a custom client team reached the summit of Mt. Baker via the North Ridge Route—a legendary alpine climb featuring steep ice, exposed ridgelines, and unforgettable views.

Despite some clouds and light winds, the team crushed a two-day push to the top, navigating multiple pitches of alpine ice and snow with skill and determination.

Huge congrats to the climber and guide for an epic ascent of one of the Northwest’s most iconic routes!

This morning at 7:30 AM, the Four Day Climb team led by Casey Grom and Joe Crawford successfully descended from the crater rim of Mount Rainier after a successful summit push. The team was greeted with clear skies, light winds, and ideal climbing conditions.

From the summit, climbers enjoyed expansive views above a lingering marine layer that hovered around 7,600 feet. The contrast between the crystal-clear skies above and the thick cloud cover below created a surreal and breathtaking scene—one of those rare moments that make all the effort worthwhile.

Congratulations to all the climbers on a successful ascent!

Friday, June 27, 2025 10:38 pm PDT

Dispatch 14.2 – Storm Day 2

As forecasted, today was a better day. It was sunny and calm… and we didn’t go climbing. The guide team felt that the recent snowfall needed at least one good sunny day to settle and reduce the avalanche hazard. As it turned out, all other teams on the mountain came to a similar conclusion—no teams moved today.

We ended up making pretty good use of the day, though. We roped up and took a field trip to the Edge of the World! Since we are camped in the middle of a large glacial basin, it’s easy to forget just how high we’ve already climbed. A short walk to the edge is a quick reminder. It was thrilling today to climb a rock at the edge and look down a few thousand feet to the Kahiltna Glacier—where we camped a while back.

Back at camp, Calvin gave a well-received instructional session on avalanche beacons, and Sam put all his culinary skill into boiling water for our freeze-dried dinner.

We hope to carry up onto the Buttress tomorrow.

– RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Friday, June 27, 2025 8:21pm PDT
 

Blog Denali – Day 19

Bonjour à tous!

Today marks day 19 since we all met in Anchorage, and day 17 on the mountain. Since the first week went so well, many of us believed we’d be off this frozen rock after 15 days... However, Mother Nature had different plans for us. I now understand why Denali has such a tough reputation: the freaking weather!

Today is our 10th day at 14k camp, and the 6th day of weather delay. We’ve endured two snowstorms, and the last one—lasting almost 36 hours—brought 40 cm of fresh snow. Although the weather is finally on our side today, we still can’t move due to avalanche hazards.

Over the past week, no one has summited, and the few teams that made it to high camp were stuck in even worse conditions than we’ve experienced. I’m grateful to our responsible and professional guides for making the decision to stay put.

On a more personal note, this has been one of the hardest weeks of my amateur climbing career. I’ve never waited this long in full winter camping mode, with almost nothing to do. Mornings are cold, and many toes in the team are freezing. On top of that, I feel weaker every day at this altitude. I’ve lost weight and am probably missing plenty of essential nutrients like vitamins and soluble fiber. (Also, the fact that I ran out of food and entertainment played a big role—LOL.)

On the bright side, my amazing team is kindly helping me survive—special thanks to Andrew for the Kindle, Tait for two bags of beef jerky, and Mikaila for letting me use her InReach. I’ve also gained valuable experience for future adventures. I’ve learned about clothing layers (my thin ones suck), baby Nalgene bottles, Leuko tape, pressure breathing, how much toilet paper to bring, glacier travel, gnarly supplements, and more.

Overall, it’s amazing that all 9 team members (and 3 guides) are still here, holding onto hope of reaching the summit. We’re also lucky, in a way, to have a weather window this weekend for a summit attempt. Many teams haven’t even gotten that chance this year.

À ma famille et mes amis, j’ai hâte de vous revoir! J’espère que vous passez un beau mois de juin, plus chaud qu’ici! Même si je manque une partie de l’été montréalais, je profite énormément du plein air, et les paysages glaciaires sont à couper le souffle. J’ai hâte de vous montrer les photos! Évidemment, je suis très stressé pour les deux prochains jours... Envoyez-moi des ondes relaxantes, haha!

Étienne XOX

The Four Day Climb led by Jack Delaney and Jackson Breen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning under spectacular conditions. With clear skies above a thick marine layer and light winds of 10–15 mph, the team stood atop the 14,410’ peak, greeted by breathtaking views.

Congratulations to today’s team for a safe and successful ascent!

It snowed continuously through the night and all day. Finally, at six in the evening, it stopped, and we could see a bit more than a hundred feet in any direction. There was never a possibility of climbing today, so we made the best of a storm/rest day by enjoying a slow, leisurely breakfast in our dining tent. Afterward, we dug out the camp, took naps, and read books.

We managed to squeeze in a little training for the “fixed ropes” we hope to climb next. We practiced as the last snow fell and the clouds began to clear. That put us in a good position to witness the event of the day—a big avalanche roaring out of the Messner Couloir on the South Peak. We knew we weren’t in any danger from that particular couloir, but it was still sobering to be engulfed by the powder cloud thrown up by the slide. We’d heard several avalanches over the past 24 hours, but it was thrilling to actually watch one.

As we ate dinner, the clouds continued to melt away, and it was wonderful to be in actual sunshine again. Many of us found it hard to take our eyes off the mountain and all the fresh scars from sliding snow. We hope to climb the West Buttress in the morning, but that will depend on whether the new snow has had enough time to settle.

— RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team