×

Log In

Need an RMI account? Create an account

Register With Us

Already have an account?

*required fields

The password must meet the following criteria:

  • At least 8 characters
  • At least 1 lowercase letter
  • At least 1 uppercase letter
  • At least 1 number
  • At least 1 symbol (allowed symbols: !?@#$%^&/*()[]{}><,.+-=;)

Keep up to date with information about our latest climbs by joining our mailing list. Sign up and we'll keep you informed about new adventures, special offers, competitions, and news.

Privacy Policy

×
×

Check Availability

RMI Logo

RMI Expeditions Blog


Mt. McKinley Expedition: Cifelli & Team Move to 14,200’ Camp

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 8:49 pm PT

Cripes alfrighty we did it! We finally made it to Camp 3 at 14,200 feet. Pardon me and my french, we are just a little excited. And don't let those tabloids play tom foolery on you, we're 14,200 feet, not 14,000 feet; those silly newsfolk, they'll really get ya. Anywho, we got to tinkering with our stuff last night for the move and got up real early. You know what they say, early bird gets the cheese. So there we were at 11,000 feet, we scootered up Motorcycle Hill, squirreled our way around the next, galloped through the polo fields and then roasted our tushies off like when grandma leaves the pop tarts in the toaster for too long. See what I did there? I'm just joshing yous. Anyways, so now here we sit at 14,200 feet and you might be thinking to urself, what's so darn important about that? Well we'll tell ya. Gosh the views are something else, but ya, so, now that we're at camp 3, we're sitting pretty good to, ya know, get acclimated and stuff before we launch like a potato from a spud gun and get our bums to the summit of this thing! So ya, we're pretty excited and all that. Thanks so much for tuning in. Tomorrow we gotta walk back down and get our goodie bags we left just below camp, but gosh, it'll be a lot easier than today was. Okay, thanks for listening, tell your folks we says hi and watch out for deer. Ok, bye now.


RMI Guide Ben Luedtke and Team 

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

You all are Bad Assses and thanks for posting!! We love to hear what our mom and the team is doing. We cant imagine the breathtaking pictures. 

Keep going!

Love
Maverick and Nellie

Posted by: Christina Trombley on 6/20/2025 at 10:51 am

Let’s go!!! 14200 is incredible and hoping a safe journey for yall to get to that summit! I’m proud of you buddy, beyond words. Your determination, your resilience—it’s inspiring and impressive. Keep soaking in every view, every breath, every moment. Can’t wait to read more, Stay safe! Love Mack!

Posted by: Mack Thompson on 6/20/2025 at 3:58 am


Mt. McKinley Expedition: Final Dispatch from RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 10:16 pm PT

Well, this one is a couple days late. Like most members of the team, I have also been through quite a time warp. As I sit here tonight and am thinking about the trip, it occurs to me that just four nights ago we were still making our way back down to 17,000' Camp from the summit. Time flies when life is just a series of naps in between hard walking, unpacking, repacking and digging up caches. Truly the final 72 hours of a Mt. McKinley expedition is one of the hardest pushes most of us will make in the mountains. In that amount of time we: move from 14 Camp to 17 Camp, sleep, have our summit day, sleep, descend from 17 Camp to 11 Camp, sleep just a couple of hours and then descend from 11 Camp to Base Camp. All of that is assuming good weather.

This time around we had the fortune of great weather for a summit day and for our exit. Upon our arrival to Base Camp we waited only a short amount of time for the planes carrying Dave Hahn's team onto the glacier to arrive and take us off. It's quite a funny position to be in, tired and haggard from 17 days on the glacier and looking at another team with fresh clothes on, perfectly packed and with a bunch of empty CMCs (poop cans) just arriving. It feels like there is so much to tell them, but they will all learn their own lessons in due time.

Anyhow, the next moment you find yourself in a small plane, diving through a hole in the clouds and speeding along at the edge of a cloud ceiling about 1,000 feet above the Tokositna Glacier, which your pilot is using as a handrail as you take a long exit from the range. Your cell phone finds service and depending who you are and where you work, you have some incredible amount of unread messages and emails and normal life comes roaring back in an instant. There is still unpacking to do in Talkeetna, checking out with the National Park Service, returning the full CMCs and a celebration dinner in a town full of tourists, at which I could barely keep my eyes open, the past few days catching up to me.

The next day we all headed for the airport in a van driven by the only guy keeping it low key at the Fairview the evening before. I think Bill is mostly there to sing karaoke and may have just been having a cranberry juice, straight. Having booked a flight just a day prior, both Will and I sat in middle seats for the flight back to Seattle, the people to my right and left having to deal with the sunbaked guy next to them sleeping open-mouthed.

Finally, most of us had our first day back at home or first day of an extended vacation in Alaska today. I'm sure we all tried to find our way back in to some routine, just to be reminded by the burnt lips, tongue and nostrils that we just had one of the wildest and most memorable experiences of our lives. I know that for myself, those nights walking down the lower Kahiltna Glacier to basecamp are forever etched in my mind as some of the most rugged beauty I have ever witnessed.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congratulations Dustin & Team! Proud of your accomplishments and inspired by your grit!

-Joe

Posted by: Joseph Mueller on 6/20/2025 at 7:57 am

It is Great to read this Dustin!! Your Team was lucky to have an Awesome Guide!!! (You)

Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/20/2025 at 3:56 am


Mt. McKinley Expedition: Cifelli & Team Enjoy Rest Day at 11,000’ Camp

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - 9:12 pm PT

Rest day, what a glorious phrase, after 6 days of moving ourselves and our supplies up and down this mountain, we were able to sleep in. We awoke at the late hour of 9:30 am to a leisurely breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and salmon. After that per our leader Dom’s insistence, we all took laps around the 11,000' Camp or up to Motorcycle Hill to get our blood pumping and make sure our “gears didn’t rust up”. The afternoon was a mix of reading, chatting, napping, grazing on our heaviest snacks, and playing games, the hottest dice den on the mountain is right here at 11,000' Camp.  Tonight we prepare for tomorrow for our move to 14k and to the next stage of our journey up this mountain. 

Today is also extra special for this blogger, I want to wish a happy anniversary to my wife Sophia here on the mountain with me. It’s been an amazing 8 years of marriage with my adventure partner for life. I’m so lucky to be here with you tackling this challenge together. I’ve loved spending every day of the last year with you through all the training, debating every ounce, gram, and calorie in our packs, and supporting each other at home and on the mountain.

I love you dearly Sophia, and am thankful for every moment we get to adventure together.

- RMI Climber Tait

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Happy anniversary Phia and Tait! You’re amazing! Just keep swimming!

Posted by: Kell Kelly Kell on 6/20/2025 at 1:31 am

Dear Mikayla,
Sending love to you on your grand adventure! John snd I are in Italy with friends and local “beverages” came up. Thought if you and Spain and orujo! Looking forward to more news of your trip. xoxo

Posted by: Shelley Irvine D’Elia on 6/19/2025 at 6:11 am


Mt. McKinley Expedition: Champion & Team Recap Summit, Return to Talkeetna

Wednesday, June 17, 2025  - 10:20 am PT

Well, like all good things, this too must come to an end. Sorry we’ve been a bit MIA since summit day—those final days all start to blur together. You don’t get much downtime until you're either sitting at the airstrip waiting out the weather or lucky enough to fly straight to Talkeetna.

Three days ago, on June 14th, we stood on top. The following morning, June 15th, the team packed up camp and began the long, challenging descent. We dropped down the West Buttress around noon, descended the fixed lines, and stopped at 14,000' Camp for a brief six-hour nap.

After our rest, we had a quick dinner at midnight, then loaded up all of our gear from the last two weeks and began the march back to basecamp. We made our way around Windy Corner, down Squirrel and Motorcycle Hill, and finally back to 11,000' Camp. There, we whispered hellos to Dom’s team—who were sound asleep—grabbed our cache, transitioned back to snowshoes, and continued past Camp One to basecamp.

By around 9 a.m. on the morning of June 16th, we arrived at basecamp to good weather and the chance to fly straight off the glacier. By noon, we were back in Talkeetna wearing flip-flops, and by 2 p.m., we were sharing beers and laughter, wrapping up our expedition at the Brew Pub.

It’s all been a bit of a haze—amazing, exhausting, unforgettable. In the moment, it felt like it moved slowly, but now that we’re back on dry land, it’s hard to believe how fast it all went by.

If you've been following me for years, you know I'm a fan of Hiakus...

Fresh socks, frozen boots
Glacier sunburn, summit views
Fly me to a beer

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Leave a Comment For the Team

Mt. Rainier: Five Day Climb Teams in the Summit

RMI Guides Seth Burns and Joe Crawford led their Five Day climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  Seth radioed from the crater rim at 8:47 am. Its a goregous day on the mountain with clear skies and cool temperatures.  After spending some time in the crater the team will descend to Camp Muir and spend their second night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will continue down to Paradise.

Nice work today team!

Leave a Comment For the Team

Mt. McKinley Expedition: Cifelli & Team Bump Gear to 13,500’

Monday, June 16, 2025 - 7:53 pm PT

Our sled companies:

The Happy Cappy’s Express

Sled Dawg Logistics

Snow B.E.T.S Supply Co.

are here at 11,000 feet, ready to help you will all your needs.  We even offer cache back.   Please note: Trail breaking to retrieve a lost water bottle in the Polo Fields comes at an additional. 

Today we got to visit the top of Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill and the Polo Fields before caching our food and gear for the move to 14,000' Camp.  Unfortunately, the excursion brochure was wrong.  Motorcycles were not included, no squirrels to see on the hill and no Polo was being played.  The trek was worth the views and will still give a 5 star on Google Review. As we venture into new markets and camps, our logistic companies look forward offering our services at 14,000 camp very soon.   Just remember, you call, we haul. 

Shout out to our amazing leaders; Dom, Ben, and Mike.   It’s hard to put in words how much we appreciate all the warm drinks, hot chow, dressed ropes and everything between. 

On a personal note, Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife, Lauren.  Wells and Winn please give her an extra hug and kiss from me.   

Love and miss yall.  

- RMI Climber Andrew

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Greetings team and especially to my incredible daughter Mikayla DeMers!  You all inspire me with your amazing accomplishments and intestinal fortitude!  Remember that slower is faster sometimes.  I love you, Papa D.

Posted by: Dan DeMers on 6/26/2025 at 3:55 pm

Hi dad I miss you so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much I wish you where here love Winn

Posted by: Winn Hall on 6/18/2025 at 4:00 pm


Mt Rainier: Four Day Climb Reaches Summit

The Four Day Climbs led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Lael Butler reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! The teams were on the summit around 7:45 am and enjoying the beautiful weather. We look forward to seeing them back in Ashford later this afternoon.

Congratulations climbers!

Leave a Comment For the Team

Mt. McKinley Expedition: Hahn & Team Talk Strategies, Meet Rangers, Pack Gear - Ready to Fly

Sunday, June 15, 2025 - 10:01 pm PT

It was a long but good day of getting ready to go climbing.  The team met for a fine breakfast at the Swiss Alaska.  We began by hearing out each other’s motivations and inspirations for taking on such a challenge.  We talked over our priorities and strategies and then we got out to the airplane hangar to go through the gear.  Breaking up the day, we made a run over to the National Park Service ranger station in Talkeetna to register and receive a presentation on keeping the mountain clean and ourselves healthy.  But the bulk of the day was spent at the hangar, listening to trains and airplanes revving up and rattling past as we packed and weighed gear for the climb.  We’d finished by early evening and relaxed in town at Mile High Pizza Pie.  Either a little luck we’ll load up the planes and go climbing in the morning. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

All the best team! and Rahul on this adventure!

Posted by: Raj Mahalingam on 6/22/2025 at 8:38 pm

Tony, Hope you are having a great experience AGAIN!  Thinking of you today….

Posted by: Karl Ring on 6/20/2025 at 6:06 am


Mt. McKinley Expedition: Cifelli & Team Retrieve Gear from 10,000ft

June 15, 2025 - 8:38 pm PT

Gooooood evening Denali blog followers and welcome back to your personal tell all of mountain news, gossip, and glory. Today, just like the itsy bitsy spider we climbed that spout again. We were gently awoken by our guides at  5:30 and left for a 6:45 start back down the mountain to our cache below. At 10,000 feet we… and by we I mean our relentless guides…  dug out our cache filled with snacks, solar panels, clean clothes, and summit gear. And thank god I was reunited with my cheese. ‘Twas a short jaunt back up to 11,000' Camp where we enjoyed bagels with bacon and honey jalapeño cream cheese. Contrary to yesterday’s blog, the American Canadian peace balance now falls in the hands of the Oilers and Panthers. 

We then got a quick refresher course on how moving up the rest of the mountain will go as we ditch our snow shoes and move into crampons. A few of us gathered in a big circle and traded cheeses of all kinds until we made certain none of us would ever poop again.

Tomorrow we await to see what the weather brings in hope of moving more gear up to the next cache.

I continue to think about and question why a person takes on an effort such as this. Perhaps there’s answers we think the mountain holds, perhaps a bottomless pit of an ego we are trying to fill, the need for contrast from our everyday lives, or maybe it’s just the love of mountains and pushing ourselves to the jagged edge of our capabilities. No matter the reason, it’s an honor to be here with such talented and kind human beings. Sitting here at 11,000 ft our team has no idea what the future holds, to that I raise a toast to my fellow climbers at all stages on Denali… To the mountains we are meant to summit, and the ones we are not, may we enjoy the company, the views, and the climb either way.

I want to say thank you to my parents, I wouldn’t be here without you, and a special shout out to Moose Hockey Alaska, and the 525 bulldogs, YBYSA!

Love,

RMI Climber Mikayla

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Here’s a shout out to the team… You all got this.  And here’s a special shout out to Mikayla DeMers AKA my sweet, bad-ass, airplane fixing, jeep driving, mountaining climbing, hockey pucking, doggie-wrestling, airplane flying, extra cheese eating daughter!  That’s almost scratching the surface.  So now it is time for Papa’s inspirational sayings!  Mikayla, remember that you eat an
elephant (Mt McKinley) one-bite at a time… It’s no hill for a climber… slower is faster… slow and steady wins the race (the climb)... you are blooming where you are planted… and no matter what, know that you’ve pushed yourself to new heights.  New heights that only a fraction of a percent of people will ever get see.  Remember, although you may have weather delays, that slower is faster and it will give you time to adjust to the altitude. 
I love you bunches… think warm thoughts!  Cyber hugs are flying your way at the speed of light!

Posted by: Dan DeMers on 6/25/2025 at 4:46 pm

Mikayla! I am so excited to read up on your adventure! I was amused by the cheeses and hope you have been able to have a few bms since this posting! You are brave and adventurous! I am praying for a safe journey! Looking forward to pictures!

Posted by: Angela Snyder Miller on 6/22/2025 at 9:18 pm


Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Teams Enjoy Beautiful Day, Reach Summit

The Four Day Climb June 12 - 15 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jackson Breen, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:20 am.  Henry reported a beautiful and slightly busy day on the mountain.  The skies were clear and winds low.  The teams enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim.  Once back at Camp Muir, they repacked and descended the remaining 4,500'.  This afternoon they will complete their adventure with a small ceremony.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Leave a Comment For the Team
Previous Page   Next Page
Filter By:

check the Summit Registry try our Adventure Finder alerts for 2026 RAINIER DATES
Back to Top