RMI Expeditions Blog
June 22, 2017
Rope teams came and went in the early morning today, and we stayed comfy in bed. The guides were desperate for coffee by 8:30, but the sun and full breakfast didn't show up until after 9. Our rest day consisted of long, leisurely meals in the dining tent separated by naps and reading sessions. It was a fine and sunny day at 11K. We sorted loads for the carry tomorrow and
discussed climbing techniques. Each climber and guide prepared for the after-dinner poetry slam suggested by Anja. There were haikus and limericks, remembered verses and spontaneous rhymes... There was much laughter, some genuine applause and plenty of food for thought. And then there was the swirling cloud endless evening light show of Alaska. We're all excited to go climbing tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 22, 2017
After having so much fun with our
cache mission up to 14,000 feet and back, the team decided they want to do it again tomorrow. This time we will be moving up to make a new camp at 14,200. We hope that the weather tomorrow will be as lovely as today.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team led by RMI Guide Kel Rossiter climbed to the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Kautz route this morning. The team has spent the week on the mountain training in various alpine climbing techniques. They will continue their training tomorrow before descending to Paradise in the late afternoon.
Congratulations to the Kautz team!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Elias de Andres Martos climbed to 12,700' this morning, but were forced to turn due to icy and firm route conditions. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
Today we awoke to blue skies above and beautiful
views of the mountain, but as we set off on our acclimatization ski tour, the clouds followed us. We spent the majority of the day in minimal visibility - the Elbrus ping pong ball. Strong solar radiation made for uncomfortably warm temps, which combined with the whiteout was a challenge to our motivation. But we persevered, and climbed to the top of Pastukhova Rocks at 15,500'.
We "skied by braille" back down the route to our camp and were greeted by Dasha our cook with delicious soup and fried chicken. A very successful acclimatization ski, despite the clouds...
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
On The Map
June 21, 2017
Good weather has finally hit
Denali. The pressure is rising along with the temperatures....for now. We have had a good time at our 11k camp but it time to start moving up higher. Our plan is to do a carry up to 14,000 feet to cache some gear and then move up after a couple of days. If this weather holds, we will wake up early and hit the trail so we can get up to 14k before it gets too hot. Most people would think that being to hot would not be an issue while mountain climbing in Alaska, but it can be a real energy drain when the hot sun reflects off he snow like a solar oven.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team
On The Map
June 21, 2017
It snowed a couple of inches overnight at 9500 ft but skies were clear by morning. A cool breeze kept us in bed for a little while, but we were on the trail by 9:30 and making slow and steady progress toward the head of the
Kahiltna Glacier. We could almost see all of its forty-seven mile length stretched out below us as we turned East at Kahiltna Pass. The cool breeze was nowhere to be found as we worked up steeper hills at midday. We made it into 11,000 ft Camp at 1 PM and were happy to see our friends on Mike Haugen's team. They kindly helped to shovel tent sites for us and gave us some "starter water" to make us feel at home. The day had turned out to be stunningly nice... Which is always a good thing on the solstice. We gazed in wonder at the bright clean angular chunks of glacier hanging all around us and at the formidable rock of the NW and West Buttresses. Camp went up smoothly and quickly and we crawled in the tents to beat the heat for a few hours. Evening was a social whirl as guides and climbers from all over the world had reunions and wished each other well as they went in opposite directions. We will take a much deserved rest day tomorrow and look forward to catching up on sleep, reading, and hydration.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
We finally got to ski on
Mt. Elbrus today! We had a nice acclimatization tour up to 14,000' in wintry snow conditions. All that rain down low has equaled nice snow quality up high, and aside from the altitude our turns felt effortless.
This morning we did the three gondola "duffel shuffle" - nothing like ski lifts for approaching High Camp (beats walking!). We've got ourselves nicely situated at our home here at 12,600'. Everyone is feeling good and in good spirits. We're psyched to go a bit higher tomorrow..
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
On The Map
The
Five Day Summit Climb June 17 - 21, 2017 led by
RMI Guides Andy Bond, Joe Hoch and Nick Scott made their summit attempt today. High winds and firm climbing conditions prevented the team from going above 13,800'. The group has spent the last two nights at Camp Muir, they will return to pack their gear and continue their descent to Paradise.
We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
RMI Guide Ben Liken and the Four Day Summit Climb team June 17 - 21, 2017 made their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier this morning but were forced to turn around at 13,800' due to high winds and icy conditions. The team is making their way back to Camp Muir where they will take a short break and re-pack their gear before continuing their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
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Our very best to all of you from Chicago & sending a big “hi” to Rubin. Have fun & stay strong.
Posted by: The Kalseth's on 6/23/2017 at 6:51 pm
What awesome views! So glad everything is going well. Best wishes to you all, but especially to my brother, Ken Porrello!
Posted by: Diane Bertosa on 6/23/2017 at 3:10 pm
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