RMI Expeditions Blog
We did it! We stood on the
highest point of Europe.
I have to admit we were pretty lucky with the weather, as it was near perfect. The team did a fantastic job of taking care of themselves and climbed strong. We reached the summit around 7:15 am in clear skies with a wonderful view of the entire Caucus mountain range.
But it didn't end there, after descending a short ways off of the summit we were at the saddle between the two summits that Elbrus has and a few of us decided to climb both summits while the rest of the team descended safely back to camp. It only added an additional 1.5 hrs, so not too bad, especially since we had such amazing weather.
After everyone returned to camp, we had a quick lunch and then packed up to head down valley to our hotel at the base of the mountain.
Everyone is high spirits and smelling great!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy crew
On The Map
A very nice cup of dark roast Tanzania coffee fresh out of my French press sits next to me as I write this blog. Big climbs like this,when given the option to have a few creature comforts, do wonders for the mental and physical. It has been another perfect weather day with a little breeze here at high camp, Barafu at 15000'. The team had yet another restful and healthy night making the challenge of 2,000 feet of elevation gain no problem, or as we hear about a hundred times a day "Hakuna matata". If you can envision the 8 man varsity Harvard crew boat rowing for yet another crushing victory, that is pretty much what our team looks like. Perfect rest step in unison just like team strokes, a thing of beauty to watch. Only thing a bit funny is our coxswain (me) not weighing in at that perfect 119 to 123 lbs. The incredible meals that continue coming out of the kitchen tent assures me that the loss of any pounds is impossible. Resting, sorting, packing summit lunches are the duties for the day. Our wake up call at 11:30 pm is going to arrive soon and then the start of our summit push. The entire team is in great shape to safely give it a shot. We hope the next time we check in we will be on the
summit of Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
After falling asleep to a gentle rain last night, our team woke up to to star filled skies. The clouds had dropped a few inches of snow up high and the glaciers suspended above camp glistened in the light of the moon. After a hasty 5:30am breakfast we shouldered our packs and climbed uphill three hours to the base of the
Ishinca Glacier. The new snow made the hard glacial ice a bit more forgiving, and we used the terrain to train on basic mountaineering techniques such as rope travel, crampon technique and ice axe arrest. After taking a break for lunch and admiring our beautiful surroundings, we got into more advanced techniques like ice screw placement and V-thread anchors.
Tonight was the current group favorite dinner- Lomo Saltado, a Peruvian mix with beef, french fries, rice and tomatoes. Delicious!
RMI Guides Robby Young and Eric Frank
The
Four Day Summit Climb Teams for July 13 - 16 led by
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported clear skies with winds around 20 mph and an over all great day. Both teams were beginning their descent from the crater rim around 7 am.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Good evening from Alpamayo Base Camp. We had a productive day today, carrying a load to
Camp 1 at 4900meters. We set a tent up and deposited half our kit. After that, we remained up there for a while, breathing the thin air and letting the body and lungs get a taste of what's coming up. Some clouds and a drop in temps let us know it was time to head back down to base camp, and a light drizzle materialized around dinner time. Tomorrow we're going to take a rest day here at base, as we are getting excited to get moving up higher soon.
That's all for now,
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
After falling asleep to a gentle rain last night, our team woke up to to star-filled skies. The clouds had dropped a few inches of snow up high and the glaciers suspended above camp glistened in the light of the moon. After a hasty 5:30am breakfast we shouldered our packs and climbed uphill three hours to the base of the
Ishinca Glacier. The new snow made the hard glacial ice a bit more forgiving, and we used the terrain to train on basic mountaineering techniques such as rope travel, crampon technique and ice axe arrest. After taking a break for lunch and admiring our beautiful surroundings, we got into more advanced techniques like ice screw placement and V-thread anchors.
Tonight was the current group favorite dinner- Lomo Saltado, a Peruvian mix with beef, french fries, rice and tomatoes. Delicious!
RMI Guide Robby Young
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by RMI Guide
Mike King wrapped up their week of mountaineering training with a successful summit of Mt. Rainier. The team will descend off the mountain and be back in Ashford this afternoon to celebrate.
Congratulations!
Pree-vēt!
Things are good here on
Mt. Elbrus and the team is excited for tonight! We did a little prep for tomorrow by reviewing a few climb techniques and then rested the remainder of the day. Our cook Dasha has done a great job of filling our bellies with plenty of good home cooked Russian food.
Everything is set and if the weather continues to hold we'll be up at 2am and after a quick breakfast hop on the snowcat to give us a bump a little further up the mountain. It will shorten our climb a little and increase our chance at reaching the highest point in Europe.
That's all for now. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Jambo -
This group of intrepid mountaineers made quick work of the infamous
Barranco wall. Working together, climbing with style and grace and a bit of support from are great local staff our team ascended and thirty minutes later we reached the top of the wall with high fives and a good photo opportunity. We were then on our way to our new camp at over 13,000' at Karanga Camp. The weather conditions are perfect and thank goodness for kissing the Blarney Stone before the climb.
The whole team is in great shape and feeling strong, boots and equipment are performing well. We are hoping the weather continues to hold to give us the best chances to stand on top of Kilimanjaro!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
RMI Guide Zeb Blais led the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons to the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday morning. The team enjoyed sunny breezy conditions during their climb. After celebrating on the summit, the team descended to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain.
Today the team will spend some time training as their descend to the White River Campground from Camp Schurman. We are excited to welcome them back to Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations!
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Great news! Congratulations to the whole team on reaching the summit. Many thanks to Casey Grom for a safe and successful climb…
Thad’s dad . . . Sam’s granddad
Posted by: Burton Golden on 7/16/2016 at 12:15 pm
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