We did it! 100% to the top of Mt. Elbrus. We basically squeaked in the summit right between a couple of storms. We hopped out of bed at 11:45 PM last night and were loaded up in a snowcat by 1 AM. After a 45 minute ride we started our climb under starry skies.
The whole crew stayed together as we made our way up the ever steepening slopes to the summit. Good footwork and breathing techniques were mandatory as the trail was pretty much non existent due to the recent snow. We made great time to the summit and the views of the Caucasus were amazing. We were also the first group of the day so we had the summit all to ourselves. Bonus!
No less than 10 minutes after we began our descent it began snowing and the visibility decreased considerably. Our timing was perfect and that was primarily due to our excellent Russian guide Yuri. Thanks partner!
We are packing now and we'll hop on the gondolas when we are all set. Hotel rooms and kebabs for us tonight.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
And our first full day in the Ishinca Valley just went by...
Sunny skies woke us up this morning, and we took advantage of them by doing a thorough session of hardware function and familiarization, as well as rope work. After a good lunch from our chef, Emilio, and we were ready for the afternoon acclimatization hike to "Tocllacocha" a glacial lake at 15,200' on the northwestern flanks of impressive Tocllaraju.
Tea and another superb dinner followed upon our return. Tomorrow we're headed to the glacier for our full-day mountaineering school, as well as a new dose of altitude and acclimatization exercise. Stay tuned!
Our Spanish climbing word of the day is ballestrinque which means clove hitch.
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Robby Young
Our Ecuador Volcanoes expedition is underway! Everyone (and their luggage) arrived yesterday and the team met for breakfast this morning at our hotel’s café. Today’s agenda involved an informational tour of the historic areas of Quito, Ecuador’s capitol. Angel, our local city tour guide, led us through colonial Quito, and taught us about the history of various churches, the presidential palace, independence plaza, and the large statue of the Virgin of Quito, overlooking the city. The weather was beautiful and we even snuck in partial views of some of our climbing objectives, Cayambe and Rucu Pichincha. Cotopaxi (which is closed to climbing due to recent volcanic activity) also came into view.
Next we jumped in our van and headed north to the equator, or “mitad del mundo”, where we visited an ethnographic museum and learned about various indigenous cultures of Ecuador. We straddled the equator, with one leg in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern, as we watched some demonstrations of Coriolis Effect and our position on the equator.
We’re off now to sample some Ecuadorian cuisine for dinner!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The Five Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guide Mike Uchal reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Yesterday in preparation for their summit attempt Mike and the team enjoyed a short hike to Ingraham Flats. They have had great weather while on the mountain and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise from the top today!
Congratulations to today's team!
Ha, fBook challenged, apparently also RMI website challenged…. Will post reduced photos and movies when I land in NH with Wi-Fi, or feel free to email me for full resolution. Y’all were great. Moe
Posted by: Moe on 7/3/2016 at 5:41 pm
Hi guys, you were a great bunch. Got some great photos, and good sliding movies complete with whooping. I just got back to Boston, waiting for bus,
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Ed Viesturs reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Peter reported a very beautiful morning with clear skies and calm winds. The team has started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's Teams!
Hi! I have done one day of ice climbing basic skills in Iceland in 2016. I am interested in the 4 day or 5 day rainier summit trip. I was wondering if Ed Viestrus and Peter Whittaker are still taking people up there? if so, which dates?
Posted by: irene on 11/4/2017 at 11:47 pm
Fantastic! Thank you weather gods for the favorable weather. Looking forward to the first hand report.
Posted by: Cheryl McConnell on 6/29/2016 at 9:35 am
Hi from High Camp on Mt. Elbrus. The weather forecast is looking pretty good for a summit bid tonight! We'll be up around midnight, shooting for a 1:00 AM departure.
Today was pretty relaxing with a late breakfast followed by some avalanche transceiver training. Once that was complete we went for a short hike before lunch. After lunch we took a break and then prepped our gear for the summit push.
If everything goes as planned we should be on the summit between 6 and 7 AM our time. Hopefully I'll be calling from the top for my next check in.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
June 29, 2016 - 1:23 am PT
We are all safe and sound back at high camp after an amazing summit day. I am proud to report that all members of our team made it to the highest peak in North America! The day started out cold but Denali was kind to us. It turned out to be a clear and sunny day with very little wind...a rarity on this big mountain. We were just under 12 hours round trip from High Camp including a long time on the top taking pictures and enjoying our success.
We are gong to try to get up early and start our decent back to thicker air. Hopefully the weather cooperates like it has over the last few days!
Congratulations to the June 14th Denali Expedition Team!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Congratulations to Phil and the entire team on a successful summit! All that training and preparation truly paid off. You are all an inspiration! Safe trip back home!- Kelly
Posted by: Kelly Tybor on 7/1/2016 at 5:04 am
Congratulations Phil and team! We are so proud of you!
June 28, 2016 - 9:51 pm PT
Hey everybody,
After four continuous days of strenuous climbing we finally stopped for a rest day. The team is doing splendid, but on a large mountain like this we need to let our bodies recover and acclimatize.
The crew slept in until the smell of hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon crept into their tents around 9:30 am. Most folks said they "slept like a rock". After some casual conversation and coffee drinking we set off to read, watch tv shows, or listen to NPR for the afternoon until we met for even more food at dinner. It's a tough life here at 11k but somebody's got to do it.
Tomorrow we will try to move camp up to 14,200' providing the weather stays in our favor. Stay tuned!
RMI Guide Ben Liken
June 28, 2016 - 6:56 pm PT
Hi, it's Mike Haugen and the team, we just reached the summit of Denali. It is about 5:30 in the afternoon Alaska time. Everyone is doing well, we are 100% to the summit. Beautiful weather, we plan to have a nice safe descent. We hope everyone is doing well. We love all of you. Have a great day.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen calls in from the summit of Denali.
Congratulations to all! The photos are breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing this experience with us. Can’t wait to see all the photos Phil. Love, Jill & Steve
Posted by: Jennifer Garrett on 6/29/2016 at 7:25 pm
Congratulations to the team! Enjoy the accomplishment!
So there we were, moving into the "Blanca". A few hours of hiking brought us to the mouth of Quebarada Ishinca. With "burros" hauling the big part of our load, we arrived in style to Ishinca Base Camp, home for the next 7 days.
Unsettled weather only allowed brief glimpses of the ice-cloaked, jagged "rajus" above.
If our senses weren't already overstimulated enough, we sat down to a dinner of fresh trout at 14,300'. Stormy skies passed leaving us with a magnificent sea of stars highlighted by the Southern Cross. Until tomorrow, "buenas noches".
-Spanish climbing word of the day; la cumbre (the summit)
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
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Way to go gentlemen! I hope Seth didn’t mind short-roping Alden. Smirnoff all around!
Posted by: Tom Power on 7/1/2016 at 9:22 am
Bravo Gordy and Team! Well done! Ill let Sunnyside know asap.
Posted by: Ron Bobman on 6/30/2016 at 7:43 am
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