RMI Expeditions Blog
Due to high winds and snow the
Mt.Rainier Summit Climb was unable to summit this morning. The team, led by
RMI Guide Casey Grom, traveled to the Gap (10,600') on the Disappointment Cleaver Route. Their planned departure from Camp Muir is 10:00 a.m.
June 14, 2016 - 2:13 am PT
What a gorgeous day to be resting on
Denali! We didn't get out of the tent until the sun warmed our little cocoons. Pancakes fueled us for a walk to the infamous Edge of the World where we enjoyed unobstructed views of this magnificent mountain and the range that hosts us. Warm and windless was our vantage point and looking from the South Buttress to our first camp around to our current home in Genet Basin contributed to our ever evolving sense of scale. The team answered (or tried to) Denali trivia for a turn to look over the Edge down to the Northeast Fork and make a memory. Back to camp for the afternoon for more rest and an eventual sunset with a just over half full moon taking the trip from
Denali over Hunter on its way to Foraker, breaking trail for tomorrow's ascent by the Sun. Wind up high may keep us here for an extra day or two, but somehow I think we'll be just fine.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
June 13, 2016 - 7:09 pm PT
After a big day caching at 16,400' on the rib we slept in this morning. Eventually folks started to rise and trickle into the kitchen where
Steve was make breakfast burritos and fresh coffee, we relaxed, ate and drank our fill until around noon. Then we got geared up for a short walk over to the Edge of the World. Today was a perfect day for it with mostly clear skies and no wind. We spent an hour taking pictures and enjoying the view of the Alaska Range before heading back to camp. We did a little bit of fixed line and running belay training and then chilled for the afternoon. Tonight we will be exploring some exotic cuisine from India and sipping tea before bed. It is looking like the next couple of days will bring snow and high winds to the upper mountain so we will most likely have a couple more rest days at 14 before it breaks later in the week. The weather days are actually a blessing in disguise, it allows us to be fully rested and better acclimatize. Everyone is in good spirits and enjoying some down time.
Thanks for following along with us,
The
Upper West Rib team
On The Map
The
Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on a cold and windy morning. In addition to the weather, Leon reported great route conditions. The team will descend back to Camp Muir for their last night on the mountain.
Today's climb also marked
Leon Davis' 100th summit of Mt. Rainier. Way to climb, Leon!
Congratulations to today's climbers!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. JJ reported cold, windy conditions on the summit. Despite the weather, 100% of the team reached the summit! The team will descend back to Camp Muir before continuing their descent to Paradise and on back to Ashford later today.
Congratulations climbers!
RMI Guide
Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier for the 100th time this morning with our
Five Day Summit Climb. The team was able to spend some time on the summit celebrating before descending back to Camp Muir for their final night on the mountain.
Congratulations Leon!!!
The
Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Alpine led by
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Chase Nelson were able to fly off the Pika Glacier yesterday evening during a break in the weather. Despite the weather, the team had several great days of climbing including successful climbs of Lost Marsupial and the Middle Troll.
Congratulations climbers!
The May 24th Denali Expedition led by RMI Guides
Tyler Jones,
Caleb Ladue, and
Blake Votilla flew off the Kahiltna Glacier yesterday and return to Talkeetna. According to Tyler, the team was planning to celebrate their climb at Talkeetna's Roadhouse. After 18 days of living in tents the team is happy to be back in the land of burgers, beer, showers, and mattresses.
Congratulations climbers!
On The Map
June 12, 2016 - 10:53 p.m. PDT
We left camp with chilly toes and no one ahead of us. Pushing toward the fixed lines, we were treated to the sun at our first break. The sun (and uphill effort) warmed us up and soon we were steadily working up the fixed lines. It was a beautiful day and the team got their first taste of real altitude. We did fine and cached just below the impressive
Washburn Thumb. The time spent on the West Buttress is the best climbing of the route and we had a perfect day to dance on the ridge. Now we are all set up for the next window in the weather to move higher. Tomorrow we will rest up to prepare our bodies for the next challenge.
RMI Guide Jake Beren and team
On The Map
June 12, 2016 - 10:50 p.m. PDT
The Denali - Upper West Rib Team did a great job today. Blue sky and light wind graced us this morning, and despite a slower than desired departure out of camp everyone climbed really well. As soon as we stepped out of camp we sank up to our knees. This was the first day we got off the beaten path and made our own trail up to the
Upper West Rib. Unfortunately with all the new snow fall in the last couple weeks breaking trail was difficult and energy expensive. Despite this added challenge the team did a great job and we worked our way up to the West Rib at 16,400'. We cached a couple days of food and fuel here and began our descent as the clouds started to roll over the ridge. We're all tired after a high output day but happy with our accomplishments. The weather forecast is calling for a storm approaching tomorrow and lasting a couple days so we will rest and prep for our summit rotation.
Thanks for all the support out there!
RMI Guide
Geoff Schellens and the Upper West Rib Team
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Jason,
Absolutely breathtaking! We check on your progress everyday & read the update aloud as a family. We are living vicariously through you. Happy adventures!
~Knutsons
Posted by: Knutsons on 6/14/2016 at 9:09 pm
So exciting to watch your progress!!! We are looking at Denali from Anchorage today. I see a few thumbs up and smiles. Go Jason and team!!!
Posted by: The Hoppes on 6/14/2016 at 3:13 pm
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