RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
The expedition officially kicked off Sunday afternoon with the arrival of Jon and Penn in Punta Arenas. After dozens of hours of flights, connections, luggage carts, and check-in counters, it was a huge relief to see all of our gear safely back in our hands here in Chile. We've spent the past two days completing the final preparation for the trip: packing and repacking our gear, chasing down the final but crucial odds and ends (fresh cheese & coffee!) that we need to feel fully outfitted, all the while keeping a careful eye toward the weather forecast for the coming days. With our bags fully packed, we checked in with our logistics partner ALE late this morning and weighed the some 300 pounds of food, supplies, climbing and ski gear into a somewhat manageable stack of duffels and ski bags. Once tagged and sorted, we sent them off to the airport to be loaded onto the plane to be ready at a moment's notice for the flight into Antarctica. It feels great to have the wheels in motion after so many months of preparation.
The fickle Patagonian weather was still holding clear so with our gear in order and facing the luxury of an unstructured afternoon, we caught a ride to the base of Cerro Mirador, the local ski area that sits above town, to shake out the travel from our legs. The spindly but dense trees along the hillside provided just enough protection from the whipping wind to keep us warm as we climbed. Near the summit the vegetation thinned and the full gale of the normal afternoon Patagonian winds swept around us, shaking the towers and brightly painted chairs of the chairlift where we ended. The gusts were strong enough to push us from out stances every now and again but the views down over Punta Arenas and across the Straits of Magellan toward Tierra del Fuego - and eventually Antarctica - kept us focused. After a few minutes of gazing out across the whitecaps far below, we retreated down through the woods and made our way back to town by mid-afternoon.
In the evening we joined up with Dave's team and headed over to ALE's pre-flight briefing. After running through the ins/outs of flight logistics, what to expect when disembarking on an ice runway, and how to handle passport control when heading to Antarctica, our ALE coordinator gave us the news we've been waiting for the past few days: the forecast summary and planned flight schedule. Typically the conditions and forecast are reviewed every morning and periodically throughout the day before making the decision whether to fly or not. In the next 24 hours, however, the ALE team is feeling so optimistic about the weather that they went ahead and gave us the thumbs up to fly tomorrow morning. We are crossing the Drake Passage to Antarctica so we're prepared for the best laid plans to go awry, but we're all thrilled to hopefully being on the ice by midday tomorrow. We're back at the hotel now wrapping some final loose ends and heading to bed shortly before our early departure for the airport and into the interior of Antarctica tomorrow.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory & Team
Posted by: Dave Hahn, JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
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The RMI Expeditions Mount Vinson climbing season is kicking off in style. The team flew in to Punta Arenas, Chile yesterday from various and distant North American locales. Miraculously, the all-important duffel bags accompanying those team members actually made it into town with them.
After a good sleep, the team assembled this morning for introductions and instructions on how to prepare for flying to The Ice. The day was then spent with gear checks, packing and a little exploring of this classic Patagonian town nestled alongside Magellan's Strait. It was a typically crazy day, weather-wise, here at the tip of South America. We cycled through bright sun, dark clouds, intense wind and rain out of clear skies. It is a great place for bumping into fellow climbers, guides, explorers, adventurers and scientists bound for Antarctica. In the evening, the team relaxed over a fine dinner out on the town. Tomorrow we'll put the finishing touches on our packing and receive a briefing from our logistical partner -ALE- on our prospects for getting the adventure going in the next day or two.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Best of luck to all and please be safe.
Posted by: Dudley Macfarlane on 11/27/2014 at 8:06 am
Hope you are still having fun. I’m reading the blog and eating the bag of nuts n bolts I made for you but didn’t get sent in time. Happy trails
Posted by: Barb on 11/25/2014 at 4:38 pm
Posted by: Zeb Blais, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
After a delicious breakfast at Dr Reye's historic soap factory bed and breakfast, our team is on our way home.
A little more on the Orizaba climb:
We arrived at the Piedra Grande Hut on Friday afternoon. After a brief walk to help our bodies get used to the thin air, we settled into camp. Robby and I cooked the best chicken tacos Orizaba has ever seen. Fresh tortillas, guacamole, sautéed onions and peppers, rotisserie chicken and limes made for a great pre-climb feast. After the taco feed, we tucked into our tents for a few hours of sleep.
When we woke, the thick cloud that had engulfed camp before bed had cleared. It was a beautiful night without even a breath of wind.
We climbed through a maze of rock known as the Labrynth to the Jamapa Glacier. At over 16,000' we donned crampons and ice axes and roped together to work towards Orizaba's stunning summit crater.
Rest stepping, crampon technique and pressure breathing were the cornerstones of success as our team made switchbacks across the peaks northeast face. Our entire team climbed well until we were on the summit celebrating a hard fought ascent.
We enjoyed perfect, warm weather on top. After we had captured some photos and soaked in the amazing view, it was time to tackle the other half of the climb : the descent.
In keeping with the style they showed on the ascent, the team descended with great form and attention to footwork. Without a hitch, our team made it back to Piedra Grande.
A few hours of packing and 4x4 riding led us to a tasty meal and celebration at the Reyes soap factory. Sharing stories and jokes with the team was a terrific way to end a great climb and a rewarding trip.
Thanks to everyone on the team for their huge efforts and great attitudes!
Until the next climb ~
RMI Guides Zeb Blais & Robby Young
All members of our team made it to the highest point in Mexico this morning- el Pico de Orizaba! We lucked out with perfect weather and great snow conditions. Warm temperatures and great views coaxed us into spending a good chunk of time on the summit . We'll follow up soon.
RMI Guides Zeb Blais, Robby Young and team
On The Map
Posted by: Zeb Blais, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Our team sorted our gear in Tlachichuca and is ready to tackle Orizaba tonight. We've loaded up the 4x4 and are on our way up to Piedra grande.
We'll check in upon return to Tlachichuca tomorrow.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Zeb Blais & Team
Posted by: Zeb Blais, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Checking in after a nice breakfast at Hotel Colonial in downtown Puebla.
Last night we arrived in Puebla tuckered out from a long day of climbing. We celebrated the exciting climb with a nice meal at La Compania and a full night of sleep- Woot woot!
Today is a 'choose your own adventure' day for the team, with many people exploring the Great Pyramid of Cholula and historic Puebla.
Tomorrow we'll be back on the road headed for Pico de Orizaba.
Cheers from a well rested team~
RMI Guides Zeb Blais, Robby Young & company
Our team woke to less than ideal conditions at our high camp on Ixta this morning. Dense clouds, wind and light precipitation looked like it might thwart our summit bid. We waited as long as we could with the time we had for the summit, then it was decision time. The precipitation had stopped but wind and thick clouds remained.
The guide team made the call to begin the climb and see how the weather would pan out. The wind and cloud remained, but our team tougher it out and the weather didn't get worse .
After a hard fought summit, our team is on our way to a well deserved rest day in Puebla.
RMI Guides Zeb Blais, Robby Young and team
On The Map
Looks cold and snowy! But glad you guys made it to the top and back down safely! Good luck on Orizaba.
Posted by: Danika on 11/13/2014 at 3:17 pm
Posted by: Zeb Blais, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
A sunny morning greeted us on our way to high camp on Ixta today. We have our fingers crossed that the weather holds for our summit bid tomorrow morning .
The team is packed up and fired up to climb - Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Zeb, Robby and team
Hi Tim and Jim!
Hope the weather held up, looking forward to hearing about your adventures. It is 11 degrees here in Minnesota, you aren’t missing much! Hope to talk to you soon, have a great climb!
Love, The Kerans
Posted by: Connie on 11/12/2014 at 2:59 pm
Hola, Janet and the team!
It looks like the “Weather Gods” are blessing you all this week.
Safe climbing!
Bill
Posted by: Bill Egger on 11/12/2014 at 7:10 am
Greetings all!
Following our massive breakfast buffet feast in Tlaxcala this morning, our team began the drive towards Ixta. After a quick food and water refuel in the town of Amecameca, followed by a National Park check in at Paseo de Cortez, we found ourselves at the 12,000' Altzimoni Hut, our home for the evening in preparation of our upcoming two-day climb of Ixta.
In order to continue our process of acclimatization, the team set out for an afternoon hike on the lower slopes of Ixta. After a quick climb to 14,000', we were rewarded with some amazing views of the sunset on Popocatépetl, an active volcano neighboring closely to the south.
The team is winding down for the evening and preparing for a high-altitude taco feast. We're looking forward to the coming climb and physical test on Ixta over the next two days. Thanks for following!!
RMI Guides Zebulon, Robby, and Team
On The Map
Our crew is on our way to a big buffet breakfast and Ixtaccihuatl after our first day in the mountains.
Yesterday's acclimatization hike on La Malinche was a tough introduction to altitude. Dark clouds had gathered at the top as we started and we watched them closely as we pushed up into thinner air. With a short summit window, our entire group pushed hard and worked together to make the top. The weather gods smiled on us and clouds cleared briefly as we scrambled up the last bit of rock to the top.
After a few photos, it was time to get ourselves down to thick air and a warm dinner. La Cabana restaurant set out a generous spread for us and we ended our day with great food and full bellies.
We'll be checking in soon from Ixta.
Cheers from RMI Guides Zeb Blais, Robby Young and the crew!
On The Map
Dose be my guidez! Love dose bros!
Posted by: BEELMUFFIN on 11/11/2014 at 9:44 am
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Congrats ; all hear enjoyed turkey & football while you were on the top. Hooray!
Posted by: B Lee mallory on 12/4/2014 at 3:01 pm
Go team. Penn and Jon, you guys are nuts. Wishing you a successful and safe climb. Best, Jim J.
Posted by: Jim Johnson on 11/27/2014 at 10:55 am
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