RMI Expeditions Blog

Mt. McKinley: Knoff and Team Experience Deja Vu

July 7, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Lindsay Mann

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Monday, July 7, 2014 - 12:05 PM PT Well, the team is currently experiencing deja vu here at 11,200' camp on Mt. McKinley. Before arriving here in deja vu land, the team did an AWESOME job packing up high camp and descending to 14,200' camp. At 14,200' we were met by Dave Hahn and his team who treated us to lots of hot water and quesadillas. Delicious and just what we needed! Descending to 11 camp required all of our attention as we re-acquainted ourselves with sleds, experienced some post-holing, and walked (as best we could) through less than exciting weather. Now to the deja vu part of the story...a snow storm at 11,200'. We thought the weather gods had released all of the snow on us already but we were wrong. We are doing a weather dance right now so we can continue our descent and make our dreams of warm showers, cold beers, and loved ones a reality. Until then, we will keep you posted. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Soooo cool! You made it to the top!!I want to see the beard pics too!! Create some great memories and take care of you XO

Posted by: Auntie Mel on 7/11/2014 at 5:43 am

Adam, Praying that this storm is short and that you will all be safely down VERY soon. MOM

Posted by: Jane on 7/7/2014 at 8:42 pm

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Mt. Elbrus: JJ Justman and Team Fly to Cheget

July 7, 2014

Posted by: JJ Justman

Categories:

Elevation: 11,000'

The RMI Mount Elbrus Southside team departed Moscow. We jumped on a plane and wound up in the ski town of Cheget. Let the climb begin! Check out the video below. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

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Mike have a good time & have fun Poppy

Posted by: Bruce Archer on 7/8/2014 at 6:56 am

Live the Rocky like film! Peter and friends - Good luck on your ascent! Looks like quite a challenge, which is what you all want! Have fun, too.

Posted by: Diana Olney on 7/8/2014 at 5:38 am

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Peru Seminar: Elias & Team Summit Ishinca!

July 7, 2014

Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar

Elevation: 18,143'

Hello, good morning. This is the Peru climbing team calling from the summit of Ishinca, 5,530 meters. It's 9:45 a.m. local time. I'm going to let you know how the crew is doing... [Team's happy cheers!] I hope that was a good enough sign. We had a heck of a climb this morning. The team crushed it. We are having a really good day. We've had some easy weather the last couple of days but this morning from sunrise to right now, nothing but blue skies. The views from up here are astonishing, and we'll let you know when you see the pictures. We will keep you posted of our schedule. Tomorrow we are going to take a rest day and we'll see what the next couple days bring us as we wrap up the program. We call you back and I hope everybody is doing well at home. That's it for now. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Elias de Andres Martos calls in from the Inshinca summit!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Awesome, Lucy and Corell!!! So excited for you and the rest of the team!!!
One more to go!
Can’t wait to hear about it all, and to see photos!

Corell- the boys are home from Philmont—Colman is filled with stories—not the least of which is waking up to a lightning-induced forest fire ~100 yds away across the creek. A nascent forest fire that their group actually alerted the nearby staff/ranger camp about, and the same fire that made the papers back here… YIKES! we are fortunate the group leader got up earlier than the others to make coffee—noticed the flames filling the trees just across the creek, then went to the tents with the sleeping boys and said, “Boys, we might have a bit of an emergency here…” Colman said they had never packed up so fast!!!!

Thurston’s group was not on same trail, but apparently saw the flames…think both groups were diverted a bit. I think the fire was finally contained a week later…
But oh my!

Hoping your adventures are challenging—- but not so dangerous!!
XOXO

Posted by: Dana Marie on 7/8/2014 at 8:53 pm

Great job, Lucy. So good to hear everyone is climbing well and the weather is cooperating. All is well in VA. Love from all 5 of us. C

Posted by: Carter on 7/8/2014 at 6:39 pm

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Mountaineering Training | Moving Air: Breathing For Performance

July 7, 2014

Posted by:

Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training

To prepare for your next climb, you have spent hours upon hours training your muscular strength, your muscular endurance, and your cardiovascular fitness. How about your breathing? Your respiratory system gets benefit from all of your other training and doesn’t need specific focus, right? Studies of endurance athletes and performance indicate exactly the opposite! Your diaphragm is a group of muscles that do the work of inflating your lungs, bringing in oxygen and removing carbon dioxide, and just like any other muscle group in your body, they can be trained and toned to work more efficiently. Belly Breathing The key to more efficient breathing for performance is belly breathing. There is far more volume within the lower portions of the lungs (the belly) than there is in the upper portions (located in the chest), yet most people primarily use their chest to breath. When an athlete breathes mainly in their chest, they take in less oxygen with each breath, but as importantly, they also remove less carbon dioxide from their system. Carbon dioxide dissolves in the blood, and causes the pH of the blood to drop (acidification). Acidification of the blood is a major cause of muscle fatigue, thus removing carbon dioxide from your system is just as important as taking in oxygen to fuel your muscles. By belly breathing, more of the lungs’ volume is utilized both to take in oxygen, and to remove carbon dioxide, and an athlete’s performance increases to match. One study done by at the University of Arizona had 20 road cyclists do computer controlled deep breathing exercises for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks, to develop their diaphragm and intercostal muscles. At the end of the period, they did a simulated 40 km race. The control groups all showed no improvement in performance, while the test group road 5% faster. Imagine if your next climb felt 5% easier! Practice To train yourself to belly breath during exercise, start by doing some simple belly breathing practice while at rest. Try lying down and placing your hands, one on top of the other, on your stomach, just above your belly button. Inhale, trying to push your hands as high towards the ceiling as you can. Hold for a moment, then exhale fully, feeling your hands sink as far to the floor as you can. Feel as though your belly button is moving towards your spine, but don’t push with your hands; let the muscles of your diaphragm do the work. Inhale again pushing your hands as high as you can once more, and continue to repeat the process. With practice, this type of breathing will become more natural, and will begin to move into your exercise as well. You can practice the technique the next time you are sitting at your desk, or while sitting in the car on your next commute as well. With practice and training, the muscles of your lungs will tone just like the muscles in your legs and core do! The Pressure Breath If you are not familiar with the pressure breath, it is one of the most important efficiency techniques that we teach new climbers. Pressure breathing is a technique nearly all mountaineers use on high altitude mountains around the world, and is really just a derivative of the belly breath. Inhaling as fully as possible, the climber exhales with force, generally pursing their lips slightly so as to create a smaller aperture, as if they were trying to blow out a series of birthday candles. Essentially belly breathing with a forceful exhale, the pressure breath helps to improve gas exchange across the alveoli by increasing the pressure in the lungs. The pressure breath helps to combat the effects caused by decreasing atmospheric pressure as climbers gain altitude. The pressure breath is one of the most important techniques for climbing at altitude efficiently, but it requires a lot of work from the muscles of your lungs. By beginning to tone and train those muscles now, you will be better prepared to pressure breath your way up your next climb in style! Check out these few articles from the running and cycling world for more information and techniques to develop your belly breathing: Chris Burnham of Burnham coaching, Breathing for endurance athletes. And lastly, Endurance Training: surviving the tour. Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!

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I first learned pressure breathing when I took “How to Climb Mt. Rainier” from Pierce College in 1982. The instructors, Jeff Sharp and Ron Servine, attributed this technique correctly to the Whittakers when they taught it.
From then on I used it myself, subsequently taught it myself to my own students there, and always found it to be a great help. As we would say, ‘If your legs hurt , pressure breathe’. I still use it to this day in my continuing fitness activities. Thanks for the article!

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Mt. Rainier: July 7th Update

July 7, 2014

Posted by: Casey Grom, Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Mount Rainier Four Day and Five Day Summit Climbs, led by Seth Waterfall and Casey Grom, reached the summit this morning with clear skies, warm temperaturess and winds ranging from 5-20 mph. Both teams began their descent from the crater rim at 7:15 a.m. Congratulations to today's climbers! RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Casey Grom

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Congratulations Wesley McCabe on climing to reach your dreams July 8th, 2014. Proud of you Buddy, Love Dad

Posted by: Roger McCabe on 7/8/2014 at 10:01 am

Congratulations Wesley McCabe on climing to reach your dreams. Proud of you Buddy, Love Dad

Posted by: Roger McCabe on 7/8/2014 at 9:59 am

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Peru Seminar: Elias & Team Ready to Climb Ishinca

July 6, 2014

Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar

Elevation: 14,400'

Hello everyone, this is Elias, Robby and the team in the Ishinca Valley. We are getting ready to go to bed as we are going to climb Ishinca tonight. It is 7:30 in the evening here. Today we spent the day doing some training at the glacier of the Ishinca Peak. We cached some gear up there and then tomorrow we should be having another awesome climbing day on this astonishing peak called Ishinca. Hopefully, we will get a signal from the summit and we will call from there in about half a day or so. Hope all is well back home and we'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos calls in from Ishinca Basecamp.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hey Victor…..Arnie says be safe and use protective eye wear and have your o2 ready. Are they serving sautéed veal cheeks at your camps?

Gary, Linda and Arnie

Posted by: Gary Rostron on 7/8/2014 at 4:34 pm

Hey Kim!!! It’s just amazing what beauty you & the team get to view from your adventures climbing up there!!! Awesome strength, courage & a tremendous spirit!! Us sea level-lovers have to make-do with pictures (which, of course, we can’t wait to see). Summit on! Have fun! Hugs & cheers, Trish

Posted by: Trish on 7/7/2014 at 2:56 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Back Carry to 13,500’

July 6, 2014

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Ben Liken, Sean Collon

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

July 6, 2014 - 10:18 pm PT Today, our first day at 14K, wasn't very difficult. We got up just slightly ahead of the sun, which made it past Denali's West Rib at 9:20 AM. We had a big breakfast and then geared up to go rescue our cache from the ravens. It only took a few minutes to walk down to 13,500 feet. And then a bit longer to dig up our food and gear -which, thankfully, hadn't been attacked by birds. Then it was just about an hour in the hot sun to get back to camp. We had a short training session in the afternoon to review techniques that we'll employ on the fixed rope section between 15,000 and 16,000 feet. And around dinner time, we were happy to welcome Adam Knoff's victorious team back into 14 camp. They drank water and repacked while telling us stories of the upper mountain. Then they eased out of camp on their way to 11K while we dined, chatted, and headed for bed. The sky has clouded up again and light snow is falling, but we'll hope that tomorrow's weather stays good enough for us to carry up to 16K. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

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Wishing you all a very successful and safe journey to the summit!
You guys are an inspiration!

Posted by: Ahin Handa on 7/7/2014 at 12:21 pm

Hello Denali-Team!
Thank you for your reports, I read every day. So I can take part a little bit in your expedition. Really I haven´t seen so much snow before, even not on pictures.
Furthermore I wish you sunny weather and a good time for all of you! Stay healthy and in good condition!
Ute

Posted by: Ute Novak on 7/7/2014 at 8:09 am

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Alpamayo: Frank & Team Move to 16,200’

July 6, 2014

Posted by: Eric Frank

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar

Elevation: 16,200'

After going to bed last night to the sound of heavy rain and hail, we were unsure what we would find this morning. Waking up to blue skies and warm weather was a pleasant surprise. Once the team had finished breakfast, we set about the arduous process of sorting through gear to carry uphill. Up until now mules have carried our gear, so weight was not a concern. Folding chairs, speaker boxes, cotton clothes, hardback books...anything was fair game. Now that we are carrying the gear on our backs, loads needed to be cut to a minimum and luxury items were left behind. With the packs trimmed to a reasonable size we made the two-hour climb up to our camp at 16,200'. Currently the team is resting and looking forward to moving up again tomorrow. RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Alpamayo team

Mt. McKinley: Knoff & Team Reach the Summit!

July 6, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Lindsay Mann

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

July 6, 2014 - 11:00 am PT Adam Knoff called the office with great news: The team reached the summit of Mount McKinley at 7:00pm last night! Everyone is doing great and very happy. They are packing up high camp and plan to head down to 14K camp to visit with Dave Hahn and team, then may continue on to 11,000’. Their plan is to be at Basecamp tomorrow. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Awesome job team. Congrats Jay and mart and all. You will make it down soon!

Posted by: Susanlampas on 7/7/2014 at 3:53 pm

Awesome achievement Mark Skinner and team! Congratulations!

Posted by: Will Kerner on 7/7/2014 at 10:22 am

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Mt. Rainier: July 6th Update

July 6, 2014

Posted by: Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

Summit! The Mount Rainier Four Day Summit Climb, led by Solveig Waterfall, reached the summit this morning. The weather was very warm and winds were between 15 and 30 mph. The team began their descent from the crater rim just before 7 a.m.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Jay - Yay!!! I showed off your pictures today at work!! I cannot wait to hear all about your adventure. XOXO

Posted by: Lisa on 7/7/2014 at 12:52 pm

Solveig, Billy, and Nick! Thank you for the great adventure and your friendly yet superb professional support in reaching our goal to stay on the top of Mt. Rainier! It was unforgettable experience! My daughter Zina and I enjoyed every bit of it!

Posted by: Oleg on 7/7/2014 at 8:57 am

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RMI Expeditions Blog

Mt. McKinley: Knoff and Team Experience Deja Vu

Mt. Elbrus: JJ Justman and Team Fly to Cheget

On The Map

Peru Seminar: Elias & Team Summit Ishinca!

Mountaineering Training | Moving Air: Breathing For Performance

Mt. Rainier: July 7th Update

Peru Seminar: Elias & Team Ready to Climb Ishinca

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Back Carry to 13,500’

On The Map

Alpamayo: Frank & Team Move to 16,200’

Mt. McKinley: Knoff & Team Reach the Summit!

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: July 6th Update

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