RMI Expeditions Blog

June 1, 2014 11:47 pm PT It has been a perfect rest day for us. Not perfect climbing weather, but plenty nice at camp to enjoy the day. Although many climbers took advantage of the relatively good weather to go for 17,200' camp, many others were suspicious of the cloud cap over the summit that threatened winds on the Buttress. In fact, no guided groups went to 17,200' today. But we had no such decisions to make. Instead, we slept in until 9:00 then, as we've done before, and feasted on a sumptuous brunch of smoked salmon, bagels and cream cheese. What decadence! The guides had some chores and logistics to sort out, then we took the short tour east to the Edge of the World to take in the view from 14,000' overlooking the Northeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, and affording views way down the glacier to where our very first camp of the expedition was. We've done a lot of climbing since then, and have developed as a strong team caring for the well being of each other as much as ourselves. It's nice seeing the kind of support these guys give each other. Tomorrow brings us our biggest challenge of the trip, and everyone shares the mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness. We got through the headwall and fixed lines yesterday, but the Buttress itself is another beast. As is ascending the 3000' to 17,200', a new altitude record for many of us. That this part of the route is the guides' favorite part attests to the aesthetics of the climbing, and I think the team will get excited when they get on it. We're looking forward to a good, hard day. Because it will be a long day for us, which may even be followed by another even harder day (the summit?), this may be the last post of any length for a while. Wish us luck! RMI Guides Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, and Nick Hunt

Sunday, June 1, 2014 11:34 pm PT The best laid plans are always subject to change. Our first view out of the tent this morning was of blue sky, but when we turned our gaze towards the summit, we found a large lenticular cloud spinning over the mountain, with jets of snow shooting up into the sky. Needless to say, we spent another day in camp. Our prospects look good for tomorrow, with a favorable forecast of high pressure for the next several days. We've said this before, and some are wondering how much longer we can wait; the team made the decision today that Tuesday would be our definitive up/down day. On the plus side, a slew of independent climbers made the jump to 17,000' today despite the winds, so that should alleviate some of the congestion tomorrow. We redecorated our posh tent today with a sun painted in Gatorade, a hockey player's face (looking towards the Stanley Cup), and the quote "we're doin' it". Spirits are still high despite the waiting, and we have a lot of hope that tomorrow will deliver for us. For now: off to bed to rest up for the fixed lines and West Buttress tomorrow! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard, and team

Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42 pm PT We went to bed last night with clear blue skies fueling hopes for a good chance of flying onto the Kahiltna glacier today. When we woke this morning, the clouds dampened our hopes, and we slowly made our way to breakfast. After another hearty round of Roadhouse delights, we made our way to the hangar and settled in for a morning of discussion. Within 2 hours, we had finished chatting and were dispersing around Talkeetna for rest and lunch. Some of us were still at the hangar when the K2 Aviation staff came out and started packing up our kit - it was on! We called the team in and got our clothes changed, boots on, and stood anxiously waiting for the green light to load and go. Soon, we were in the Otter plane and flying towards the heart of the Alaska range. We landed amid the giants of snow and rock that characterize this special range, high-fived with RMI Guide Mike Walter and his crew and waved them goodbye as they headed back to the luxuries we've left behind. The team had a good early dinner and are now in bed, resting for the work to come. Stay with us as we climb towards our goal! RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens, and Bryan Hendrick

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Pablo Puruncajas reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams are descending to Camp Muir to rest and refuel before making their way to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later today.

The clouds parted long enough for our team to fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier today. We have been packed and ready for this day and now we are ready to climb! Once we are settled in at Kahiltna Base, we'll check in again. RMI Guides Eric Frank and Geoff Schellens

Our thoughts are with our friends at Alpine Ascents and with the family and relatives of the guides and climbers involved in the climbing accident on Mt. Rainier. The climbing community is tightly knit and we feel the loss deeply. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to all of those involved. Please join the climbing community for a memorial service for Eitan Green and Mathew Hegeman: Saturday, June 21, 2014 | 3 - 5 pm The Mountaineers | 7700 Sandy Point Way NE | Seattle, WA 98115 - The RMI Team

The Four Day Summit Climb led by Kel Rossiter and the Five Day Summit Climb led by Mark Falender reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Kel reported calm and sunny conditions, a beautiful day on top. They are descending back to Camp Muir and we look forward to welcoming them back in Ashford later this afternoon.

May 31, 2014 - 11:23 pm PT The weather slowly cleared over the course of today. We woke to heavy snowfall, but calm winds, and the snow slowly eased through the day, clearing enough by the time we headed to the tents this evening to show blue sky over the West Buttress. The anticipation and excitement in the cook tent this evening was obvious, as we do plan to try to make the next jump tomorrow, climbing to 17k camp tomorrow. If all goes well, the next few days will be big, and will go by in a whirlwind. We'll keep you all updated on our progress, and wish us luck! RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team

On The Map

May 31, 2014 - 11:21 pm PT The weather cooperated, sort of, for our big day climbing the infamous fixed lines to 16,200'. These are ropes fixed in place on a steep part of our route that offer security to our team as we climb it. As seen from camp this headwall is particularly impressive, and intimidating. The winds had calmed down completely by the time we got up, and the day was looking good. However by the time we actually started walking clouds had rolled in obscuring our views and the route. But the sun could be seen through this layer giving us confidence that we'd climb out of it. And we did. The headwall itself was challenging, but our training yesterday helped immeasurably. We all made it to 16,200' where we cached the supplies we carried up and took a well-deserved break. Our descent was slow on the icy terrain, but we managed it fairly well. By the time we got back to camp, the team was deservedly happy to have climbed this much anticipated part of the route. And now it's bed time. We're all looking forward to sleeping in and being lazy tomorrow. All for now from 14,200', RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick

On The Map

May 31, 2014 - 11:02 pm PT Not a plane was buzzing this morning when we awoke to dark skies and a slight breeze here in Talkeetna. Today was our fly day, but we are waiting out a hefty storm that has hundreds of climbers waiting on both sides of the Alaska Range. We met at the K2 hangar to wrap up some last-minute packing with high hopes for hopping on a plane; alas, we stayed stuck on the green-side, in Talkeetna along with swarms of anxious climbers. We are all psyched for tomorrow's potential - crouched and ready to jump on a plane at a moments notice. For now, we will continue to exercise our patience, a vital skill that we will need on the mountain. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens