Entries By alex halliday

We had a short day getting to our camp at Lake Ann on Tuesday. The Fisher Chimneys were too wet for us to ascend any higher.  So we woke up early  to make our attempt at the summit. Starting in the dark and ending in the dark meant we had a very long and very hard but successful summit day yesterday. Today we will descend to the trail head and complete our program.

Thanks for joining us!

- RMI Guide Alex Halliday

RMI Guide Alex Halliday and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons August 6 - 11 team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today.  Alex reported light to moderate winds and sunny skies from the summit at 10:30 am.  The route on the Emmons was good up high but challenging at the lower elevations due to bare glacial ice.  Today the team will descend to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain.  Their program will conclude tomorrow with a descent to the trailhead near White River Camp Ground and a return to Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar Team!

Sunday, August 8th, 2021 - 4:57 pm PT

After making an essential sandwich stop in Enumclaw this morning we had a lovely hike into the base of the Inter Glacier. Climbing the hard blue glacial ice on the inter glacier put our new found cramponing skills to good use. We are sitting in the fog now hoping it will clear so that we have good view with dinner.

RMI Guide Alex Halliday

This morning RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Alex Halliday led their teams to the top of Mt. Rainier!  The weather is cloudy and smoky from some wildfires up north.  The team began their descent from the crater rim at 9:25 a.m.

RMI Guide Mike Haugen reported sunshine, great weather and a light 5 mph breeze as his team was on the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The Four Day Climb July 25 - 28, 2021 led by Mike Haugen and Alex Halliday were descending from the crater rim at 7 am.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 2:48 pm PT

We are back in camp with tired legs and full minds after a windy but successful summit bid. We will wrap up our training this afternoon and hike back to trailhead in the morning. 

RMI Guide Alex Halliday & Team

RMI Guides Casey Grom & Alex Halliday led their Four Day Climb Teams July 10 - 13, 2021 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams reached the crater rim at 5:10 am.  Skies were clear and winds were calm as the teams enjoyed some time on the summit.   They began their descent from the crater rim at 6:30 am.  Once back at Camp Muir they will repack and continue the remaining 4,500' to Paradise. 

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Climb July 2 - 5, 2021 reached the crater rim of Mt. Rainier at 5:30 am today with blue skies above and good route conditions under foot.  The teams, led by RMI Guides JM Gorum and Joe Hoch, enjoyed some time in the crater and spent time taking in the views.  The route remains in good condition with a nice boot pack trail.  Back at Camp Muir the teams will get a short break to repack gear and re-hydrate before descending the final 4,500' to Paradise.

Congratulations to the Four Day Climb team!

The Expedition Skills Seminar on the Kautz Glacier has been training on the mountain all week in warm temperatures.  This morning was their summit attempt.  Due to a significant amount of icefall on the route, the team had to abort their summit bid.  The team is safely working their way back to camp and are descending from the mountain today.

Update: Friday, June 11, 2021 - 9:47 pm PT

We woke to a clear and "warm" by 17K Camp standards morning and decided to get out in front of the inevitable hoard of climbers that would be attempting the summit today. With cold hands and toes warming up by the time we got to Denali Pass we kept breaking trail in spots and resting on what was the warmest and windless summit day I’ve been a part of. Some of the group had just a base layer and light weight gloves on at 19,500'. Everyone in the group, 9 climbers and 3 guides stood on top of the tallest peak in North America. We got some good views of the surrounding glacier and mountains. We even had 2 returning climbers who got turned around 2 years ago due to bad weather. Your loved ones will have all sorts of stories to share, know that they are safe in camp and taking care of themselves after an arduous 14-hour day. We will plan to descend to 14K Camp tomorrow and perhaps lower if the weather cooperates. While the objective we all set out 2 weeks ago has been accomplished, we still have a lot of terrain to navigate so we can get to the airstrip for flights on Sunday or Monday (weather permitting). Thanks for following along!

RMI Guide Mike King

Friday, June 11, 2021 - 4:00 pm PT

We received word this afternoon from RMI Guide Mike King that his team was on the summit of Denali with 100% of their team members.  We wish them a safe descent and a hearty congratulations for all their hardwork!

Way to go team!