Entries By ben luedtke

Friday, June 12th - 12:20AM PST

Woweewow! What a day. As planned, we made it onto the glacier this morning. The views flying in? Epic. The mountain?  Stunning. The plane flying away and leaving us here? Welcomed. We are ready. And in fact, we already moved. We arrived at Camp 1 just in time for dinner and "sunset."  After a long hard day carrying ALL of our gear, we feel ecstatic. But the work to climb the tallest mountain in North America doesn't stop. Tomorrow we will carry and cache just below our next camp. Sweet dreams y'all, update you tomorrow!

-RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team
 

6.9.26

Hello all and welcome to Talkeetna, Alaska! After being picked up at the airport, we were shuttled through Wasilla for a quick 45 minute food shop and arrived at our K2 hangar for our official start of the west buttress climb. After enjoying an awesome dinner at Denali Brewpub and beginning to mesh as a team, we were treated with a view of Denali herself. 

6.10.26

A day of packing. Twas the perfect day to pack with the hangar doors open. Alas, we are ready. With nerves of steel, we shall fly towards our future. And with great manifestation, our team shall succeed. Stay tuned for the trip of a lifetime. 

- RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team 

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli and Ben Luedtke reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams were in and out of the clouds as they climbed into a cap to reach 14,410'. It was cold with a steady breeze, but the team pushed through to reach the top.

Congratulations Team!

The Four Day Climb, led by Ben Luedtke and Will Ambler, successfully reached the summit early this morning and is now on the descent.

Ben reports cold temperatures accompanied by sustained winds around 30 mph. Route conditions are firm, and skies remain overcast.

Congratulations! 

The first RMI team of the 2026 Mt. Rainier season has reached the summit! 

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke led the first Five Day Climb April 29 - 3 May. The group met Wednesday for their Orientation and Gear check, completed their Mountaineering School on Thursday and asended to Camp Muir on Friday.  Yesterday the team trained near Camp Muir and this morning launched their alpine start.  Ben and a small group of climbers reached the summit around 7 am.  Ben reported sunny conditions with a light breeze and a beautiful day.  The climbers will return to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise this afternoon.  We look forward to celebrating with them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

Congratulations team!

At the beginning of the trip Anna asked what climb I loved most and why. Immediately I said, the people I am with. This trip was no different. Our team contained inspiring people. Whynde - humble, incredible listener,and supportive, Jesse - cool, calm, and thoughtful, Hannah - our social butterfly, always has good questions, and introspective, Anna - good energy, moral booster, and full of life, Maria - full of knowledge, kindness, and encouragement, Carlos and Allan - our logistics specialists, we couldn’t have done it without you, and lastly our lead guide Ben - el jefe, our fearless leader, keeping our team in good spirits, and making sure each of us were heard. I am grateful to spend this experience with each of you. Until next time, climb on!

RMI Climber Ethan Pickett

Pico. De. Orizaba. 

What an incredible place, an incredible volcano, and an incredible climb. Congratulations to the team today for making it to el cumbre! After a glorious dinner last night before bed, prepared by the wonderful Rudolpho and Allan, we woke up same night to tackle our final objective. The night shined bright thanks to an almost full moon, lighting up the Labyrinth light a simple fable....with almost no wind and not a mouse to be heard (only felt on the back of the head while sleeping), we then enjoyed an insanely colorful sunrise that pictures can't even describe. Not all of us made it, but we are ecstatic for those that did. Now here we sit, back in Tlachichuca, all showered and bonito again. We could not be more grateful for our local guide Allan, and the rest of the Servimont crew for all of their hosting, driving, cooking, and overall hospitality. David Bowie may portray it better, but we will miss this place, once we are gone.

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team

Mexico dispatch 2.27.26

Today we woke way too early, with way too little coffee, to leave our
quaint spot in Puebla to head out for Tlachichuca (or as I  call it "T+10,"
that saves everyone from my terrible spelling and even worse pronunciation)...it's time for the main event, Pico de Orizaba.

We got a great tour of the soap factory turned climbers' hut that's 100+ years old. It was good little history lesson of the Industrial Revolution as well. Who knew climbing was so educational?!

We got one last quick & delicious lunch and fingers crossed we've got all our needed gear for the next ~24 hours. Then 2 hours of hot, bumpy, dusty and smoky fun up to our campsite.

It's been an amazing journey so far with great people and many memories made. From bumpy roads, unique baños, dusty hikes, delicious dinners and everything in between. This trip is definitely one for the books and it's not over yet!

High  camp is a beautiful rocky spot where the clouds envelop us. It's quite nice minus the wildfire smoke. The Refugio was a nice little place to have our dinner after a quick avalanche briefing and hike to get the blood flowing. Next step is up.

I want to take a moment to give a big thank you to all our families and friends back home who are supporting us chasing our dreams in
the mountains.  We couldn't do this without y'all. I hope y'all have enjoyed following us along on this adventure. (And a special hug to my Scoops! I miss you buddy.)

iMuchas Gracias!

RMI Climber Anna Hern

P.S. - I just lost the game ;)
#IYKYK

Today was a decadent day of relaxation in Puebla, named “Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.

The day was warm, the sun was shining, and music filled the air. This historic city could not be more charming from its tree filled main square, to the artisan markets, churches, and restaurants.

During the day, we strolled the streets, visited Pirámide Tepalcáyotl, and just caught up on life and work.

We all met in the evening for a team dinner at an exceptional restaurant, Mural de los Poblanos. We tasted moles from the region (while wearing bibs), gazed up at the moon through the open ceiling, and caught up on each other’s days.

On the way home, we indulged in the largest churro one has ever seen. We took it back to the hotel and proudly ate it on the rooftop while taking in the city views. It was a truly special moment.

If we were to write a 6-word memoir for our time together it might be: ‘Came for mountains, left as friends.’

As we have remarked throughout the trip, we love the mountains, but it is really the people that make the experience. We all come for different reasons — to immerse in nature, to stand on the top of the world, to challenge ourselves and push boundaries, to enjoy time with friends, to be truly alive… and when we leave we are always a little bit changed in a profound way. We are grateful for our paths to have crossed and that we got to take this unforgettable journey together. 

Tomorrow we head to Pico de Orizaba for the last leg of our adventure. Here we come!

RMI Climber Whynde Kuehn

People have asked me why I climb mountains. My answer has changed over the years. The short answer is I climb mountains so I can escape the mountains of my mind. 

I like Robert McFarland’s quote on the subject too. 

“The true blessing of the mountains is not that they provide a challenge or a contest, something to be overcome and dominated (although this is how many people have approached them). It is that they offer something gentler and infinitely more powerful: they make us ready to credit marvels - whether it is the dark swirl which water makes beneath a plate of ice, or the feel of the soft pelts of moss which form on the lee sides of boulders and trees. Being in the mountains reignites our astonishment at the simplest transactions of the physical world: a snowflake a millionth of an ounce in weight falling on to one's outstretched palm, water patiently carving a runnel in a face of granite, the apparently motiveless shift of a stone in a scree-filled gully. To put a hand down and feel the ridges and score in a rock where a glaciers has passed, to hear how a hillside comes alive with moving water after a rain shower, to see late summer light filling miles of landscape like an inexhaustible liquid - none of these is a trivial experience. Mountains returns to us priceless capacity for wonder which can so insensibly be leached away by modern existence, and they urge us to apply that wonder to our own everyday lives.”

Mountains of the Mind, Robert McFarland

To wrap up how I’m feeling right now, laying in a tent, at 13,000 ft, when I dream, when I attempt to define happiness, this is it. To be with new and old friends outdoors, doing things that allow us to walk the line of comfort and risk. A guide helps control this risk and allows for this exploration of growth. Thanks Ben.

Sometimes I climb mountains just to say I did.

RMI Climber Hannah McEntire 

Ps: Congratulations to the team today for our summit on Izta!