Entries By bryan mazaika

Wednesday, June 13, 2018 - 9:27 PM PT Today we had another great breakfast. Then the crew geared up for a climb up towards the fixed ropes. We have had more than our share of good rest in the past few days. We needed to move some blood and keep our fitness we have gained on this trip. From the forecast we are seeing it looks like we could have a few more days of poor weather. We hope to take another climb for fitness tomorrow and be ready for a break in the weather. Fingers crossed! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - 9:56 PM PT Today was another windy and snowy day here at 14,000' Camp. After a late breakfast, despite the snow, the team worked together to make an igloo to improve the comfort of the bathroom experience given the current conditions. It’s little projects like these around camp that help down days go by. After a few hours of resting back in our tents the sun made an evening appearance that allowed us to stretch our legs around camp and clear out some of the snow again. The skiers on the mountain have been taking advantage of the evening clearings by enjoying the powder turns to be had just above camp. We’ve enjoyed standing out in the sun watching them ski back to camp. Unfortunately, the outlook for the forecast took a big swing this morning and instead of high pressure settling in for the weekend it now appears we are expecting a major snowstorm and continued high winds through Saturday to stall our summit bid. The team is staying optimistic however, given we may be at 14 camp for a few more days. Tomorrow’s another day and a forecast is only a forecast! RMI Guide Tyler Jones and Team

On The Map

Monday, June 11, 2018 - 3:42 PM PT We made it through a very snowy and windy night at 14,000' Camp and also made it through the coldest night we have had near -10F. The skies were clear and cold when we crawled out of the tent to nearly two feet of fresh snow. The team cleared the snow from the tents and shoveled the snow out of our snow block fortress. Then we had another amazing breakfast that started with coffee then hash browns, then blueberry pancakes, a Tyler Jones special. We then proceeded to have another round of hash browns and pancakes. This was obviously paired with a healthy serving of crispy bacon. The new snow along with the wind has most the camp relaxed and waiting till the winds up high on the mountain subside and give the new snow time to settle. The forecast is looking up later this week. We will be patient and out chill the wind and snow, then when the opportunity presents, we will make our move to High Camp. Till then we have a fierce game of Yahtzee in the cool tent and laps around camp to keep us busy. Cheers, RMI Guide Tyler Jones and team

On The Map

Sunday, June 10, 2018 - 9:04 PM PT To Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Here is the story all about how We’re stuck at 14 with so much pow Just wait a little minute and sit right there And we’ll tell you all about these snow walls up in here. These walls are high, they are not low Like the saying goes, you reap what you sow. The storm’s a brewin, it does not matter It just means we make these walls fatter. Everyone’s spirits are high Despite this Denali blizzard Though we admit We’d rather sip on some sizzer...d Don’t you worry though Because when this passes We’ll be cruising up the pass the masses to the top I tell you loud and clear is our intent so don’t you fear. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Saturday, June 9, 2018 - 8:43 PM PT A message written by the team: "Today we took a rest on the edge. At the aptly named Edge of the World outside of 14 camp we stopped for some great photos. Photos so grand, you’ll never see them. The snow fell gently in the afternoon air. We pondered our favorite planets. Security felt a little lax around camp and with murmurs of winter coming we built some walls around camp. Afterwards, during dinner, we concluded that the sun is the collective favorite planet. Have to be honest, the mountain food is just food. But the guides cooking skills are super awesome. Looking forward to capping off the night with some gentle snoring to keep the local wildlife at bay. Tomorrow should probably be a super epic day." RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team

On The Map

Friday June 8, 2018 8:37 PM The Jones Team had an excellent and hard day getting our cache established at 17 Camp! The cold morning had us clawing our toes to keep them warm but by our first break of the day we hit the sunshine to warm us up. Our practice yesterday in camp had us dialed to send it right up the fixed lines with style and in good time. The weather was beautiful on the ridge, with sun and no wind, it allowed us to continue climbing higher to deliver our supplies to 17,200 ft. The descent was just as exhausting but we are back at 14,000' camp cooking up dinner to replenish ourselves from the effort. Tomorrow calls for a rest day before we await our window for our summit bid! The forecast is calling for high winds on the summit through the weekend so we may be waiting down here at 14 camp till early next week. Either way some rest and further acclimatization will be beneficial and we are ready when our chance comes! RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team

Today was another rest day with a top notch breakfast donated from our fellow RMI team Mike Walter who is currently on the way down to the airstrip. The breakfast quesadilla extravaganza started with snow and ended with heavy snow. We said good bye to Walter team and are looking forward to some training in the next few hours to dial in our technique for the next stage of our climb to carry supplies for our high camp. This will set the stage for our summit push when the weather allows. For now we will out chill the snow and let you know how our carry turns out tomorrow! We are wishing good luck to the Van Deventer and Hailes teams as they are pushing to high camp today for their summit bid! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Wednesday, June 6, 2018 - 4:52 PM PT After a busy week of pushing up to 14,000' Camp, we took a much deserved first full rest day. The team had a rough nights sleep at our new altitude and learned how to manage the morning “snowstorm” in the tent that develops from the condensation our breath gives off and freezes on the inside of the tent walls. To sum it up, it’s not a pleasant way to wake up! Despite that, we got to sleep in and wait for the sun to hit our tents before we had a big breakfast with bagels, cream cheese and salmon!! The morning sun helped dry out our sleeping bags before some afternoon snow showers moved through. Tomorrow we might have a more active rest day filled with some training and a walk to the Edge of the World. All and all, the team is enjoying some rest and should sleep much better tonight as our bodies continue to acclimate to our new elevation. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 - 4:28 pm PT Well our lucky streak with the weather continued today. The Team was up early packing our equipment and taking down tents for our move to 14,200ft camp. The group of gentleman we have on this trip seem to get stronger each day developing skills both physically and mentally. Though we are all a bit warn down from this week's efforts, we are happy at our newly-built camp in the basin. We have spectacular view from our tents, which are currently glacier-front property. We are sitting pretty and looking forward to a full rest day tomorrow along with hydration, acclimatization, and a few skills for higher on the mountain. The camp will also get a few upgrades I’m sure. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Monday, June 4, 2018 - 10:00 PM PT The gang awoke to a clear, crisp morning on the day of our carry to 14, 000' Camp. The group was raring to go and many could hardly sit still. Whether it was excitement or to keep the cold at bay was difficult to tell. Today would be the first day of climbing, when the group would strap on crampons and walk with an ice ax in their hand. This would be made even more difficult by the ever thinning air as we gain more than 3,000' of elevation on our way to 14,000' Camp. However, this group of climbers, after tackling the approach into 11,000' with professional style, would not be phased by things as trivial as thin air, heavy packs, and the guides incessant reminders to rest step and pressure breath. Right out of camp the climbing hits you head on with a steep slope known as Motorcycle Hill. Lucky for us the snow had been packed down and our crampons with their many points allowed us to send motorcycle with ease. At the top of our first obstacle we were treated to views of the Peters Glacier as well as the Father and Sons wall, an impressive alpine face of granite and blue ice. Further in the distance the wilderness of the Alaskan tundra stretched far beyond the limitations of the human eye. The scale out here is truly impressive. Reinvigorated by the views, the climbers were ready to scamper up squirrel hill and charge across the polo fields straight to Windy Corner. Again luck was on our side as the often ferocious Windy Corner would not live up to its name on this day. With the bulk of the hard climbing behind us, only one hill remained between us and our cache site at 14,000'. In the style that us guides have come to expect from our climbers they crushed the last hill and strolled into 14,000' Camp with ample energy. Friends and other climbers from RMI groups ahead of us treated us with smiles and a much needed water refill as we dumped our gear in our cache and prepped for our return to our Camp at 11,000'. The day was only half over. With water and snacks in our bellies we turned our boots down hill hoping to make it back to the safety and comfort of our tents before the snow turned to mush and the sun baked our minds. The climbers of the Jones expedition once again did not disappoint as all members of our group made it safely back to camp in time for lunch and well earned nap.Tomorrow will be another big day if the weathers on our side? RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Bryan Mazaika and Nick Scott

On The Map