Entries By chase nelson

Our third AMS-Alpine Expedition has come to an end. What an incredible time we had! The rugged terrain of Little Switzerland didn't disappoint at all... While the weather has been the main challenge, conditions on the routes were stellar. Our team of four climbers were super talented and motivated, and training days in the vicinity of camp waiting for weather to clear, turned to be the most productive lessons on the terrain; from rock rescue scenarios, to anchor transitions, all paid back with very efficient climbs up iconic formations like "The Lost Marsupial" or "The Troll", which astonished glacier landing tourists from down below as their K2 Aviation plane landed on the Kahiltna Glacier. Worth mentioned was our menu. If most of us are familiar with the concept of car camping... imagine how plane camping can be! With a powerless fridge like the glacier, steaks or fresh vegetables are unquestionable components of our diet in here. Yes, the alpine climbing in our seminar is at its best; light packs, 1 day missions from camp, and technical terrain. But when we're at camp, fun times, quality rest and better food is guaranteed. Now we're headed to the airport, already thinking of next year's edition. Thanks for following and I hope you will consider joining us next season! RMI Guide Elías de Andrés Martos

Good morning from little Swiss, We came to an end, but not without reward...Yesterday we had, after a patient wait for blue skies, the most amazing of the climbing days we could hope for. the Middle Troll, reigning over the Pika, towered for hours above us, as its splitter granite cracks discerned a feasible access to its airy summit. The team climbed seamlessly, and all the training of the last week payed for an incredibly well oiled "uphilling" engine. We climbed into the evening, as the morning and early afternoon were still foggy; climbing into the evening light of Alaska's summer was very special. We're now cooking our breakfast and soon we'll fly back to civilization... wait to see our pictures! RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos & Team

Good morning from the Pika Glacier. The weather and visibility yesterday were not exactly what we hoped for. But we made the most out of our day with more valuable training near camp; crevasse and rock rescue systems took the bigger part of the day, finishing with a few laps of vertical ice climbing out of a big crack, Alaska size. Dinner didn't disappoint and made up for the lack of the climb we hoped to do, and a veggie-cheese omelette and steak fajitas were on the menu. This morning we're in a holding pattern as well, as a super dense fog is reducing our visibility to 30ft. Stay tuned for more, RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team.

Hello from the Pika Glacier! We had a terrific day on the "munchkin" a rock formation 20 minutes west of our camp, where we spent the day training. This team is really talented and motivated to learn, and with the best classroom as our domain, we had a very productive day; short roping, rock anchors, belay escapes, transitions... We lost the concept of time getting techie with our ropes and gear, and we realized we had to come back to camp when our stomachs told us dinner time was due. We are hoping for good weather tomorrow to climb another objective. Best regards from Alaska, Elias, Chase and team. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

June 10, 2017 Good evening from Alaska. It shouldn't be raining on the glaciers of this Range. But it is. We've been confined today to our tents and kitchen tarp to stay dry, as a wet cloud and on and off rain took over most of the day. No climbing or outside training we could do, but for the hour or so that we got a break, we moved camp, as our tent platforms became 1 foot tall pedestals due to the high temps. We're all looking forward to an improvement on the forecast, and continue to climb on this sanctuary of alpine dreams that Little Swiss is! Elias, Chase and team.

June 10, 2017 12:02 am PST Good eve from camp! We just got back from a stellar day on The Throne, one of the dominant peaks around Little Swiss. We ventured up the "Lost Marsupial" Route, and these folks climbed it (up and down) in a record time for this guide's third year coming here! A bit of rain threatened us and we considered bailing, but soon it ceased and we finished our objective. The cloudy skies provided an incredible light tone that made our pictures sure look surreal. Upon arrival to camp, steak dinner was prepared, and a good night's sleep awaits. Stay tuned for more, RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team

Good evening from the Pika Glacier! We flew in yesterday on schedule, and continued with a busy afternoon of camp building for what's going to be home for the next week. We woke to warm temperatures that made the forecasted precipitation fall in the shape of rain, which kept us tent grounded for the morning. A beautiful afternoon provided a good review of skills, and the motivation is high for our first venture into the nearby formations tomorrow. Stay tuned for more! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Chase Nelson reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Casey reported that the team is enjoying clear, calm and peaceful skies. The team was leaving the Crater Rim at 6:50 am and are now en route to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's team!

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir May 14-19, 2017 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Chase Nelson spent the week at Camp Muir. The team spent time learning mountaineering skills, knot tying and crevasse rescue. The team experienced windy and snowy conditions for a portion of the week but were rewarded today with beautiful blue sky. They reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 7:30 and spent an hour enjoying the views and celebrating their accomplishment. Today is the last day of the program so once they return to Camp Muir they will pack their gear and continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today. Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Five Day Summit Climb May 8 - 12, 2017 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Chase Nelson led a small group of climbers to the summit via the Ingraham Direct route. Elias reported strong winds with clear skies with improving conditions and a nice day. After a windy first night at Camp Muir and poor weather yesterday, we are glad this team was able to make a summit attempt. Congratulations to today's climbers!