Entries By eric frank
Posted by: Eric Frank, Joe Hoch, Dylan Anderson, Mitch Valaitis, Layne Peters, Arianna Drechsler, Jack Ritterson, Brooks Ordway-Smith, David Ruthbun
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Joe Hoch led their Four Day Climb June 2 - 5 to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. They reached the summit shortly after 7 am and reported clear skies and light winds. The teams will enjoy some time in the crater before starting their descent back to Camp Muir. After a short stop, they will continue down to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
PC: Layne Peters & Joe Hoch
Posted by: Tatum Whatford, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
We’re excited to share that the Four-Day Climb led by Tatum Whatford and Eric Frank reached the summit early this morning! The team reported encountering some wind but otherwise enjoyed a beautiful morning high on the mountain.
After taking in the views from the summit, the climbers began their descent and are currently en route back to Camp Muir. They’re expected to return to Basecamp in Ashford, Washington, later this afternoon.
Congratulations to the entire team on a successful climb and summit!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Mitch Valaitis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,500'
The team turned around just above the Cleaver yesterday due to difficult walking conditions and challenging weather, which proved too demanding for the group. Eric and his team departed Camp Muir this morning at 7:40 a.m. and are en route back to Paradise.
Everyone is safe, in good spirits, and coming away with valuable mountain experience.
Posted by: Eric Frank, Joe Hoch, Ben Ammon, Calvin Jiricko, Tom Skoog, Hannah Billings
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,100'
Led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Joe Hoch, the Four Day Climb May 8 - 11 teams reached an elevation of 13,100 feet today before being turned back due to route conditions. They are currently descending to Camp Muir for a short rest and to repack before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz June 11 - 16, 2023 led by RMI Guide Eric Frank reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning via the Kautz Glacier. After two days of training at BaseCamp and Paradise the team began their ascent via Paradise. They established camp and spent the next two nights on the mountain practice and learning more alpine skills including some crevasse rescue training. This morning the team made their summit attempt, they checked in around 7:30 from just below the Wapowety Cleaver. Eric reported a beautiful day with no wind and warm temperatures. However, when they reached the summit the winds were strong. The team enjoyed a bit of time on the summit before starting their descent back to camp. They will stay tonight on the mountain and continue their descent tomorrow, perhaps with a bit more training.
Nice climbing team!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Mike King, George Hedreen, Mike Bennett, Bailey Servais, Calvin Jiricko
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Mike King led their Four Day Climb June 5 - 8 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Mike reported good climb and a good route but they climbed in a cloud cap with limited visability. The teams reached the crater rim around 6:30 am and were starting their descent shortly before 7:30 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the groups at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Jack Delaney, Evan Sather, Lacie Smith, Nick Sinapius, Sam Hoffman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four-Day climbs led by Eric Frank and Jack Delaney reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Lead Guide Eric Frank reported a gorgeous day and some of the best weather he's had in recent years.
The teams were starting their descent this morning around 9:30AM PT and will be back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon. Nice work!
Is the Ingraham Direct route still open?
Thanks!!!
Gabe
Posted by: Gabe Geers on 6/1/2023 at 4:45 pm
Posted by: Eric Frank, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,800'
The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Seth Burns climbed the Ingraham Direct Route on Mt. Rainier and reached 12,800'. Firm route conditions kept the team from climbing higher.
The team is at Camp Muir where they are in and out of the clouds. They will spend some time re-fueling and organizing their gear before starting their descent.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: Eric Frank, Alex Halliday, Erika Birkeland, Tatum Whatford, George Hedreen, Cal Seeley
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080
The Five Day Climb June 9 - 13 enjoyed a beautiful sunrise from Ingraham Flats and Camp Muir this morning. Route conditions did not allow the teams to ascend above 11,200' yesterday or today but the team got in some good training and enjoyed two nights at Camp Muir. The teams descended to Paradise arriving around noon today and will conclude their program at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Photos: RMI Guide Eric Frank
We did training ascend on June 11 and went up to 11,000’ around 4 pm. I didn’t see any route conditions that did not allow to go further, I don’t have much experience though. Could you give more details on what route conditions stopped the group?
Posted by: Nick R on 6/15/2022 at 12:55 pm
What were the route conditions that did not allow you to go above 11k? Avalanche? Deep snow? Heading up this weekend and wondering what the current risks are from most recent teams.
Posted by: Kahlie Gleason on 6/13/2022 at 1:58 pm
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jess Wedel, Nick Sinapius, Josh McDowell, Eric Frank, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Four Day Climb June 5 - 8 was unable to make their summit attempt. Strong winds overnight at Camp Muir kept the climbers safely inside the hut. RMI Guides Mike Haugen and Josh McDowell reported sustained winds of 50 mph with gusts in the 60's. The winds have decreased enough to allow the climbers to ascend above Camp Muir to check things out. After their walk, they will return to Camp Muir and then make their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the climbers at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
Mike/Jess & Team-
Great climb, thanks so much for taking us! The views were amazing, I learned a ton, and you guys made it really fun, and safe! Good luck with the Kautz Route Seminar later this week!
-Bill
Posted by: Y on 6/8/2022 at 10:59 pm
I’m so thankful to have met and climbed (to Muir) with this group of people. There was so much positivity and honesty amongst this group of strangers. It was inspiring to watch each person climb and battle their way to the summit and back. RMI’s guides are beyond impressive. The strength you all posses is incredible. To do what you do AND be personable AND lighthearted is truly a gift. I cant say enough about all the things you had to juggle to make this trip a success. Thank you to everyone for making this one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Posted by: Nate on 6/6/2025 at 9:53 am
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