Entries By eric frank

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!

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! 

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

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.

The Four Day Climb May 6 - 9 led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Grayson Swingle ascended to Camp Muir yesterday. The team left from Camp Muir this morning and ascended to Ingraham Flats.  More new snow and avalanche danger made this their high point but they did enjoy some blue skies and sunshine.   The team left Camp Muir on their descent to Paradise.  We will look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

After a week of unexpected park closures and a wonderful spring storm, our first Muir seminar of the season has concluded. Despite the less than stellar weather conditions, the team was able to shift gears and make the most of their time on the mountain. Climbers learned important skills like route planning, glaciology, snow sciences and spent several days practicing and honing their crevasse rescue skills.

Congratulations team – we hope you enjoyed your time on the mountain!

On Monday, the Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir was foiled from getting into the National Park by a large Spring snow storm.  We spent the day learning and practicing technical skills like rope ascension and ice climbing.  The team then learned about route planning, glaciology, and snow science. Hopes are high that the team can reach Paradise today.

RMI Guide James Bealer

The Five Day Mt. Rainier Climb teams, led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Jenny Konway, turned at High Crack today due to hearing and seeing a significant amount of rock and icefall. They are back at Camp Muir and will be descending early this morning.

Thursday, June 3, 2021 - 6:15 pm PT

Good afternoon! This is RMI Guide Eric Frank calling on June 3rd from the summit of Denali, the highest point in North America. We are up here on a beautiful afternoon, in-and-out of the clouds. Sometimes we can see 100 miles; sometimes we can only see our climbing boots. We had an awesome climb today. Started off a little chilly in the shade, but all-in-all it has been a wonderful day of climbing.  We are enjoying 15 minutes on top right now. It is about 5:15 local time. We are going to pack up and head downhill where we should be back between 9 and 10 pm tonight.  Thanks everyone for following along.  Friends and family- I am sure you’ll be happy to hear from your respective individuals in a few days.  Our hope is to move down to a lower elevation, thicker air and catch a plane to the land of burgers and beer within a couple of days.  Thanks for following along. Bye.

RMI Guide Eric Frank

Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - 11:47 pm PT

The team moved to Denali's 17K Camp today through tough winds.  We left camp early to blue skies and cold air as we headed up the fixed lines.  The top of the fixed lines yielded increased wind, and we quickly donned our hard shells.  As we climbed further up the West Buttress, we pushed through more ferocious wind and scattered clouds.   Thankfully, as we rolled into camp the clouds abated and we are left hoping the weather holds for our summit push tomorrow.

RMI Guide Eric Frank