Entries By henry coppolillo

Happy Fourth of July!

Led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jess Wedel, the Mt. Rainier Four Day Climbs reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5:35 am. The teams were approaching the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent, when they checked in around 7:30 am. They will continue their descent back to Camp Muir where they will pack up before descending the Muir Snowfield to Paradise. We look forward to welcoming them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. 

Congratulations climbers!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jess Wedel made a push toward the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning, the group reached 13,200 feet before Mother Nature made her presence known.

As the team ascended through the early morning hours, increasing winds and steady snowfall began to challenge their progress. With safety as the top priority, the guides made the decision to turn the team around just below the summit.  

Now back at Camp Muir, where light snow continues to fall, the team is regrouping and preparing for their descent to Paradise.

The Four Day Climb June 12 - 15 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jackson Breen, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:20 am.  Henry reported a beautiful and slightly busy day on the mountain.  The skies were clear and winds low.  The teams enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim.  Once back at Camp Muir, they repacked and descended the remaining 4,500'.  This afternoon they will complete their adventure with a small ceremony.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Good morning! 

The Four Day Climb of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Bailey Servais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5:20 am PT this morning. Both teams went 100% to the summit--an incredible achievement! The guides reported beautiful weather and a great climbing route! The teams are currently descending and will be back in Ashford at Rainier Base Camp later this afternoon.

Congratuations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Climb with Brent Okita and Henry Coppolillo reached the Summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Brent reported a clear, calm, and beautiful day on top.

The team spent time on the summit signing the summit registry, taking pictures, and celebrating before starting their descent back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations Team!

Our first Expedition Skills Seminar – Muir of the season wrapped up a productive and rewarding week on Mt. Rainier.  Led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Dominic Cifelli, the team came together on Saturday for a comprehensive gear check and began their foundational skills training at Rainier Base Camp.

With full packs and high spirits, they made the ascent to Camp Muir the following day. Throughout the week, the group focused on essential mountaineering techniques, including glacier travel, ice axe arrest, and cramponing. They also practiced crevasse rescue skills, learned how to set up tents in alpine conditions, and took a windy acclimatization hike to Ingraham Flats.

Today, the team set out for their summit attempt and reached an elevation of 12,500 feet before making the decision to turn back due to potential avalanche hazards. They returned safely to Camp Muir and will continue their final 4,500-foot descent to Paradise.

It’s been a great start to the seminar season, with valuable experience gained and strong teamwork throughout.

Although Paradise remains in a bit of a cloud this morning, it is sunny and clear above Camp Muir. The Five Day Climb August 21 - 25 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams found a bit of new snow on the upper mountain but the route was in good shape and the weather is beautiful, so they had a great climb to top. They started their descent from the crater rim around 7:20 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a quick break and continue down to Paradise. Their program will conclude this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

It's been a whirlwind of a last couple of days for us,

Once we arrived at basecamp of Illimani and saw the conditions up close, we realized how icy, firm and steep conditions were on the route.  Our local IFMGA guide Javier who has been guiding in Bolivia since 1982 said it was the worst conditions he's ever seen.  Climbing Illimani is a serious undertaking that has taken the lives of numerous climbers over the years.  With the conditions we were faced with, it was clear then that the risks associated with making a summit attempt were simply too high, and that Illimani would have to wait.

We decided as a group to not attempt the climb but take the next day to all climb to high camp at 17,800' (called the Condor's Nest). On our hike up the rocky ridge, we were graced by a rare sighting of an Andean Condor overhead. We enjoyed another beautiful night in basecamp next a peaceful creek, where llamas grazed in the fields around our tents.  

The next day we made the long trip back on the windy dirt roads to La Paz where we enjoyed some really good pizza and not so good beer (unless you like sours).  With the program drawing to a close a day early, it gave people an extra day to explore everything Bolivia had to offer.  Most of our time here had been spent in the high mountains and the highlands that are typically over 14,500'.  Yesterday we made the long descent some 3500m down into the rainforest and jungle on the eastern side of Bolivia, where we wound up at a wildlife refuge. Breathing the thick heavy air at 4000' and lush green jungle and coca farms it felt like we had entered a different country.  

Although we weren't able to summit our last peak, the group was able to climb Pequeno Alpamayo and Huayna Potosi, which are two impressive peaks in one of the most underrated parts of the Andes. Bolivia is home to some of the most amazing mountains and friendliest most welcoming people.  It was great to be back here after 5 years and to share it with such a great group of people.  We're looking forward to returning to Bolivia in 2025!

RMI Guides Henry and Andy

The group got a much-needed rest day in La Paz that included some shopping, laundry and good eating. We went to Ancestral restaurant for dinner, which is one of the top up and coming restaurants in Latin America. Most of us selected our own steaks and we enjoyed an amazing dinner.

The next morning, we loaded our van and headed to Illimani.  After several hours of driving on windy dirt roads we arrived in Another winding dirt road led us to basecamp where we slept next to a peaceful creek under a starry night.

RMI Guides Andy Bond, Henry Coppolillo & Team

Yesterday was our second summit of the trip, and the first time above 6000m for several members of the team! We had the luxury of being the only group in the refugio on Sunday night so it was easy to get to bed early in advance of our midnight wake up. 

We left the hut at 1 am under a beautiful starry sky. A short rock scramble brought us to the toe of the glacier, which started out as the loud, crunchy ice we’d become accustomed to on Tarija, but quickly transitioned to grippy neve. The night was cold but dead calm, and it was a really pleasant few hours of climbing in the darkness until we finally caught the first rays of sun at the base of the summit pyramid. 

The final few hundred feet to the summit made for the hardest climbing of the day. The challenge of steep, at times rocky and loose walking was compounded by the thin air at almost 20,000’! The team took it in stride and soon we were all on top, admiring the views of La Paz and the surrounding peaks. After high fives, photos and a brief rest we began making our way back down to the hut. Everyone moved well and we made it off the glacier well before noon. With showers, comfy beds and cold drinks in La Paz in mind we only spent about 45 minutes resting at the hut before continuing the descent all the way back to the road. A few hours later we were enjoying a delicious dinner at Hotel Mitru Sur before turning in early for a well deserved night of sleep. 

This morning everyone headed out to explore the city and do some site seeing and souvenir shopping. This afternoon we’ll pack up for Illimani and head south to Pinaya first thing tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Andy Bond & Team