Entries By jessie poquerusse

Hola, we are checking in from above the marine layer here at about 15,000ft, just below the Refugio de los Cien on the Southern flank of Ixta. We woke up early this morning and after a breakfast of champions slowly but steadily logged the vertical feet from our Altzomoni hut up to here. The day started hot, sunny, and steep, but everyone just kept their nose to the grindstone. Light clouds rolled in around noon though and cooled the air and our efforts, until we reached our final steep ascent to the base of the very aptly named Arista del Sol ridge. We set up camp which now looks like our little village above the clouds, chatted summit day over a spicy alpine dinner, and are back in our sleeping bags ready for our early start tomorrow. Folks are feeling good and excited to get up high! RMI Guides Walter Hailes, Jessie Poquerusse and the team

On The Map

Checking in here from about 12,000ft at the Altzimoni hut. Today we traveled from La Malinche via the windy Paso de Cortez up to our new hut, stopping on the way for a big egg-based brunch with an interesting mix of exotic local ingredients and our home staples. We met our local Mexican guide and porters in Paso de Cortez and are happy to have their local knowledge and support. Tonight we’ll start reviewing camp set up procedures and check gear on the sunny terrace of our hut, then enjoy a large dinner before we head to our high camp tomorrow. The sun has been shining all day, with only sparse clouds starting to form a crown on Popocapetl and Ixta. Our high camp is barely visible among the clouds forming at the start of the Arista del Sol ridge. Everyone is doing very well with the altitude, looking strong, and in very good spirits! RMI Guide Jessie Poquerusse

On The Map

Sunday, January 21, 2018 - 7:03 pm PT Hello from day two on the slopes of our first volcano, La Malinche! Today we made our way to the Malintzi resort at a little over 10,000ft. We wasted no time and immediately headed uphill and hiked up to the ridge heading to the top, at about 13,700ft - not bad for our first day. We were rewarded with a panoramic view of our upcoming objectives, Ixta and Pico de Orizaba, poking up through a layer of clouds. We all returned dusty and ready to shower and eat. RMI Guides Jessie Poquerusse, Walter Hailes & the team

On The Map

Saturday, January 20, 2018 - 8:45 pm PT Checking in here from day one of our Mexican adventure! The mood was very well set as the group met and shared introductions interluded by frequent laughter under the majestic arches of our hotel in the vibrant Zona Rosa of Mexico City. What an interesting group with lots in common in addition to our passion for mountains. After our fun round of intros and a quick overview of our itinerary, we had our first sample of the country’s cuisine over mostly traditional dinner dishes before hitting the hay early. We hope to be rested in order to be ready for our day of travel and first acclimatization hike tomorrow up on the slopes of the much colder and higher La Malinche. Buenas noches, RMI Guides Jessie Poquerusse, Walter Hailes & the Mexico crew

The Sahale Mountain - Quien Sabe Glacier August 10 - 13 team reached the summit of Sahale this morning. RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall checked in to let us know her team was doing well, they had reached the summit and were descending back to camp. They will spend tonight on the mountain and complete their program tomorrow after reaching the trail head. Congratulations to the Sahale Climbers!

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 28 - 2 August, 2017 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 7 am. RMI Guide Andy Bond and the team headed to the White River Camp Ground on Sunday after two days of training at Rainier BaseCamp. They started on the route on Sunday and ascended to Camp Schurman yesterday. They made an alpine start this morning and were pleased to report great weather and route conditions and that 100% of their team reached the summit today. The team will return to camp today for their final night on the mountain. Following some additional training the team will descend to the trail head and return to Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow. Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar Team!

The all Women's Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team reported clear skies, warm temperatures, and light winds. The team enjoyed the sunrise from the summit before starting their descent. Congratulations to today's teams!

The June 16 - 19 Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Paul Rachele was forced to turn around at 12,500' due to route conditions. Several days of poor weather and snow accumulation provided difficult climbing conditions for today's team. They have returned safely to Camp Muir and will continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon.

Groundhog day again. We woke to better weather but there was still enough weather in Talkeetna to keep the plane grounded. Some of us were in the tent sleeping when we got the word that K2 planes were inbound. The team rallied quickly and moved gear to the runway and by early afternoon we were back in town. Typical Alaska weather for us but a great introduction to the team. What a great group of people to share time with in the Alaska range. One of a kind collection of personalities and memories to carry with us forever. Thanks for following! RMI Guides Leon Davis, Mike King and Jessie Poquerusse

May 26, 2017 So this dispatch is not coming from the green grass of town but the expansive white glacier of the Kahiltna. We thought the weather might break long enough for a flight in but alas the clouds remain limiting visibility. The team kept busy in the morning though. After breakfast we stomped down a foot of new snow on the runway so planes could land and then we waited for that faint din of turbine engines. Now it is evening and we are turning in as new snow falls. Tomorrow is another day so we will wait and see what it brings. RMI Guide Leon Davis