Entries By mike bennet

Received Monday, June 15, 2026, - 9:10 pm PT

Denali Team #7 Dispatch for Sun, June 14:

The team slept in after a productive three days and despite a few inches of snow over "night" got suited up and excited for a quick back-carry day. And then the winds picked up.

As visibility tanked and the winds and snow became more sustained, we went into a holding pattern.

The hours slipped by and weather continued unabated. We slowly transitioned into a rest day, passing the time wíth books, movies, conversation and rather competitive games of Monopoly Deal; Ben did eventually win one.

Blowing snow turned to sunny skies as we devoured burritos and got excited over a favorable forecast for the next few days.

Back to work!

RMI Climber Matt Gates

June 13, 2026

Today we made it to 11 camp! The team started early with a 4:30 wake up and a quick breakfast to make it up to 11 just before the clouds rolled in.

At 11 everyone quickly got to work buffing out tent platforms and creating a “cathedral” of a kitchen tent.

We are all settled in now and with cheese cake for desert and lots of monopoly go we are ready for any clouds that come our way. Now time for some well deserved we shall see what tomorrow brings!

- RMI Guide Avery Stolte

Friday, June 12th - 10PM PST

Upward progress continues as the team takes advantage of early momentum on the mountain. Conducting their first carry of the expedition, nearly half of their equipment, food, and gear was moved up to just below 11 camp at just above 10k feet. Slighter cooler temps made for a more pleasant push, and the team made the round trip effort in just over six hours. The rest of the day let way to rest and a timely dinner, finalizing with packing for the push to the next camp. All is well and stoke remains high as the team prepares to continue onward and upward.
 

Friday, June 12th - 12:20AM PST

Woweewow! What a day. As planned, we made it onto the glacier this morning. The views flying in? Epic. The mountain?  Stunning. The plane flying away and leaving us here? Welcomed. We are ready. And in fact, we already moved. We arrived at Camp 1 just in time for dinner and "sunset."  After a long hard day carrying ALL of our gear, we feel ecstatic. But the work to climb the tallest mountain in North America doesn't stop. Tomorrow we will carry and cache just below our next camp. Sweet dreams y'all, update you tomorrow!

-RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team
 

6.9.26

Hello all and welcome to Talkeetna, Alaska! After being picked up at the airport, we were shuttled through Wasilla for a quick 45 minute food shop and arrived at our K2 hangar for our official start of the west buttress climb. After enjoying an awesome dinner at Denali Brewpub and beginning to mesh as a team, we were treated with a view of Denali herself. 

6.10.26

A day of packing. Twas the perfect day to pack with the hangar doors open. Alas, we are ready. With nerves of steel, we shall fly towards our future. And with great manifestation, our team shall succeed. Stay tuned for the trip of a lifetime. 

- RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team 

UPDATE: Friday, October, 31, 2025

Cumbre! 

We all went to bed with a degree of anxiety about the weather. For days prior, and even the day we went to Cotopaxi Refugio, there were intense periods of rain. However, luck was on our side and our guide Sam woke us up around 11pm with the best news ever - it was a clear starry night. We finalized our packs, put on our crampons, and set out for the summit.

The climb began on rocky terrain, a steady but manageable approach. We soon got to the soft snow level and the intensity started to pick up. It was a constant uphill ascent without any switchbacks. For many of us, this was the steepest continuous climb we’ve ever done and also the highest altitude ever achieved. This led to some challenges, but we pushed through with our resilience and amazing support from our guides. Before we knew it, the summit was in sight. The entire group showed their grit and determination and we all made it! What an incredible sight that we were rewarded with at the top of Cotopaxi. After taking it all in, we began the descent. We weren’t able to appreciate the beauty of the mountain on the ascent as it was mostly dark, but the descent revealed Cotopaxi’s splendor from various angles. We enjoyed a light breakfast at the Refugio and then descended to the parking lot where a bus took us to our cozy hacienda. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the hacienda that the rain and hail storms began. It’s still a mystery on how we had such a perfect weather window for our climb, but we are grateful! And all excited about our accomplishment!

RMI Climber, Madhur Nayan

Friday, October 31, 2025 - 11:00 am PT

RMI Guide Mike Bennett sent a quick update to let us know that 100% of the team reached the summit of Cotopaxi today! They will return to the climbers hut, repack and meet their drivers and vehicles for the short transfer to Chilcabamba Lodge where they will spend the night.  Tomorrow the team will return to Quito for their final night in Ecuador.

Congratulations team!

Cotopaxi Express Daily Blog 

The team woke up this morning in a packed climbers hut at the ripe hour of 4am to climb Illiniza. Snow and sleet covered the ground and word came from the top to go back to bed. After a brief breakfast The team set off at 7 am towards Illiniza Norte with a windy snow still coming down but daylight on our side. Teams split into smaller groups to tackle the snowy scramble up the knife edge ridge of the mountain. Conditions remained poor, and we turned around 16,300’ to head down to the familiarity of the climbers hut. Repacked and trekking down to the bus, snow turned to rain and the bus was a warm bumpy welcome down the cobblestone roads. Lunch at a VERY FAMOUS pizza dive. Now the team is relaxing in front of wood stove fires, gazing over pastures towards the cloudy abyss—looking to catch a glimpse of the pinnacle objective hidden in the mist.

RMI Climbers, Dan and Joe Hayden 

Today the team left the comfort of Quito to begin our journey south to Illiniza Norte (because Illiniza Sur is apparently hard so we’re going to skip it). Unfortunately, we had to make an early morning start to get from our rooms to the hotel lobby by 9am.

With everyone safely on the bus we began the drive south to a famous gas station to buy critical snacks, meet our local guides Gustavo, Felipe (one of RMI’s finest) and Jaime, and sign paperwork. After saying goodbye to the gas station (and the last real toilet) we continued our drive to the trail head where we met horses and mules to carry our gear to the refuge.

We are now furiously chomping down popcorn and hoping for a good climb tomorrow.

- RMI Climber, Joe Maguire & Team

Elevation - 15,413 feet

Team Summits Ruca Pinchinca! 

This morning we started early for our first acclimatization hike of the trip. We opted to skip the Teleferico (Gondola) ride in order to get ahead of some afternoon thunderstorms. Thanks to Hector for driving us up to 12,800’ feet! 

It took us 5 hours to reach the summit and return. The hike gradually picks up with grade and we were feeling it towards the top. Today was hard work and the team did great. We got a glimpse of our main goal - Cotopaxi - which built excitement for the days to come. 

We will rest for the afternoon and enjoy a team dinner in Quito before moving to Illiniza Norte tomorrow! Wish us luck. 

RMI Guide, 

Sam Hoffman & Team

Sunday, October 26, 2026 - 6:05 pm PT

Welcome to Ecuador! 

The team made their arrival and assembled this morning for their first time as an expedition. After morning introductions, the team talked through trip details before heading out to explore the lovely city of Quito. The team explored the city and visited the equator, getting our first taste of the beautiful South American culture that is Ecuador. 

The afternoon lead into a team gear check before heading off to dinner and resting for the evening. Tomorrow's day will be an early start for our first acclimatization hike, Rucu Pichincha. 

RMI Guide,

Mike Bennett