Entries By mike king
Posted by: Mike King, Avery Stolte, Miles Watson, Dylan Anderson, Nina Bridges, Julian Kral
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Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Mike King and Avery Stolte and the Five Day Climb Teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:50am this morning. Mike reported a chilly morning with light winds. Both teams are on their descent back to Camp Muir and will head back to Paradise tomorrow.
Congratulations!
Posted by: Mike King, Avery Stolte, Mac Nolde, Matt Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb May 24 - 27 led by RMI Guide Mike King reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the the Ingraham Direct route this morning just before 8 am. Mike reported windy conditions and a lot of hard work by the team. They are currently on their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at Muir, they will take a short break before continuing to Paradise. Their program will conclude later this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.
Nice work team!
Posted by: Mike King, Sam Hoffman, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr, Layne Peters, Mac Nolde, Julian Kral
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir May 2 - 7 led by RMI Guides Mike King and Sam Hoffman met for a day of training and gear checks at Rainier BaseCamp and then headed onto the mountain. The team ascended to Camp Muir on Sunday and has enjoyed sunshine and blue skies during their training. Climbers practiced ice arrest, crevasse rescue and glacier travel before making their summit attempt. Today the team launched from Camp Muir with an alpine start, reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier at sunrise via the Ingraham Direct route. RMI Guide Sam Hoffman reported sunshine and moderate winds during their summit climb. The team has returned to Camp Muir where they will spend their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will descend to Paradise and return to BaseCamp to conclude their program.
Nice work team!
PC: Sam Hoffman and Layne Peters
Our McKinley Prep Course wrapped up a highly successful few days of training in the Edith Creek Basin. The team practiced sled pulling, camp craft, crevasse rescue, and a range of essential alpine skills they’ll rely on this upcoming season during their climb of the West Buttress of Mount McKinley.
A big thanks to experienced lead guides Mike King and Dan May for sharing their knowledge and helping the team sharpen their skills. With a mix of sunny skies and periods of low visibility, conditions provided a realistic preview of what life can be like on the slopes of McKinley—making the training both challenging and invaluable.
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
We had hoped that the clouds would lift if we woke up early and headed for the Torres. A little rain last night and another warm morning had us walking by 4:30 am. We gained a 1500’ and walked into the clouds just before getting to the Chileno Refugio about halfway through. We waited at the Refugio to watch the clouds and see if they had any movement in them. There was no wind present to encourage the clouds to lift so with the rain increasing we made the difficult decision to head back to Central. The terrain above Chileno is rocky and filled with roots in steeper terrain. Avoiding injury in this terrain when wet and with the clouds covering the Torres seemed like the right call.
It has been a great trek down here, lots of laughs and scenic views with a fun group. We head back Puerto Natales this morning for flights tomorrow.
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Mike King & Team
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Torres del Paine Trek, February 3, 2024
After the long day up the French Valley, we had a really warm and windy day into the Central area. There was a close sighting of a Condor which was the highlight. We had to just duck our heads and push forward and get over the humidity as much of the day was out of the trees and the sun was intense. We are hanging out watching clouds roll over the Torres, catching a few naps and cleaned up for dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll get up early for an attempt to see the Torres, the forecast is for rain and wind so fingers crossed.
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Torres del Paine Trek, February 3, 2024
This is So Awesome Mike!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 2/14/2024 at 4:21 am
After a shorter day the team headed from Paine Grande into the French Valley. Clouds and wind set the tone for what would be a partially sunny day where the clouds stayed high above. The glaciated Paine Grande massif dominates the valley to the left. Then as you get up higher, the largest of the alpine cirque comes into view with granite towers and walls everywhere you look. The remaining trail to Refugio Los Cuernos goes along a massive turquoise lake and is situated under the Cuernos (Horns) rock formation. Tomorrow we’ll be back in the Central area for the night and a hike to the Torres Wednesday morning concludes our trek.
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Torres del Paine Trek, February 3, 2024
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
The high pressure system ended abruptly with rain and wind this morning. The team got up earlier than they’d like after the long day over the pass. There was a glacier hike to get up for. After a short briefing they zipped out on a RHIB for a four hour walk on the Grey glacier, the consensus was it was very picturesque and the glacier water tasted good.
We still had to hike four hours to Paine Grande. This section of trail is rocky and when raining can be slick in some places. The area between Grey and Paine also reflects the wildfires that have swept through the park. Barren landscape at first glance, but upon closer inspection there’s wild flowers, nice rock formations and a lot of blue ice floating in Lago Grey. We got soak, 4 times and the Patagonian winds blew out the squalls and dried us out. We are at the Refugio eating dinner, enjoying the many views out the windows. Will likely get to watch some of the Super Bowl and we have 26km tomorrow if our side hike into the French Valley goes the distance.
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Mike King
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Torres del Paine Trek, February 3, 2024
Incredible photos!!! Chris’ son, Bodhi, says that “Dada is silly for jumping in the air!” We look forward to the next update. Thank you for keeping us updated. Safe travels!
Posted by: Lindsey Stover on 2/13/2024 at 9:27 am
We had a calm night at Perros with a 5am wake up. Quick coffee and breakfast and we headed up towards John Gardner Pass at 3,812’. The air was warm, high pressure moved in over the last 24 hours. The views of the Grey glacier and southern Patagonia ice field were outstanding. As we dropped into the trees the real fun begins….steep trail, contorted 2.5” plumbers pipe handrails and lots of sore toes. There might not be a more accessible trail that takes you from a dense forest to a large valley glacier at such low attitude in only 2.5 miles, this is what the “O” circuit provides. It’s all worth the views and cold beverages once at Grey. The team is doing well, hanging out, showers and clean clothes with a buffet dinner to wrap up the biggest day thus far.
Thanks for following along,
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Torres del Paine Trek, February 3, 2024
A little over 7 miles of hiking brought us to the Perros glacier overlook and nearby camp. The wind, forest and rivers make for a soothing ambient soundtrack as the trail winds through the lenga trees. We are at the base of the Pass, fed & rested for the longest day to join the "W" circuit in the Grey Glacier Valley. The laughs continue as we get to know each other.
RMI Guide Mike King
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Torres del Paine Trek, February 3, 2024
Very Cool Mike!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 2/10/2024 at 4:37 am
Great job Mike! Bummer that you didn’t make it to to the towers, but I’m sure there was plenty of great scenery along the rest of the trek to make up for it. I hope the group had as much fun as we did last year!
Posted by: Mark Nelson on 2/15/2024 at 3:32 pm
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