Entries By mike uchal

Elevation: 15,300'

We are that much closer to touching the ceiling of Europe. After a bit of a blustery night, things were beautiful and calm this morning. We packed up our tents, said goodbye for now to Alaska, the camp comfort dog, and headed back up our boot track from yesterday. Clouds built quickly and we wondered whether we would get wet, but the precip stayed away, and the respite from the sun was quite pleasant. We reached our new camp at 15,300' in short order, and settled into pouring our homes back together. As we crawled in for a siesta, the clouds caught back up with us, starting with first hail, and then transitioning to snow. We are now enveloped in a bit of a winter wonderland, though the first hint of sunlight will change that. We hope to see a clear sky and calm conditions when we wake up in the morning to give us our shot at the summit. We're ready! RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

Following this exciting climb!. Thinking of my cousin!... So amazing you can do this Robin!... Lying here warm and toasty. Hope the same for all of you!

Posted by: Stacy and Seth on 8/9/2017 at 7:44 pm

Good Luck Sonam and your climb team! We are all rooting for you at SkyKick!
Kelly and Team.

Posted by: Kelly Rodriguez on 8/9/2017 at 2:04 pm

Mt. Elbrus: Northside Team Carries and Acclimatizes to 15K

August 8, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal

Elevation: 12,300'

Another pretty perfect, successful day here in Russia. Sunny, clear skies beckoned us up towards Lenz Rocks, where we will make high camp. The plumes of snow we saw yesterday were still twirling their way our of the col between the east and west summits, but we had only a fresh breeze to face as we made our way up. Everyone climbed really well, hitting their high altitude glacial climbing stride. We left a small cache of food and fuel at Lenz, then opened up our strides and cruised back to camp. We'll do it again tomorrow if the weather lets us, and move up with our tents and summit gear to get in position for our summit bid. It's getting close! Best from the Caucasus, RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

Hope day is your best day yet, oh so close to your goal, prayers continue for the teams safety and good weather. Josh and Kelly we love you. GMS

Posted by: Sandy Cunningha on 8/9/2017 at 9:40 am

Best of luck everyone in the team!

Sonam, I know how much this means to you and I couldn’t be more prouder of you! Get it done! Can’t wait to celebrate upon your return!

Best regards,

Ephrem

Posted by: Ephrem on 8/8/2017 at 7:00 pm

Mt. Elbrus: Van Deventer & Team Make the Move to Camp 1

August 6, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal

Elevation: 8,300'

With yesterday's preview of the terrain between Base Camp and Camp 1, today's move uphill felt significantly easier to everybody. Everyone commented that it felt like we were walking more slowly, but were covering more ground and trimming time. In short, we were the best looking team on the hill today, in fashion and in climbing style. Once at Camp 1 we found that available tent sites weren't as plentiful a we had hoped, with a fair number of climbers here since it is high season. We managed a few spots in our outfitter's camp, before the guides broke out the rock bar to move a couple big boulders to clear one more. Everyone was excited to see the cook hut and celebrated our successful move with some gluvine. We are psyched to be up above the clouds with some great views. Tomorrow, we will take a rest day after two big days in a row. We'll refresh some climbing skills and enjoy our new home before focusing on moving higher once again. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer & Team

Mt. Elbrus: Northside Team Carries to Camp 1

August 5, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal

Elevation: 8,300'

First, and most importantly, we'd like to wish Kathey Uchal a very happy birthday. We hope it is a great one! We fell asleep listening to the bass tones of the nearby river last night and woke to sun early. The sun rises at 4:30 or 5:00 up here, and once out there's not much sense trying to sleep, so we crawled out, fired up coffee and breakfast, and got set for the day. With packs full of food, fuel, a spare tent and some other odds and ends, as well as our personal gear and food, we headed uphill towards camp one, in a moraine at the base of the glacier around 12,000'. Early on, the sun made its presence felt, instantly heating everyone to a rolling boil. As we climbed higher though, we made it into a nice breeze that kept things pleasant. After many hours of laboring under our loads, we arrived at Camp 1 and stashed all of our stuff. With the bulk of the work done, we turned back downhill. Mt. Elbrus wasn't done with us yet though. Half an hour into our descent, the first piece of hail fell in the rocks somewhere, probably not that near us. But then the skies opened up and it was like being brutally outmatched in a paintball game. We threw our hard shells on and beat foot downhill, running at times to escape the pelting. The hail finally let up, yielding a rainbow a few hundred yards in front of us, but no matter how hard we looked, we couldn't find the pot of gold. Back in camp, folks ducked into tents, eager to snack and recover, but then one of the Russian cooks of our outfitter came looking for Josh, wanting someone to play volleyball with. Mike and Pete couldn't resist, and joined the match too, and soon we had a decent game going. Now dinner is done, and we're back in tents eager for the deep sleep that follows a hard day of work. We'll do it again tomorrow, moving our camp to Camp 1 and continuing forward progress. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

Hey Lisa and Robin - The whole gym is routing for you!

Lifting 250 or pushing 300 seems like nothing compared to what you guys are doing - best to you and all your comrades (no pun intended) - enjoy!

Cheers - Liz

Posted by: Liz on 8/8/2017 at 9:06 am

Hi Sonam
Hope you’re having the time of your life!
Everyone from Seattle says Hi!
Have a great climb!!
Mayank

Posted by: Mayank on 8/7/2017 at 4:28 pm

Mt. Elbrus: North Side Team Arrives at Base Camp

August 4, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal

Elevation: 8,300'

After the bustle of Moscow and several days of traveling, it's a bit of a relief to finally be at Mt. Elbrus Base Camp! We had a pretty relaxed departure from Kislovodsk this morning, stopping at our outfitter' s home to leave some city cloths, before climbing into our driver Alexi's tricked out four wheel drive sprinter van knockoff and heading for Base Camp. We started putting our tents up as the first drops began to fall. Before long things ramped up and we were in a small thunder squall. Once the rain let up, we headed out for a quick hike to a gorgeous earthen bridge crossing the river, far below. Then dinner and off to bed to get ready for a big effort tomorrow. We'll carry a load of food and fuel to Camp 1 tomorrow, before returning to Base Camp. We'll let you know how it goes. Best, RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

Mt. Elbrus: North Side Team Travels to Kislovodsk

August 3, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal

It takes a bit to navigate the process of Russian airports: checking in, going to a different counter to pay for baggage, back to the first to retrieve boarding passes, and then on to security. That meant an early morning for us in order to catch a 9.40 flight to Mineralnye Vody. Our driver did his best Ricky Bobby impression on the way, which got us there with plenty of time to spare. The wave of heat that hit as we disembarked was impressive. Kislovodsk is hot, and everyone, including our local guide, is anxious to escape to the relative comfort of the mountain. We got a bit of food shopping done this afternoon, double checked our gear, and are ready for the 4wd trip to base camp tomorrow morning. Our next contact should be from the mountain as we really get this climb underway! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Mike Uchal

Best expedition ever Pete + crew…Safety and Summit amid fav weather…Waltero…Godspeed…Great book on Amazon “Mount Elbrus and Mount Kosciuszko” by me of course!

Posted by: Walter Glover on 8/4/2017 at 5:54 am

Praying for great weather, safety, and fun! “Tamp it to the max!”
Godspeed-

Posted by: Chase on 8/3/2017 at 9:45 pm

Mt. Elbrus: North Side Team Explores the Sites of Moscow

August 2, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Mike Uchal

Though we haven’t been in Moscow for long, we did our best to see everything we could today. We matched the fast pace of our tour guide (she looked at us and said “you are supposed to be sportsmen”), and checked out sites that seem hard to believe for anyone who was alive during the Cold War. We wandered through Red Square, silently filed through Lenin’s Tomb, where Russia spends $200,000 a year to keep his body in perfect condition, and crossed through the front gate of the Kremlin to get a tour inside and see several of the cathedrals that exist within. Each had a dedicated purpose and patron, the Cathedral of the Assumption being used for Coronations and things involving the Russian Czars, while Archangel Michael’s Cathedral was used as a burial place for Czars and Czarinnas, including the family of Ivan the Terrible. Unfortunately, St. Basil’s Cathedral was closed today due to a national holiday commemorating paratroopers in WWII, but we strolled through the GUM, the former Soviet State Department Store, and now a high end shopping mall, stopping to ease the heat with ice cream, before a delicious lunch at a Ukrainian Restaurant around the corner. We had the afternoon free to explore or take naps, before we headed to a nice rooftop restaurant overlooking the Moscow River for dinner. Tomorrow starts early, 5.30 am, as we head back to the airport to fly to the Caucasus and refocus on our climbing objective. Tomorrow will be a travel day, but before we know it, we’ll be at base camp, staring up at the twin summits of Mt. Elbrus and beginning our climb. We’ll check in soon. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

Hi Kelly and Josh, hope you’re having a great time! Each day we pray for the safety of you and your team members! Take care and enjoy yourselves!
Darcy and Jon

Posted by: Darcy and Jon Schwanke on 8/6/2017 at 12:01 pm

Wish the team good luck. We pray for good weather and safe return of all team members!

Posted by: Smriti on 8/3/2017 at 8:48 am

Mt. Rainier: July 28th Update

July 28, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike Uchal

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb teams, led by Dave Hahn and Mike Uchal, were on top of Mt. Rainier by 7:30 AM this morning. The team had clear skies and moderate winds, a perfect day to be on the highest point in Washington. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Summit Climb Teams on Top!

July 22, 2017

Posted by: Kel Rossiter, Mike Uchal

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guides Kel Rossiter and Mike Uchal led their Four Day Summit Climb teams for July 19 - 22 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported moderate winds and mostly clear skies. Congratulations to today's climbers!

I did the 4-Day Rainier Climb in 2012 with guides Lindsey Mann and Casey Grom. They were great guides and provided our team with an enjoyable experience.

This year, I brought eight friends with me to again do the 4-Day Rainier Climb, with RMI Guides Kel Rossiter, Taylor Bickford, and Lucas Haaland. Again, RMI provided us with 3 more amazing guides. The climb was awesome and everyone - both guides and clients - had an great time! It was so much fun!

For those thinking about climbing Rainier, here’s my advice: use a guide service (RMI has the some of the world’s best climbers as guides, puts a high premium on safety, and is reasonably priced), train & prepare for the climb, listen to your guides, tip your guides well, and have an awesome experience!

Posted by: Kelly Steele on 7/24/2017 at 8:37 pm

Wow. Our guides were out-of-this-world amazing—Mike, Pete and Bryan made sure our group felt comfortable, prepared and were safe throughout the experience. I would, hands down, recommend RMI to ANYONE looking to get into mountaineering. My family had an incredible experience because of them. Thank you RMI and a special thank you to Mike, Pete and Bryan for helping us make it to the summit and back!

Posted by: Lindsey Effner on 7/24/2017 at 9:59 am

Mt. Rainier: Five Day Summit Climb on Top!

July 18, 2017

Posted by: Mike Uchal

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

Today's Five Day Mount Rainier Climb, led by RMI Guide Mike Uchal, reached the summit in cold, clear, and windy conditions. The views were spectacular and the team is currently on their descent back to Camp Muir. We look forward to congratulating them back at Rainier Basecamp later this afternoon.

Congrats to the whole team! I felt lucky to have great guides, and I’m coming back next year in July. July is my favorite month.

Posted by: Yvonne Young on 7/20/2017 at 8:01 pm

I was blown away - literally and figuratively - by this experience. Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement. Our entire team pulled together - all 9 climbers and 3 guides - to make this an event of a lifetime for everyone on the hill. I feel a special closeness to each and every one of them. Who wants to do it again?!? Sign me up!

Posted by: Mary Ann Peterson on 7/20/2017 at 9:00 am