Entries By mike walter

UPDATE: September 6, 2023 10:59am PT Mike Walter and Team summit Mt. Shuksan via the Sulphide glacier in beatuiful weather. Nice work team!

We had a great day if training on the Sulphide glacier today. We covered snow and ice anchors, anchor systems, crevasse rescue, and did some ice climbing out of a crevasse. The weather forecast looks promising and we hope to try for the summit tomorrow morning. I'll check in tomorrow, hopefully from the top of Shuksan!

RMI Guides Mike Walter, Sam Hoffman and the Team on the Sulphide

100% of Team on Top!

RMI Guide Mike Walter and team reach the Summit of Mt. Baker at 7:11 am today. The team had great climbing and warm weather. They are on the descent and will be back at the traihead later this afernoon. 

Congratulations Team!

RMI Guide Mike Walter checked in to say the Mt. Shuksan - Fisher Chimney August 6 - 8 team reached the summit and have completed their descent back to the trailhead.

Nice work team!

RMI guide Mike Walter checked in this afternoon to report that the team was out of the backcountry. Despite their best efforts, the North Ridge team shifted objectives and ultimately were turned around due rockfall after attempting the Coleman-Deming route. 

Nice work team!

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday. High winds delayed their summit alpine start but the team was still able to make a summit attempt and all of the team memebers were able to stand on top. The team returned to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain.  Today they intend to do a bit of training before descending to the trail head and transferring back to Rainier BaseCamp. We look forward to seeing them later this afternoon at the conclusion of their program.

Congratulations everyone!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Henry Coppolillo reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Mike Walter reported moderate winds, clear skies and a solid climbing on their way to the top. The team is on the descent, and will be celebrating with cold beverages and at Rainier Basecamp by the early afternoon.

Congratulations Team!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Joe Hoch and Jess Wedel reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7 am this morning. Jess reported clear crisp skies, and a great route. The team will enjoy time on the summit snapping photos and taking in the breathtaking views before starting their descent. 

Congratulations Team! 

RMI Guide Mike Walter led the ESS-Emmons team from Camp Schurman to Columbia Crest this morning.  After several days of training and two nights on the mountain, the team topped out just before 9 am today.  The team will return to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will descend to the trailhead and return to Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar Team!

Sunday, June 4, 2023 - 11:33 am PT

Well, Denali didn't disappoint, nor did it ever relent, but we've wrapped up a safe and successful expedition. Stormy weather bookended our trip, delaying flights both onto and off of the glacier. Not to be outdone, we endured snowy and windy weather throughout the trip, taking advantage of the sunny days in between to climb and get into position for a calm and warm (albeit cloudy with no views) summit day. 

Our team was elated to see K2 Aviation's de Havilland Otters approaching Basecamp to pick us up. As excited as we were to get to town, there's always a little sadness watching the beauty of the Alaska Range, our home for the past twenty-three days, disappear underneath the wings of the ski plane. 

Thanks for following our adventure. Now we're off to climb in the Cascades!

RMI Guide Mike Walter and team

June 1, 2023, 5:13 pm PDT

After a successful summit day we descended from high camp to 14k Camp for the night. After a hearty burrito breakfast we descended to base camp, a 10-hour trek. We had excellent weather and perfect snow conditions for our lengthy descent. Unfortunately, snow returned in the morning and we were unable to fly off the glacier. K2 Aviation has pilots and planes on standby to come pick us up when the weather breaks. Who knows when that will be, but until then our climbers are dreaming of hot showers, cold beers, real food, and flush toilets. Nothing is easy about climbing Denali, and this final hurdle is testing our climbers'mettle. Hopefully we'll see the skies soon and the dreams will come to fruition. Fingers crossed. 

RMI Guide Mike Walter and team