Entries By mike walter
August 11, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 8,816'
Hi Everyone,
We all summited Sahale Peak and Sharkfin Tower on August 8th in beautiful sunny weather and great climbing conditions. It took our team of five 11 hours round trip from camp. We all summited Forbidden Peak via the West Ridge in cloudy weather with a few moments of light drizzle and some moderate winds on the summit, but overall great conditions. Our summit push was 12 hours round trip from camp.
We had a strong team, and four days of great climbing!
RMI Guides Mike Walter, Henry Coppolillo & Team
August 6, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team opted to climb Mt. Baker via the Coleman-Deming route after they had discovered rain deteriorated conditions on the North Ridge. The team climbed strong and were 100% to the top, making the best of their days on the mountain.
Congratulations Team!
July 26, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Leif Bergstrom, Ben Luedtke, Sam Marjerison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz July 22 - 27 led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team reached the crater rim at 6 am and tagged Point Success. They will return to their high camp for their final night on the mountain and descend tomorrow to the trailhead.
Nice work team!
Led by RMI Guides Mike Walter and Matias Francis the Mt. Baker - North Ridge team reached the summit of Mt. Baker yesterday. The team enjoyed a variety of weather on the climb, including rain once they got back to Hogsback Camp after their summit attempt.
June 29, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Taylor Bickford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Mike Walter checked in from camp this afternoon. Mike reported avalanche conditions and decided to turn due to unstable snow conditions, rain on snow, some natural avalanche conditions and 30 - 60cm postholing.
They hope to climb thru Coleman-Deming and then hike out tomorrow.
June 22, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Henry Coppolillo, Jenna Burkey, Lacie Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
After several days of training and ascending to Camp Schurman, the Expedition Skills Seminar June 17 - 22 led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on Tuesday. The team enjoyed good weather and route conditions. After reaching the summit they returned to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. The team will descend to the trail head and return to Rainier BaseCamp on Wednesday afternoon.
Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar team!
June 1, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 348'
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 7:31 pm PT
The morning after our summit push saw a speedy descent from 17,000' Camp as winds increased along with our desire to reach warmer, thicker air. We left our home-away-from-home of 14,000' Camp early in the afternoon and were soon making our way around Windy Corner and down towards 11,000'. Every step brought us ever so slightly closer to the airstrip and the end of our expedition. We rolled into 11,000' Camp in time for one last tortellini dinner and a quick cat nap. By midnight the sun had dipped below the tundra and we knew it was time to “rip the band aid off” and get to the airstrip. Despite heavy packs and tired legs, an all-night stroll down the lower Kahiltna provided a beautiful and fitting end to what has been an unforgettable 21 days in one of the greatest ranges on Earth. By 8:30 am the whole team was assembled at Kahiltna International Airport and by 10 am we found ourselves back on the tarmac in Talkeetna. It’s been about 36 hours since I last slept so I need to wrap up this rambling summary and get some sleep, but suffice to say we are all happy to be back in the land of green plants, hot showers and cold beverages, and will be remembering the experiences of the past three weeks for years to come.
Many congratulations Team - well done Abby!! Can’t believe its been a year since our West Buttress climb - its been wonderful re-living the climb through your updates. All the best Huw
Posted by: Huw on 6/2/2022 at 3:04 am
WELL DONE! ALL Around!
Posted by: Donald Meagher on 6/1/2022 at 1:18 pm
May 30, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 20,310'
Sunday, May 29, 2022 - 11:20 pm PT
Everything came together for us today and we made a successful summit bid of Denali and, more importantly, we returned to High Camp safely. Clear skies and moderate temperatures made for an enjoyable day of climbing. Light west winds kept a nip to the air all day. The route was in great condition and we got out ahead of everyone so we didn't experience any traffic jams. Our team climbed strong and efficiently, with a round trip time of 9 1/2 hours. Back at camp we ate dinner and worked on rehydrating. Everyone crawled into their tents pretty early for some well-earned and much-needed rest. Tomorrow we'll begin our descent. Our itinerary is up in the air, and first we'll focus on climbing safely back down to 14k. The weather looks good for traveling; we'll keep you posted on our progress. Now it's time for some zzz's.
Congratulations Brad ! I knew you would get it this time. Enjoy this moment. We are all are looking forward to seeing you back home.
Have a safe descent!
Posted by: Brian Beatty on 5/31/2022 at 1:40 pm
WOOHOO!!! Congratulations, Nick and the rest of the crew! Overjoyed for you all!!
Posted by: Rosie Read on 5/31/2022 at 6:07 am
May 29, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 17,200'
May 28 11:42pm PT
After a hard day fighting the wind up high yesterday, we were able to get back to camp and rest and hydrate. Good thing, because this morning dawned perfect and we rallied for another attempt at pushing to high camp. The weather remained perfect all day and our well-acclimated crew made it to High Camp in five hours flat. We arrived at 2pm and spent a few hours building camp and the focused on resting, hydrating, and eating.
The weather forecast is very favorable and we're optimistic that we'll try for the top tomorrow. Fingers crossed, and if things go well, I'll hopefully be able to send a quick satellite message from the top. Now for some sleep before a big day. Either way, I'll check in and let you know what the weather throws at us.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter and RMI Team
Go Nick, go!!!!!
Posted by: Rosie Read on 5/30/2022 at 7:50 am
Can’t wait to read tonight’s blog! To the Top, MAK!
Posted by: Jenn on 5/30/2022 at 4:22 am
May 28, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Henry Coppolillo, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Friday, May 27, 2022 6:55pm PT
We attempted to reach 17,000’camp today but were thwarted by high winds just above the top of the fixed lines. After several days waiting for favorable weather, we were all antsy to get moving, but the risk of frostbite made descending an easy call. We are currently back at 14,000’ camp and are going to assess our options for the coming days.
RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo and Team
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
Posted by: Jami L on 5/28/2022 at 8:53 pm
We are so proud of you Michael! Keep on keepin’ on!! We are all rooting for you! Love you lots!
Posted by: Anne P on 5/28/2022 at 6:47 pm
Hey all, glad to hear you had a successful trip! I’m looking at climbing via the emmons the week of July 4th and would be interested in hearing how things are looking up there given all the late precipitation this year. Please shoot me an email if you’re able to share any beta! Thanks
Andrew
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Posted by: Andrew on 6/23/2022 at 7:34 pm
Great work! You guys flew right past us, I’m glad all teams were successful that day! What a slog on the way down, though!
Posted by: David on 6/22/2022 at 9:00 pm
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