Entries By nick sinapius
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello friends and family from the Summit of Cayambe!
We all made it up and down safely. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar January 6 - 20, 2026
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
We’re just hours away from attempting our first Ecuador volcano. Today we drove to our high camp, unloaded our gear and then climbed about an hour above our hut to the edge of the glacier. The upper mountain peeked out from the clouds a couple times today but lower clouds blocked the views for most of the afternoon. We double checked our boot and crampon fit and practiced our ice axe technique. We’re looking forward, and a little anxious, for our attempt to summit Cayambe.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar January 6 - 20, 2026
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Today was a rest and travel day as we made our way from Otavalo to a climbers hut on the lower slopes of Cayambe. On the way we stopped at the Otavalo market to shop for a few last minute essentials and some things we didn’t know we needed. Negotiating prices in Spanish was a challenge and we had varying levels of success, but most of us walked away with what we think was a good deal. The big purchase of the day was a somewhat large painting and the group is now brainstorming ways to get it back to the US intact.
We spent the afternoon reviewing knots and now we’re organizing gear, looking forward to the next couple days and our first climb of the trip.
RMI Guide Nick & Team
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar January 6 - 20, 2026
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
We have broken free from the city and made our way into the highlands. Today we drove north through the rain to hike around Lake Cuicocha. Fortunately, the last drops of rain fell with our first few steps on the trail, and by the end of the hike we were rewarded with clear, sunny skies. Hopefully, that good weather luck follows us to the big peaks ahead.
We’re becoming fast friends—laughing almost constantly as we trade stories on the trail and around the dinner table.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar January 6 - 20, 2026
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,407'
Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 6:41 pm PT
Our second day in Quito started with a leisurely breakfast followed by a taxi ride to the Teleferico ( gondola ) that took us up to 13,000 feet and the first of our many volcanoes of the trip. We hiked to the top of Rucu Pichincha (15,407 ft.), one of the many peaks of the pichincha volcano that overlooks Quito. Most of the day was spent in the clouds until we reached the summit and they cleared for a view of the city below. This marked a new high point for some members of the group, being higher than any point in the continental United States. Our decent went smooth and most of us escaped with only minor sunburn.
On our way back to the hotel we worked on our Google Translate communication skills and after a brief rest we walked to a local Ecuadorian restaurant for dinner, managing to avoid the worst of the evening rain. Our biggest takeaway from the day was to trust the local taxi driver’s weather forecasts.
RMI Guide Nick Sinapius
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar January 6 - 20, 2026
Hello from Ecuador!
We had a beautiful first day on our Ecuador adventure. After introductions and a quick team meeting we set off on a tour of Quito.
Our first stop was at the equator, where it’s hard to walk in a straight line, easy (for some people) to balance an egg on the head of a nail, and water swirls this way and that. Our tour guide explained the physics being all these things correctly enough to meet the approval of Paul, our Astrophysicist. Most of us were just happy to see the water swirl in different directions.
We finished our sight seeing with a walking tour of the historic district and a panoramic view of the city from the base of the Virgin off the Panecillo.
Overall a really strong start with a great group of people.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
New Post Alerts:
Ecuador Seminar January 6 - 20, 2026
Posted by: Nick Sinapius, Julian Kral, Celeste Wilson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Paradise Seminar August 22 - 27 led by RMI Guide Nick Sinapius is completing their training and their program today. After several days of training on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier, the team bumped their camp near Camp Muir yesterday and was ready to put their training to the test. Unfortunately, the weather and route didn't quite cooperate for them to make a summit attempt. The team is now descending to Paradise. They will conclude their program this afternoon with a small celebration of their adventure.
Nice work team!
Posted by: Nick Sinapius, Tate Hughes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise July 31 - 5 August led by RMI Guide NIck Sinapius ended their program on a high today, reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team gathered on Ashford last Thursday to begin their training, check their equipment and pack their packs. The following morning they loaded the van and headed to Paradise. The spent the next four days training on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. The team enjoyed nice weather as they learned and practice mountaineering skills to prepare for them for their Mt. Rainier climb and also future mountaineering adventures. Today, with their summit attempt complete, they are now on the descend and will return to Paradise later today. Their program will conclude with a celebration of their accomplishments.
Congratulations to the Paradise Seminar team!
PC: Nick Sinapius
Posted by: Nick Sinapius, Avery Stolte
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
RMI Guides Nick Sinapius and Avery Stolte led their team of three climbers to the summit of Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Chimneys route on July 27th. From camp, they ascended Winnie's Slide and the Upper Curtis Glacier eventually gaining the south side of the mountain. From the Sulphide Glacier they continued up to the route's final crux, Mt. Shuksan's summit pyramid. The 600 feet of climbing on the summit pyramid constitutes some of the best climbing on the route. Moving up steep snow and making some belay moves on the 4th and 5th class rock. After enjoying time on the summit, they started their descent, which involves rappels and belayed down-climbing to gain the glacier. The team returned to their high camp for overnight. Today they will descend the remaining four miles to the trailhead and conclude their program.
Congratulations team!
PC: Avery Stolte
Posted by: Brent Okita, Nick Sinapius, Felipe Guarderas, Layne Peters, Hannah Billings, Brooks Ordway Smith, Matt Tucker, Matt Kelly
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
At 5:45 AM, under bluebird skies and in calm, clear, and beautiful conditions, the Four Day Climb team led by Brent Okita and Nick Sinapius reached the summit!
They’re already on the descent, making the most of this perfect alpine morning.
Huge congrats to the team for a strong and successful push!
Amazing accomplishment congratulations on summiting
See you all soon !!!
Posted by: Maria Pelikan on 7/5/2025 at 11:22 am
Congratulations Team Skopic & Pelikan! You rock!!!
Posted by: chris Skopic on 7/5/2025 at 11:01 am
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