Entries By pete van deventer

Monday, May 12, 2025 - 12:17 AM PDT

Today showed us the dichotomy of weather in Alaska. After a cold windy walk yesterday, today’s carry to 10,200' was calm and HOT. We had a pretty leisurely start this morning after getting to bed late last night. Folks enjoyed the sleep, and woke up surprisingly (to them) recovered and feeling well. We left around noon and made good time up to the cache site, dug a hole to hide some things in, and then turned back to our home, enjoying the lighter-weight, downhill walk as the light got long. We got back to camp a bit before it went into the shade and plowed through some burritos as a reward. Sounds like we may see snow tomorrow, so what we do tomorrow will be a gametime decision in the morning. We would like to say Happy Mother’s Day and so many thanks to all the incredible mothers in our lives who give us so much support as well and who let us be in this incredible place! 

RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Nick Sinapius, Ben Thorneycroft, and Team

Sunday, May 11, 2025 - 1:19 AM PT

The starting horn sounded! It was a beautiful morning in Talkeetna and the pilots at K2 were psyched to get going. We loaded the planes and were in the air a bit before 10 am. The flight in was one of the best I’ve ever had. As clear as could be, calm, and the pilots made a couple turns and loops to bring the big three (McKinley, Foraker, and Hunter) into profile. Once on the ground, we unloaded everything and watched as the planes climbed back into the sky. That turned out to be a small hiccup, as our cooktent hadn’t made it off the plane. We stalled for a bit as a result and it came back to us via a scenic flight. Reunited, we tossed on packs and left base camp, as heavy as we will ever be on this trip. As we got to the base of heartbreak hill, a decently strong wind greeted us head on   We ended up walking into that the whole way, a bit unpleasant but nothing more. It was a small taste of what Alaska can brew up for weather. Now we are tucked into camp at the base of Ski Hill, glad to finally be on the move.

RMI Guides Pete, Nick, Ben, and team

It was a pretty full day, prepping everything for a few weeks of glacier living and making sure we get it right. We started with an orientation from the Park Service this morning, before diving in to unpacking our kits, and repacking them for the flight to base camp, where we will unpack them again, to pack for climbing. It's a lot of shuffling but we're feeling confident that everything is set to go. And everyone was buoyed as the skies were clear as could be all day. These clear days are when Denali (McKinley) shows off, encased in white and gleaming brightly on the skyline. Weather continues to look good for tomorrow, so we are prepped to fly first thing and get this expedition truly underway!

RMI Guides, Pete, Ben, Nick, and Team

The team all made it without snags yesterday, and we hit the ground running, packing into the shuttle and heading for Talkeetna. After dinner, we ambled down to the river - the mountains were socked in but the icebergs floating by provided the ambience. The amble then magically led our feet to the doors of the Fairview, for a quick pint and an acoustic rendition of despacito. Then to bed in the arctic daylight. We’ll pack tomorrow and things look good for flights on on Saturday!

RMI Guides Pete, Nick, Ben and Team

The Five Day Climb August 23 - 27 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer & George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams enjoyed clear skies, a funky cloud and a light breeze for their climb and were able to enjoy some time this morning in the summit crater.  The team began their descent from the crater rim around 9:30 am.  They will return to Camp Muir and enjoy another night on the mountain.  Tomorrow the teams will pack their gear and descend the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.

Congratulations team!

PC: George Hedreen

The Four Day Climb August 17 - 20 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Raymond Holt and Mac Nolde reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 am today. Pete reported winds 10-20 mph and a descending cloud cap.  The team spent a short time at the crater before starting their descent.  They are en route to Camp Muir and once there will take a quick break before continuing down to Paradise.  The group will end their adventure with a short celebration later this afternoon.

Nice work team!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Joe Hoch and Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier Early this morning. The team enjoyed the views and spent about an hour on the 14,410' summit before starting their descent. The team will be back in Ashford this afternoon to celebrate their success at Rainier Basecamp.

Congratulations Team! 

The Four Day Climb August 1 - 4 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer & Joey Manship reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 4:30 am today. The teams are currently working their way back to Camp Muir with sunshine and blue skies. They will continue their descent to Paradise later this morning.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Five Day Climb July 4 - 8 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer & Ben Luedtke reached the summit of Mt. Rainier with 100% of their teams.  The teams enjoyed clear skies and warm temperatures and lots of great photo opportunities.

Nice work everyone and congratulations!

PC: Ben Luedtke & Pete Van Deventer

Monday, May 27, 2024 - 11:30 PM PT

Our descent is well underway. We woke up a bit leisurely this morning and let things get a bit warmer, then packed our belongings and started down the West Buttress. Before long we were in the relative warmth of 14,000', wearing much less than all the 14,000' Camp dwellers themselves. Something about coming down from somewhere that's been - 25 to change perspective. We packed more belongings at 14 Camp, and started down towards 11,000'. We had a plan to see how low we could get. We made it to 11,000' Camp in great time, so the team decided to take a minute to brew up some more water, then keep going to the base of Ski Hill, our first camp of the expedition. We are there now, where things feel truly balmy. We're going to take a quick snooze, then wake up early and walk the last bit to Kahiltna Base Camp, where we hope planes will be flying first thing!

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer