Entries By pete van deventer
May 17, 2022
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,800'
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 9:37 pm PT
At 4 am this morning the wolf tried his first huff. He then continued to huff and puff and try to blow down our house but we had built it strong. While we hunkered in our tents it was clear that it wasn't a day to try to walk anywhere. It blew for the morning but by early afternoon began to abate and have us a chance to get out of the tents and stretch our legs. This evening turned gorgeous as the wind went calm and the skies cleared. We should have smooth sailing for a move to 11,000' Camp tomorrow. We'll touch base.
RMI Guides Pete, Erika, Leif, and team
May 15, 2022
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 1:10 am PT
It was an auspicious start to our May 12 Denali Expedition today. When we called K2 in the morning to ask how things looked they replied "unlimited visibility and perfect". We rallied a hasty breakfast and headed for the hanger. We had gotten all of our bags set yesterday, so it didn't take much to get the planes loaded and launched. The pilots were taken with how clear and gorgeous the day was too, taking several detours to show us stunning corners of the Alaska Range on the way.
We landed and hit the ground running. Fully loaded sleds and packs were an indication of the magnitude of our undertaking, but the team cruised through the 5.5 miles of mellow glacier travel, and we rolled in to our first camp looking fresh. Everyone is fed and tucked into warm sleeping bags and as we write, a stunning full moon is rising over Mt. Hunter.
We plan to carry a load up towards Kahiltna pass tomorrow and then return to camp. We'll be in touch.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland, and team
May 9, 2022
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Steve Gately, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 6,600'
The Mt. Baker Summit and Ski Descent team led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer wrapped up their time on Mt. Baker today. The team took advantage of short periods of sun breaks to ski around Sandy Camp. Low clouds, snow, and poor visibility prevented the team from ascending too far out of camp. Pete reports great skiing and a happy team, making the most of their time on the mountain.
September 11, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jack Delaney, David Price
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
We had a great day at Mt. Erie on Tuesday for the first day of our Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan. We went through gear, learned knots, anchors, belaying, and rappelling. We also did a bit of top rope climbing in boots to get ready for Shuksan. We then prepped and got ready to head onto the mountain for the next few days. We had a great day with a bit of cloud cover to keep it cool. We then moved into camp at the toe of the Sulphide Glacier with some incredible views for the next several days!
On Friday, we made our summit attempt with 100% of the group reaching the summit at 9,131'. It was a long day and we arrived back in camp late. Everybody is happy. We'll train on Saturday and check in then.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
September 1, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Dominic Cifelli, Chase Halbert, Henry Coppolillo, Axel Ryd, David Shuer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
The Four Day Climb August 29 - 1 September was unable to reach the summit today due to route conditions. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Dominic Cifelli lead their teams to Ingraham Flats at 11, 200', they enjoyed the views as the sun came up. The team is now back at Camp Muir and will begin their descent to Paradise later this morning.
August 28, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, David Price, Nathan Delmar, Josh Hankin, Augi Fleer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led be RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Matias Francis crested the crater rim at 8:15 a.m. Although the sun is shining, the skies are a bit hazy. The team will spend some time on top before starting the descent.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
Its with great humility that I thank Pete and Matias (ma-TE-us, get it right, and sorry for teasing you about it) for taking me, my children (Josh and Molly) and my children’s friends (Dylan, Bri, Brett and Luke) up that morning and congratulations to Josh and Dylan (and the other 4 climbers that morning) for summitting. Also, Special thanks to Josh Hankin for the great instruction, Augi Fleeras for guiding my daughter and Bri down and for Nathan Delmar (sorry about the macramé Joke-I’m sure it gets old and for bringing me down and not dropping me into a crevasse) and David Price (you are just an all around good dude). You guides do something amazing and I’ve seen amazing. Not only do you shoulder the responsibility for taking mostly unprepared climbers up this mountain and protect our lives, but you also trust us tourists to belay you and trust us not to make a lethal mistake and cost you your lives. And you do it every day and not for the money (pizza joke really not that funny). Pete, Matias and Josh especially, you guys are truly the most professional, mature, confident and athletic people I have every known, a special breed of individual who loves and appreciates the beauty of mountaineering so much that you go to extreme lengths to share it with others, many of us who have no business seeing it first hand, yet you do it with confidence and poise knowing that when we fall off or fall in, you can save us. Pete, thank you for recognizing that I needed to turn around and sending me down with Nathan. Also Pete and Matias, thank you for not stopping until Josh and Dylan were at the top in spite of the route conditions. To Peter and Kerri Whittaker, only got to say “hi” momentarily to you but it was both an honor and a pleasure. Thank you for finding guides like Pete, Matias, Josh, Augi, Nathan and David so a kid (old kid) from Kansas who has always dreamed of the mountains could experience Mountaineering first hand.
Godspeed,
Chris Banwart
Posted by: Jon Banwart on 8/31/2021 at 7:50 pm
Great job everybody!!!!!
Felicitaciones Nicko!!!!!
Posted by: Jose Fulginiti on 8/28/2021 at 1:13 pm
August 15, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Walter Hailes, Henry Coppolillo, Daniel May, David Shuer, Keeley Rideout
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
Today's Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Walter Hailes, turned due to hazardous route conditions. The teams ascended to Ingraham Flats to watch the sunrise before descending back to Camp Muir where they had breakfast. They left Camp Muir around 9:45 a.m. and are working their way back to Paradise.
August 9, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, David Price, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
At 7:50 a.m. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer radioed from the highest point in Washington, Columbia Crest on Mt. Rainier! It’s a clear day, light winds and a good route. After the the team walked back across the crater, they began their descent at 8:30 a.m.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
August 3, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Dominic Cifelli, Leif Bergstrom, Augi Fleer, Emma Lyddan, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Peter Van Deventer & Dominic Cifelli led their Four Day Climb July 31 - 3 August teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The groups reached the crater shortly after 6 am and enjoy some time snapping photos and enjoying the views. Pete reported lights wind and a thicken lenticular cloud just off the summit as they started their descent around 7:30 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing the final 4,500' descent to Paradise.
Nice work today team!
Nice work!! Very encouraging!
Posted by: Andre Fredy on 8/3/2021 at 12:33 pm
July 31, 2021
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Grayson Swingle, Erika Birkeland, Cal Smith, Keeley Rideout, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,000'
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Grayson Swingle, turned at 13,000' due to an impasse on the route. The team reported light wind and precipitation earlier this morning. They are currently descending to Camp Muir where they will pack up their remaining gear and continue onto Paradise.
Best of Luck and Best of Experience !!
from
Baldev Raj Narang
Rakesh Bala Narang
Varnali Narang
Posted by: Baldev Raj Narang on 7/31/2021 at 8:26 am
Albert!!!
Imagino que podràs rebre el nostre missatge. Pel que veig, de moment dies amb bones vistes i només un dia de fort vent. Espero que estiguis bé i en forma i que l’expedició estigui anant bé. Les fotos del blog es veuen espectaculars. Molts ànims des de Catalunya!!! Endavant amb l’expedició!!
Posted by: Marc on 5/22/2022 at 11:08 pm
My wife and I are in Alaska and have a flight planned on Sat, 5/21 at 13:30 to view Denali and land on a glacier - with K2. Stu - I hope to see ya somewhere around the 14K camp - from the air. Good luck Stu - and the entire team. Kyle
Posted by: Kyle Martin on 5/20/2022 at 11:54 pm
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