Entries By sam marjerison

Today, we got an early start and walked over to the base of the Root Canal Glacier and climbed a small 800’ gully adjacent to the West Ridge of the Moose’s Tooth. We had expansive views of Denali, Mount Barille, Dickey, Bradley, Wake and Peak 11,300’. Warm temperatures forced us down early and we enjoyed an afternoon of avalanche viewing across the East Faces of Dickey and Bradley.

We are back at camp and enjoying another overcast night with hopes to fly out of the Range tomorrow!

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

Monday, May 11, 2026 - 10:13 pm PT

Today, we bring you a poem from the team:

Snow always falling

It never stops

Saw the sun for five minutes

We nearly blew our tops

Then yet again,

The snow returned

What will tomorrow bring?

Soon we will learn…

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

Today we launched for 747 Pass but were turned back halfway through our day due to 2-3ft of trail breaking. We are now back at camp and battening down the hatches for another round of weather! We’ve had the great pleasure of passing time with plenty of card games and a delicious dinner of Pad Thai. Tomorrow we plan to work on skills and wait until the weather breaks!

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

Weather moved in overnight and we hunkered down and enjoyed a mellow breakfast this morning. After the storm lifted and precipitation slowed to a halt, we went for a walk towards 747 pass to put in a track and check out conditions. The trail breaking was deep and after a few miles we turned back and had a restful afternoon in camp.

 We enjoyed a wonderful evening filled with ramen and card games. Now, we patiently wait for an opportunity to begin climbing on Mount Dickey in the coming days!

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison & Team

Saturday, May 9, 2026 - 12:15  am PT

Today started slow, similar to our previous days in Talkeetna. We walked the rainy streets, drank copious amounts of coffee and waited patiently. By mid afternoon, we were ready for a nap! Suddenly, the clouds parted and we were greeted with the first blue skies of the trip. We loaded the planes and took off from Talkeetna towards the Ruth Glacier.

We flew past rivers beginning to thaw after the long Alaskan winter and our planes shadow danced below against the rocky moraine covered with fresh snow. After circling the massive East Face of Mount Dickey, we landed and made quick work of setting up camp.

After a delicious dinner, we lingered outside and enjoyed a perfect sunset.

The skies continue to be clear and blue in the midnight sun and we are excited for tomorrow!

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

5-8-2026 4:09pm PDT

Sam and team have been able to Fly onto the Glacier. earlier today. Keep an eye out for posts fromt the Ruth Glacier! 

Today was another rainy and overcast day in Talkeetna. After another great breakfast, we shifted our focus to skills at the K2 Aviation hangar. We covered friction hitches, anchor construction and sled rigging before we sat down for a round table discussion on weather and mapping! Tomorrow, we wait and cross our fingers for the skies to clear and the opportunity to fly!

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Today started early with breakfast sandwiches and coffee from Conscious Coffee under rainy skies. With an increase in precipitation throughout the day, we focused our attention on a thorough gear check, a refresher on knots and hitches and a weigh in with all our kit at the K2 Aviation hanger. To cap off our skills day, we enjoyed a great meal at Latitude 62. Tomorrow, we hope to fly and are going to bed dreaming of sunny skies and low wind!

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Today we met the team in Anchorage and drove to Talkeetna, excited for the next ten days of climbing together. After laying out our gear in the K2 Aviation hangar, we had a wonderful dinner at Mountain High Pizza. Glasses were clinked and food was eaten. Tomorrow, we plan to organize, sort and pack our gear in the morning before a "hopefully" quick takeoff out of Talkeetna and onto the Ruth Glacier. 

Saturday, May 2, 2026 - 9:41 pm PT

We awoke to a wonderful sunrise and some unsettled weather that brought some rain and clouds in the morning. After quick breakfast, we donned skins and packed our bags for a summit attempt of Mount Baker. As we skinned up the glacier, the winds began to die and the clouds parted at approximately 10am. By the time we summited the snow was soft, the skies were clear and the winds were minimal. We enjoyed 5,000’ of perfect skiing straight back to camp. Tomorrow we plan to descend and celebrate a great program back in Sedro.

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

Friday, May 1, 2026

Today started bright and early at 7am in Sedro-Woolley, where we met the team, double checked our kits and made a few last minute stops for food before driving up to the trailhead. After an hour of walking through the woods, we reached the snowline and began skinning up to the Easton Glacier. Breaks along the way gave us views of Mount Shuksan, Glacier Peak and the Picket Range. After setting up camp we enjoyed a great sunset and dinner. Tomorrow, we plan to ski from the summit of Mount Baker before descending back to camp.

10/2

With inclement weather including high winds forecasted for the coming days, we pivoted and rallied over to the Nevados de Vilcun Refugio to ski off of Volcan Llaima, the second most active volcano in Chile. 

After a great to-go breakfast at Casa Esquina, we hopped in the van and said goodbye to Malalcahuello. We zigzagged south along dirt roads and dense forests to Nevados de Vilcun, where we donned ski boots and climbing skins on the porch of the refugio. 

With just over 5,000 ft of elevation gain, today would be our biggest ski day of the trip. We skinned over the expansive plateaus formed by the last volcanic eruption in 2008 and our shadows danced behind us from the rising sun as we climbed. 

After a few hours the angle increased and we donned ski crampons to combat the firm slopes that make up the west shoulder of Volcan Llaima. The wind began to pick up and after another 1500 feet of climbing we switched to boot crampons and ice axes before cresting onto the rime covered summit ridge line. The winds were strong and we fought our way to the summit, finding refuge in a large fumerol “pot.”

We snapped a few selfies, took in the view and clicked into our skis just below the summit. Our descent was cold, chalky and downright fun. We arced turns down the expansive rolling terrain left behind from previous volcanic eruptions and back down to Nevados de Vilcun for a celebratory kombucha and a relaxing night.

10/3 

A rest day was on the initial plan, but with stormy weather forecasted for our next two volcanoes (Villarica and Osorno) we pivoted to Volcan Sollipulli to take advantage of the last day of sunny weather. 

We left Nevados de Vilcun bright and early and circumnavigated Volcan Llaima to the south and over to Nevados de Sollipulli Lodge. There we were met with friendly faces and a large buggy ready to transport us up through a natural Arunacia forest to the snowline where we’d put on skis and skin to the top of Volcan Sollipulli. 

The virgin forest of Aranucia rose high above us as we creeped our way up the steep dirt road and up towards the snow. We passed tall cascading waterfalls and an abandoned locomotive. Finally we reached the snow and continued skiing above tree line and up past snow covered lagoons. 

Volcan Sollipulli was once active and the result of its activity is a 9km wide crater with an actively growing glacier inside. Our goal today was to climb to the rim before skiing back down the snowline. 

The winds began to increase as we climbed higher and by the time we began to crest onto the crater rim we leaned and fought against the 40km winds.

Our time on the rim was short lived and we snapped a few photos before gingerly ripping skins in the high winds and skiing beautiful fall line terrain back to our stashed shoes. We returned to Nevados de Sollipuli for a celebratory lunch and pisco sours before loading up the van and driving back to Nevados de Vilcun for our second and final night.

10/4

We awoke to fresh snow and cold temps this morning. After a great breakfast we loaded up the van and drove south towards Pucon. 

There we’ll spend two nights resting and enjoying the town before an attempt on Volcan Villarica.

Food was eaten, shops were explored and naps were taken. Following an afternoon of exploring the city, we sat down for an awesome dinner at Trawen in the heart of Pucon. We plan to explore some natural hot springs and take a second rest day as we wait out stormy weather.

10/5

Today we explored the natural hot springs of Termas Geometricas and let our muscles relax. With over 15 pools ranging in temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees celsius there was much to explore. 

The lush jungle created the perfect backdrop for a day of rest and we left with our cups full and muscles relaxed. 

After an afternoon of napping we enjoyed another lovely evening of dinner at Trawen. Tomorrow we head to Volcan Villarica for another day of climbing and skiing!

10/6

Today we got an early start at 6:30am and headed up towards Volcan Villarica. With new snow and cold temps today would be interesting! We packed up our bags for the day and began skinning up the lower flanks of Ski Pucon (the local ski resort) and up towards Villarica. 

After about 2500 ft of climbing we encountered heavy snow and white out conditions. With no points of reference and zero visibility, we decided to call 7120’ our high point and ski back down to the van.

The skiing was engaging and dizzying as we tictaced our way down the steep slopes of Villarica. Eventually we made it back to the closed lifts of Ski Pucon and enjoyed dense, surfy skiing back down to the car. 

From there, we continued 4 hours south to Refugio Teski where we enjoyed the misty evening and prepared for a ski descent of Volcan Osorno in the morning.

10/7

With lots of precipitation overnight and low visibility, we slept in and waited for the clouds to burn off before we headed out for a ski attempt on Volcan Osorno. 

With a below average snow pack and the previous night's rain, some snow had melted which forced us to walk the initial 1000 ft of our climb to reach the snowline. From there, we began skinning up through the mist and onto the glacial plateau that marks the beginning of the glacier and steeper terrain ahead.

We zigzagged up the increasingly steep terrain and finally the clouds parted to reveal the summit and upper mountain! We took a break, attached our skis to our packs and put on our crampons. From here we only had about 1200 ft left! As we transitioned we were greeted and subsequently passed by a group of three Argentine climbers and ten Italian skiers! After a morning of solitude in the mist, Volcan Osorno suddenly felt more like the Alps than rural Chile. 

We boot packed up the rimed summit ridgeline and made one more traverse across the summit plateau to the tippy top. There we high fived, snapped photos and began preparing for our 5,000 foot ski descent back down to the refuge. 

After negotiating some rime mushrooms off of the summit, we enjoyed some of the best skiing of the trip! With the expansive lake region below our ski tips we party skied all the way back down to the valley to cold beers and pisco sours at Refugio Teski! Tonight we plan to pack up and transfer just over an hour to Puerto Varas where we’ll spend one more night together before we have flights to catch in the morning. 

10/8

Today we enjoyed one last breakfast and slow morning here in Puerto Varas before we said goodbye and headed to the airport. I can confidently say for everyone that this trip was such a joy to be on and in 11 days we enjoyed a lifetime of Chilean volcano skiing! Thanks to everyone involved and soon we will be back in the US enjoying fall and dreaming of future ski days for this upcoming winter!

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison

October 1, 2025

After a big day of skiing yesterday, we planned to take it easy and learn about the rich culture of the Mapuche people in Arenales. After taking a leisurely lap and enjoying some classic spring skiing, we sat down for a traditional Mapuche lunch which included wild boar, sweet potatoes and even a cup of piñon coffee! We learned about the traditional Rokas (house) the native Mapuche people live in and the importance of their coexistence with the environment. 

With our stomachs and minds full of all that we learned, we traveled back to Malalcahuello for one last night before an early morning to climb and ski Volcan Llaima in the morning! Pizza and Pisco Sours were on the menu tonight and we enjoyed another great evening in the Araucania region of Chile. 

September 30, 2025

After a delicious breakfast at our hostel, Casa Esquina (Corner House), we loaded up the van and set off towards Volcan Lonquimay. The van wound through the tall Araucaria Araucana trees known for their tall trunks and wild leaves and we enjoyed the crisp spring air as we donned our boots and skins for the day ahead. 

With 4,000 feet of elevation gain, we had a big day ahead of us and we slowly and enthusiastically weaved our way up onto the Southeast shoulder of Volcan Lonquimay. After skinning for most of the way, we strapped our skis to our packs and boot packed the last 600 feet to the summit crater and enjoyed views of Volcan Llaima (our next destination), Sierra Nevada, Volcan Villarica and Volcan Lanin. 

After snapping some photos and enjoying the panoramic views, we began our 4,000 foot ski descent back to the car where we enjoyed soft turns straight off of the summit! Our day was capped with an afternoon beverage on the ski areas deck and the satisfaction of a summit well earned. Tomorrow we plan to take an active rest day and do some moderate skiing in an adjacent valley.

September 29, 2025

We woke up early to dew covered grass and foggy streets here in Temuco, Chile. After a hearty breakfast, we met the rest of the team and loaded our gear into a large bus that would be our wheels for the trip. We drove into the countryside and out to the Corralco Ski Area at the base of Volcan Lonquimay.  Today our plan was to do some skiing, get to know each other and shake off the ski cobwebs.

With clear skies and warm temps, we enjoyed a day full of groomer laps, off piste skiing and spectating an FIS GS race where even Lindsey Vonn was in attendance! After skiing bell to bell, we drove back down to the town of Malalcahuello for dinner and drinks before getting a good night's rest for our first of four volcanoes tomorrow, Volcan Lonquimay.

September 28, 2025

After a long two days of travel, we arrived, with all bags accounted for here in Temuco, Chile. Naps were taken, Jacuzzis were utilized and we enjoyed a wonderful evening exploring the downtown city streets. With an early start tomorrow morning, we will drive over to Corralco Ski Area for a day of riding lifts and shaking off the cobwebs of a snowless summer.

RMI Guide Sam Marjerison