Entries By steve gately

Elevation: 14,410'

The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Steve Gately reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Because of weather the team did a "touch and go" summit. They have started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's team!

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Congratulations team! Thanks for the update, safe travels down the mountain!

Posted by: Liz McFarland on 7/18/2016 at 10:42 am

Fantastic! Congratulations to my AWESOME daughter, Schuyler, and to the entire team!!
Woohoo!!

Love,
Mom

Posted by: Betty Gilmore on 7/18/2016 at 9:33 am

Mt. Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz Reaches Summit

July 12, 2016

Posted by: Jake Beren, Paul Rachele, Steve Gately, Caleb Ladue

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guide Jake Beren and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning via the Kautz route. Jake reported clear skies on the summit. The team will spend some time on the summit before making their descent. The team will spend one more night on the mountain before descending off the mountain tomorrow. Way to climb!

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Congrats on your climb and reaching the summit! Special kiddos to Chad and Tom for completing their first big climb!!

Posted by: Carrie Paben on 7/12/2016 at 5:57 pm

Congratulations on your climb. Special congrats to Tom and Chad on their first big mountain climb. Very proud of you!

Posted by: Trudy Colvin on 7/12/2016 at 3:37 pm

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Summit Climbs Reach the Summit

July 1, 2016

Posted by: Brent Okita, Zeb Blais, Steve Gately

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guide Steve Gately radioed in from the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams enjoyed a beautiful morning with light winds. At 7:00 am PT both Four Day Summit Climb teams June 28 - 1 July, 2016 were beginning their descent from the crater rim.

Denali Expedition: Upper West Rib Team Returns to Talkeetna to Celebrate

June 18, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

Elevation: 348'

June 18, 2016 - 7:51 pm PT We woke up this morning at 3:00 AM to a wet snow fall on the lower Kahiltna Glacier. I personally stayed up all morning waiting for it to taper off. Finally at 6 we decided to push to the runway and see if we could get a flight out today. After a couple hours of walking we turned the corner and started up the Southeast Fork, aka Heartbreak Hill. At this point we heard some planes began landing and with the shear excitement of beer and burgers we made our way up to the landing strip. The weather was in and out so we didn't all get flights out immediately but throughout the early afternoon we all got off the glacier and flew back to Talkeetna. We are currently having dinner at the West Rib and preparing for a big night of celebration. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

Denali Expedition: Upper West Rib Team Flies off Mountain

June 18, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

Elevation: 348'

RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and Team called at 2:25 pm PST to let us know they have flown off of the mountain and expect to land in Talkeetna shortly. Congratulations Team!

Denali Expedition: Upper West Rib Team Descends to 7,800’

June 18, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

Elevation: 7,800'

June 18, 2016 - 12:40 am PT Hi all, sorry there hasn't been a dispatch since we summited, we've been busy and on the move a lot. The team did a fantastic job climbing the Upper Rib yesterday and we all made the summit just after 7:00 PM. After some hugs, photos, and congratulations we began our descent down to 17 Camp on the West Buttress. Thirteen hours after we started climbing we were crawling into our tents, exhausted but very satisfied with our accomplishment. This morning we woke up early to get low on the mountain before the 50 mph forecasted winds rolled in this afternoon. I am truly amazed at how strong this team is, even after a big summit day everyone climbed very well as we made our way down the Buttress and fixed lines to 14 Camp. Here we took about an hour to retrieve our cache and re pack before we hit the trail to 11 Camp. I thought for sure folks would be tired at 11 camp, but no. We dug up our cache here rigged for traveling with sleds and kept descending. We are currently at the base of Ski Hilll, 7800', getting a little rest and waiting for the cold of the night before we walk the lower Kahiltna Glacier back to the landing strip. Weather permitting we will be on board an airplane first thing in the morning. Thanks so much for following along throughout our expedition RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Upper West Rib Team

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Upper West Rib Team Reaches the Summit!

June 16, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

Elevation: 20,310'

June 16, 2016 - 8:27 pm PT Hey this is Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately and the Upper West Rib Team we are standing on the summit of Denali, right now! We just had an excellent climb of the Upper West Rib. It's about 7 pm and we are going to tag the top and turn around and head home. Beautiful day here, just a few puffy clouds way off in the distance but other than that, clear as can be. Thanks for following along. We will check in again when we are back at camp. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

RMI Guide Geoff Schellens calls from the summit of Denali with the Upper West Rib Team.

On The Map

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Captain Jim, Ry, Julia and I had dinner last night. We’re all so proud and happy about your big big accomplishment. Can’t wait to hear your story and see some more pictures.

Posted by: Mac Hawley on 6/17/2016 at 4:59 pm

CONGRATS! So awesome!

Can’t wait to see the pics.

Chris

Posted by: Underwood on 6/17/2016 at 4:07 pm

Denali Expedition: The Upper West Rib Team Moves to Balcony Camp

June 15, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

June 15, 2016 - 7:20 P.M. PDT Late last night winds picked up on the upper mountain and persisted into this morning. We woke up early, packed and had breakfast and then watched the wind up high. By 10:30AM we could tell that the trend was diminishing winds, this matched our forecast, so we started up towards the West Rib. The winds had filled in our tracks from the other day so we had to re-break trail back up to our cache. After retrieving our cache we pressed on to gain the ridge and then we picked our way though the first rock band and on up to the balcony camp at 17k. The weather was perfect and with spectacular views of the Alaska Range. The team did a fantastic job today and everyone is feeling good and excited to be climbing. Weather permitting we will go for the summit tomorrow. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the UWR Team

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Best of luck on your assent.

Steve G

Posted by: Steve on 6/16/2016 at 5:02 pm

Great job team!! Looking forward to your next post. Keep up the good and safe work !!

Posted by: Allison Woodman on 6/16/2016 at 4:10 pm

Denali Expedition: Upper West Rib Team Analyzes Forecast

June 15, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

Elevation: 14,200'

June 15, 2016 - 12:02 A.M. PDT Weather forecasts in the mountains can change wildly. Last night we heard a report of 70 mph winds on the summit and heavy snow forecast for today. We ended up with perhaps the clearest and calmest day we've had on the whole trip. The winds did pick up this evening as spindrift whipped off the upper mountain but we were quite comfortable in our camp at 14,200'. We rested today, organized gear, drank coffee, and relaxed in the sunshine. The forecast is showing a good weather window for the next three days so our plan is to move up to the Balcony Camp, around 17,000' tomorrow and then make a summit bid on Thursday. Everyone is doing great and very excited about the prospect of moving higher on this beautiful peak. Thanks for following along with us. RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Steve Gately and team

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Good luck tomorrow guys! Hoping you get clear skies and no wind. Andrea mou, love you!

Posted by: GSD on 6/15/2016 at 8:09 pm

Jim, Trying a message again. Mom and I are sure enjoying the beautiful sights you and your team are sharing. Stoked that you are doing so well and soon to try a summit. We pray you have a safe climb, enjoy a fabulous view when you reach summit, and all come home safely. Godspeed! to you, Ben and the whole team.

Posted by: Dad DuBay on 6/15/2016 at 7:42 pm

Denali Expedition: Upper West Rib Team Enjoys the View

June 13, 2016

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Steve Gately

Elevation: 14,000'

June 13, 2016 - 7:09 pm PT After a big day caching at 16,400' on the rib we slept in this morning. Eventually folks started to rise and trickle into the kitchen where Steve was make breakfast burritos and fresh coffee, we relaxed, ate and drank our fill until around noon. Then we got geared up for a short walk over to the Edge of the World. Today was a perfect day for it with mostly clear skies and no wind. We spent an hour taking pictures and enjoying the view of the Alaska Range before heading back to camp. We did a little bit of fixed line and running belay training and then chilled for the afternoon. Tonight we will be exploring some exotic cuisine from India and sipping tea before bed. It is looking like the next couple of days will bring snow and high winds to the upper mountain so we will most likely have a couple more rest days at 14 before it breaks later in the week. The weather days are actually a blessing in disguise, it allows us to be fully rested and better acclimatize. Everyone is in good spirits and enjoying some down time. Thanks for following along with us, The Upper West Rib team

On The Map

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Jim and Team, Ry and I are following you everyday. The pictures are absolutely amazing. We’re excited to watch this story unfold. Can’t wait to see you and hear the stories.

Mac & Ry

Posted by: Mac Hawley on 6/15/2016 at 9:14 am

Ben,

As I sit here suffering through shin splints from a 5 mile run, I can’t help but marvel at the undertaking you have taken on. May the force of a thousand Spartan’s guide your way safely and swiftly. This goes for Jim too (and the rest of the team of course). Keep at it bruh. We are all super proud and super stoked. We are beers ready, glittered up.

Posted by: Spiros Botos on 6/14/2016 at 7:19 pm