Entries By tate hughes
Posted by: Henry Coppolillo, Jess Wedel, Miles Watson, Tate Hughes, Simon Kearns, Mitch Valaitis, Annie Chapman, Fitz Elder
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Happy Fourth of July!
Led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jess Wedel, the Mt. Rainier Four Day Climbs reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5:35 am. The teams were approaching the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent, when they checked in around 7:30 am. They will continue their descent back to Camp Muir where they will pack up before descending the Muir Snowfield to Paradise. We look forward to welcoming them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
Posted by: Brent Okita, Jess Wedel, Raymond Holt, Brooks Ordway-Smith, Josh Geiser, David Rathbun, Miles Watson, Tate Hughes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Yes, it's official—Brent Okita has reached his 600th summit of Mt. Rainier, setting a world record for the most successful ascents of the iconic 14,410-foot peak! This incredible milestone was achieved during a Four-Day Climb led by Okita and fellow guide Jess Wedel. The team reached the summit early this morning, and they’re expected to return to basecamp this afternoon for a well-deserved celebration.
To put this into perspective, 600 summits equates to approximately 5.4 million feet of elevation gain—and that’s only counting successful climbs. It doesn’t include the countless additional feet from training, attempted climbs, or even biking from Ashford to Paradise. Brent’s dedication, endurance, and passion for mountaineering are truly legendary.
Congratulations also to the RMI Clients that were able to climb and share the rope with Brent and Jess today. It was very important to Brent that he accomplish this record while guiding RMI Clients to the top.
That is Incredible Brent!! Congrats!!! I was lucky to have climbed with you a few years ago.
You Rock!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/14/2025 at 3:29 am
Holy smokes. That is a lot of Rainier summits. Congrats to Brent! (I probably will have to drink a Rainier beer on his behalf.)
Posted by: Some guy from Puyallup on 6/13/2025 at 2:04 pm
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