Entries By tatum whatford

From Dan May

At the beginning of April a crop of RMI guides including myself, Leif Bergstrom, Henry Coppolillo, Lacie Smith, Tatum Whatford, and George Hedreen, headed off to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to work on honing our alpine guide skills with the help of the AMGA. We split our time between Boulder and Estes Park, Colorado while completing the Alpine Guide Course. Often in these courses, you are amongst colleagues spread across other guiding companies, however in this instance, we had the opportunity to work and learn together. Being able to sharpen our guiding skills in alpine terrain amongst our peers that we work with in the North Cascades, Denali, and South America was a great opportunity.

These courses offer us the chance to add additional tools to our ever-growing toolkit as guides while being reviewed, critiqued, and taught by the AMGA instructors. While romping around the Flat Irons, Eldorado Canyon, and Tyndall Gorge of Rocky Mountain National Park, we took turns climbing rock, ice, snow, and mixed routes while guiding each other through the terrain. These chances and skills as a guide are invaluable. It is easy to convince your friends to go climbing with you, but to convince your friends to let you guide them through peculiar terrain to practice your techniques and skill sets is another story.

At the end of the nine days, all RMI guides successfully completed the course and had a great time doing so. Now we are all turning our sights to Ashford and Mt. Rainier in preparation for another great summer of climbing.

Satuday, September 3, 2022 8:00 am PDT

Hey y'all,

On summit of Baker at 7:45.Moderate winds and smoky skies. 100% of team on top.

Tatum, Roland, and Team

Friday September 4, 2022 9:00 pm PDT

Hey y'all, 

Yesterday we had perfect weather for our hike to camp without a cloud in the sky. We made camp at 6,100. Today we had a good school day with light winds and smoky skies.

Tatum, Roland, and Team

The Four Day Climb August 25 - 28 was approaching the crater rim of Mt. Rainier at 6:40 am led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Seth Burns.  Alan reported climbing time from Camp Muir to the summit was 6 1/2 hours for the teams this morning. It's a beautiful day to be in the mountains with clear skies and light winds. The teams will enjoy some time at the summit today before retracing their steps and returning to Camp Muir. After a short time at Camp Muir, they will continue the final 4,500' to Paradise and conclude their program at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

RMI Guide Tatum Whatford radioed at 7 am that the first rope teams of the Four Day Climb August 22 - 25 were reaching the crater rim.  The remaining teams were 10 minutes out. Tatum reported a beautiful morning on the mountain with no wind and a very good route. Once they spend a bit of time on the summit, Tatum along with RMI Guide Alex Halliday will lead their climbers back to Camp Muir where they will have a quick break to re-organize and pack for their remaining descent to Paradise.  The teams will conclude their program this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.

Way to go teams!

RMI Guides Matias Franics and Seth Burns led their Four Day Climb August 16 - 19 teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams reported good conditions with a bit of increased wind and some light precipitation on their descent.  Once back at Camp Muir they will have a short break before continuing the final 4,500' down to Paradise to complete their climb.  They will conclude their program at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon with a celebration ceremony.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

After a week of Denali Prep Training on the Paradise Glacier RMI Guide Tatum Whatford and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise Team made their way to Camp Muir for their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier. The team climbed under clear skies and a light breeze to successfully reach the Summit of Mt. Rainer at 7:30 am Today!  The team has started their descent and are looking forward to cold drinks and a celebration at the Basecamp Bar and Grill. 

Congratulations Team! 

The Four Day Climb August 5 - 8, 2022 led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning.  The teams reported windy conditions.  They left the crater rim around 5:20 am and as of 7 am were at the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent.  Once back at Camp Muir the teams will have a quick break before continuing the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.  They will then conclude their program this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Steve Gately, and Tatum Whatford reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams climb under clear windless skies and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. They are on the descent and will be back at Camp Muir by mid-morning.

Congratulations team! 

The Four Day Climb July 26 - 29, 2022 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning.  RMI Guides Alan Davis & Dustin Wittmier led today's climbers to the crater at 14,410'.  Warm temperatures and clear skies continue, allowing great views in all directions. The team began their descent from the crater rim around 6:20 am and are making their way back to Camp Muir.  After a quick stop at Muir, the teams will continue the final 4,500' descent to Paradise and transfer to Rainier Basecamp.  The team will conclude thier program this afternoon with a celebration.

Nice climbing team!

It was a successful summit for all team members on the Mt. Baker Easton Glacier Climb July 22 - 24.  RMI Guide Seth Burns reported a beautiful day filled with lots of smiles!

Nice work team!