Entries By tatum whatford
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Henry Coppolillo, Tatum Whatford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
Our Denali escapade has commenced! Everyone arrived in Anchorage without incident and enjoyed a surprisingly smooth drive to Talkeetna. We spent yesterday crawling through all our gear, packing, repacking, wondering if we should bring more, less, or had forgotten something entirely and tearing it all apart to start again. Once we were sure, we weighed it all in for the planes and got sorted for the two Otters that would ferry us to base camp. We enjoyed a last dinner in Talkeetna, and some took two, three, or four showers to make up for the coming weeks and be sure to fly on smelling like roses.
We woke up this morning ready and hopeful to launch immediately, but it wasn't to be. Base camp reported that they were in a snow globe with 12 new inches overnight. We commenced the chill, sipped coffee, visited the myriad shops, ate lunch, and became somewhat convinced that we would HAVE to spend another night in a bed, have to take another shower, and have to eat a meal. Then, suddenly the RMI1 team got told to ready 5 and launched. Our hopes changed - but also Came with the realization that we would be landing quite late, and cooking dinner would be even later. So, we compromised. We would sleep on the ground and forego a shower if we could have one more mountain high pizza meal. We grabbed pizzas, trapped the stack together, and flew in with them in our lap. Our flight was stunning, with the long light of evening lighting the thousands of peaks in the Alaska range. We landed, set up our shelter, ate our pizza, and are settling in for our first night on the glacier.
We will be in touch tomorrow with more news. Stay tuned!
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Henry Coppolillo, Tatum Whatford, and Team
Posted by: Daniel May, Leif Bergstrom, Henry Coppolillo, Lacie Smith, Tatum Whatford, George Hedreen
Categories: Guide News
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.
Thank you for sharing how you, as guides, maintain & improve your skills. I hope to climb with RMI this year. I wish you all a safe and healthy climbing season!!
Posted by: James O’Neil on 4/23/2023 at 9:49 am
Posted by: Tatum Whatford, Roland Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
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
Posted by: Alan Davis, Seth Burns, Tatum Whatford, George Hedreen, Charlie Harrison, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
What an incredible experience! The summit crater must have been breathtaking, and the four-day trek sounds unforgettable!
Posted by: Peol Solutions on 5/5/2025 at 1:09 am
The team’s success in summiting Mt. Rainier is truly inspiring. Congratulations on a remarkable achievement and an unforgettable experience! Well done!
Posted by: Right Angle Developers on 5/21/2024 at 2:12 am
Posted by: Alex Halliday, Tatum Whatford, Joey Manship, Josh Geiser, George Hedreen, Lily Emerson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
Posted by: Matias Francis, Seth Burns, Tatum Whatford, Joey Manship, Nicole De Petris, George Hedreen
Categories:
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
Posted by: Tatum Whatford, Jess Wedel, Jenna Burkey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
So proud of you Andrew and John!! Stay safe!! Enjoy!!!
Aunt Judy and Uncle Brian!!
Posted by: Judy Eisentrout on 8/19/2022 at 7:45 pm
Very proud of the old man on the team! Just sad I didn’t remind him to pack sunscreen. Great job KAK!!!
Posted by: Nina Kahloon on 8/16/2022 at 1:29 pm
Posted by: Alan Davis, Matias Francis, Tatum Whatford, Tyler Meyers, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
Congratulations! A question: I wonder if the trip leaders know what the winds were like on summit day (Mon Aug 8)? I too submitted (independently with my climbing partner) and we experienced persistent winds throughout but also gusts at Disappointment Cleaver that felt quite stiff. Might your own team(s) have a sense of how high the winds actually were (as opposed to forecast)? Thank you,
Posted by: Larissa M on 8/10/2022 at 3:11 pm
Congratulations to the whole team for summiting, but I would like to give a special “Bravo” to my wonderful husband who reach the summit!! So proud of you Stéphane!! You did it!!!!
Posted by: Annie Quinal on 8/8/2022 at 8:01 am
Posted by: Steve Gately, Tatum Whatford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
So happy to hear this news! Congratulations!!!
Posted by: Holly on 8/5/2022 at 12:45 pm
Way to go, Team!!! I’ve been thinking of you and sending good vibes for a safe and clear summit! So happy for you all!!! <3 <3 <3 :-) :-) :-)
Posted by: Emily on 8/5/2022 at 11:17 am
Posted by: Alan Davis, Dustin Wittmier, Tatum Whatford, George Hedreen, Tyler Meyers, Lacie Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
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!
Thank you for the blog posts! We love hearing about what Bailey is experiencing. We praying for safety and an incredible experience for the whole team!
Posted by: Karlyn Sullivan on 5/14/2023 at 4:42 pm
Lap pizza is my new favorite Denali beta!! Hope it tastes even better from the glacier :D
Posted by: Corey on 5/12/2023 at 11:01 am
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