Entries By tom skoog
Posted by: Seth Burns, Tom Skoog, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The snow school day of our seminar was a great success! Our team came in with a lot of previous mountaineering experience, with most climbers having summitted Mt. Rainier via the Disappointment Cleaver route in the past. As a result, we were able to quickly refresh basic techniques and then get more in depth about movement on steep snow and ice, building snow anchors and crevasse rescue. A high pressure system is moving in just in time for our climb, and the afternoon was beautiful at Paradise!
On Sunday, we enjoyed a beautiful day of weather during our climb to high camp on the Kautz Glacier route. The sun was warm, but a persistent breeze kept us relatively comfortable, even under heavy packs. We arrived at the Upper Castle in great style and set up camp. Our spot has running water and warm rocks. We’re all smiles.
Yesterday, the team enjoyed another day of training, working on crevasse rescue techniques and ice climbing near camp. This morning the team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 8 am with the entire team. They will return to camp for their final night on the mountain and descend to the trailhead tomorrow. Their program will conclude with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow afternoon.
Nice work team!
PC: Tom Skoog and Seth Burns
Posted by: Brent Okita, George Hedreen, Tom Skoog, Stella Johnson, Miles Watson, Simon Kearns, CJ Rogers, Julian Kral
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Yesterday the Four Day Climb teams June 22 - 25 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and George Hedreen enjoyed a breezy and cool snowfield, good snacks and good company. Today they made an alpine start from Camp Muir and reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 am. Breezy and cold temps made for a short stop in the crater and they began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 am. Once back at Camp Muir, the teams will repack and take a short rest before continuing the final 4,500' down to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's climbers.
PC: Tom Skoog
Posted by: Eric Frank, Tom Skoog, Stella Johnson, Miles Watson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Day 1: We left Ashford at 7:30 this morning and enjoyed good views and generally cool weather on our approach to the kautz. We’ve made an excellent camp on the lower castle and are batoning down the hatches for rough weather tonight—an essential expedition skill. - RMI Guide Eric frank
Day 2: Today we practiced a variety of skills including fixed line travel, crevasse rescue and avalanche beacon searches. We even took a little time for yoga before our summit talk! - RMI Guide Tom Skoog
Day 5: SUMMIT! The Kautz Seminar team left camp and ascended the Kautz Ice Chute and reached the top of Wapowety Cleaver before gaining Point Success and then contining across to Columbia Crest. The team enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent. The team climbed strong with 100% of the group reaching the summit. They will return to camp and enjoy some rest and a final tent night. Tomorrow they will continue their descent to Paradise and conclude their program.
Nice work team!
Photos: Tom Skoog
Congrats! I hear this was a tough route and you did it!
Posted by: Connie on 6/19/2025 at 6:39 pm
Posted by: Tom Skoog, Casey Grom, George Hedreen, Joe Crawford, Nicole De Petris, Arianna Drechsler, CJ Rogers, Brendan Oates
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb teams for June 8 - 12 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. RMI Guide Tom Skoog reported good conditions, clear skies and colder temperatures. The teams enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim around 7:15 am. Once back at Camp Muir, the teams will re-pack and continue down to Paradise. They will conclude their program this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.
Nice work team!
Posted by: Henry Coppolillo, Bailey Servais, Bryan Mazaika, Tom Skoog, Stella Johnson, Sam Hoffman, Miles Watson, CJ Rogers
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Good morning!
The Four Day Climb of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Bailey Servais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5:20 am PT this morning. Both teams went 100% to the summit--an incredible achievement! The guides reported beautiful weather and a great climbing route! The teams are currently descending and will be back in Ashford at Rainier Base Camp later this afternoon.
Congratuations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Joe Hoch, Celeste Wilson, Calvin Jiricko, Bailey Servais, Tom Skoog, Fitz Elder, Miles Watson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb led by Dave Hahn and Joe Hoch reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:30 AM today!
It’s a beautiful, sunny day with light winds, allowing the team to spend about an hour on the summit soaking in the views and celebrating their accomplishment.
Congratulations to all!
WOOHOO!!!!!
Posted by: T Northrup on 5/24/2025 at 4:08 pm
Awesome job Zach!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 5/24/2025 at 1:31 pm
Posted by: Eric Frank, Joe Hoch, Ben Ammon, Calvin Jiricko, Tom Skoog, Hannah Billings
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,100'
Led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Joe Hoch, the Four Day Climb May 8 - 11 teams reached an elevation of 13,100 feet today before being turned back due to route conditions. They are currently descending to Camp Muir for a short rest and to repack before continuing down to Paradise later this afternoon.
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Sam Hoffman, Tom Skoog, Mitch Valaitis, Hannah Blum, Robert Whyte
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The September 1 - 5 Five Day Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Sam Hoffman. Climbers reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5 am and were able to enjoy some time in the summit crater. The skies are clear and it's a bluebird day. The teams left the crater rim at 6:10am and are currently on their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at camp they will get to rest and enjoy the views and will spend tonight on the mountain. Tomorrow they have another 4.5 miles to descent in order to reach Paradise. There program will conclude tomorrow with a celebration of their adventure.
Nice work team!
Very thankful to Sam and all the guides who helped me summit Rainier
So glad I did it!!
It was hard but so worth it.
Thanks to professional and experienced guides - it was a challenge worth trying
Posted by: Alex Fedorchuk on 9/10/2024 at 12:10 pm
So grateful for this opportunity to climb and summit!
Our guides Sam and his team were absolutely amazing!
They gave very precise instructions, paid attention to all of our needs and encouraged us to believe in ourselves. Very well trained and knowledgeable in mountaineering. Very professional and polite.
We felt like family.
P.S. Sam, I was able to complete my marathon three days later in 3:45 :)
Posted by: Vera Fedorchuk on 9/10/2024 at 12:08 pm
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, George Hedreen, Raymond Holt, Tom Skoog, Miles Watson, Hannah Billings
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb August 23 - 27 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer & George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams enjoyed clear skies, a funky cloud and a light breeze for their climb and were able to enjoy some time this morning in the summit crater. The team began their descent from the crater rim around 9:30 am. They will return to Camp Muir and enjoy another night on the mountain. Tomorrow the teams will pack their gear and descend the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.
Congratulations team!
PC: George Hedreen
Posted by: Leif Bergstrom, Daniel May, Charlie Harrison, Jackson Breen, Tom Skoog, Arianna Drechsler
Categories:
Elevation: 12,300'
The Five Day Climb August 19 - 23 led by RMI Guides Leif Bergstrom & Dan May left Camp Muir around 2 am to make their summit attempt. The teams climbed to the top of Disappointment Cleaver (12,300') before high winds and deteriorating weather conditions forced them to descend. The teams will return to Camp Muir where they will spend another night on the mountain. If weather improves they may be able to do some additional training before descending to Paradise tomorrow to complete their program.
LEW CREW did it!!
Posted by: Amy Lewis on 7/1/2025 at 6:12 pm
View All Comments