Entries from Mount Rainier
Posted by: Henry Coppolillo, Jess Wedel
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 13,200'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jess Wedel made a push toward the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning, the group reached 13,200 feet before Mother Nature made her presence known.
As the team ascended through the early morning hours, increasing winds and steady snowfall began to challenge their progress. With safety as the top priority, the guides made the decision to turn the team around just below the summit.
Now back at Camp Muir, where light snow continues to fall, the team is regrouping and preparing for their descent to Paradise.
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Joey Manship
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
This morning, RMI Expeditions guides Jack Delaney and Joey Manship led their Four Day Climb teams to the summit of Mount Rainier—an incredible achievement for all involved!
The teams reached the top under dynamic mountain conditions, reporting broken clouds, light precipitation, and a cloud deck hovering around 8,700 feet. Despite the weather, spirits were high as climbers stood atop the 14,410-foot peak, many for the first time.
At 9:20 AM, the teams began their descent, and are currently en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations Team!
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
Posted by: Brent Okita, George Hedreen, Nicole De Petris, Sam Marjerison, Hannah Billings, Annie Chapman, Fitz Elder, Julian Kral
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb June 16 - 19 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita & George Hedreen reached the summit of Mt. Raineir this morning around 7 am. It's a beautiful day with blue skies, light winds and cool temperatures. The team enjoyed about an hour in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim shortly after 8 am. Once back at Camp Muir the climbers will have a short rest and repack, then continue 4.5 miles down to Paradise. They will have a short celebration at Rainier BaseCamp later today to conclude their adventure.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Seth Burns, Joe Crawford, Bryan Mazaika, Jackson Breen, Ben Thorneycroft, David Rathbun, Erika Barrett, Nina Bridges
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Guides Seth Burns and Joe Crawford led their Five Day climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Seth radioed from the crater rim at 8:47 am. Its a goregous day on the mountain with clear skies and cool temperatures. After spending some time in the crater the team will descend to Camp Muir and spend their second night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will continue down to Paradise.
Nice work today team!
Posted by: Casey Grom, Lael Butler, Mitch Valaitis, Brooks Ordway-Smith, Julian Kral, Felipe Guarderas, CJ Rogers, Simon Kearns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climbs led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Lael Butler reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! The teams were on the summit around 7:45 am and enjoying the beautiful weather. We look forward to seeing them back in Ashford later this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
Posted by: Henry Coppolillo, Jackson Breen, Nicole De Petris, Dylan Anderson, Jack Ritterson, Brendan Oates
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb June 12 - 15 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Jackson Breen, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 6:20 am. Henry reported a beautiful and slightly busy day on the mountain. The skies were clear and winds low. The teams enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim. Once back at Camp Muir, they repacked and descended the remaining 4,500'. This afternoon they will complete their adventure with a small ceremony.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Jack Delaney, Bryan Mazaika
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Our team completed a Four-Day climb to the summit of Mt. Rainier via the classic Disappointment Cleaver route. Jack Delaney and Bryan Mazaika reported clear skies above the clouds and a well-established route that made for a smooth ascent.
Climbing Mt. Rainier is more than just a summit—it is reminder of the power of preparation, the beauty of the Cascades, and the camaraderie that comes from shared challenge.
Congratulations to today’s Team!
Congratulations to the team! Great job Abbie! I’m remembering you at age 2, “I do it myself”, ever fearless!
Posted by: Chris Wood on 6/14/2025 at 10:38 am
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
Posted by: Nick Sinapius, Mac Nolde
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons June 10 – June 12, 2025
We left Ashford early this morning, buzzing with anticipation and a healthy dose of nerves. By 9:00 AM, we had arrived at White River Campground, ready to begin our ascent. The trail greeted us with dry forest paths, but it wasn’t long before we were surrounded by high alpine meadows still blanketed in snow.
From there, we climbed up the Inter Glacier and made camp at 7,800 feet. It was our first real day of glacier travel, and it didn’t disappoint. We learned a lot—some of it the hard way—but two lessons stood out:
- Never stretch, ever.
- Just keep breathing.
Tomorrow, we’ll move up to Camp Schurman, spend the day training, and prepare for our summit push on the 12th.
Summit Day: June 12
At 10:40 AM, every single member of our team stood on the summit of Mount Rainier.
100% success.
6 hours and 45 minutes to the top.
One strong, determined team.
The climb was tough, but the views—and the feeling of standing on top—made every step worth it. We’re currently descending back to Camp Schurman, tired but proud.
Tomorrow, we’ll descend to the trailhead and wrap up this unforgettable journey. This climb tested us, taught us, and brought us closer together. We’ll carry these memories (and a few sore muscles) with us for a long time.
Until the next adventure,
Nick, Mac, and the Crew
Congrats! I hear this was a tough route and you did it!
Posted by: Connie on 6/19/2025 at 6:39 pm
View All Comments