Entries from North Cascades

Friday, August 23, 2019 7:11 PM PTThe rains came shortly after we finished our breakfast this morning, and refused to let up until 3 o'clock this afternoon. We spent the majority of the day passing the time in our tents before finally getting out for a little training this evening. The views cleared in time for us to enjoy them while eating dinner, and we're all ready to head for the summit tomorrow! RMI Guide Ben Ammon & Team

We had some nice cloud cover that kept our walk to camp nice and cool. Once we arrived the clouds cleared to reveal awesome views of the North Cascades and of our Mt. Shuksan climbing route up the Sulphide Glacier. We are training to prepare for our summit attempt tomorrow.
RMI Guide Ben Ammon



I am back from four incredible days in the North Cascades. I was fortunate enough to a day of training at Mount Erie, then three days on a successful ascent of the Fisher Chimneys on Mt. Shuksan with one guest. Here are some photos of the experience.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
The Mt. Baker Easton Glacier team led by RMI Guide Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Baker today. Andy reported beautiful weather and a fun route. The team is en route back to camp where they will spend the evening before descending tomorrow.
Congratulations Team!

Our entire Mt. Baker reached the summit via the Easton Glacier at 8:15 this morning! The weather has been great and the route is in good condition. Everyone is doing well. We are back at camp and will be packing up to head to the trailhead shortly.
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades




Yesterday our team made a strong summit attempt of Sahale Mountain in poor conditions. We reached 8,100' on the Quien Sabe Glacier following a morning of low visibility as well as increasing rain and wind. With a deteriorating weather forecast we decided not to cross a tricky bergschrund, which would have put us in a difficult place considering the soggy snow conditions. We returned to camp wet, but in high spirits knowing we gave it our best go. The entire team did an excellent job and are looking forward to sunny summits in the future!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

The RMI Alpine Classic team led by RMI Guide Mike Walter was unable to leave camp at Lake Ann for a summit attempt of Mt. Shuksan due to steady rain. The team tried to wait out the rain but the rain persisted. They descended to the trailhead earlier today.
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Dominic Cifelli, Matias Francis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 6,200'

Our team woke up just after 7am to dense fog and intermittent rain. This group is positive and experienced in the back country, so it was no problem. The skies still have not cleared up, but we were able to cover the topics of technical gear, walking and advanced scrambling all while staying relatively dry. Not wanting to get the team too wet, we took shelter in our tents after breakfast, waiting for a break in the weather. We are now back in camp, relaxing outside as the sun is just starting to poke through. It is warm and any wet items have dried out by now. The team is looking forward to climbing tomorrow and we will check in, hopefully from the top!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier


The RMI Alpine Classic team has reached the summit of their first objective- the North Ridge of Mt. Baker! Route conditions and the weather were excellent. The team was approximately 14 hours round trip from high camp, summit, and back to high camp. The team is now resting at a hotel getting ready for their next peak, Mt. Shuksan via the Fisher Chimneys Route.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
After a soggy morning of pushing through wet brush in the forest we emerged into the open slopes of Boston Basin. Our team setup camp in a beautiful location at about 5,600' in Boston Basin. Grand views of the Boston Basin peaks and Johannesburg Mountain made for a beautiful sunset under mostly clear skies. A cloud layer has the valley socked in, but it is an overall perfect night higher up. Tomorrow we will be doing some training for the climb the following day. The team is in good spirits and generally happy to be surrounded by the rugged landscapes of the North Cascades.
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
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