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5/24 - Our team woke up to beautiful views back down heartbreak hill which we had conquered the day before and cloudy skies up the mountain towards which we set our sights. Breakfast consisted of granola and powdered milk and as much hot coffee as we could get down before rigging our sleds and packs.

With lighter loads than day 1 we slowly made our way up ski hill, eventually reaching our cache site around 9800'. Our guides dug a large 6-foot hole and we piled in bags filled with our extra clothes, gear, and food that we will grab in a couple days for the higher mountain. The cache was then topped with the extra snow and plenty of bamboo pole flags to mark it and we headed back down with empty sleds and lighter packs. 

Cloudy skies when we arrived back at camp broke and we again had some sun. A couple of us started charging our batteries with solar panels we brought and we relaxed, snacked, and dried our gear in the greenhouses of our tents.

We just finished a delicious early dinner of hearty pan fried burritos and cookies. Tomorrow we will cache some of our extra food and used clean mountain cans (CMCs) which we’ve taken turns using after meals here at 8k feet and make our way to 11k camp.

Denali continues to loom large across our camp above us, occasionally peeking out to show off its raw majesty. While we usually can’t make out the top above the clouds, we continue to set our sights there as we make our way closer and closer, day by day.

RMI Climber Climber Treavor

P.S. Hello to all our friends, family, and coworkers following our progress!

Well, the walls we built last night turned out to be the right call. Throughout the night, the winds ramped up and snowfall continued. By the time the morning rolled around, our fate was obvious. It was going to be a weather day. With the strong winds and constant snowfall, we all snoozed our alarms and settled into our sleeping bags for a few more hours before a slow morning of scrambled eggs, ham, and English muffins. The day didn't improve much, and being outside was less than desirable, so every one settled into their homes for the day, and moved through a steady rotation of sleep, sport eating, and the occasional tv show. During any lulls, or when we all got a bit stir crazy some shoveling would partake, but most hours were spent in the tent. 

We are going to wrap the night up with some Thai curry and rice noodles before heading to bed with the hope to back carry tomorrow!

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Saturday, May 16, 2026 - 7:26 pm PT

Greetings from La Paz!

After many hours of travel over the last few days, the whole team assembled at Hotel Mitru Sur this morning for the official start of our trip. After a gear check and a delicious steak and seafood lunch we headed out to explore the city, making use of the teleferico (cable car) system that travels all over the cities of La Paz and El Alto.  This allowed us to see some sights and reach 13,000' without having to put in too much effort as we start to acclimatize to the high altitude we start at here in Bolivia.

We plan to spend the next two days based out of La Paz, with making day hikes to progressively higher altitudes to allow our bodies to begin adjusting before we head to the big mountains. I'm so excited to be here for the second time, and to share this beautiful country and stunning mountains with a new group.

Stay tuned for more in the coming days! 

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 9:28 pm PT

Tonight’s dispatch starts with a Haiku from Oliver:

Trango home on snow 

Vented, sturdy and solid 

Palace of solace

Today we woke up to a low cloud, light snow and calm winds. It was our chance to go back and grab our cache. As we let the morning slow roll, we enjoyed the the second smoked salmon meal of the trip and then geared up with empty packs and sleds and started back downhill to be reunited with our snacks and group meals we have been missing. After a quick 30 minutes of down we were digging. 

We then loaded everything up, and headed back up hill for a short hour. As we finally made it back into camp, weather mellowed out and we enjoyed a solid afternoon of building a kitchen, good burritos, and snapping a quick team photo. 

Weather might be a bit tough tomorrow, but when things allow we will gear up to carry to 13,500'

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

5/24 - We had an active rest day as our bodies slowly adjusted to the new altitude. The active part was heading down to the cache garden to recover all the gear we had left earlier in the week. The rest part was spending the afternoon in the sun fueled warmth of our tents. Books read, snacks eaten and naps had. The team is slowly getting stronger as we adapt to this new height. Tomorrow brings more rest and training so we can be ready to strike should the weather provide the opportunity to set forth for the summit.

Cheers,

RMI Guide Jack and the Team

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

On the second day of our trip we had a leisurely morning, enjoying our breakfasts while the sun worked its way out of the clouds. We spent half the day practicing roped travel and discussing some of the other techniques involved in glacier travel. After the sun had us half baked we turned around and skied the warm, soft snow on the glacier back down to camp. After a brief siesta we dove into some more technical skills associated with crevasse rescue. Once the spongey parts of the brain seemed at capacity we chilled a little more and made dinner. 

The next day started much earlier with the goal of reaching the crater rim. Undesirable snow conditions made skiing off the top a less attractive prospect. We left camp in the dark and hacked our way through some frozen piles of avalanche debris and old tracks and back onto the glacier. Slowly the pale gray light of dawn bloomed into a stunning sunrise. We paused to take it in, multifaceted in its varying refractions and reflections, the sunrise, as seen from on high, cannot be captured in word or image but only seems to exist in fleeting experience or inferior replica. But I'll attach an image anyways. We made it up to the crater in good style and soaked in the sun and sulfur. The particularly active steam vents were an exciting reminder of the dynamic nature of our mountain home and geological world. The skiing down from the crater was, at first, quite poor. I've skied worse snow but I don't remember when. But thankfully it improved as it became denser and then softened. We broke down camp and descended to the trail. On our way in we were able to skin on the fresh snow over most of the trail. On the exit we walked most of it as the new snow was quickly headed down to join sulfur creek. We finished our trip at Tacos Tecalitlan which has quickly become one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. 

This trip was a success thanks to an enduring team and a little love from the weather. Thanks to this storm I'm hoping to keep my ski season going for at least a few more weeks. 

RMI Guide Will Ambler

Monday, May 18, 2026

The Mt. Baker Summit & Ski Team reached 9,700', the crater on Monday and decided to call that their high point due to snow conditions and incoming weather.  The team descended on skis back to Camp and then continued their descent to the trailhead. Although conditions weren't great for skiing, the team enjoyed their time in the mountains and celebrated their adventure in the late afternoon, completing their trip and continuing their separate ways after sharing a meal. 

Saturday, May 16, 2026

After a cold dreary gear check in the rain, huddling under the picnic shelter in Sedro,  we were delighted to find that it was snowing at the trailhead. Our team did well managing the winter weather on our way up to camp where there is about two feet of new snow. The moment we found a suitable site the sun popped out and has us going to bed warm and dry. 

Tomorrow looks like easy weather so we're planning on going for a ski tour and learning some rescue skills. 

RMI Guide Will Ambler

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 11:22 pm PT

Yesterday evening listening to our nightly broadcast weather report via FRS Radio brought to you by the KIA (Kahiltna International Airport) Base Camp manager was a grim affair. It was calling for cold temps, high winds and lots of snow at the 14k elevation band and above. Thus it felt like a minor miracle when we awoke to clear and calm skies! The team was fully prepared to add another storm day notch on their belts but was equally happy to pivot to a more active day!

After a snappy breakfast of granola, dried blueberries and powered milk we geared up to head to the top of the fixed lines! This day trip would consist of gaining 2,000 feet of elevation over a relatively short distance with a little over 500 of those feet on the legendary Denali fixed lines. After the team scooted up the snow booter, we were looking straight up the fixed lines. Hard blue ice underfoot required strong and purposeful crampon work. The thin air of 16,000 feet required deep breathing. Yet our slow caterpillar of ascending mountaineers finally topped out the pale blue ropes of the fixed lines!

We were greeted with panoramic views of the Alaska Range. Our time was limited as the temperatures were cold and the wind was biting. The descent was a fully engaging endeavor down the firm ice but the team did it with style and grace. A relatively short descent down the remaining snow slope brought us home sweet home for a dinner of ramen and an early bedtime. Tomorrow we continue to acclimate and rest so that we are in ideal condition 

should we get a chance to climb to high camp and the summit!

Cheers,

RMI Guide Jack Delaney and the Team!

We're all settled in up Huayna high camp. Yesterday we enjoyed a mellow morning at Condoriri Base Camp, and then made our way back to the bus with the help of the mules once again. From there it was back up and over the pass separating the eastern side of Huayna from the Condoriri zone and down Refugio Vista Panorámica Huyana Potosi, a lovely and comfortable mountain lodge with stunning views of the route we're climbing tonight. Everyone got a long and welcome night of sleep, and we moved well up the steep and rocky trail to the high hut at almost 17k'. Our wonderful cook staff from Andean Summits has prepared a delicious lamb and rice lunch for us, and now everyone is having a siesta ahead of another alpine start tonight!

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo & Team

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 - 9:03 pm PT

We woke up to a chilly morning with clear skies. After a couple days of carrying gear and moving camps, our lead guide Seth, called for a rest day. That called for a rest day. meant a slow morning enjoying extra coffee and english muffins and ham. Camp renovations soon followed and after building the best snow bench seen at 11 camp, we enjoyed some real rest on said bench. For five minutes until one climber said “man, I hate sitting... what else can we build!?”

We found a few other useful ways to pass the time (including some actual rest in our warm tents) but try to get a group of motivated mountaineers to do nothing on a nice weather day and that just might be harder than climbing the mountain itself.

- RMI Climber Connor

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 10:27 pm PT

Woke up to bagels

Empty packs down to the cache

Set up for rest day

RMI Guide Nikki Champion