Most Popular Entries

Monday, May 18, 2026 - 11:48 pm PT

The first alarm went off at 5AM. The sound of snow falling on the tent was there, but lighter than the last few days. We spent the next hour paying attention to the weather to see how the winds and snow progressed, and they seemed to stay the same. By 7AM the stoves were rolling and the plan was to move uphill if weather didn't get much worse. The light snowfall and dense clouds lingered, but winds remained calm at camp. By 10:30 we had torn down camp and began our way up Ski Hill in the light snow and clouds. As we made our way through the first few stretches the sun would occasionally try to peak out, but sooner rather than later the clouds rolled in, snowfall picked up, and visibility was reduced to a whiteout. This continued all the way past our cache before the skies broke again. After a tough day, we finally rolled into 11 camp where we found our RMI cohorts, and set up camp right below them. The long day was wrapped up with some ramen, and a little bit of wall building to prep for the next incoming storm. 

We are hunkered down and now set to face the storm, or back carry, whatever weather brings.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - 10:23 PM PT

Today was a carry high, sleep low kind of day.

We hauled big loads up to Camp 1 at 16,400 ft. The winds were a little spicy, and combined with heavy packs it made for a hard push. Slow steps. Focused breathing. Lots of internal pep talks.

But wow. The views.

The colors up there are unreal — reds and oranges — like someone dropped us on Mars. It’s wild how brutal and beautiful can coexist so loudly.

We stayed up high for about an hour and a half to cache our gear and give our bodies time to adapt. Eat. Drink. Breathe. 

Then we turned around and sailed back down to base camp. We don’t use the f-word on this mountain — fast. But we did move very, very efficiently. Skiing down the scree with light packs.

And waiting for us when we got back?

Our local team, Grajales, welcoming us with an incredible recepción: fresh fruit, cheese, meats, crackers, and endless cups of jugo. Truly elite hospitality.

Right on cue, the clouds started building — and almost the second we made it back to camp, the snow arrived. A quick squall of wind and snow blew through, reminding us who’s in charge up here. Luckily, we were already in our  warm dome tent, listening to the wind do its thing outside while we stayed cozy inside.

It’s been an unpredictable weather year on the mountain, so we’re watching the forecast closely and hoping those bigger winds ease up soon.

The good news?

We’ve earned another rest day tomorrow. 

More mountain soon,

RMI Guide Jess Wedel & the Aconcagua team

RMI teams led by guides Henry Coppolillo and Nick Sinapius attempted to summit Mt Rainier this morning, but turned around at 11,500', just above Ingraham Flats due to deteriorating route conditions.They returned to Camp Muir and are on their descent back to Paradise. They will be back in Ashford this afternoon. 

Friday, June 12 - 8:20PM PST

Welcome to your Denali Wrapped!

Hello all, and welcome to your end of climb playlist, fam. Congratulations to us on making it to the top, on forging lifelong friendships along the way, learning new mountaineering skills and pushing ourselves harder than we thought possible to achieve incredible things in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Here are some songs that we curated to help us remember the grand adventure.

They say the summit is only a small fraction of the joy of climbing , so why don’t we start with the beginning? The journey from the airstrip to our first camp at the base of ski hill was a heavy and hot one; with full sleds that tripped us up so who can’t help thinking of Tubthumping by Chumbawamba? We get knocked down, but we get up again, at least until the heat of the day began to make our sun shirts stick to our backs and warmed us all the way to our toes, and then maybe our thoughts turned to Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes. Thank goodness for Leuko tape and Compeed pads. But eventually we got to drop our sleds off at 11k camp, with Can I Kick It? By A Tribe Called Quest summing up our relationship with our bright orange friends.

Ski Hill and 11k were wonderful camps, notable for the amazing weather we had and easy time we had slowly caching gear higher on the mountain. Notes of Hot in Herre by Nelly, Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby, and Ice Cream and Sunscreen by Martha were punctuated by real bonds being formed over games of backgammon, trivia, conversations about our families, and working together towards our goals.

We didn’t hear much of the music from the guide tent, but what we imagined them playing on repeat were: That Don’t Impress me Much by Shania Twain, I’ll Make a Man Out of You from Disney’s Mulan, and, on hard mornings when we were tired and our guides pushed us to our limits, You Always Hurt the Ones You Love by the Mills Brothers was heard floating softly through some headphones. So thank you for pushing us to our limits, even when we complained or threw up, for creating the space and opportunities for us to realize we were stronger than we ever thought. For doing the hard thing, even when we complained about the lack of time for our pourover coffees or how cold and uncomfortable we were. Thank you for Betting on Us (Francis and the Lights) For you, Jackson, Ray, and Lacie, we listen to Whitney Houston’s Higher Love on repeat. The higher you get, the higher you are. 

When things got rough from Windy Corner onwards, we certainly sang The Kids Aren’t Alright by the Offspring to ourselves, In Too Deep by Sum 41, and perhaps there were one or two members of the team still dreaming of a miracle man to carry their load singing Holding out for A Hero by Bonnie Tyler. Some of those days had the Proclaimers Over and Done With as our camp anthem, and who couldn’t help humming Jame’s Arthur’s Say You Won’t Let Go while we went up the fixed lines or Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer while shivering on the Autobahn? 

We tried to add an bassoon song for Lacie, but we don’t know any. For Ray and his rays of sunshine, we will always be listening to the spiciest latin beats. And for Jackson, our favorite JBL, his song isn’t a song, but rather every single inspirational locker room speech in film history. 

Overall, we collectively spent more than 408 hours on the mountain living out the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” on repeat! That makes us Marvin Gaye’s top .0001% fully embodied fan! Our second favorite song was Miley Cyrus’s The Climb, and today in Talkeetna, some great recovery tunes have included Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira, My Neck My Back by Khia, and I’m So Tired by Lauv. Enjoy the sun, my fellow climbers, you’ve earned it. 

For the one crazy member of our team spotted running in his very short shorts the day we returned, Lenny Kravitz’ Always on the Run is just for you. For our favorite Brolonzo, obviously our staple is Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins. For the girl who is 5’2 but somehow thinks she’s 6’5, there’s Bad Mutha by Lord Finesse. For the guy who does a cracking impression of Lacie; I’m a Goofy Goober from SpongeBob made the cut. For the climber who looks like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, we obviously gotta give you the song Gaston. And finally, for the man with a million degrees, I Love College by Asher Roth. 

Not all of us made it to the top, but all of us are gonna make it home, and we are all leaving with lifelong bonds and real love in our hearts for one another.  That seems pretty lucky to me. While the mountain summit may have been the goal, the real gift was the friends we made along the way. As The Wind and the Wave sing, Happiness is Not A Place, it’s the people who make your heart feel fullest. 

So, thanks for the one last dispatch, and until next time. Xoxo

-RMI Climbers

Monday, June 1st - 9PM PST

Well, we did it. We packed up camp at 14 yesterday morning, and began the trek back down the mountain around noon. We rolled through our old camps, and luckily got to see a few friends along the way. We picked up trash, old CMCs, and a few hugs here and there. We continued through the lower Kahiltna - in a white out, fitting for this trip. 

Eventually, around 10PM we pulled our heavy sleds up heart break hill and into base camp again. We enjoyed a midnight dinner, and settled into our tents for (hopefully) the last time. 

The following morning we checked in with K2 and hoped to fly. We got lucky, and by 11A the planes were on the ground and we crawled in. 

The team is back in Talkeetna and enjoying vegetables and beer for the first time in a while.
 

-RMI Guide Nikki Champion

That’s a wrap. We are back at the hotel in Puerto Natales, having completed the full O Circuit with our cups full both figuratively and literally. What an incredible adventure, made even better by a truly great group of people who now feel like old friends.

We woke up this morning to the same strong winds that ushered us into the park at the start of the trip. This time, though, they felt easy to shrug off. A hot shower and a real bed were waiting, which has a way of putting everything in perspective. As we made our way back, we couldn’t help but gawk at the towering mountains and hanging glaciers welcoming us into this beautiful corner of Patagonia, all while reflecting on just how far we had traveled to arrive right back where we began.

The weather on this trip was the best I’ve ever had out here, and that good fortune belonged entirely to this team. From start to finish, it felt like everything lined up just right. Now the only luck we need is choosing which wine to taste next.

This is the Torres trek signing off. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Monday, May 25th 11pm PST

Hey ya'll, it’s Haley!
Coming to ya from 14 camp. It feels like we are in a Katy Perry song because the overwhelming description is “it’s hot then it’s cold.” We have experienced very chilly nights followed by sweaty tent afternoons but we take it all in stride. Something I love about Denali is that it’s anti-alpine start. We woke up around 9:30 to stunning views of Mt Foraker and clear skies all around. Our first order of business is to fill our empty water bottles from the night which includes applauding those who kept them warm in their sleeping bags and publicly chastising those who let them freeze. It’s called efficiency bullying up here! After a lovely breakfast of egg hash, we tromp off to get some much needed fixed line and picket clipping practice. The result is a cacophony of yelling “ANCHOR!” & “CLIMBING!” while each of us is managing the war between our mega mitts, the rope, and a wiregate carabiner. All in all, it bolstered our confidence to take on the challenges that come ahead if we get our summit window. We were hoping to spend an afternoon of clear skies touring other parts of the famous 14 camp such as the Edge of the World Overlook and the Poop Cravasse! But just like the guy at the bar you don’t want to talk to, the clouds sauntered over and blocked our views of all things good. So instead, we traded snacks from our recently recovered cache and relaxed. With three solid days of acclimating at 14 camp, all that’s left is for the mountain to decide if it will let us go up. So fingers crossed for a weather window in our future! Too blessed to be stressed,

RMI Climber Haley

Love you Kevin!! Thanks to everyone sending encouraging notes and support our way!
 

Hello hello!

We rallied for one more day of hiking. After a night in an actual bed in Aguas Calientes, we woke up early and headed back to Machu Picchu. Some of the group even hiked the trail back up instead of taking the bus — a first for me, but it was so fun. Big stair people on this team.

At the top we regrouped and headed to Huayna Picchu, the peak behind Machu Picchu in every iconic photo you’ve ever seen. Steep steps, but we’re professionals now. Up through some clouds and light rain, and our luck held, the views from the top were incredible. Machu Picchu is the main event, sure, but the tree-covered mountains stretching out in every direction makes it feel mystical. Hard to imagine a better way to close out this trip.

We came down and caught the train back to Ollantaytambo, panoramic windows and winding views the whole way, birds soaring, valleys and passes we’d actually walked through days earlier now passing by from a completely different angle. The train is the only way to Machu Picchu that doesn’t involve your own two feet, and it’s a gorgeous one.

Back in Cusco, the cold hit us the second we stepped out of the van, straight from jungle humidity to 11,000 feet of thin, sharp air. Grabbed our duffels, climbed a few more stairs (of course), and collapsed into a hotel with warm beds and hot showers waiting.

We climbed passes, ate guinea pig, survived a group Scum rivalry, and somehow all still like each other. 10/10 trip. Thank you for following along and to this crew: I’d get chewy cuy with you again anytime.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

5/29 - Today we were able to stretch our legs and enjoy the views of 17k camp. The team used the day to pack and organize and prepare mentally for what will likely be the hardest day of their lives. This rest day was well deserved. Tomorrow we make our attempt at the summit of North America, Denali!

RMI Guide Jack Delaney & Team

The team enjoyed a great first day here in Quito! We met as a group for the first time this morning and headed out to explore the city. First stop was a visit to the equator, followed by the Church of La Compania and Independence Square. With many of us arriving late last night or in the wee hours of the morning we are looking forward to catching up on some sleep and heading into thinner air on Rucu Pichincha tomorrow! 

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo & Team