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We have had a great few days working our way south from Araucania to the Lakes District. We had a nice day of ski touring on the ridges across from
Lonquimay before heading south to Pucon. Beautiful views that morning of Sierra Nevada, Llaima, Villarrica, Tolhuaca and Lanin.
We had a nice rest day in Pucon while a wet storm hit the region. That day we were slated for Villarrica, the most active volcano in South America. It's currently under "Amber alert" after spitting some lava and smoke in the last couple weeks. Our backup plan was another nearby mountain - Quetrapillan. But with a forecast of heavy snow and 80 knot winds, a down day seemed like a better plan.
Yesterday we worked our way further south into the Lakes District, arriving to Refugio Teski on the flanks of Volcan Osorno. This morning we set off in light snow flurries and low visibility, once again with optimism that things would improve. Improve they did as we skinned through the cloud deck into the sunlight. We didn't quite make it to the top of Osorno. The wind was whipping and the steep summit slopes were icy. But we did get an amazing 4000'+ descent above Lake Llanquihue. Snow conditions were once again uncharacteristically good for this time of year - a smooth, preserved, fast powder surface illuminated in cold sunlight. Quite a run to end the trip on. And one that should make the wait for our Northern Hemisphere winter more tolerable. An added bonus was having our friend and outfitter Sergio join us on Osorno. He doesn't usually travel this far south with us but this was a special cameo.
RMI Guide Tyler Reid
We had some high winds during the night. At dawn the winds deteriorated and we barely had any wind today. Great morning of
training with self- and team- ice axe arrest and cramponing. With our crampons on, we roped up and went to the nearby glacier to train. Our tentative plan is to do crevasse rescue training tomorrow. The forecast is for more high winds coming in tomorrow. The winds are supposed to decrease tomorrow night, which looks like the best summit bid window. We’ll have an exploratory team go up later today or tomorrow to check out route conditions.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Katuz Route early this morning. Mike reported great climbing, clear skies, and light winds. The Kautz Route is a great adventure for physically fit climbers ready for a slightly more technical adventure on Mt. Rainier, and today's team climbed strong! The team will be descending the Disappointment Cleaver Route, taking a short rest at Camp Muir before returning to Paradise.
Congratulations Team!
We reached the small village of Azau last night as daylight shrank from the mountains, their presence only hinted at by the dark forms obscuring the stars around us. Thankful to put an end to the traveling for a bit we dumped our bags in our rooms, grabbed a quick bite to eat in the restaurant, and collapsed into our beds.
Upon waking this morning we immediately caught glimpses of the mountains, the craggy summits of the Caucasus visible through the skylights of our rooms. With the morning sun quickly burning away the cool mountain morning we set off on a day hike, walking down the valley to the village of Cheget. The rural areas of Russia are a contrast in times, old homes of concrete slabs and rusting corrugated roofs sit along the road, gardens sprouting in the front while livestock grazes on the hillsides behind, while a store next door advertises rentals for the latest ski gear from Western companies. This was even more pointed yesterday as we drove past old Soviet factories used to build tractors and parts for their space program, long since abandoned and now occupied by grazing cows that walk the roads, causing the Mercedes and vans of climbers coming from the airport to weave between the wandering bovine.
Yet overlooking the continually changing landscape stand the stunning summits of the Caucasus. Upon reaching Cheget, we hopped on an old single seat chairlift, each chair painted in bright colors to hide the age, and quickly emerged from treeline. To the south lay the jagged heart of the Caucasus, the knife edge ridgelines cutting through the sky and delineating the Russian/Georgian border, to the north loomed the glacier capped twin summits of Mt. Elbrus, the mountain we traveled so far to climb. At 10,000' the air was thin and we walked slowly along narrow trails weaving through slopes, exposing our bodies to the new altitudes, which will benefit us tonight when we return to 7,000' to sleep. With that exposure to higher elevations our bodies will work harder to prepare for the increased effort needed at high altitudes.
Returning to Cheget for lunch we dined on "Shashlik" - chicken kabobs roasted on the open fire burning on the patio, before returning to our lodgings in Azau to sort our gear for tomorrow and get some rest. Tomorrow we leave the valley and ascend to the toe of the glacier on the south side of Elbrus. We plan on spending some time in the afternoon to climb a portion of the glacier before returning to our hut for the evening.
The team is doing well and pleased to be here in the mountains. We are looking forward to pulling out our climbing gear and heading onto Elbrus.
We awoke to our first real look at the
Condoriri Group and it was absolutely spectacular. Crystal clear skies highlighted a couple climbing groups heading up a rolling glacier on the way toward Pequeno Alpamayo. For our group that path waits for tomorrow, so after a languorous breakfast, the team headed up to 16k to continue our acclimatization and practice the skills for the upcoming day. We managed to refresh everyone's prior knowledge and even add a technique or two to the group's toolbox. Our schooling came to a swift close as the afternoon clouds rolled in and forced us back to camp to lounge away the late afternoon and rest up for the long day ahead. Now the team is wrapped up in our tents watching the night sky clear above us!
RMI Guide Eric Frank
While we were expecting a chilly night of sleep, it was surprisingly warm in
Pheriche. The colder temperatures rumored in the valley this spring didn't affect us as much as we anticipated, much to everyone's pleasure. Without needing to reach the next village before the weather set in, we took our time at breakfast, going through several thermoses of tea before we headed out for a hike. Leaving Pheriche, we climbed directly up the tall hillside behind town and across a rolling plateau to a ridge running from the higher hills above. Pausing there we had clear views southwards back down the Khumbu Valley towards Tengboche and eventually Namche. To our west the valley continued up further before turning sharply north and into the final cirque of mountains where Everest Base Camp is. To the east ran the Imja Khola Valley, framed at the top by a ring of mountains surrounding Island Peak - the climbing objective for a few of us next week after we visit Base Camp.
We climbed a bit higher up the ridge, eventually stopping in a spot protected from the gentle but still biting breeze. Staying up there for awhile, we looked at the panorama of great Himalayan peaks and giving our bodies the feel for the higher elevations to come. We descended back to our tea-house by midday and spent a few hours relaxing the the sun room - a greenhouse like room built on the second story that heats up quite quickly during the day - before heading next door to the Himalayan Rescue Association Clinic. Volunteer doctors staff the small medical facility here, offering medical care for the local population as well as trekkers affected by the altitude. They gave us a very informative briefing on altitude and demonstrated the use of a Gamow Bag - a portable hyperbaric chamber used to simulate lower elevations.
The team remains in great spirits, managing the newer altitudes well and keeping the trip lighthearted and convivial. Tomorrow we climb further up the valley to the tiny village of Lobuche, sitting alongside the toe of the Khumbu Glacier. It is exciting to be approaching our destination and we are looking forward to the days ahead.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Greetings all,
With a body exhausted from little sleep and climbing a volcano the team enjoyed a great nights sleep. Sleep apps showed we all slept so well we were basically comatose. As we all rose from our slumber we casually allowed our bodies to wake while sipping coffee and basking in a beautiful morning.
Today is a rest day as we transfer to Tambopoxi and run through some skills. A three hour drive through more beautiful scenery brought us to the park entrance. Once again you can feel the excitement as we get ready for Cotopaxi. The mountain is being shy tonight, so no views of this beauty yet. Maybe in the morning she will reveal herself.
Before dinner the team gathered around a playground set where we pretended the monkey bars were the edge of a crevasse. In this scenario the team learned how to self rescue if they had fallen into a crevasse. Using the previous skills of learning about friction hitches, we all ascended the rope pretending we were climbing out of crevasse. Cookies and a glass of wine/beer wrapped up our skill session.
Many times on climbing trips you lose some weight, but on this trip we are all eating so well that who knows maybe we gain a pound. Dinner once again was delcious followed by a beautiful looking dessert. We are not sure exactly what it was but we can all agree it was delightful.
With heavy eyes, we all leave the table for bed. Showers and phone calls to loved ones wrappwd up our rest day. Tomorrow we go through some more skills before heading up to the hut on Cotopaxi. Round two here we come!
RMI Guides Adam, Hannah, and team
The Four Day Climb May 6 - 9 led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Grayson Swingle ascended to Camp Muir yesterday. The team left from Camp Muir this morning and ascended to Ingraham Flats. More new snow and avalanche danger made this their high point but they did enjoy some blue skies and sunshine. The team left Camp Muir on their descent to Paradise. We will look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Today the team enjoyed a well deserved rest day in the beautiful city of Puebla. After enjoying breakfast together at the hotel, we all went our separate ways and wandered the city streets, taking in the views and enjoying everything from fresh squeezed juices to fried grasshoppers. At 7pm, we met up at one of our favorite restaurants for a team dinner, where we tasted some of Mexico's finest moles, a sauce unique to this area. We followed this up with a quick trip to the ice cream stand, just down the street, then headed to our hotel's rooftop patio to take in the evening views. We're headed off bright and early tomorrow morning to start our move to basecamp for our Orizaba climb. Everyone is excited and ready for the next leg of the trip.
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
Our teams on the
Four Day Summit Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Disappointment Cleaver Route early this morning. With this bluebird weather we have on the mountain, the teams were on their descent by 7:20 a.m. They will be back at Camp Muir by approximately 11:30 a.m. and will celebrate their feat on Rainier Basecamp later this afternoon.
Jake Beren and the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons was on top via the Emmons Glacier Route at 8:00 a.m. His team will stay another night at Camp Schurman and descend off Mt. Rainier tomorrow.
Congratulations to today’s teams summitting on both routes!
Hi Kim,Love the informative updates from the RMI guides.Sounds like an amazing trip!The Preds are in the Stanley Cup Finals! First game Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.Stay tuned.Travel safe! GO KIM! Love,Dad
Posted by: SHELDON KRIZELMAN on 5/26/2017 at 5:13 am
Hey Kimmer-sounds like an amazing trip so far! I love the blog entries-so poetic…Sophia’s last day of school is today so it’s summer party time in Atlanta!! Have fun and stay safe!! Xoxoxo Lora
Posted by: Lora on 5/26/2017 at 4:25 am
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