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RMI Guide Mike Haugen checked in via radio at 7:40 am as the Kautz Seminar July 18 - 23 team was just reaching the crater rim.  The team did well and climbed strong from their camp at the top of the Wapowety Cleaver.  After enjoying the views from the summit the team will descend via the Disappointment Cleaver route.  This group met at Rainier BaseCamp on Sunday, July 18 and after two days of off mountain training began their ascent via the Kautz Glacier Route.  Their time on the mountain included glacier travel training as well as focusing on techniques required for the current conditions on the upper mountain.  The team will conclude their program with a celebration in Ashford later today.

Congratulations to the Kautz Seminar climbers!

The Five Day Climbing team with RMI Guides Abby Westling and Ben Luedtke climbed last night and reached the summit as the sun was setting. The team spent their first day on the mountain with an acclimatization climb to Ingraham Flats. On day two they took advantage of a full night’s rest and chose to do a sunset climb, a rare and special treat for the climbers to see the stunning alpenglow on Mt. Rainier. 

Congratulations Team!

Sunday, May 7, 2023, 10:01 pm PT

Be very quiet…we’re hunting for crevasses!

Today we took our skills out into the wild, to test ourselves against the Ruth Glacier. No we didn’t walk around until someone fell in, we instead wandered through the maze of crevasses looking for the perfect one to safely lower someone into and haul them out of. The intricacies and difficulties of crevasse rescue don’t fully translate practicing on flat ground. Our biggest challenge was finding a crevasse that wasn’t drifted full of snow from the last storm and subsequent winds. After a lot of weaving and winding through the broken edge of the Ruth we finally found one that was a little more open than the rest. We sent RMI guide Mike Bennet in as our guinea pig to see if the snow floor could be collapsed and our crevasse deepened. Surprisingly the snow floor was deep and solid, so we made due with the 25 feet of snow wall we had available. The team performed admirably and even dialed in a second crevasse rescue system known as the “Drop C”. By midafternoon the sky was blue and the sun was hot and the team had completed training. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging and organizing 

for our move to high camp tomorrow!

Beunos noches,

RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the team

Hello trusty readers,

We woke today in Lukla and gathered for breakfast. It would be our last teahouse breakfast as a team. Today we were flying out of Lukla back to Kathmandu. Flight times are not strict or on time or a for sure thing. After plenty of coffee and patience, we made our way to the heli pad and waited for Dawa to tell us to head for the chopper. We needed two helicopters to get the eight of us out and by 12:30pm we were all safely in Kathmandu. It's feels good to be back and almost like a dream that only a few days ago we were above 17,000'. After showers and shuffling gear we met for one last team dinner to celebrate the three weeks together. It's been an amazing adventure with amazing people. Thank you team from Abby and myself for a great time and to share the mountains with us. We hope to see you again on another mountain with RMI Expeditions!

Thank you for following along,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Friday, June 18, 2021 - 8:43 am PT

Good morning from Kahiltna Base Camp. We were packed and ready to fly all day yesterday, but the weather wouldn't cooperate with our plans. After playing the waiting game for most of the day, we finally loaded up the two turbine Otters and launched towards the Alaska Range. We arrived at Basecamp at around 6pm and set up shop here. We'll spend the day here today and move to the Base of Ski Hill tonight when the snow freezes back up.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Our July 12th - 15th Four Day Team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. RMI Guides Casey Grom and Dustin Wittmier checked in at 7:30 am as they were leaving the crater rim. Casey reported a clear day of climbing with steady winds of 30 mph. The team ascended and descended the Disappointment Route. 

Congratulations team!

We are checking in from the village of Wayllabamba, the intersection of the Salkantay trek and the Inca Trail. Our hike descended from 12,598’ to 9840’. The warm temperature is what was most notable, along with cactus and pine trees that dominate this lush farming community when compared to the high-altitude substance farms of the last 2 days. The team enjoyed the roaring Rio Kusichaka as it carved out a deep canyon that paralleled our trail. We visited our first Incan site on the trek and got to see how the Incas set up citadels to observe 2 massive Andean valleys. The shorter day sets us up for 2 long days into Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail. Apparently new regulations kept us from camping at Llulluchapampa, our normal day 3 camp. Regardless, we have tents set up on some nice grass, warm showers, cold drinks and good company.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guides Mike King, Jack Delaney & Team