Most Popular Entries
Hello again everyone,
All is still well here in the Khumbu as the team members made our way back to Pheriche. It was a busy day on the trail with climbers, Trekkers, yaks, and porters all bound uphill to basecamp. We slowly made our way through the maze of traffic and enjoyed a few last good views of Everest.
Pretty amazing how thick the air here at 14,000' feels compared to 17,500'. Spirits are high even with slightly tired legs after an eight hour day!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
We've come to the inescapable conclusion that Everest summit for 2015 is out of reach for our team. Besides the rather obvious and glaring philosophical difficulties of pursuing a recreational venture in the midst of a national -and local- disaster, there are the on-the-ground mountaineering realities that will not permit us to look upward again. We have no viable route through the Khumbu Icefall and the Earth is still shaking. We couldn't think of asking anyone to put themselves at the risk required for re establishing that route under such circumstances. The effort at this advanced stage of the season would normally be focused on building a route to Camp 4 rather than to Camp 1, nobody will be able to say when the aftershocks will end, but it will -without a doubt- be too late for fixing the upper mountain and stocking camps before the normal advance of the monsoon.
We'll put our efforts into an organized and safe retreat from the mountain. Nobody harbors illusions that travel in this stricken and damaged country will be simple, but we'll head for home now in any case.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi. This is Bill blogging from Namche, Nepal.
I started climbing with my daughter Sara about 3 1/2 years ago when she was just 12, and since that time we have had many adventures together. I love climbing, but even more so, I love spending the time with Sara, who is now 16. When we are at home in Atlanta she is so busy and I never get to hear about all the things that go on in her life every day. So while we are climbing, and over meals, or watching a movie or TV show on her itouch, I get to hear all the funny things that happen on a daily basis. For example, I just learned all about the social importance of 'threads" on Facebook, and the song with the line "the best 30 seconds of my life" (if you don't know what song that is, that's probably a good thing!).
So this past week has been fun. It takes a lot of patience to fly from the states to Kathmandu, with the layovers, cramped planes, visa lines and time changes, so its a big relief to finally get to a hotel room and start to work on your jet lag. Its been about a week, and I think I am finally over the 10 hour change.
The flight from Kathmandu to Lukla is quite an adventure, which starts with getting up in Kathmandu at 4:30 am and then literally fighting your way through a mosh pit of folks in the airport. It's actually great fun if you keep it in perspective. And of course, the 45 minute flight up to the mountains through a saddle into the very short landing strip (on a twin prop, specialized short takeoff and landing plane) is intense. If you have any doubt, go to youtube and search "lukla airport" and check out the clips. The strip is only open for brief spurts every morning due to the clouds, so you have to be on the 1st flight, hence the mosh pit.
There are two ways to get to Lukla, flying or walking, and the walk takes days. So, the main way (really the only way) is to fly in. All goods used by the many villages in the mountains get flown in. Then, once into Lukla, porters pick up all the goods and carry them up the trail. The trail is filled with porters carrying 70 to 80 pound loads on their backs, some the size of refrigerators. Most everything gets to the towns in the mountains makes it way there on the backs of the porters (or yaks or donkeys). All of our bags going to base camp are carried by these porters, and it takes them about 7 to 10 days to get up to basecamp. The porters climb from an altitude of about 9,000 feet, down to about 8,000 feet, and then all the way up to nearly 18,000 feet. Its just amazing what they do.
The "tea houses" that we stay in are really beautiful little lodges. They are made of stone (cut up here from the sides of the hills). The rooms are simple but clean, and the common dining room serves delicious food. We are eating so very well, and with dishes that we are accustomed to - pizza, chicken, steak, french fries, eggs, pancakes, etc... and these dishes - combined with the RMI condiments - have been great. We are buying bottled water along the way, but the bottles are getting more and more expensive the further we go.
Our climb so far has really consisted of getting into Namche, the center for all trekking and climbing in this area. The "Namche hill" is a 2000 foot hill from about 9,000' to 11,000' just before Namche that takes about 2 hours to climb. It was raining yesterday when we were ascending, so our biggest challenge was dodging the puddles and the yak dung along the way (not to mention the yaks which also have considerable loads on their backs).
This morning we awoke early to climb above Namche to get our first vies of Everest, Lhotse and the other massive mountains in the surrounding area. After a half hour trek at 6:30 this morning we were rewarded with perfect views. Everest had its tell tale plume of clouds streaking off the summit as it pierced the jet stream. It looks quite daunting, perhaps because it is.
Our trip is led by Dave Hahn, who is not only an insane climber, but one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet. He breaks it all down to seem so simple, and he makes me (and Sara) believe that all we have to do is take this adventure day by day, and climb by climb. This coming from a man who has summitted Everest 12 times, more than any non-sherpa in the world. If I were him I would be at least a little boastful, but he never is. And he seems to know everyone along the trail, at the hotels, and in the shops. Its one big mixer for Dave as we head to base camp!
So today is a rest day, and quite a beautiful one. Sara and I are going to break out Yatzee and the deck of cards. The goal today is to continue to have our bodies adjust to 11,000 feet while remaining strong and sickness free. Rest days are my strongest days in the mountains!!!
Thanks for following our climb.
Bill McGahan
(Photos by Expedition Leader Dave Hahn)
The pictures get more and more breathtaking and the blog makes this so real. So proud of you!
Posted by: Mom / Grandma on 3/30/2011 at 10:48 am
MORE PICTURES!!!! I am so excited to read your blog! It makes it so much more real! thanks and keep us posted! xo,lynn
Posted by: Lynn Crow on 3/30/2011 at 9:07 am
Posted by: Mike Uchal
Categories: Mount Rainier Responsible Climbing
Every summer, RMI climbing teams consume over 7,000 gallons of drinking water at Camp Muir, the primary camp on Mt. Rainier's Disappointment Cleaver Route. For many years, melting snow in a large barrel heated by propane created drinking water for Camp Muir. We knew that there was a better way to provide drinking water to our teams and it just required a little bit of creativity, brainstorming, and initiative. Over the course of the 2012 and 2013 climbing seasons, a new solar thermal system was installed at Camp Muir. This system, designed to use environmentally benign and free solar energy to efficiently melt snow, provides drinking and cooking water for RMI climbers and guides at an elevation of 10,060'. The system was designed and built by RMI Guide and alternative energy professor Mike Uchal and his colleague Dr. Brian Raichle, who is a professor of solar energy technology at Appalachian State University. RMI Guide Cody Doolan also contributed with the design, installation, and maintenance. RMI's Solar Snow Melt System, part of our commitment to Responsible Climbing, reduces our environmental footprint on Mt. Rainier by minimizing the need to burn liquid propane gas in order to melt snow, cuts our operating costs, and reduces the environmental footprint of the helicopter used to transport propane to Camp Muir.
How it works:
A small electric pump powered by photovoltaic panels pulls water from the burn barrel, a large barrel used to melt snow, uphill to a solar thermal collector. The collector, a conventional flat plate solar thermal collector is the kind that is typically used in residential and commercial domestic hot water systems. The water is pulled by gravity through the copper pipes in the collector and is heated by solar radiation before returning to the melt barrel. RMI guides keep the barrel fed with clean snow from the snowfields above Camp Muir and this snow mixes with the warm water and melts into liquid form. A controller turns on the pump in the morning and off at the end of the day when the sun goes down. Because the collector is uphill of the barrel, gravity drains water from the collector at night to prevent damage from freezing water. This system design eliminates any problems associated with overheating during late season conditions when solar energy can be plentiful and strong.
How it performs:
On warm, sunny days at Camp Muir, typical in the late summer, the solar snow melting system heated the 30+ gallons of water in the burn barrel to above 100°F. That is nearly spa temperature! On cold, sunny days, often found early in the season, the system heated water to temperatures above 40°F - enough to effectively melt snow. Propane is still used during storms that last several days, when solar radiation isn’t strong enough to heat the collector, but the solar snow melting system dramatically reduced the amount of propane burned during the 2013 summer climbing season.
Anecdotally, before the 2013 climbing season the propane burner was running for around 3.5 hours per day to melt enough snow to provide drinking water for the RMI teams. During the 2013 climbing season, guides estimate that the burner was needed on average around 15 minutes per day. During the summer climbing season of 2013, we estimate the solar system saved approximately 250 pounds of propane, the associated cost of transport that propane, and 0.33 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
This project is part of RMI’s commitment to the outdoor community and environment as we work to reduce the environmental footprint of our climbs in order to ensure that many future generations are able to enjoy the same mountain environment that we enjoy. The RMI Solar Snow Melt System is a great example of practices that can reduce a business' environmental footprint and provide cost savings at the same time. By the end of its first full year at Camp Muir, the system paid for itself with savings in fuel and helicopter transport costs. The next time you make it to Camp Muir, swing by the guide shack and check it out! The guides would love to show you the system in person.
_________
Mike Uchal is a Professor of Alternative Energy at Appalachian State University and guides trips on Mt. Rainier and Mt. McKinley for RMI Expeditions. Mike lives the mountain life, rock climbing, paddling whitewater, mountain biking, trail running, and skiing whenever he has spare time.
Thanks for sharing such an amazing informations.
Very helpful.
Rachel
Posted by: Rachel on 1/16/2019 at 5:46 pm
http://www.rmiguides.com/blog/2014/06/05/mt._rainier_expedition_skills_seminar_muir_reaches_summit
Hello folks looking for the skills seminar this week. There was a posting yesterday but not under Rainier. The above link will take you to a great picture!
Posted by: Doug on 6/6/2014 at 4:13 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
Rest and recovery is an important part of the training process and there are many techniques, both active and passive, that can help. Recovery from your training efforts can be looked at from physiological and psychological perspectives. Here are some tips:
1. Plan Your Training: The first step in getting adequate recovery is crafting a solid training plan allowing for phases of training to build progressively and allowing time for active rest.
2. Keep Track: Keeping a training log is a good way of reviewing your progress. I suggest recording not only the volume, intensity, and type of each workout completed, but also your own notes about how you felt in each workout. Self-monitoring how you feel mentally (strong, weak, interested, un-interested) will allow you to see how you are progressing in an overall sense.
3. Get Psychological Rest: Psychological strategies are important factors in reducing and managing stress. Relaxation, meditation, reading, visualization, and using a coach as a sounding board are all valuable tools in helping to maintain focus and a positive attitude throughout your training. Relaxation is also helpful in ensuring quality sleep, which is essential for recovery.
4. Take Social Time: Too much of a good thing can be bad for us. Taking a complete break from climbing and hiking to participate in alternative activities can be a good way to decompress. Mix your hard training up with a different sport; play soccer, frisbee - anything really. At RMI there is a penchant for beach volleyball, ping pong, and horseshoes - it’s a nice mental break from the mountain and those downtime matches are intense but a lot of fun.
5. Get Therapeutic Rest: Sports massage, some forms of yoga, hot baths, and hydro-massage are just some examples of the many techniques available to help relax muscles after training and prepare for subsequent training sessions.
6. Pay Attention to Nutrition: Proper nutrition is essential for complete recovery. Quality food that is rich in nutrients is a key requirement for re-supplying energy stores and maintaining our body, it’s muscles, bones, organs, and systems (see Nutrition for Mountaineering Training for more information on nutrition).
Mountain climbing is tough on the mind and body - and so is training for it. When we climb we steal every opportunity to recover from the hard work so that we can get up the next day and do it again. Training demands the same attention to rest and recovery. This is a work-hard, rest-hard activity and often times your success will be as much dependent on how well you rest as how hard you train.
- John Colver
John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle.
Questions? Comments? Leave a comment to share your thoughts with John and other readers!
Starting week 6 of Fit by Nature, awesome philosophy of fitness by active, outdoor lifestyle. I love the Daily Dozen and being able to link the natural features of our community: bike paths, parks, beaches & hills to create a mini adventure every day, while making sure I’m ready for the big adventure any day!
Posted by: Jim McCracken on 3/31/2014 at 11:18 am
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir led by RMI Guides Brent Okita, Billy Nugent and Linden Mallory reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team was walking into the crater rim at 8:20 a.m. Winds are 20 mph and there is a cloud cap on the mountain this morning. The teams will return to Camp Muir and continue their training of expedition skills. They will descend from Camp Muir to Paradise on Friday and conclude the program at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's climbing teams! Enjoy the rest of your time on the mountain.
Posted by: Alex Halliday, Dustin Wittmier, Kiira Antenucci
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
On Friday the Camp Muir Expedition Skills Seminar returned from five days of training on Mount Rainier. Aspiring climbers learned a variety of movement and technical skills that will further their future mountain experiences. This wraps up RMI trips on Rainier this season, thank you to everyone who has been following along!
Posted by: Joe Hoch, Grayson Swingle, David Price, Leif Bergstrom, Josh Hankin, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,300'
The Five Day Climb August 30 - 3 September completed their program. The team met on Monday for their Orientation and Equipment check, then headed out the next day above Paradise for a full day of Mountaineering School. With their glacier travel training complete the team ascended 4.5 miles to Camp Muir on Tuesday. They spent two nights at Camp Muir and were able to explore the route up to 11,300', the group was unable to make a summit attempt due to route conditions. However, they did get in some crevasse rescue training. Today the group finished up a bit more training before packing up and descending to Paradise.
Congratulations team - we hope you enjoyed your time on the mountain!
Thanks to the guide team and my fellow hikers for helping to get the most that the mountain would allow. Hard to beat being on a glacier in a spectacular landscape. Hike On!
Posted by: Steven McKenna on 9/7/2021 at 10:29 am
Thats so cool to spend so much time on the mountain. Blessed.
Posted by: Bryan Lundgaard on 9/4/2021 at 12:36 am
It was a wee bit chilly overnight as the clear skies allowed all the heat to escape into outer space. So, we did what any responsible mountaineer would and we waited until the sun was directly upon us before leaving our tents. After a tasty breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and salmon lox, we ourselves got locked and loaded, ready for glacier travel! After 6ish hours of a slightly less heinous trail breaking through deep snow we arrived at our new campsite.
Our camp is in the middle of two mountain saddles, perfectly situated to catch maximum early morning and late evening sunshine. The rest of the day was consumed by building camp and consuming burritos. We got to bed under overcast skies and were excited to see what tomorrow will bring!
Cheerio,
RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the Ruth Team
Looks to beautiful! Have fun and enjoy those burritos :)
Posted by: Erin on 5/6/2023 at 3:28 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
The last week before the start of an expedition or climb can be a hectic and stressful period. Between packing and repacking your bags and squaring away your work and life to be gone for a few days (or a month!), there is a ton to do. It might be tempting to forego your workouts during this period in order to rest up. Still others might channel their stress into a last week of intense training. Rest is important, but so is maintenance of your fitness. This is the period to taper your training plan, striking a balance somewhere in between the two extremes.
The ultimate goal of the taper period is to reduce fatigue (physical as well as mental and emotional), while maintaining fitness. There are four main parameters that you can vary in your training to create a taper: intensity, volume, frequency, and duration of the taper.
Intensity is the only variable that doesn’t change. You should continue to do your workouts at a similar intensity to what you have built up to. This means that your aerobic workouts are still slow enough that you stay in your aerobic zone, but at the same time, your intensity workouts such as intervals and strength are still done at or above the level that your have been training at. Achieve the reduction in fatigue that is requisite of these workouts by varying the volume and frequency instead
Volume should be greatly reduced during the taper period. Research recommends that training volume be reduced by 50-70 percent for endurance athletes. While this may seem like a radical drop in training, the reduction in volume will eliminate training fatigue, while the maintenance of intensity will maintain your fitness. Reducing your training volume also opens up time in your day to complete other tasks that need to be taken care of before you go!
Frequency of workouts can also be reduced to lessen the training fatigue. If you have been doing multiple workouts a day, drop to just a single workout per day.
Duration of the taper can vary. For a very aerobic and endurance based sport such as mountaineering, about a week is ideal.
To apply this to your training regime, think about the schedule of workouts that you have been following already. Your aerobic workouts are a great place to dramatically reduce your volume; a two hour workout could be reduced to just an hour or 45 minutes of easy aerobic work at the same pace you have done your longer workouts at (resist the temptation to push the pace harder). In your interval workouts, take longer rest breaks between intervals, and cut the number in half, while still doing a quality warm-up and cool-down. With strength workouts, maintain the same weights, but reduce the number of sets and repetitions per set.
This period is also a great time to focus on stretching and recovery for your body. Take special care with your nutrition, recovery routine, and sleep habits to allow your body to recover from the training fatigue of the last several months, and you will show up in peak form!
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Previous Page
Next Page
Your shining example amid tragedy for the second time in 24 months make me proud to have been associated with RMI…You help all understand how to be w-i-t-h the mtn as well as o-n it, and more importantly to be with others, inhabitants as well as climbers.
Best + God bless JJ and team. Waltero
Posted by: Waltero Glover on 4/29/2015 at 8:32 am
Safe thoughts for the unsure journey ahead.
Posted by: holly seaton on 4/29/2015 at 8:02 am
View All Comments