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The Four Day Summit Climb July 10 - 13 teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Peter Whittaker and Hannah McGowan. Peter reported winds around 20 mph and cool temperatures. The teams were able to enjoy the views from the summit with clear skies above and below. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!

July 11, 2022 - Huaraz to BC: The team loaded up the bus from the hotel this morning and after about an hour through pleasantly rough and rocky roads arrived at Pashpa. Here we loaded up our burros with duffels, food, climbing gear, and base camp infrastructure then promptly began our 4-hour trek up the Ishinca Valley. Through high grassy knolls, green forests, and boulder fields leftover from glaciers many millennia ago, we reached our basecamp at just over 14,000.’ Ishinca Base Camp is quite the spot. Surrounded by steep rocky walls with the mighty Tocllaraju sitting in front as a majestic skyline at just under 6,000m (19,797ft).

After we got our tents set up and moved in, we enjoyed a delicious meal of fresh caught trout and potatoes, prepared by our wonderful camp cook Emilio and his assistant Romel. With tired eyes and full bellies, we happily crawled into our sleeping bags and drifted off to the sound of babbling glacial stream

July 12, 2022 - BC Training Day: Today we slept in and let the warmth of the sun wake us up. After a breakfast of omelets, we began working on some rope skills and practice with knots and hitches. We took advantage of good weather and did another acclimatization hike after lunch up the moraine to Laguna Milluacocha. Along the way we saw views of Ranrapalca and our objective Urus Este. We were welcomed back with some afternoon tea and popcorn. Not a bad day living at 14,000’

July 13, 2022 - Snow School: We left basecamp early this morning to head up 2,000’ to the toe of the Ishinca glacier to get some more acclimatization in before we attempt our summit bid of Ishinca tomorrow. There we practiced cramponing, roped travel, anchor building, and crevasse rescue at 16,000’.  It was back to basecamp for an afternoon of rest and an early dinner of Lomo Saltado before bed. Tomorrow (tonight will come early) …

RMI Guides Alan Davis, Emma Lyddan & Team

Our second night at the extreme altitude of Everest Basecamp went well. We are getting used to the thunder of avalanches off the surrounding peaks and the intense cold of morning before the sun finds us in the bottom of this deep valley. We worked a bit in the morning on getting our gear dialed for climbing. The afternoon was spent in taking a mellow hike out on the glacier close to basecamp. At one point we spotted three intrepid white geese cruising North at about 25,000 ft. We were also keeping our eyes peeled for artifacts on the ice. Yesterday James and Seth each found crampons from 1962 (as evidenced by the 1962 Indian newspaper I found with them) More teams are arriving each day now, but we are still enjoying having basecamp a little quieter than normal. We look forward to our Puja ceremony tomorrow morning wherein we ask the blessing of the mountain gods before taking on the big hill. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four-Day climbs led by Eric Frank and Jack Delaney reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Lead Guide Eric Frank reported a gorgeous day and some of the best weather he's had in recent years.

The teams were starting their descent this morning around 9:30AM PT and will be back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon. Nice work!

The fog and low cloud came and went periodically at Vinson basecamp today. Most of the afternoon was sunny and pleasant and flyable... if one had an airplane. Ours have gone South. ALE has both Twin Otter ski planes down at the South Pole for the big celebration. Today -Dec. 14, 2011 (it is after midnight) marks one hundred years since Amundson reached the South Pole. A noble accomplishment, by any standard -and worth commemorating, but if given the choice I'd wager that Amundson would have tried to climb Vinson instead. Much more fun to be had out here in the big hills. My team didn't fret a bit over the lack of aircraft. We were quite happy to sleep in and then sit for a two hour breakfast -bacon and eggs with lots of coffee and cocoa. Then there was time for siestas and snow-carving before a sumptuous dinner (same as last night -we liked it so much we did it again). We'll likely be here a couple more days, which isn't a bad thing. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

First off, a big hello to everyone who's following along! The team convened today on the beautiful city of Mendoza a bit tired from a long stretch of travel but no worse for the wear. Some of us chose to enjoy a late lunch while others chilled poolside for the remainder of the afternoon. The trip did not really begin in earnest until the official team meeting at 6 pm this evening. After the meeting we had a quick gear check and then headed out on the town for a classic Argentine dinner. By classic of course I mean beef and malbec wine. The crew is positive and enthusiastic about the adventure on Aconcagua that lies ahead! Tomorrow will be a busy day obtaining our permits and tying up loose ends on our way out of town and up to Penitentes where we will stage for an evening before hitting the trail... That is all for now, RMI Guides Billy Nugent & Leon Davis

June 14th

The teams made it to the top! We've got a lot to say, but for now it's a late night and we are trying to eat dinner and get some sleep. Everyone pushed hard, and it was a beautiful summit day! About 11-12 hours round trip, primarily filled with sunshine.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

May 27, 2014 - 10:34 pm PT Greetings! The team awoke this morning at Denali's 14K camp to a brisk dose of winter. A few inches of snow fell overnight and winds were blustery and it was apparent another weather / rest day was in order. The team enjoyed a casual breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and our go-to guilty pleasure, bacon. Regretfully, we said goodbye this morning to our friends Mike Walter and team as they began the journey home after spending the last few days enjoying their company here at 14K camp. We are in great position for a bid for the summit as soon as the weather allows, and we are anxiously awaiting our opportunity. Until then, hope all is well and thanks for following! RMI Guides Robby, Pete, Josh and Team

On The Map

Saturday, July 23, 2022 - 4:48 am PT

Excitement is building for all of us on the team. Our summit bid comes in a short 12 hours and the camp crew is hustling to get all ready for our efforts. 

Our climbing team is equally excited as we move into our tents and get organized for the climb tonight. The good weather we've been enjoying has gotten even better the past two days and looks to hold for us tonight. We'll be doing lunch shortly where we'll have time to go over all the details that will help us be successful tonight. Then, some time to organize, an early dinner and bed by 6:00pm.

We're all ready to climb this mountain after an easy day today. Less than three hours of slow walking was a perfect way to get to this camp. We're in the volcanic zone now and have left the shrubs and greenery behind for more. Everyone is in excellent shape and feeling well at our High Camp at 15,200'.

Wish us luck! 

RMI Guide Brent Okita

Good things come to those who wait. We waited until 7 AM to start the stoves this morning. There were puffy clouds about, but no wind in the neighborhood. It seemed like we should go climbing. We left highcamp at 9:20 AM, loaded for bear... or more correctly, covered in goose feathers. The clouds came and went during our march up valley. When they came it was too cold, when they went it was too hot. But eventually, we got high enough that it was just plain cold anyway. But the wind never really developed and so we didn't feel the cold as intensely as we might have. True to the forecast we'd received, the day got cloudier, but we were still surprised to get some stunning views of the sharp peaks to our north. And when we reached the beautiful and fun summit ridge, we were treated to endless views to the South and East, so that we could see a hundred miles worth of the Ellsworth Mountains in that direction. The final ridge was magical today. There was new snow sparkling on all the rock and not a breath of wind, so it was quiet, calm and inviting as we pulled onto the top of Vinson at 5 minutes after 4 PM. We took a million pictures of each other, made a few important phone and radio connections and smiled a lot. We left the top at 4:45 and made good time down to high camp in a cool and gradually thickening cloud. We were home by 7:05 PM and happily eating dinner in our POSH tent not very long afterward. The day worked out well and we hope for one more good hard climbing day tomorrow, descending to Basecamp. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn Audio Transcription: Hey this is Dave Hahn calling from the summit of Vinson Massif, the highest point in Antarctica! I am up here with the whole crew - five of us on top today. It is a beautiful Day. We are in the strong sunshine. It is a little after 4:00 in the afternoon for us, and everybody is taking pictures on top and enjoying this place. We have a big view of the Ellsworth Mountains. It is a really enjoyable day up here, Boxing Day – the day after Christmas. Nicole, Bart, Brian, Joe and Dave all send you their best wishes from 16,067’. Bye for now! RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map