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Today's walk was pleasantly uneventful and brought us from Camp 1 at 7,800' up to Camp 2 on top of Ski Hill at 9,600'. Clouds came in and out along with some intermittent flurries which broke up the heat from the direct sun. Walking temperatures were actually much more comfortable than yesterday's constant, direct sun. The team dined on some delicious cheese quesadillas with grilled onions, peppers, and chicken before retiring to our tents. It pays to be in the sack before the shadow and chilly temperatures descended upon camp. High pressure is supposed to build again for tomorrow and we aim to take advantage by pushing our camp up to 11,000' before crummy weather sets in half way through next week. All for now, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

We are currently sitting in Namche Bazaar high in the Khumbu sipping on milk tea at the Nirvana Home Lodge. Happy to be here after a good day of crossing high bouncing suspension bridges and climbing up the Namche hill to arrive here at 11,200 feet. Everyone in the team is doing so well and climbing strong. Halfway up our hill climb for the day, the clouds parted and we got a view of Everest way up valley. Namche was the primary trading village for hundreds of years between the salt traders of Tibet and the spice traders from India. Now Namche is still a major hub for goods and people coming and going. Tomorrow well take a rest day with a nice morning hike to stretch the legs and the afternoon to appreciate this town. Our lodge sits high on the edge of town with the best view of all the goings on. When the clouds clear the giant peak, Thamserku, towers above everything just out our windows. Now off to eat some momos! RMI Guide Christina Dale

The Four Day Climb June 6 - 9 spent a windy night at Camp Muir last night.  High winds and deteriorating weather kept the group at Camp Muir and unable to make a summit attempt.  RMI Guides Seth Burns and Grayson Swingle reported consistant winds 30-40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.  The teams started their descent from Camp Muir around 8 am and will be returning to Rainier Basecamp later this morning.

Thursday, May 26, 2022 - 1:09 am PT

Today started with a classic case of the Denali waiting game due to another snowy morning at 11,000' Camp. After breakfast we waited (mostly packed) in our tents to see what the weather was going to do.

As we waited in nervous anticipation, the only sounds you could hear was the flit, flit, flit of snow falling against the tent, the occasional clang of a pot from somewhere in camp, and the ziiiiiip of a tent opening just enough for a restless head to peek out and look up the mountain.

At around 930 the clouds broke enough for us to see that the winds were not blowing around the newly fallen snow, so in organized chaos we finished packing up and departed camp.

We then spent the day in and out of the clouds which saved us from the heat we have become quite accustomed to trying to avoid.

And now we are all set up at 14,000' Camp and looking forward to some rest after a hard week!

RMI Guides JT, Matias, Jackson and the rest of the RMI team.

The team has arrived at La Joya, our Basecamp for our climb of Ixta. We had a busy day of traveling, leaving Malinche to do some last minute shopping in Amecameca. Enjoying the warm Mexican sun, we walked around the markets and ate delicious street food before shipping off to our destination. It was right back to work though as we tuned up, packed and sorted our gear for the coming days. It's cool, breezy and cloudy here at Basecamp, but no rain so we are thankful!

The team is in high spirits and we are excited for the climb.  Good night to everyone at home.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Everyone was sad to say goodbye to the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge this morning as we had really enjoyed our stay and were getting used to the comforts of hacienda life, not to mention the friendly, cute puppy that accompanied us nearly everywhere we went. However, Cotopaxi was on display again for us this morning against a clear blue sky to the south, so we packed our things and drove through Cotopaxi National Park to the trailhead as clouds began to build and encircle the mountain. It was a quick 45 minutes of hiking with full packs through thick clouds, but we stayed dry! The hut is luxurious for accommodations at almost 16,000’. It’s decorated with climbing memorabilia, photos of Cotopaxi and other peaks around the world, and they even recently installed a small bouldering wall. After a light lunch, we’re now tucked into our sleeping bags for an afternoon siesta before dinner and listening to waves of hail and sleet outside. It won’t be long before we get up later tonight to make our summit attempt of Cotopaxi. Our hope is to wake to clear skies above, as has been the trend in recent mornings, and work our way to 19,347’ on this beautiful volcano. Everyone is feeling good and fired up to get to some thinner air! We’ll check in tomorrow with an update. Thanks for following along!

RMI Guides Mike King, Jess Matthews and Team

On The Map

Sunday, October 8, 2017 Hey this is Christina in Mexico with a blog post: Some of our team, our world champion boxer, Patty, summited La Malinche today! The rest of us had a truly great day and got in a big acclimatization hike up to 13,400 feet. The best part of the day was that everyone felt great and was so happy to be hiking up way above the Mexican countryside. The climb took us up through the green forests and to the summit ridge where we watched thunderheads roll across the land below. We can back down in a whirlwind of conversations and laughter to hot showers and a sizzling dinner. Everyone is looking forward to Ixtaccihuatl. RMI Guide Christina Dale

On The Map

This day had auspicious written all over it. Our Sirdar Lam Babu consulted the Tibetan calendar and made a few calls. This was the day for our Puja ceremony. A lama was brought up from Pangboche and our Puja alter was made ready. Today was the day for the entire team to get together for a Buddhist ceremony asking the gods to look favorably on our expedition. The Pangboche lama was actually pretty busy as several other teams were similarly in need of blessing. The drums started beating and the cymbals started clashing for ours just after lunch on another big blue sky day. A number of Sherpas from neighboring teams joined us in our celebration. There were chants and prayers and various offerings of juniper smoke, food and drink. There were a number of things tossed into the sky and onto each other, principally rice and tsampa (barley flour) and a little chiang -a lightly fermented homemade rice wine with bits of orange. The climax of the ceremony begins with the Puja mast going up with strings of brightly colored prayer flags going out in all directions from it. Finally we all stand and toast each other, shake hands and ask each other to be careful on this climbing trip. The birds certainly enjoy the day as a whole flock of black Himalayan Chuffs (a little smaller than a crow) descend to get the spare offerings. We also enjoyed watching smaller sparrow and finch types joining in the festivities. Most retired to the tents for a post puja nap for the remainder of the afternoon. Tomorrow we will put the spikes on and go for a walk on the glacier. Slowly but surely, out bodies are catching up to this altitude and soon we'll be ready for some hard climbing. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The weather here at Everest Base Camp at 4:30 a.m. was snowing hard, so Dawa and Kaji decided not to carry loads to Camp 2. Up at Camp 2 the snow was not so heavy, so Dave, Sara, Linden and Bill left toward the Lhotse Face at 7:15 a.m. After four hours and twenty-five minutes of uphill climbing Sara and Dave crossed over the 23,000-foot mark. Dave reports a great day of training, getting used to the steep terrain, and working with other teams on the face. This sort of familiarity will help them get to Camp 3 in good shape. The knowledge and technical expertise gained on these practice runs is invaluable. Linden and Bill turned around a bit before, and supported our two high altitude mountaineers back at C2. While they were all together early that day, we had support from Lam Babu and Yubarj listening in on radio transmissions from Camp 2. One more night at Camp 2, then back to EBC for another rotation of rest. Looking forward to seeing the team tomorrow. Till next time, RMI Guide Mark Tucker

The American Lung Association Climb for Clean Air team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:00 am today. RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier reported warm temperatures, clear skies, and calm winds. 

The ALA Climb for Clean Air has been available to people of all levels who are ready to take on the challenge of summiting a mountain since 1987. Funds raised by participants support the mission of the American Lung Association to saving lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. Over the last 30 year there have been 1,500 ALA Climbers. They have dedicated their time not only to training to climb Mt. Rainier and other peaks in the Pacific Northwest, but these teams have also raised over $5 Million for the American Lung Association! 

Congratulations team for your success and efforts climbing for this great cause!