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May 14, 2022 - 10:04 am PT

It was a bit breezy and chilly yesterday, but it made for great climbing weather.

We packed up camp and headed up Ski Hill, continuing up around Kahiltna Pass and into the 11k camp. Glacier conditions were perfect, and the winds abated as we climbed higher. Everyone is climbing strong and doing well. The plan for today is to go back downhill to retrieve our cache at ~9600'. We're sitting in a good position to start pushing higher on the upper mountain. So far, the weather is cooperating with us and allowing for steady progress. We'll definitely spend a few nights here at 11k to acclimate before moving camp higher, but we may try to get a cache in around Windy Corner tomorrow, as the weather is forecast to be pretty nice.

We'll keep you posted on our progress.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

RMI Guide JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on Wednesday, June 4th, 2013, marking his 200th summit of the mountain. JJ has been a mountain guide for eighteen years, leading climbers on climbs and expeditions around the world, from Mt. Rainier to Alaska to the Andes to the Himalaya, including Mt. Everest. "People often ask me how I can climb Rainier day in and day out year after year, if it ever gets old? And my answer is always the same. No," said Justman. "I climb Rainier to share the experience with first time climbers. I see the emotion on people's faces as they come down from the mountain as they say, "I can't believe I did that"! And now with 200 summits I have seen and heard that a lot from hundreds of people. And it never gets old. I look forward to sharing the unforgettable experience with many others as I climb towards 300!" Below is a compilation of photos from JJ's climbs over the years. We wish JJ a big congratulations and many more safe climbs to come! - The RMI Team

The Footprints of Fight team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. RMI Guide Brent Okita reported clear skies and a breezy morning on the summit. 

These climbers have trained to climb Mt. Rainier for a year while raising funds to support their mission. Footprints of Fight is a organization that is dedicated to providing services for the family and patient of pediatric cancer in Washington while going through the treatment process. The purpose of these services is to reduce the family's stress of everyday life through which increased levels of courage, optimism, strength, and resiliency will form to help the family conquer cancer in present and future.

Congratulations Team for your efforts on and off the mountain! 

Thursday, June 16, 2022 8:42 pm PT

Hello all,

The team made quick work getting ready this morning so we were the first out of camp. A quick warmup of mellow, flattish terrain gives way to a steep slope called motorcycle hill. And what did we do on this hill? We motored on up it. After a quick break we then encountered squirrel hill. Some of the sleds got a little squirrelly but pulled through. The polo fields give a break from so much uphill but still require us to bring our best game. A not so windy windy corner gave way to a holey section that might be a little sporty crossing at the end of the trip. After a few hours of walking we made it to our cache site. Once some snacks were consumed we reversed our steps and headed back to camp. The team, once again, showed they came prepared to climb Denali and are crushing. Tomorrow we will enjoy a rest before we make our move to 14k camp. Everyone is ready for a new home and to be closer to our goal. For tonight, it's time to catch up on Stranger Things.

Goodnight,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

Hello, Dave Hahn calling down from Advanced Basecamp in the fog, 21,300'. Today was a beautiful day. Significant to us, in that a combination team of climbers building the route on the Lhotse Face succeeded in getting as far as Camp 3 and perhaps even a little bit beyond that. Fixing rope up the steep and icy Lhotse Face. We didn't want to get in the way of that today. We actually hiked up to about 22,000', towards the west shoulder. Certainly not all the way to the west shoulder, which is about 25,000' in some very steep, hard ice in that direction. But the part we could do today made for a nice hike and gave us a great view off the Western Cwm. Pretty amazing. With the exception of the snow that fell last week, it just doesn't appear to be any snow left over from the monsoon or the winter. Just bare ice up in this upper valley, and these glaciers are continuing to take a beating. On the good side, our Sherpa team, Tshering, Gyaljen, and Kaji, they successfully made a carry up here today, to ABC, carrying oxygen bottles for the summit bid. And then the three of them and Lam Babu, went back down to Basecamp. It's just myself, Dan, Seth and Yubaraj up here at ABC. All is well. Bye now. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Thursday, May 3, 2023 - 1:49 AM PT

Howdy folks!

We awoke this morning to big fat snowflakes slowly meandering down from gray skies. To say the least, we were not optimistic for our chances to fly into the Ruth Glacier. That was not an issue for us though because we had plenty to do today. We did a full gear check, organized group supplies, wandered around town, and got weighed in for our (eventual) flight. We were completely ready to roll by noon. Sadly the snow fall increased in intensity as the day went on. After lunch we went dived into refreshing and learning all the various knots that are important for climbing and mountaineering. This training session took us right up till dinner where we enjoyed pizza at Mountain High Pizza Pie. The team then decided to meander over to the one and only Fairview Bar for Open Mic Night. It was a splendid evening that did not disappoint (see photo). Spirit remain high for our chances to fly out tomorrow!

Wish us luck?

RMI Guides Jack, Mike and the Team

Hey this is Gilbert with the RMI May 15th expedition calling after a successful summit day here on Denali. We are back safe and sound in our tents brewing up some water and dinner. We left around 10 am under clear skies and very little wind. We had a great summit with eight clients and three guides. Now we are back safe and sound. We are going to re-hydrate and re-fuel and beat feat down to basecamp and hopefully fly out in the next 24 hours or so and be back in Talkeetna. So, that is all for now and we will keep in touch. RMI Guide Gilbert Chase

1984: RMI climber Mele Mason filming a rope team on the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier with a Sony Betacam prototype. ---- In honor of our 50th Anniversary, we are featuring stories of first climbs. Stories from guides and stories from climbers. Today we are excited to share Mele Mason’s story of her first climb: Mt. Rainier in 1984 for her work at KIRO-TV in Seattle, WA. Find out more about having your first climb featured on our blog! ---- I was a video photo-journalist at KIRO-TV in 1984. I had moved to Seattle, WA from my hometown of Omaha, NE. Although I frequently visited cousins in Colorado and participated in some mountain hikes, my experience with altitude and glacial climbing was next to nothing. 1984: Former RMI Guide Phil Ershler (center) talks to climbers as Mele Mason (far left) watches. While working in Seattle, I would marvel at the sight of Mt. Rainier whenever the “Mountain was Out!” I dreamed of climbing and documenting the climb. Reporter Karen O’Leary and I contacted Lou Whittaker of RMI to find out how we could arrange to shoot a story of a typical RMI climb. Lou was very helpful, and set up a date for us to climb with an RMI group, let by Phil Ershler, George Dunn, Gary Talcott, and Phursumba Sherpa. 1984: Mele Mason with the crew on Mt. Rainier. In 1984, most news stations were still using tube video cameras, which were tethered to a separate ¾ inch tape recorder deck. The gear was heavy and cumbersome. Sony had recently come out with a new Betacam, which incorporated the camera and deck into one shoulder mounted camera weighing in at about 25 pounds with battery. Sony was excited about being a part of the first Betacam shot story on climbing Mt. Rainier, so they lent me a prototype camera for the climb. I spent two months training on Mount Si and other peaks close to Seattle, read up on all the ways one could die on the mountain (HAPE, avalanche, rock slide, lightning strike, etc.). For my training day, Lou Whittaker and Phursumba Sherpa took me up to the Muir Snowfield to teach our group how to use crampons, ice axes, ropes and harnesses. They proceeded to throw us down the snowy hill feet first, head first, on belly, on back, to make sure we were able to self-arrest before sliding down the entire hill. 1984: Former RMI Guide Gary Talcott watches as Mele Mason films on Mt. Rainier. The actual climb was actually a life changer for me. Not only was it the most difficult thing I had ever accomplished, but the people I met and the video I produced opened many doors for me, including more climbs in the Himalaya, Karakoram and Mount Kilimanjaro. My video piece won a NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) Emmy for best produced feature short in 1984. We were blessed with fine weather. Gary Talcott packed my enormous camera, I carried batteries and tripod, and Jeanine Wieholt Moore brought along extra gear. I had not acclimated properly coming straight from Seattle, so as we got above Camp Muir, the nausea started in. Fortunately every time I stopped to set up the tripod and camera, the sickness would abate. We were not allowed to slow up the other climbers, so Gary, Jeanine and I would have to start out earlier than the other climbers, set up, shoot the climbers, and then pack up and go on ahead. I have climbed Mt. Rainier twice more, and each time I proclaim that it is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but each time the joy and satisfaction and camaraderie that I feel as I walk into the bar at the Paradise Inn, sit my filthy self down and enjoy a frothy cold beer are some of my favorite memories to this day.

We woke up in the wee hours of this morning, hopeful to see our summit window open up. The weather, however, had a different idea. As the skies became cloudier and the snow began to come down, we decided that another slow morning was in order. We gorged ourselves on bagels and plenty of bacon while we sipped our coffee. The afternoon was filled with lots of rest. We are steeling ourselves for a move up to 17k tomorrow, if the weather forecast holds true. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the chance to move closer to our summit goal. Thanks for keeping up with the team! We will check in tomorrow, hopefully from our new camp at 17k! RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

Hello there Mark Tucker here calling from the Carstensz Pyramid Expedition. Here in Ugimba spending quality time with Moni tribesmen. A Great welcome. This is where our lead local guide is from and it is pretty amazing as you can imagine. We were treated to quite a festival and a very formal traditional dance. This is the real deal, just like the pictures you would see in National Geographic. This is it, this is pure in the purest form. It has been one heck-of-a day, we are just smoked, the whole team is already bedded down and it is still pretty early. We’ve probably got another 2 or 3 power days in the jungle where every step takes full concentration team is doing fantastic. I'm so impressed with efforts in there. They are adjusting to all of the incredibly challenging root climbs, there were a couple of small cliffs and moving the rivers having to build little bridges wading in rubber boots almost over the top, as a matter of fact, somebody may have actually had a full submersion. We are all doing pretty well, and WOW this place is amazing. It didn't really rain until about 4 o'clock, and then they turn on the spigot and it's full blast. We are happy where we are at. I can't wait to show some pictures because this is just an incredible experience, and we hope to continue enjoying it. Big day tomorrow and we'll do our best to keep checking in. So for now it's called “Amakane” (ah-mah-kah-neh) it just keeps people smiling and it's the greatest greeting. We will keep checking in, Amakane! RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map