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Saturday, January 29, 2022 8:22 PM PT

Quick update from the summit!
100% on top!

Sunday, January 30, 2022 12:02 AM PT

Team is all safely back at high camp, a little tired but full of smiles.

It was pretty cloudy when we left camp and stayed that way most of the night. The wind and weather were quite nice despite the clouds. The team did an amazing job climbing and stayed positive even though it was a tough climb.

We spent about about 20 minutes on the summit taking photos and even made a few phone calls to loved ones back home.

We are headed down the mountain to our final camp in the thick warm air at 10’000ft, where we’ll have dinner then head off to bed for some well deserved sleep.

RMI Guide Casey and a Happy Kilimanjaro Summit Crew!

What a difference a day makes. 40mph snow and wind at Camp Muir. A perfect day to train inside. 

After a cloudy walk up the Muir Snowfield on Monday we enjoyed two gorgeous, sunny days of training on Tuesday and Wednesday, learning the basics of snow and ice climbing, glacier travel, crevasse rescue and ice climbing. 

This morning the weather has changed! Blowing snow all night and day has us thankful for the shelter of the bunkhouse at Camp Muir where we're learning about avalanches - how to avoid them, use the tools of the trade and perform a rescue.

We'll continue with other topics of interest and get out for some hands on training if and when we can do it safely outside. 

Everyone is doing great and happy we got so much training in even though our summit aspirations are no longer realistic after finding serious signs of avalanche hazard on the slopes leading to the summit.

We'll be headed down tomorrow morning after some training and packing up in the morning. 

RMI Guide Brent Okita

Thursday, January 10th, 2019 10:00 pm PT It always seems to happen so fast. At the beginning of the trip our big objective felt far away, and each day brought anticipation of the new sights and experiences Ecuador would provide. But as soon as we pointed our crampons downhill from the summit, everything seemed to fast forward. Before we knew it we were gathered together in a warm, dry lodge with cold beers in hand at the base of Cotopaxi deliriously recounting the previous (beer-less and not very warm) 12 hours. Refreshed from deep sleep, and with the help of coffee we began to retrace our route back to the city. Cobblestone roads transformed into pavement, and conversation wandered to flight itineraries and last chances to purchase souvenirs. Then just like that we were back in the heart of Quito amidst the sights and sounds of city life wondering if our climb was really just a dream. After arriving, we visited a nearby artisan market and some headed to explore the old town. We gathered one last time tonight for a celebratory team dinner - we couldn’t leave without eating more empanadas! By now we’ve all started making our way home to loved ones armed with stories of adventure and visions of ones to come. Thanks for following along! RMI Guides Peter Whittaker, Jess Matthews and Team

One of the keys to performance in endurance events such as distance running, cycling, swimming, or mountaineering, is to be able to put in a hard burst in the middle of your effort and then recover. We see Tour de France cyclists do this all the time, racing a full out sprint in the middle of a stage, then recovering for the final sprint 60 miles later. Runners do it when they make a break up a hill to get away from the field, and mountaineers need to be able to do it when getting through a tough stretch of Disappointment Cleaver or clambering over the bergschrund on the fixed lines on Denali. The ability to put on a burst AND recover while you maintain your activity is developed through interval training.

There are lots of different intervals that can be tailored to accomplish different goals, from natural rolling intervals (Fartlek Intervals), to the 4x4 interval workout. Another useful set of intervals are ladder intervals.

Ladder intervals are sets of increasing and/or decreasing intervals. Ladder intervals can be done in a variety of terrain, from flats, to rolling hills, to a hill climb. A common ladder set might be to do a 1-minute interval, then recover, then do a 2-minute interval, followed by a 4-minute effort, followed by a 6-minute interval. Once you reach your peak (you’ve worked your way up the ladder), start working your way back down, reversing the pattern. After the 6-minute interval, do a 4-minute interval, then a 2-minute interval, and then finish with a last 1-minute interval. As with all interval training, the goal is to complete each one at a similar pace. The 1-minute interval might naturally be a bit faster, but you want to avoid blowing yourself out in the first couple of intervals so that you are just surviving through the remainder.

Another important component to interval training is the recovery time. Recover for between 50-100 percent of the duration of the previous effort. For shorter intervals, recovery time might be closer to 100 percent (you might recover for 1 minute after a 1-minute interval) while longer intervals may be closer to 50 percent (for the 4 and 6-minute intervals). Recover for long enough that your heart rate has dropped and you feel ready for the next set, but not so long that your heart rate returns to a very low zone 1 or 2 effort level. Recovery is best accomplished actively, at a very slow jog, walk, or spin; after all, the ability to recover while moving is what we are trying to develop.
As with all training tools, the ladder intervals can be adjusted to fit your needs. Using longer sets (at a slower pace) will help to build your lactate threshold, while shorter (and faster) sets will help to build your anaerobic threshold and recovery. These can also be done over distances rather than time, such as on a track. An example might be a 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 400m, 200m, 100m. Remember that interval training requires a quality warm up and cool down, both to prevent injury, and allow you to perform and get the most out of the workout.

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Need a refresher on interval training? Learn more about general interval training…

Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here!

The Four Day Climb, led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Sam Hoffman, reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver early this morning. After a strong alpine start and steady progress through the night, the team made excellent time ascending from Camp Muir.

As they approached the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier, the team encountered increasingly strong winds with gusts above 60 mph. Despite the group’s strength and determination, the guides made the prudent decision to turn the climb at the top of the Cleaver.

Reaching Disappointment Cleaver is a significant accomplishment, especially in challenging weather. The team demonstrated strong climbing skills, sound judgment, and excellent teamwork throughout the expedition.

Congratulations to all the climbers for their effort and perseverance. Well done!

Our team took a well-deserved rest day in Puebla, sleeping in, enjoying the warm weather and soaking in the colorful city. 

Folks explored, some finding fresh fruit stands, massages and local shops for souvenirs. Others relaxed and connected with loved ones back home, letting them know about the adventures so far. Tonight we filled up on traditional mole, discussed other climbing trips and swapped many stories. 

Tomorrow we head off for our final objective. Orizaba!

RMI Guide Abby Westling

Our team made it down to Ecuador yesterday and this morning.  By midday we were together in Quito and ready to stretch out after travel.  We need exercise and altitude to get prepared for our climb of Cotopaxi in a few days.  We took a bus ride through the bustling and vibrant city to the tram onto the slopes of Rucu Pichincha.  The teleferico got us way up to 13,500 ft in a hurry.  It was cloudy, so we only had glimpses of the bases of the great volcanoes, but conditions were just fine for strolling along the trails.  We enjoyed seeing Caracaras (colorful hawks) and went close to 14,000 ft in altitude.  By then the hour was getting late and we decided to call it good for a big first day in Ecuador.  We had an easy walk down, a few coffees and donuts for the tram ride, and then a trip back to the hotel.  We finished with a fine dinner and a plan for setting out for further altitude training in the morning. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team

"This coffee makes me so happy!" Said our favorite Canadian climber as she sipped a freshly brewed cappuccino under the shadow of Ama Dablam. Our team is getting giddy with the views of Everest, Lotse, Kantega, and many more 8000 meter peaks all day. As we trek along the trail one step closer to these monsters mountains we can't help but smile. Now we are up at 12,200 feet in Deboche and everyone is still feeling strong. I've been so impressed with our team and how well everyone takes care of themselves by eating well, drinking water, and pressure breathing. We even laugh a lot! Tomorrow another big step up to Pheriche. RMI Guide Christina Dale

We are all getting tattoos of our favorite part of Nepal. A large hairy yak, a momo, and the summit of Lobuche. Forever, permanently inked on us. April fools. The truth is we had a huge day today and walked all the way from Lobuche to Namche. 44,800 steps said one phone. A long day. But now we are all fed and happy here in Namche Bazaar. Tomorrow we will leave the mountain country and head down to the Dudh Kosi River crossing 11 suspension bridges on our way back to Lukla. RMI Guide Christina Dale

Hello again everyone Today we had a very nice hike to help with our acclimatization on a nearby peak called Pichincha. It is one of the many local peaks that is situated above Quito and is used by many climbers to help adjust to the higher altitude here in Ecuador. We made use of the gondolas to help us gain access to around 12,500 ft then hiked the additional 2,500 ft to the summit. It took our team roughly 3 hours to gain the top after a little scrambling up the final bit to reach our high point thus far. It was a personal high point for a few of us, and the entire team did a fantastic job. After spending a bit of time on the summit and getting are photos we descended all the back to our hotel for a brief nap before dinner. Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew.

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