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Our Four Day Summit Climb teams led by Mike Walter and Elias de Andres Martos reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at about 8 o'clock this morning. The teams had clear skies with a cloud deck at about 8,000' and moderate winds. They got to spend some time on the summit and are now making their way back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's teams! Also, Nana says "hi" to Nora.

100% of Team on Top!

RMI Guide Mike Walter and team reach the Summit of Mt. Baker at 7:11 am today. The team had great climbing and warm weather. They are on the descent and will be back at the traihead later this afernoon. 

Congratulations Team!

Greetings from Antarctica. Today went about ten times smoother and easier than any previous attempt at getting onto the "last" continent. Our logistics company (ALE) gave a call at the civilized hour of 6:30 AM and advised us to put on our boots and check out of our rooms. We ate breakfast, got on a bus, cruised to the airport, breezed through security and boarded our transport plane. The Ilyushin 76 went "wheels up" at 9:30 AM and we were on our way. Just ahead of the 2:15 PM landing we got busy putting on warm clothes and glacier glasses. The Russian crew brought the big plane in for the smoothest landing on an ice runway that the world has ever known. A few minutes later we were standing out on the Union Glacier in brilliant sunshine and a brisk breeze, marveling at the new world and at the amazing machine we'd just flown in. We were chauffeured back to camp in deluxe 4 wheel drive vans with giant tires. A series of informative and essential briefings and feedings were attended over the following few hours. The ALE staff took excellent care of us and Seth Waterfall and I felt we were attending a great reunion as we met all of the friends we've come to expect to see in the odd corners of the globe. Weather was perfect around camp as we set up our tents. There was the faintest of breezes and a big bright sun. The plan is for our team to get on a Twin Otter sometime tomorrow morning for a flight to Vinson. The sun isn't setting tonight but the team will get tired anyway at some point, despite all the excitement at this new place and quiet conversations going on in a dozen different languages around camp. We do need rest. Tomorrow is another huge day. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Five Day Summit climb led by RMI Guides Walter Hailes and Josh McDowell took advantage of the weather and reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 9:30 am today. Josh reported warm temperature with winds of about 35 mph. The team will descend to Camp Muir where they will spend another day on the mountain and descend to Paradise tomorrow. Congratulations to today's team!

Our last day on the ice turned out to be all about flying. Flagging down an Ilyushin 76 is a big deal. This one set her wheels onto the ice runway around mid afternoon. By then we'd taken tents down and checked our bags at the first class counter (a table in the snow with a roll of stickers, some clipboards and friendly ALE staff who were not checking our ID's). Our Union Glacier hosts even gave us a deluxe final lunch in the dining tent. Once the plane landed, there wasn't any need for us to hurry. It takes a while to unload such a big and powerful jet transport. Eventually we caught a ride out to the ice runway in a comfy tricked out big wheeled van (with Utah plates) and then we were picking seats on the Ilyushin. The plane took off a little after 5 PM and the Russian crew cranked up the heat. 4 hours later we'd crossed the Drake Passage and were floating in over the Straits of Magellan. Punta Arenas lay waiting with flowers and Trees and grass in vibrant midsummer color. The sun set as the bus brought us in from the airport (we hadn't actually seen any sunsets while down on the ice). By 11 PM we'd checked into the hotel and showered and gotten together in the lobby for one last, pleasant, mandatory team function... The victory dinner! Thanks for following the trip and for the friendly encouragement of the blog comments (which were relayed to us). Best Regards and Happy New Year, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sunday, May 22, 2022 - 10:15 pm PT

Back carry day.

Today was a little more relaxed than the last few, although we still got up early to beat the heat. We walked downhill to retrieve our gear from our cache, with commanding views of Foraker and Crosson. We were back at 11,000ft Camp by 11 in the morning and spent the rest of the day eating pancakes and reviewing mountaineering skills.

Weather permitting we hope to cache as close to 14,000' camp as we can tomorrow!

Thanks for following along.

RMI Guides JT, Jackson, Matias and the RMI team

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Peter Whittaker reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Peter reported light winds and clear skies. The team began their descent shortly after 7:00 a.m. PDT. We look forward to greeting the team in Ashford later this afternoon. Congratulations climbers!

Saturday, May 25, 2013: Hi All! Our team is safely back at high camp after a successful summit bid today! Our entire team made it to the top and we enjoyed near perfect weather and route conditions! We left camp at 9:30 this morning and were standing on the roof of North America at 4:45 pm. After taking photos, exchanging high fives and hugs, and enjoying amazing views we descended towards camp in the evening glow of Alaska sunshine and with the anticipation of hot tea and a warm dinner. We are all excited to begin our decent tomorrow and look forward to talking to all our friends and family in a few days! Cheers! RMI Guides Solveig, Mike, Ben, and the McKinley Team

On The Map

Hi Everyone,

We all summited Sahale Peak and Sharkfin Tower on August 8th in beautiful sunny weather and great climbing conditions. It took our team of five 11 hours round trip from camp. We all summited Forbidden Peak via the West Ridge in cloudy weather with a few moments of light drizzle and some moderate winds on the summit, but overall great conditions. Our summit push was 12 hours round trip from camp.

We had a strong team, and four days of great climbing!

RMI Guides Mike Walter, Henry Coppolillo & Team

Hello! Huascaran team checking from Camp 1. We left Moraine Camp this morning, and after an hour of steep climbing over the naked granite slabs that the receding ice is leaving uncovered, we ventured another 1,000ft of elevation up glacier. Seeking camp was tricky, as there's no flat areas, and there's not much snow either to make them at will; digging into the glacial ice at 17,200ft is no fun. We're cooking dinner now, and soon we will be horizontal, as we're planning on going up early to Camp 2. Stay tuned for more, RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team