Last week was RMI's March Expedition Skills Seminar-Winter. Like every month from January to April, a team of intrepid climbers looking to learn the beauty of winter mountaineering, ventured up the slopes of Mt. Rainier on this, our classic six-day winter program. Guides Adam Knoff, Leah Fisher, Nick Hunt and myself, Elías de Andrés, enjoyed the company of a dozen folks, who initally were welcomed by a characteristic March day; rain in town, snow and wind up high. Our orientation day in Ashford would include a thorough evaluation of the forecast, a task that is, regardless, part of this program's curriculum. But in this case, with a close look at a promising improving trend which would keep us excited for the remaining of the day.
The next morning, with packs ready and boots laced up, we headed into the park not without a delay due to the National Park's snow plows hard work to keep the road to Paradise open to individuals like us. Upon arriving to Paradise we rigged our equipment for the hike to what would be our first camp. Atop Marmot Hill, we built a fortified settlement "Denali style" for the evening. A "posh house" tent was erected to socialize at dinner time, just like on any expedition, really. It was a new sight for many in the group, which by now were enjoying expedition life barely 500ft above the parking lot.
Our hike to Muir started as we waved good bye to a weatherfront that had wiped western Washington for a few days, but not without great team effort breaking trail for most of the remaining 4,000 vertical feet to Camp Muir. Enjoying the clearest skies possible, our climbers who'd arrived from all parts of the country could make out in the horizon the central Oregon volcanoes of Mt. Hood and Jefferson without even squinting. To the north, some avalanches, along with ice and rock fall from the Nisqually Ice Cliff, reminded us of the interactions between the new loaded glaciers the spring-like sun of this day. The next 36 hours would continue to add to the tool kit the climbers were building for future expeditions and also, in order to face, of course, a potential climb the following day as the high pressure system was supposed to last for at least three days. Muir Peak, the AAA Gully, the Cowlitz Glacier... all provided, in the vicinity of Camp Muir, a perfect training ground.
In the morning of Thursday, March 13th, we woke up to yet another incredible day; clear skies had been swiped of clouds by the same winds that windblasted some of the upper slopes... as well as loaded others. Careful evaluation by the guides on the go, determined a safe, wind-scoured route up the west side of the Ingraham Glacier, a seldom traveled route almost hugging Gibraltar Rock on its east side. Once at Camp Comfort, trail breaking efforts would begin again, and as the team team held it together, we were getting closer to the top in sometimes mid-calf deep snow on the now, more lower angled sections of the climb.
After 6 hours and 50 minutes of ascent, the team reached the crater rim to the now strengthening winds. But a new winter summit had been attained by another successful RMI Winter Skills Seminar team. Our careful preparation to detail, our philosophy in approaching the mountain, the guidance of the leaders and the great application of the skills learned by the climbers allowed the feat... the RMI way!
The next day, in a deja vu of what winter is truly like, we woke up to one-foot tall spindrifts and gusts of over 70mph at Camp Muir. Most of the guides, including myself, couldn't remember such conditions on the snowfield. Far away from feeling accomplished by the previous day's achievement, successfully navigating down to Paradise in such white-out conditions demanded now serious skill and perseverance. A team of now well-trained climbers, learned their last lesson of this winter seminar; the summit is only back at the car. Three hours later we'd bypass the remains of our camp on day 1, and as the winds decreased at 6,000ft and visibility came back to reasonable, we reached the Paradise parking lot. Celebratory drinks and a dinner over future climbing plans with the climbers was the perfect closure to a week on the frigid, yet amazing environment of winter on Mt. Rainier.
Come play, climb and learn with RMI! Satisfaction guaranteed.
Elías de Andrés
RMI Senior Guide
Thanks again for all your hard work on this trip - you all handled things very professionally, and I for one learned quite a bit. Both the seminar and the summit bid exceeded my expectations.
What a night to take in last evening! We had perfect conditions: clear, calm, and almost a full moon. It was a bit chilly, but that is what our puffy coats and pants are for. After so much unsettled weather, it was so peaceful you could almost think we were in the most tranquil environment on earth! Of course, the hanging glaciers and thousands of feet of vertical rock overhead remind us that "tranquil" is all relative in this neck of the ice.
The team was up early in the AM and sent up gear for the community effort to fix ropes to Camp 3. Our group plans on some training en route up to Camp 3 as well. We have two Sherpa at Camp 2 right now who are working hard and preparing to welcome the climbers to Advanced Base Camp in a couple of days.
The team continues to take care and plans for the long haul ahead.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
NIce swing Tuck. Bummed that I wasn’t able to play a few rounds with you at Base Camp this year but I saw the clubs outside the com tent and took a few practice swings. My duct tape balls couldn’t compete with whiffle balls. Safe travels to Camp 3.
Posted by: Elsie Bemiss on 4/26/2013 at 6:38 am
Your reports are uniquely super! Who is your writer? I’m in the movie business and always expect a highly paid ghost writer behind every writer as good as you and your partners.
Warm regards,
Wolf
The clouds around Vinson basecamp lifted some today, but didn't go away. In particular they were stuck over the Nimitz Glacier and the approaches for an airplane trying to get into the Branscomb. There was some optimism this morning, what with blue sky over camp and Vinson's summit visible again, but it never quite got good enough to tempt the Twin Otters in from Union. Eventually they gave up on us and flew back to the South Pole to pick up more centenerary celebrants. That being a long round trip, our next window of opportunity to fly from Vinson would be tomorrow afternoon. We passed the day easily and quietly. TA, Vlado, Mindy and I went for a glacier walk in the afternoon to stretch legs. In the evening the ALE crew generously hosted a dinner for the three climbing teams. The food was superb... And we were all just plain happy to sit in real chairs for a time.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Dave, Sara and Linden descended from Camp 2 in nice weather only to have the last half hour to Base Camp turn into a snow zone. Base Camp has remained in and out of snow showers all day. The climbers are doing well, enjoying the thick air of 17,575' and getting into the rest and eating routine. Bill could not be happier with Sara now back at Base Camp.
Our Sherpa team continues to prepare the upper camps for the summit bid. Lam Babu carried a load from Base Camp to Camp 2 today. Tsering, Dawa and Kaji were up early at Camp 2 with plans to carry to the South Col but due to snow and poor visibility they remained at Camp 2. They will take a look at it again tomorrow and hopefully we'll have a nice report from the climbing team tomorrow.
Many other teams are leaving Base Camp today beginning their push for the summit. We wish them well!
Today marks the twenty-first anniversary of my summit of Mount Everest. (Mark reached Everest's summit on May 10th, 1990 as a member of Jim Whittaker's Peace Climb along with climbers from Russia and China via the North East Ridge. Happy anniversary Tuck!)
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Bill and Sara:
Please know that the Egan family has been tracking your progress everyday and we are all overwhelmed with admiration and pride!It is hard to believe that while we sit here in Atlanta getting ready for exams, you are at the top of the world. Sara, Chas says hi and he and all of the boys are cheering you on! We are thinking of you both everyday. Good luck, be safe and God Bless. The Egans
Posted by: Mindy, Mike and Chas Egan on 5/11/2011 at 7:30 am
Hey!
It’s Billy giving you a call from the summit of Cotopaxi. We are on top in beautiful weather, sunny skies and calm winds and a very happy crew. Not much else to report. We are gearing up, getting some sunscreen on, getting some food and water and preparing for our descent back to the hut. We will give you a call when we are back to the hut safe and sound.
Until then… chao,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent calls from the summit of Cotopaxi!
Congratulations, Gail and team!! We are looking forward to seeing lots of pictures to go with your stories of this adventure! Stay safe and have fun!
Posted by: Laurie and Mark on 7/8/2012 at 5:30 pm
Congrats to the team on a successful trip! Kevin—I hope you had fantastic time!!! Please say hello to Victor and Freddie (if he’s along on this trip) for me. Safe travels back to Texas!
Jambo from Barranco Camp,
Another cloudless day awaited us as we got out of the tents this morning. The whole upper mountain was in clear view and even Mt. Meru was visible to the south.
It was a bit colder this morning, but warmed right up as the sun hit our tents. Being our third day on the trail, the team was quick to get everything packed up and we were the first team out of camp. The climb up the Shira Plateau is not steep, but is a gradual incline all the way up to Lava Tower, our high point of the day at 15,100'. The group was strong the whole way up, even as we broke the personal altitude records of eight of our team members. After a nice break at Lava Tower camp, we began our descent to Barranco Camp. Since it was such a beautiful day, we stopped often for pictures and to just take in the views. The Barranco Camp has to be one of the best camps on the whole mountain. It is nestled on a flat bench with Kili's southern face rising dramatically right out of camp and dominating the horizon. On the valley floor, we are surrounded by some very unique plants including scenacios and lobelias, creating a landscape that almost looks like a page out of a Dr. Suess book. A pretty amazing place.
We had an early dinner tonight and are now enjoying a beautiful night sky as we get ready for bed. Tomorrow, we tackle the Great Barranco Wall. Even though it looks a bit intimidating from camp, everyone is up for the challenge.
We all wish Winsor a very Happy Birthday.
RMI Guide Jeff Martin & the Kili Team.
Hi KATERINA!!!!,
We read the blogs and saw the pics from Jeff and are so amazed and excited about your trip!
We are so proud of you! We are also excited and preparing for our trip to Greece this coming weekend. Hope that u continue to be well. We wish you a fun and safe remaining journey. Love Vicky
Hi Catherine its Jason. It must be really cool climbing a mountain. Did you see any animals? Tell me how it was climbing mount Kilimanjaro. Love Jason
HiCathie its me john i looked at the pictures and it looks awesome to be climbing the tallest mountain in Africa. Are u tired? we miss yo u love john.
Posted by: Vicky, Jason & John on 7/31/2011 at 8:56 am
A special hello to my dear friend Catherine! I’m so proud of you (but not surprised)!!! You are AMAZING. DON’T STOP. KEEP GOING!!!! Love and miss you, Angelica P.S. Many thanks to Jeff for the great blogs and best wishes for continued safe climbing for you and your entire team.
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Walt Hailes and Taylor Bickford were on the 14,410' summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Walt reported that is was a nice day of climbing on the Disappointment Cleaver Route. The team started their descent at 8:25 am and are making their way back to Camp Muir.
There we were, finished up with our day of training, enjoying the amenities of the Gombu Hut. A screeching howl ripped across Camp Muir - the wind was here. We spent the rest of the evening discussing altitude illness and taking bets on the high score for strongest gust. Ends up we were all wrong, so so wrong. The darkness fell and our winds averaged 70mph with gusts in the 90mph. Things were knocking, shelters were rocking, and we hunkered down. This morning we awoke to thick solid ice rime covering the surface of our world. We affixed Everest style hand lines to the bathroom. Full battle gear mandatory. Today we will practice the most important mountain skill, entertaining ourselves while the storm rages.
Hello everyone,
RMI’s Kilimanjaro expedition is underway.
The team members arrived late last night after some very long flights, two back to back 9 hour legs to be precise. Needless to say we didn’t do much other than check into our hotel and head to bed.
We started today off with a team meeting/orientation to the program and gear check. After getting to know one another a bit we explored the beautiful grounds of the Dik Dik Hotel, which was teaming with monkeys and exotic birds and some views of the surrounding mountains.
The team had a nice lunch then headed off to visit the nearest town of Arusha, a bustling city of about 1.2 million people. Its a diverse culture made up of Christians, Muslims and local tribes people from the Chagga and Masai.
We had a quick stop off at the local grocery store called Shop Rite to pick up a few last snacks, then visited the local cultural museum. We also picked up a few umbrellas to protect us from any rain that might try and dampen our spirits on tomorrows trek.
Last but not least we finished up the night with a delicious five course meal that left everyone with a smile on their face.
Just a few last minute touches on packing and its off to bed.
Everyone is doing great and we are very excited for tomorrow's start to this grand adventure.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
RMI Guide Mike Haugen led his team to the Mt. Rainier summit via the Disappointment Cleaver Route this morning with beautiful weather and a slight breeze. The team began their descent at 10:00 a.m.
RMI Guide Jason Thompson was leading his team on the Emmons Route on the northside of Mt. Rainier. Due to firm conditions and a cloud cap developing on the mountain, the team had to make the tough, but more importantly, safe decision to turn at 12,500'. They will stay at Camp Schurman tonight and descend the mountain tomorrow.
Elias, Adam, Nick, Leah;
Thanks again for all your hard work on this trip - you all handled things very professionally, and I for one learned quite a bit. Both the seminar and the summit bid exceeded my expectations.
-Eric
Posted by: Eric on 3/19/2014 at 9:57 am
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