Most Popular Entries

Both Four Day Summit Climb teams made it to the Summit of Mt. Rainier today. Lead guides Jason Thompson and Andres Marin reported beautiful weather with light winds of about 0 – 8mph and plenty of SUNSHNE. The teams were in light gloves and two clothing layers, as they climbed. They are now en route back to Camp Muir and we expect them back at RMI Basecamp in Ashford this afternoon. Today is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year…get out and enjoy!

The team did a great job, not just on the climb to the summit, but also on the descent back to high camp. Now everybody is very tired, but I think that after a big portion of Ramen the stoke meter will mark a 11! (It's one bigger isn't?!) This is the RMI Aconcagua Expedition checking in from Camp 3 after a successful ascent to the top of Aconcagua (22841'-6962m) A beautiful dark blue sky, lots of stars forming constellations such as the Cruz del Sur (southern cross) and a magnificent full moon were the kick off of our climb at 5:30am. The weather during the first 6 hours of our ascent was extremely good, no wind and temperatures on the sunny slopes were more than comfortable. Once we started the final part of the ascent (the Canaleta) clouds moved in, but the temperatures kept getting warmer. Unfortunately at the moment of our arrival on the summit it became covered by clouds, and we did not have the chance of enjoy the awesome 360 degrees view of the Andes, but this didn't stop the group from having the opportunity to let our emotions get out and celebrate. We will check in tomorrow from the comfort of Base Camp Plaza Argentina. Thanks to everybody out there for following our progress on the mountain and for sending all those kind messages. Cheers, Gabi and the RMI Aconcagua Expedition.

The Emmons Seminar August 1 - 6, 2021 made their summit attempt today after several days of training and climbing on the mountain.  Leaving Camp Schurman the team climbed to 13,500' before deciding to turn back due to difficult route conditions and fatigue. The team returned to Camp Schurman this afternoon and will spend their final night on the mountain.  Tomorrow they will continue their descent to the trailhead near White River Camp Ground and make the return drive to Ashford.

We hope you enjoyed your week of training and climbing on Mt. Rainier!

Good morning everyone. Guess what? We're at high camp! We traveled at night today to take advantage of the colder temps and to avoid the thawing ice that, when hit by the sun, might naturally shed some pieces. Climbing the "Canaleta" (gully) at night, with a heavy pack is no joke. We're talking steeper and harder terrain than the standard route on Denali, with no fixed lines and at Aconcagua height!!! Our team is kicking butt. We're now camped and settled in for the day, in hopes of good weather tonight to go for the 900 meters that separate us from the top of the Highest Glaciated Peak in the western Hemisphere. Follow along! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Well folks, a lot has happened over the last 48 hours and I'm sorry to have been keeping you waiting. June 1, we woke up to somewhat clearing skies at 14,000' Camp and decided to pack up and get as far downhill as we could. Aside from an interesting GPS guided tour through an area known as the "Polo Field" the weather held out and we made it all the way back to the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier where we began our trip. We arrived just before midnight and quickly set up our tents, had a quick dinner and went to sleep with dreams of flying out the next morning. Well those dreams came true. This morning we woke to the sound of camp bustling with life when clear skies and the sound of basecamp manager Lisa's voice booming through the early morning with warnings that we should start getting ready to fly off. A few hours later we were in the sky heading towards Talkeetna. The trip has finally come to an end. It's been a fantastic three weeks here in the great Alaska Range and its bittersweet to see it end. We'll meet up for one last team dinner tonight before going our separate ways tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for following along. It's been a wild ride! RMI Guide Steve Gately

Sahale Mountain is the perfect place to start your alpine climbing career. The climb has it all: a thick, forested approach to the Boston Basin Camp on a tough climber's trail, low angle rock slab climbing, a intricate glacial navigation and even a pitch or two of 5th class rock climbing. While this may sound daunting, the relatively low mileage and vertical gain for the trip make it a very accessible climb for those looking to improve their movement skills and get a taste of alpine climbing. For experienced mountaineers, it's pure fun. Late this August, the constantly changing terrain and the remote setting of Boston Basin provided a stunning backdrop for four days of climbing for our small group of four climbers, fellow guide Robby Young, and myself. While Sahale Mountain is a good introduction to the North Cascades, it is still a physically demanding climb that requires climbers to show up prepared. The approach is arduous. With heavy packs full of food, fuel, tents, climbing gear and layers, the thin climbers' trail winds through the forest about 3 miles and around 3,500' vertical up to the lowest camp in Boston Basin. One of our team counted crossing over 300 downed trees on the approach (he claimed to be accurate, but my hunch is that he cooked the books a little on that number). Regardless of the actual number, this wasn’t a well-maintained city sidewalk! Once we emerged from the thick forest, Boston Basin greeted us with spectacular views of granite peaks in all directions. North of camp Mount Torment and Forbidden Peak look as intimidating as their names imply. East of camp, Sharkfin, Boston Peak and Sahale fence in the Quien Sabe—Spanish for who knows—Glacier. Simply camping in this setting is worth the price of admission, but at this point the fun was just beginning. After setting up camp, we rested for the remainder of the day to get an early start on a day of training for our summit bid. Much of the climbing on Sahale consists of moderate rock, so our team focused on rock movement for much of our training day. Between camp and the Quien Sabe Glacier lies 1,400' of low and moderate angle granite slab walking. Moving on this terrain requires skillful footwork and good balance. After practicing smearing, edging and route finding on rock we gained the glacier. Donning crampons, harnesses and ice axes we delved into efficient movement techniques for snow, ice and glacial travel. With our team's improved movement skills, we headed back to camp ready to tackle our objective the next day. We rose early, in full darkness, to set ourselves up for a potentially long summit push. Due to light snow accumulations over the winter and a hot summer, the Quien Sabe had very little seasonal snow remaining. The route wound from the far north edge of the glacier to the south where the glacier bumps up against a rock arrete at 8,200'. The climbing was straightforward and there was only one section of glacier where we needed to walk with absolute focus on each step. At the south end of the glacier, we moved onto rock for about 50' vertical feet and then climbed directly up a steep snow face. We had watched teams navigating the bergshrund (the largest, highest crevasse on a glacier) just north of this area the previous day while we were training. We decided the jumbled ice plugs and snow bridges they had crossed were not something we wanted to tangle with unnecessarily, and we believed that we had spotted a smoother route to the South that eliminated the hazard of walking through broken ice of the "direct" route. Above the bergshrund, we found smooth climbing onto the ridge. Often a moat can form between the glacier and the rock, which can make the transition from glacier to rock difficult, but this wasn’t the case for us. A small step off the glacier onto the solid rock of Sahale's summit ridge was all it took. 50' of 3rd class scrambling put us on the ridge headed for the summit pyramid. Robby and I short roped our teams along the narrow rocky ridge until we arrived at the last steep pitch leading to Sahale's pointy summit. This pitch presents a 4th or low 5th class move or two to get to the highest block of granite on top. We pitched out this section, running our rope out to the top and belaying our climbers up the short step. What a great way to top out! Without a breath of wind on the summit, our team enjoyed the high perch for a full half hour before starting the descent. Our team moved well across the softened the surface of the glacier, and soon we were back on the rock slabs above camp stripping crampons. We just had a couple of short stretches of slab to down climb to get back to our tents. The team pulled it off in great style and we finished the climb telling stories and watching a beautiful sunset. With gravity and the motivation of a meal in town helping us, we descended the climbers’ trail back to our cars. Soon we were enjoying cold beer and Marblemount's best barbecue, Que Car BBQ! Whether you've done a pile of 14ers or this is your first mountaineering trip, Sahale is a great trip. _____
Zeb Blais is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions. He has climbed and skied mountains across the globe. In the spring of 2014, he set out to traverse Tajikistan's Fedchenko Glacier on skis. Find Zeb on Instagram at @zebblais.

Our Four and Five Day Summit Climb Teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Win Whittaker reported clear skies above 7000' and winds at about 40mph. They have started their descent and are now en route back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's teams!

Many miles of dusty roads brought us out of the mountains and back into civilization this afternoon. The small town of Olgii, population 30,000, which felt like a isolated outpost last week now feels like the big city with amenities such as hot showers and the occasional strip of pavement. For dinner we were treated to a traditional Khazak feast with a performance on the dombor, a two stringed instrument similar to a guitar. Despite a lack of physical activity today, everyone seems a bit tired and we are all headed to bed early to get ready for our flight back to Ulaanbataar tomorrow morning. RMI Guide Eric Frank

We traveled all day and have finally arrived in one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe, St.Petersburg. After a short ride from the airport, we got checked into our hotel and took a short break before dinner. We had dinner at a local brew pub, as the team was hungry for some burgers and beer. We then took a short but scenic stroll, which included a climb up St. Isaac’s Cathedral to take in the beautiful evening view. Everyone is very excited to explore and see this city tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey and team.

RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Paul Rachele lead their teams of ALA Climbers to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Win reported light winds, mild temperatures and an overall beautiful day. The teams began their descent from the crater rim shortly before 7 am. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise. We look forward to celebrating with them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.