Success! That's right we did it even despite the adverse conditions we have been experiencing. The weather has been less than desirable. However when we woke this morning we were greeted with beautifully clear skies. After a quick breakfast, we walked out into a calm Ecuadorian sky that spanned from the Big Dipper to the Southern Cross, one of the few places on earth you can see both. Our climb started up a rocky buttress before transitioning onto the glacier, and we enjoyed the warm night after our last few days in the snow and rain. The climb went rather smoothly and we reached the cumbre, or summit in English, just after 8 this morning. The climb took just over seven hours to reach the top with mostly low angle snow climbing and a few steep pitches to keep us on our toes. Though we walked for some of the morning in a cloud, the weather cleared just briefly as we crested the summit, allowing us views of the Avenue of Volcanoes that spans Ecuador. We could even see the Amazon!!
Currently we are rejuvenating here in La Casa Sol just outside Otavalo. Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to resting.
Missing all of our families and most of our friends. Hasta manana!
RMI Guide Casey Grom
The Four Day Climb with RMI Guides Casey Grom and Ben Luedtke were on top of Mt. Rainier at 6:30 am. It was windy morning, but a good 6 hour and 15-minute climb of the Disappointment Cleaver route to reach the 14,410’ summit. The team is on the descent and in route to Camp Muir.
This morning RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Alex Halliday led their teams to the top of Mt. Rainier! The weather is cloudy and smoky from some wildfires up north. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 9:25 a.m.
Congrats! I heard the ladder crossing was out the day before..assuming it has been repaired now? Gaining the cleaver is not too difficult now? Im planning a climb tomorrow.
Posted by: Isaiah R on 8/1/2021 at 10:40 pm
I’m so thankful for experienced guides who monitored conditions diligently and kept in communication about the bridge status. Congrats to all!!
Mike Walter called today at 11:15am PST. The nearby volcano Tungurahua erupted yesterday. They are OK and received some spectacular views from the event. Tungurahua is on the opposite side of Chimborazo relative to the groups camp. While there was a lot of ash wrapping Chimborazo yesterday it is all below them in the clouds today. Mike and team are preparing for their summit attempt later tonight/early tomorrow morning. Mike said he will do his best to call from the summit. Wish them luck!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Anna, I heard that only two of the team summited. Did not hear which two. It was a very long ascent, 10hrs and another 9 to get back down. All made it back to camp. They are on their way to Quito now, so I am sure you will hear soon.
Posted by: Paula Hall on 7/16/2013 at 6:38 am
It has been 48 hours since i last heard about our climbing team. Are there any family members who have heard from them? I would appreciate an update,
Thank you Anna Satterfield
Posted by: Anna Satterfield on 7/16/2013 at 5:44 am
Climbers commonly joke that it’s either “freeze or fry” in the mountains. Some moments of a climb can feel like a winter ascent of Denali while others are more like the afternoon heat of a safari in Tanzania. Rarely do the temperatures in the mountains stay at a comfortable level. Even though we are often traveling on glaciers and permanent snowfields in the summer, the days can be hot - especially on the approaches to climbs. Yet, at higher elevations and in the dark hours of the night when we begin our ascents the temperature drops. Throw in a light breeze at 13,000’ and it’s downright cold.
While the temperature does indeed vary between bone chilling cold and bewildering heat, our goal as climbers is to manage those swings in temperature to keep ourselves at a comfortable, even level. Our bodies are pretty good at managing heat and most of us know how to do so well. Protecting ourselves from the intense sun of higher elevations and staying hydrated and replacing lost fluids is critical. It can be a challenge to carry enough water for an all-day climb and a good trick many climbers and guides use is to “pre-hydrate” beforehand by drinking lots of water while it is readily available and then rationing the water you have at your disposal throughout the day so that it will last. For example, climbing to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier typically takes about 5 hours with 4 breaks on the way. If you’re carrying 2 litres of water then aim to drink a ½ litre at each stop so that you are still hydrated on your last stretch of the day. Afterwards, re-fill your bottle and drink plenty of water to rehydrate and recover for the climb the next day.
The cold temperatures can have a negative effect on our performance as well by diverting the energy we have for the climb to keeping our bodies warm. Careful, conscious clothing choice is the best strategy to keeping your body at an even temperature level. It’s not uncommon to feel chilly around camp and add an extra layer when you begin climbing only to find yourself overheated in minutes. Then, when you stop for a water break all that perspiration cools and you find yourself shivering. Be strategic in your clothing choices when climbing, wearing the right amount of layers that you need to stay comfortable while climbing and adding layers at breaks to preserve that heat. A hat is great temperature regulator as it is easy to take on and off as needed without having to stop to take off your pack. The cold, dry air of high altitude also dehydrates you, making the need to stay hydrated all the more important.
As you head into the mountains, whether climbing or training, keep these strategies in mind. Begin hydrating before you hit the trail and keep an eye on how much water you have so that it will last throughout the day. Also, try to use the gear you plan to climb with in your training to experiment with different clothing layers and get a feel for the layers that work for you to maintain an even body temperature despite the changes in environment.
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Congratulations! A safe, healthy and successful climb! Let me leave you clients with a quote from my favorite guide.
“It’s not so much where you’ve been in the mountains that makes you successful, but what you find in yourself in the mountains that brings you success.” TNJ
All the best to all who climb!
Jambo!
Mark Tucker here calling from the Kikoti Camp, outside of the Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. We had a wonderful game drive today, many, many animals, lots of elephant, lots of leopards. I could go on and on and make you all so jealous. So we are having a real fun time at this beautiful property we are at here tonight. We will have coffee in the morning on our lanai. Then we will be making our way back to the Dik Dik Hotel for an evening flight tomorrow. If all works out we will be back in your neck of the woods sooner than later.
We’ll drop you a note tomorrow.
All the best,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker checks in from the Kikoti Camp, Tanzania.
As a professional mountain guide, not only does my job involve spending most of my days in the mountains doing what I love, but also includes a substantial amount of continued coursework and education in order to review and enhance my knowledge and skills. This winter, with the help of the First Ascent / RMI Expeditions Guide Grant, I was able to participate in the American Avalanche Institute (AAI) Level 3 Avalanche Course, completing the highest level of avalanche certification in the United States.
The course was held near my home in the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah, home of the “Greatest Snow of Earth”; a claim to fame that surely proved true for the duration of the class. Multiple feet of snow fell over the course of the week, resulting in a widespread natural avalanche cycle that provided us with a fantastic setting for learning, while we observed large destructive avalanches in real time.
The course covered a wide array of topics important for guiding climbers and skiers in avalanche terrain, including snowpack assessment (through snowpit investigations), advanced backcountry travel, mountain weather forecasting, and professional forecasting applications for recreational guiding operations, ski areas, or highways.
Completing the highest level of avalanche education in the US has been a long-time goal of mine and I felt a great sense of accomplishment in doing so. I look forward to using these skills in guiding future RMI climbers around the world.
_____
Robby Young is a Michigan native, graduate of the University of Michegan (Go Wolverines!), and Utah transplant. Robby guides around the world, from Alaska to Peru, for RMI. In the winter, Robby patrols at The Canyons Resort and calls Park City home. When he isn't wearing a uniform, his feet are in ski boots, chasing steep lines and powder wherever they may be found. Robby will be headed to Mexico later this month, and to Mt. McKinley in May.
The last guided climb of the Denali 2012 season is done and down. Safe. But, without a summit, which happens sometimes. We got together in Talkeetna way back at the end of June—eight climbers and four guides—and we talked strategy and packed gear and we were issued permits. And, since the weather was a little sloppy, we didn’t fly immediately. Instead, we ate some more and drank some more and talked a bit more strategy. But on the 29th of June, we did get to fly into the Alaska Range and of course it was worth the wait.
As is always the case in late season, we’d been concerned as to how well put-together the lower glacier might be, but a few minutes flight over the Kahiltna in a de Havilland Otter convinced us it had been a good year for snow. Once on the ground (7,200 feet on the Southest Fork of the Kahiltna) we reviewed glacier travel techniques and waited for the middle of the night so as to allow the glacier surface to freeze solid. It did just that and we moved out early the next morning. We made pretty decent progress those first days… camp at 7,800 feet, move to 9,500 feet, migrate on up to 11,000 feet. As always, we started doing “carries” at 11,000 feet… climbing high and sleeping low so as to let our bodies catch up to the altitude. The gang was healthy and doing great and the weather was workable… if not stable. It was snowy and cloudy somewhere each and every day… just not exactly on top of us, and so we were able to make good use of the days.
The mountain got a lot more interesting as we left the valleys and ventured up onto the ridges on our move to Genet Basin at 14,200 feet. We “caught up” to about a dozen guide parties from other companies there and everybody was still optimistic about climbing high and making the top. We’d been on the mountain for a week at that point. But it started snowing. And then it seriously started snowing. Teams began to run out of food and fuel and quit the mountain. Then it snowed about two feet in 24 hours and we had an avalanche problem. The problem was that we believed there was instability on the steep slopes we needed to climb up in order to make any progress and there was no solution but to wait for stability. Which didn’t come.
We needed hot, sunny days to settle the problem and instead we got day after day of a little more cloud, snow and wind. Teams quit and descended… one after another. Finally, we teamed up with the last two guided parties on the hill to bust trail and evaluate hazard and perhaps find a way to the “fixed ropes” leading to the crest of the West Buttress. The mission took all day and required some dicey belays across “whumping” snow, but it resulted in a workable and safe track to the ropes… we were back in business. Until it snowed that night and the next morning.
Back at square one with a new hazard and no track. The other guided teams quit the mountain that day and we stayed another two days in a last attempt at getting some sort of good luck. But that didn’t come, just more snow and more clouds and more predictions for snow and clouds. We spent about 12 days at 14,200 feet and then we turned our backs on the summit and started busting trail down through the powder. Things got easier as we got lower on the mountain and we were at the SE Fork again by morning of our 19th day on the hill. And the weather cleared magnificently then… allowing a view of the summit we hadn’t reached, but also making the flight off possible.
Showers and dinners and drinks and beds in Talkeetna were pretty good, even without a summit. We’ll get it next time.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The Four Day Climb July 10 - 13 led by RMI Guides Hannah Smith and Jack Delaney reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:45 am. Hannah reported a good route, light winds and a nice route. The team enjoyed some time on the crater before starting their descent. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuning down to Paradise.
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!
Completing the highest level of avalanche education in the US has been a long-time goal of mine and I felt a great sense of accomplishment in doing so. I look forward to using these skills in guiding future RMI climbers around the world.
_____
Robby Young is a Michigan native, graduate of the University of Michegan (Go Wolverines!), and Utah transplant. Robby guides around the world, from Alaska to Peru, for RMI. In the winter, Robby patrols at The Canyons Resort and calls Park City home. When he isn't wearing a uniform, his feet are in ski boots, chasing steep lines and powder wherever they may be found. Robby will be headed to Mexico later this month, and to Mt. McKinley in May.
Congrats! Brian looks so happy! And cold! Have fun on Cotopaxi! Jealous & missing my ChoOyu team! cs
Posted by: cs on 7/30/2011 at 8:47 am
Congrats, team!! So glad the weather semi-cooperated!!!
Enjoy the break before Cotopaxi!!!
Posted by: Dana Marie Buchanan on 7/30/2011 at 6:23 am
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