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Boy did we luck out this morning!
After three days of being totally obscured, Cotopaxi was out and about in the stars when we woke up. The team assembled for breakfast and loaded packs for what would be a long and successful day of climbing. Breaking trail all the way up, navigating through crevasses and seracs, and enjoying spectacular views and unpredictable weather gave us a full value day in the mountains. Safely up, our thoughts turned to getting safely down and the team made it happen.
Now we are showering at the Hacienda La Cienega and getting set for a victory meal! Thanks to everyone back home, we'll see you soon.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren checks in after their successful summit day.
On The Map
100% to the Top…JJ Justman and his entire Four Day Summit Climb team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The skies are crystal blue and the team is making their way down to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to all the team members!
Posted by: Peter Whittaker, Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
This is Seth checking in from Ngorongoro Crater. We've been having a spectacular day of game viewing. The main event was getting to see two lions, one male, one female, right next to the road. We have also seen tons of other stuff. Tonight we're staying at the Plantation Lodge and tomorrow we will visit Tarangire National Park.
RMI Guides Seth Waterfall and Peter Whittaker
Hi Guys! It’s Samantha’s class! We just wanted to congratulate you all on your amazing climb! Have fun on your safari!
-Mrs.Dunne’s Class
Posted by: PAT DUNNE on 10/17/2013 at 5:09 am
At above 17,000' the temperatures dipped well below freezing last night and the small stove in the teahouse dining room lay cold this morning. We wrapped our hands around steaming cups of tea at breakfast and searched for the patches of morning light streaming in through the windows. It was another clear, beautiful morning and we were warm within a few minutes of setting out from Gorak Shep.
The trail to Base Camp brought us along the edge of the Khumbu Glacier, weaving, climbing, and descending among the rocks and eroding slopes of the hillside that is being continuously carved by the glacier passing along it. After a couple of miles ascending along the glacier's edge we dropped off the morraine and onto the glacier itself. This far down the glacier surface is covered with rocks pulled from the mountain higher up, yet just beneath is glacial ice, requiring full attention walking to avoid slipping - not such an easy task with the incredible views as we passed between Nuptse and Pumori and stared up at Everest's West Shoulder.
By late morning we reached the community of tents that is cropping up at Everest Base Camp. We were warmly greeted by RMI's Sherpa and BC staff who gave us the tour of Base Camp. They have been here for two weeks already, carving platforms from the uneven ice and building rock walls to support the tents, and have done an incredible job turning a rather desolate patch of ice into a comfortable home for us. Kumar, our expedition cook with more than 15 yrs of experience, prepared a phenomenal lunch for us and everyone agreed it was the best meal yet of the trip (although it was quickly topped by dinner this evening).
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and exploring Base Camp, venturing over to the entrance to the Icefall and paying a visit to the Icefall Doctors, the legendary team of Sherpas who fix the route through the Khumbu Icefall. When the sun passed behind Pumori, the peak to the west of BC, the temperatures again dropped. Wearing our down coats at the table, we enjoyed another excellent dinner before crawling into our tents here at BC.
We are spending the day in Base Camp tomorrow, using the surrounding glacier to train for Island Peak. The team is thrilled to be here, everyone is doing well and sends their best to those at home.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Amazing seeing the ruggedness of the mountains. Looks like you are in good hands. Enjoy every day, our family prayers are with you all. Breeze please!
David Eicher
Posted by: David Eicher on 4/5/2011 at 7:59 am
Bill and Sara, I am thinking of you both every day. I love reading about your expedition and I pass them along to my office staff and I brag about you (mostly about Sara, Bill, sorry). You are both really cool.
It is in the low 80’s today here on the posh rock of HHI. Flip flops and shorts….sand and shore, but alas, no sherpas and no excitement…..love to you both. cathy
Posted by: cathy on 4/4/2011 at 7:39 am
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise Glacier team, led by RMI Guide Ben Ammon, spent the week on Mt. Rainier. The crowning point was this morning. They reached the summit of Mt. Rainier! The week entailed various mountaineering skills, such as crevasse rescue techniques, anchor placements, ice climbing, belays, rappelling and much more.
We look forward to congratulating them on a successful week this afternoon!
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
Illness is the enemy of every climber. Â You have trained countless hours and are in the best shape of your life, but if you start a climb already sick, the climb you were prepared for can become infinitely harder. Â Health on an expedition starts before the climb, before the team meets, and before the marathon of travel to get to your destination. Â Start your trip healthy by making sure you are thinking about your health and your immune system several weeks before your trip even starts!Â
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Remember to "taper" your training before the climb. Ease back on the hours and intensity of your workouts during the last week or two before your trip and make sure that you are rested, recovered, and ready to go.  It’s always tempting to push the last few workouts, but doing so can lead to arriving tired and predisposed to getting sick before the climb begins.
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Most climbing trips begin with an airline flight, whether across the U.S., or across the globe to South America, Nepal, and beyond.  An airplane full of people from all over the world is a big test for your immune system, and it will need all the help you can give it. To keep your immune system strong, don’t forget to start hydrating a day or two before your flight as well.  Airline cabins are often pressurized to higher altitudes than we are used to, and consequently, humidity in the cabin is also much lower than our normal environment.  Good hydration before your flight will help get you through the flight in better shape.  Lastly, don’t forget to get up and move around.  A few hours of sitting in your airplane seat can leave your legs feeling stiff, sore, and perhaps swollen; not an ideal start to a climb!
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Once you are back on the ground, try to adjust to your new environment.  Often, the hardest part is adjusting to a new time zone.  Do your best to adjust your routine to the local time right off: eat your meals at standard times and try to stay awake until a normal hour.  Besides a time zone change, you may also be dealing with new and different foods.  Right before your expedition isn’t the best time to be adventurous with your food.  Be mindful of what you eat, especially when traveling abroad. Make sure that food, especially meat, is thoroughly cooked.  Beware of fruits and vegetables that are unwashed, or have been washed with tap water.  Soil and tap water in other areas can carry bacteria and viruses that our systems aren’t accustomed to dealing with.  Along the same vein, be careful with drinks.  Drink bottled water if in doubt, and ask for drinks to be made without ice (which is usually made from local tap water).  Use bottled water to brush your teeth as well.  If you are dying to spice it up and try the local delicacy, the time to do it is after the climb. Â
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If you arrive feeling a bit off, don’t stress.  Take the time to rest, recover from your travels, and refuel.  This will make all the difference if you are balancing the line between getting sick and staying healthy.  Vitamin-C supplements, Zinc, Echinacea, and innumerable other immune supplements are available.  Bring your favorite, and use them prophylactically during your travels.  Traveling can be the most stressful part of your climb.  Once you are in the mountains, routine takes over and all of your training pays off!Â
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Today is our rest day in final preparation for our summit attempt of Mt. Elbrus. To fight the boredom we spent some time this morning going over some mountaineering techniques. Some of the team are putting the finishing touches on our summit packs while others are relaxing watching the movie "Step Brothers".
We received an updated weather forecast and it has remained the same. Tonight and tomorrow is calling for clear skies with increasing clouds mid day. Basically, the weather has me smiling. So keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck. The team is doing great and we will give a call from the summit.
RMI Guide J.J. Justman
JJ checks in as the team prepares to start their summit bid.
On The Map
Good luck John! Have fun!
Posted by: Monica on 7/27/2012 at 7:46 pm
Way to go, Elsie and Char! Can’t wait for news from the summit. The Fitches say Bravo.. Love to you both, MPB
Posted by: Margaret Bemiss on 7/27/2012 at 11:57 am
After a few hours of fitful sleep, interrupted by the anticipation of the climb, the alarm went off at 1:05 a.m. this morning. We pulled on all of our gear, forced down a quick breakfast, and then loaded onto the snowcat for a lift up to 15,000'. The night was perfect, an awesome amount of stars covered the sky and a faint crescent moon was rising in the east. Well, almost perfect: the
temps were cold and a steady wind was blowing out of the west. It was cold. We began climbing in our big down parkas and didn't end up taking them off until we were back down off of the summit many hours later.
Besides the biting wind the climbing was perfect, wind compacted snow that was great for climbing but still soft enough to keep the slopes from being too slick. The sun began to rise as we approached 17,000', casting long shadows of mountains across the landscape below us. But, unfortunately the wind didnt let up with the sun and it stayed cold. The team did a fantastic job of keeping themselves warm, avoiding even the smallest bits of frost nip. By 8 am we reached the saddle between Elbrus' twin summits and we started up the steep slope above to reach the summit plateau. We were briefly sheltered from the wind until we reached the summit plateau and traversed across to the highest point, a small rise on the far side perched over massive slopes descending the west and north side of the mountain.
Despite the wind, it was wonderful to reach the summit and we spent 20 minutes or so admiring the views, exchanging high fives, and snapping photos, before we beat a hasty retreat back down from the top.
By midday the afternoon clouds were already building and they blew in and out around us as we made the long descent back to our hut. We are now settled back into our bunks, tired from a long day of climbing but happy with the climb. Tomorrow we will descend back to Cheget for hot showers and clean clothes.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Linden Mallory Callling from the Summit of Mount Elbrus
On The Map
Congratulations to all on a great climb. Can’t wait to see more pictures.
Posted by: Mary Ann Papp on 7/14/2012 at 10:50 am
Hello everybody. This is Jake, JJ, Fernando, Mike, Mav, Bob, Jim, Peter, April, Cyrus, Christopher and Matt. We are all on the summit of Orizaba! Everybody did super well. We got 100% of our team up. Everyone climbed super strong. Light winds, beautiful day. We can see all the mountains in Mexico that we've been around and everyone is doing super great. Wish us luck on the descent and we'll call in later. Nice job everybody. Thanks a lot!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Jake Beren calls from the Orizaba summit!
On The Map
Congratulations to all! First summit for the ‘Cuse crew! Safe trip back.
Love,Mama Beck
Posted by: Ann Beck on 2/18/2012 at 3:14 pm
Posted by: Grayson Swingle, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
Hi Everyone -
Our Baker Ski team is back at camp after a successful ski descent of the summit with everyone!!!
Beautiful day up there with great snow.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
Amazing, amazing, amazing all I can say about this experience. Grayson and Lauren are incredible!!!
Posted by: Jason Seitz on 5/18/2022 at 3:43 pm
Awesome!!!!!
Posted by: Mary Abraham on 5/17/2022 at 8:19 pm
What a day! Congrats to all, gratitude to team leaders. Good news from the real world: former REI Chief named Secretary of the Interior by an enlightened President.
Posted by: nsb on 2/7/2013 at 8:38 am
Awesome job, fantastic news so proud of you barbara thank you to the whole team for having a safe climb. See you soon, very happy for all of you, great pic. Jay R. in Kalispell Montana.
Posted by: Jay R. on 2/6/2013 at 3:07 pm
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