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Tashi Delek! All is well here in Namche Bazaar. We're having a great time so far on the trek into base camp. This morning we slept in a little bit and had a nice long breakfast. After that we hit the trail for an acclimatization hike to the villages of Khumjung and Kunde. Khumjung is the home of one of the Hillary schools and kids from all over the area walk there every day to attend class. The villages all looked nice and tidy as the fields have all been freshly tilled and the yaks are all gone up the valley carrying gear for the expeditions. We were able to catch a couple of glimpses of Lhotse and Nuptse but Everest was in the clouds all day. That was OK though as Ama Dablam and Thomserku were out and looking very proud. The team members are all doing well and are getting progressively more psyched as we head up the valley. Tomorrow we will spend another day in Namche acclimatizing before we move on. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

We have left the creature comforts of Moscow and are now enjoying the creature comforts of Cheget. It is nice to be in this quaint little mountain town. Our staff here at our hotel were happy to see us once again and they prepared a celebration dinner for our arrival. Celebrating what you may ask...well, for enjoying the good life in the mountains. After dinner we are going to go for a stroll around town and we will have some photos and video of our day tomorrow. Our plan is to hike to the summit of Peak Cheget to acclimatize. Stay tuned... RMI Guide J.J. Justman

On The Map

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.

We were all keyed up and ready to climb last night. Dinner was eaten with a sense of purpose, figuring we'd burn thousands of calories going up the Khumbu Icefall and living at Camp One. Each climber turned in carefully, arranging every piece of gear just so for a cold pre-dawn start. And we were up at 4 AM getting boots tied and helmets on when the word came down of a collapse in the middle of the Icefall. We could then see the parade of Sherpa headlights in the lower half of the Icefall... all going the wrong way. Down. Chherring and Gyalgen from our own team had radioed down to say that the route was impassible and that the midsection of the climb would need special attention -new ladders and fixed rope- from the Icefall Doctors. The coffee was hot and our pre-climb breakfast of boiled eggs and porridge was on, so we sat down together anyway and tried to get used to the idea that we weren't going up. No great physical and mental test to pass after all. Until tomorrow. It was with an odd mix of emotions that we each then went back to bed for a few hours. The next time we rose and had breakfast, around 8 AM, a thin blanket of fresh snow had somehow fallen on the tents. It was calm and sunny and the Icefall was unnaturally free of visible climber traffic. After this breakfast, we took our smartphones out to the medial moraine to connect with the world and to read the sad news coming from Boston. We then took a quiet hike down glacier, pioneering our way back across through the gleaming pinnacles of ice until we could reach the well-traveled lateral moraine that is the main foot/hoof path into Basecamp. We passed teams in mid-Puja and tent after tent after tent and basecamp after basecamp... everybody is here now. We don't actually know the number of climbers assembled, but it must be another record season from the looks of things. Most eyes today were focused upward and hopes were pinned on the Ice Docs finding some new way through the heart of the glacier. We'll try again tomorrow. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Hello from Timika, Indonesia! It's Sara McGahan, I'm 17 years old, and you may remember me from 2011's Mt. Everest Expedition! I'm now climbing with RMI Carstensz Pyramid team. Today was spent preparing for the expedition ahead of us. We have organized gear, shopped for food, and protected everything in waterproof sacks or trash bags. This climb seems so different from any others I've done; For most of our expedition we will be hiking through a hot, humid rainforest with expected rain showers almost hourly. We must plan that everything will get wet, but we are trying to do what we can to prevent it from getting completely soaked. The culture here is also so different from anywhere else I've been in the world. There are many parts of West Papua which are still undiscovered. Some tribes have only been in contact with Westerners since the 1970's, and even now the people are still rooted in the customs and traditions of their ancestors. It is normal for some people to walk around with little to no clothing on, except perhaps for a grass skirt for the women and some shells for the men. Personally, I am fascinated by the culture here and so excited to further experience it. While it's easy to type this in a nice hotel with internet and buffet breakfasts, this seems like a one in a lifetime experience that I can't wait to begin. The terrain will be difficult both physically and mentally, but everyone in our team seems well prepared for the challenge and enthused for the adventure that awaits. We are catching a 6 am flight tomorrow to Sugapa and then headed into the jungle. That's all from Timika! Sara McGahan

On The Map

Hello from Plantation Lodge, Today we had to say good bye again to the wonderful Dik Dik Hotel and headed out on our safari. First stop on the safari circuit was Lake Manyara National Park. It's not talked about as much as some other parks in Tanzania, but it has a lot of game viewing and is the perfect introduction to safari. I have heard for many years that this park is most well known for the tree climbing lions, and after many trips without ever seeing one, I was beginning to think that this was all made up. To my surprise, this would be the day that we saw not just one, but six tree climbing lions. The lions will climb the trees to seek refuge from the hot afternoon sun and they are really hard to spot because only a leg or a tail will be hanging down from the tree branch. It had been over two years since our driver had seen one, so we were definitely lucky. The entire park sits right below the Great Rift Wall, and as we continued to tour around the park, we saw lots of elephants, impalas, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, and giraffes. We left the park feeling very good about the day's sightings. Tomorrow is Ngorongoro Crater with its 25,000 resident animals. It going to be a big day and people are excited to see this natural wonder. RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team Simba Sita

Thursday, July 4, 2013 RMI Guide Mike Walter checked in at 10:50 am PT from the summit of Cotopaxi. The entire team had reached the summit of Cotopaxi and was enjoying beautiful weather with scattered clouds and no wind. The team will descend completely today and drive to the Hosteria La Cienega for a well deserved dinner and spend the night. Congratulations to the team!

On The Map

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Pete Van Deventer were unable to make their summit attempt due to lightening strikes and rain throughout the night. The teams stayed safely tucked in at Camp Muir. They will begin their descent to Paradise later this morning.

This is Mike calling down from 17,200 on Denali. We reached the summit yesterday at about 7 p.m. on the most beautiful day I’ve ever seen up here – comfortably warm and no winds! We are cooking up a nice breakfast right now and plan on beginning our descent soon. Looking forward to seeing Billy and team at 14,000' and Brent and team at 11,000'. We plan on making it to 11K today, and then heading for the Kahiltna airstrip on Tuesday morning. Weather allowing, we hope to fly off on Tuesday. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

This time of year in Antarctica, the sun never sets. The warmest part of the day is actually during the evening when the sun gets a little lower in the sky, hitting you straight on. After two days living in a horizontal position in my tent, waiting for clear skies to allow the Twin Otter to pick us up from Vinson Base Camp, I was more than ready for some adventure. We immortalized Mount Vinson by flying over it from all sides, reliving our time on it by flying over the climbing route and dreaming of new lines on all the untouched surrounding peaks. An hour later, we were back at Union Glacier camp where we'd started 12 days earlier. I instantly connected with my long time friend Victor Saunders, a British mountain guide who lives in Chamonix and who is always thirsty for First Ascents. And there are plenty to be had around Union Glacier since this is the first year ALE (Antarctica Logistics and Expeditions) is operating from here. He'd just put up 5 new routes with clients and invited me to join him for a sixth one. We left camp after lunch and skied the 5kms to the base of the beautiful ridgeline defining the horizon before climbing up to the ridge proper. The wind died and we were now basking in the late afternoon sun, making our way up a knife edge rock and snow ridge. Grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this first ascent, I untied from the rope and soloed ahead, breaking trail the whole way for Victor and his two clients, Dominic and Nick. The climbing reminded me of the ridges I guide all summer long in the Swiss Alps: loose on easy terrain and solid on the steeper steps, but without any scratch from previous climbers' crampons. When I reached the summit, I was elated. Being the first to tread on any ground is so unique, so special: it's so rare to know that no one before you has stood on a summit, or has climbed the line you are looking at; you have to figure out as you go, with no beta, relying solely on your technical and route finding skills.To me, First Ascents are the most rewarding style of climbing, all the more in a remote setting like Antarctica. We were back at our skis by midnight, the sun still looming high above us in the sky as we looked back to our ridge, the Midnight Ridge. - Caroline George