The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb led by Mike Haugen reached the summit in hot weather and no wind. The team departed the crater rim at 8 a.m. Once the team is at Camp Muir, they will regroup and continue their descent to Paradise.
JJ Justman and his Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons are driving to White River to begin their four days on the Camp Schurman/Emmons Route.
Today was a good day for our team carrying up to Camp 1. The team climbed strong with legit loads to make our future move a little easier. We enjoyed near perfect weather again on the way up to camp, ascending the moraine up to a snow patch of penitentes before gaining camp. As we made our cache weather rolled in from the west and we got our first taste of how quickly things can change up here. Our descent was beautiful in the sideways snow squall that cleared as we returned to basecamp.
Tomorrow will be a recovery day here at basecamp before we move onto the upper mountain. Now it's off to bed, buenas noches.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
DAD! This is awesome, I can’t imagine what your seeing and experiencing. Best wishes and Happy Xmas to you and the team.
One thing you always told me was “Lean into the spear.” Remember that when times get tough! love you so much and I am proud of you ...Love Bridy:)...
Posted by: Britany Fitzgerald on 12/21/2011 at 5:46 am
Richard: We are watching and reading every day…keep up the good work, sounds like you are all doing great. Hang on in those winds. mom
Posted by: Linda Robertson on 12/20/2011 at 9:01 am
Today was unexpectedly a big move day. After climbing yesterday, the team was planning to take a rest day and recoup, but the forecast had different plans for us.
After looking at upcoming weather and counting the days available to us we decided to move up to High Camp and try to utilize the current high pressure window.
Walking up the glacier was rather uneventful and we made it to our camp at 12,000ft in 5.5 hours. When we arrived the wind picked up and clouds started to build. As we eat dinner it is currently hailing outside and we can hear thunder in the distance. So much for utilizing the good weather!!
We're not sure what to expect tomorrow and the forecast doesn't seem reliable, so we're just going to wake up and see how things look.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
This morning we woke up to clear skies and beautiful views. Unfortunately, as we sipped on our morning coffee the clouds began to grow and the wind picked up. Today was not our summit day, instead we got the team moving around and doing more home improvements. I can positively say that RMI Okita has the best looking camp at 17.
Today's renovations included lowering the floor of the posh ( or cook tent) and revamping the kitchen scene. After these improvements were made everyone enjoyed some reading and napping before a delicious dinner of tortellini served with a cream garlic sauce and sun dried tomatoes. The conversation was flowing over dinner, with stories of bike racing, pets, hunting and books.
Again we are optimistic about tomorrow's weather, which is calling for a high pressure system to move in.
Wishing the wind away,
RMI Guides Lindsay, Leon, Brent and team
We had some nice cloud cover that kept our walk to camp nice and cool. Once we arrived the clouds cleared to reveal awesome views of the North Cascades and of our Mt. Shuksan climbing route up the Sulphide Glacier. We are training to prepare for our summit attempt tomorrow.
RMI Guide Ben Ammon
Due to winter like conditions on Mt. Rainier this morning both the Four Day Summit Climb Team led by Seth Waterfall and the Five Day Summit Climb Team Led by Gabriel Barral were forced to turn near Disappointment Cleaver. The teams are safely back at Camp Muir and we expect a early afternoon return to Ashford Basecamp today.
After enjoying a relaxing day at Casa Ilayaku the team is ready to get back to business and start walking uphill. A two hour drive brought us to the basecamp for Antisana. A quick duffle shuffle and gear sort gets us psyched and ready for our early departure, hopefully to the top this time. It's early to bed to rest the eyes and body. Fingers crossed the weather cooperates this time.
Happy belated Valentines Day to all our loved ones,
A big thank you to our stellar RMI Guides for their hard work yesterday maintaining and improving the route. The climb marks the 250th time RMI Guide Casey Grom has reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. Congratulations Casey we are priviledged to work with such an accomplished and great guide. We hope your 250th summit was a memorable one!
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.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir September 15 - 19 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Brent reported a beautiful day with no winds and blue skies all around. The team will conclude their week on the mountain tomorrow.
We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow afternoon.
Well done Mike! I hope you guys had as great a trip as we did!
Posted by: Mark Grace on 8/6/2012 at 5:26 pm
Great Job! So excited for ya’ll. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Posted by: ann on 8/5/2012 at 4:49 pm
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