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After getting delayed by the rain we were able to make a dry push to Camp Muir yesterday. The stars looked to be aligning for a great summit day. We left the ridge at Camp Muir looking back at the lunar eclipse, psyched to be walking on the Cowlitz Glacier on a warm windless night. The team worked their way up the route feeling the altitide but also feeling determined to reach the top of Mt. Rainier. At 13,000' however, the mountain spoke to us telling us today, in fact, was not our day. Snow instability prevented us from climbing higher. We did not get the perfect day we were hoping for but we still got a gorgeous morning with beautiful views.
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
The team is doing well after a good nights rest and waking up to nice weather this morning. Then we had a nice big breakfast in the hotel, and loaded up all our climbing gear and drove to the base of
Mt. Elbrus. Once there we took advantage of the 3 gondolas, and a short snowcat ride to reach our new home for the next few days.
It's rather comfortable up here, as our outfitter has taken a few shipping containers and converted them into simple bunk rooms some for sleeping and some set up as dinning rooms.
Once we got settled into our new home we headed uphill on another acclimatizing hike and reached just over 14'000 before returning to camp where our wonderful cook Dasha had a nice hot lunch waiting for us.
We spent the remaining of the afternoon relaxing around camp and enjoying the views of the Caucasus mountain range which are pretty amazing since we are camped out at just over 12'500ft.
Dasha has cooked up a delicious Russian meal with plenty of borscht and potatoes that filled us up. Everyone is doing well and ready for a little sleep.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and team
On The Map
A forest fire burning lower in the valley gave the skies a light haze this morning over Namche and we could catch glimpses of the smoke rising from the valley sides further down as we left our teahouse. It was warm as we walked out of
Namche and descended the hill to the valley floor but by the time we reached the bottom, clouds crept up the valley to block out the sun. As we crossed the suspension bridge above the river the first few droplets of rain began to fall. Soon the rain was falling in force and thunder echoed in the mountains above, and the smoke from the fire began to dissipate. We walked through the villages below Namche, crossing back and forth across the river on suspension bridges, while the rain came and went. Before long thunder was rolling through with hardly a pause between claps and we sought refuge in the nearest shelter we could find, piling into a tiny shack on the side of the trail already full of porters also seeking refuge.
Sitting crammed in the one room building, we sipped some tea heated up on a fire nearby as the thunder and lightning passed over us and faded away higher up the valley. Once all we could hear was a light rain pattering on the roof we set out on the trail again, picking our way down the trail as we skirted the small streams and puddles forming in our path. We made steady progress back down the valley, finally pausing in the village of Phakding for lunch. The rain kept coming down and we sat around the stove in the teahouse doing our best to dry out as we ate lunch. When we set out and the rain was letting up; with every step we made closer to
Lukla the clouds seemed to rise equally as well. Soon we could see the fresh snow covering the base of the peaks above and all of the fields around shone a brilliant green with the arrival of spring in the lower Khumbu Valley. The cherry trees, rhododendron, and piries janponica trees were all in full bloom - pink, red, and white flowers dotted the trees bordering the fields and we kept pausing to take it all in.
By late afternoon we climbed the final rocky steps of the trail and walked into Lukla. We found our teahouse and shed our packs and damp gear, finally reaching the end of the trail. We are happy to be warm and dry again after the many hours of walking in the rain today and if the weather cooperates and the clouds continue to lift we hope to catch an early morning flight back to Kathmandu tomorrow. It is a bit strange not to have more trail to cover tomorrow but we are excited to get back to Kathmandu and keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies so we can fly out!
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
The Four Day Climb May 9 - 12 led by RMI Guides Steve Gately & Avery Parrinello reached Ingraham Flats, 11,200', today before poor route conditions forced them to turn around. The teams enjoyed a beautiful morning on the mountain and did a bit of training, then returned safely to Camp Muir. As of 9 am they had begun their descent from Camp Muir to Paradise. We expect to see them back at BaseCamp in the early afternoon.
Illness is the enemy of every climber. 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. Health on an expedition starts before the climb, before the team meets, and before the marathon of travel to get to your destination. Start your trip healthy by making sure you are thinking about your health and your immune system several weeks before your trip even starts!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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RMI Blog!
Sunday, July 2, 2023 - 3:56 am
The RMI Denali Expedition June 11 led by RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli reached the summit of Denali on Saturday evening. The team is safely back to camp at 17,000'.
Nice work team!
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Elias de Andres Martos reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Win reported hazy skies and a light wind. The teams are on their descent from the summit en route to Camp Muir. Once at Camp Muir the climbers will repack their gear and continue their descent to Paradise. Today's climbers have spent the last several months raising money for The American Lung Association in Washington's Climb for Clean Air.
Congratulations to the climbers for their efforts of fundraising, training and climbing!
Hello from the
Kahiltna Glacier! We woke to frigid temperatures on our first morning, with the temperatures reaching negative 25 F. Thankfully the sun came out to play and things quickly warmed up for us. We enjoyed our first day exploring the SE fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.
Everyone is doing great. We'll check in soon.
RMI Guide Jason Thompson
Sunday, June 19, 2022 - 8:32 p.m. PDT
It's us again!
It's day 10 on the glacier. So far we are right on schedule. Every day we have accomplished what we set out to do. Today we did our back carry down to 13,400' to dig up our gear and bring it back to camp. We left early enough in the morning to beat any heat and turns out we beat the snowfall as well. The snow has been falling all day today. It's light and fluffy and we are all wondering why we didnt bring skis. At this point we are situated to rest, make our carry to 17k Camp, and then wait for our weather window to move and summit. In theory, in a perfect world, we are on schedule to summit on Friday. But on Denali anything can happen and our perfect world could turn into multiple days waiting out stroms...who knows?! Fingers crossed we have luck and good karma on our side. Tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully the snow will stop and settle on the slopes above. It's off to bed to escape the snow.
Goodnight all!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
June 12, 2017
Hello from our new camp at
17,000 ft on Denali! The team had an early start pack up camp and departed around 7 am. The winds picked up on the West Buttress as we neared the first break. The team had some amazing dance moves as we waited an hour or so for the morning winds to subside. The team climbed strong all the way to high camp in optimal weather. We worked for a few more hours to build camp. The climbers crawled in to have a rest as the guides worked to melt snow and tidy camp. We are now eating big bowls of Annie's Mac and cheese with bacon and soup. The hydration and eating up here never stops. Tomorrow with high hopes of good weather and light wind the team will shoot to stand on top of North America. Send us good vibes!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
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Dear Saurabh
Congratulations on your team’s spectacular and adventurous climb to the ultimate height of 20310 ft above sea level in trying weather conditions and chilling cold amidst snow storms . Kudos to the dedication ,commitment, disclipline and team work which enabled you to reach your goal। We are proud of you my son . May you achieve even more goals in your life.
Ravi and Anjali
Your dad and MOM
Posted by: Ravi on 7/2/2023 at 8:17 pm
That’s awesome!! Congratulations everyone!!
Posted by: Jenni on 7/2/2023 at 6:37 am
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