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The Four Day Climb led by Tatum Whatford and Jackson Breen reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver before high winds, cold temperatures, and incoming weather forced them to turn. On the descent the team enjoyed the sunrise from Ingraham Flats.

Congratulations Team! 

The Four Day Climb August 6 - 9 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Joe Hoch were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier today.  The lenticular cloud over the mountain brought snow and winds and the teams reached 13,400' before deteriorating weather encouraged them to turn around. The climbers will return to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing to Paradise this afternoon.

We had a nice relaxing start to the day with a traditional Russian breakfast of porridge, eggs and bread. We then made our way to the local ski lifts to help give us a jump start on our acclimatization hike. I didn't hear a single complaint about riding up 1,500' before we started our hike to nearly the top of a local peak called Cheget. It was a bit cloudy today so we didn’t have the amazing views that we had hoped for, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Normally we get to hike to the top of the peak but, being so close to the border with Georgia, the Russian military had the upper part closed to climbers. Regardless, we enjoyed the views and stretching our legs and lungs a bit. After our hike we made back to town relatively quickly thanks to the ski lifts, where we had a hot lunch waiting on us. After lunch we dropped off our gear and made a quick stop to pick up a few extra items and did a little exploring on our own. We wrapped up the evening with another nice home cooked meal here provided by our ever so gracious local outfitter. RMI Guide Casey Grom and team

On The Map

We're squarely in the middle of the waiting game here at Everest Basecamp. The big teams have assembled a few strong guys who are working on fixing the ropes to the summit today and tomorrow. Once those are in then it's all a matter of time until we get a good weather window for the summit bid. As for us we're healing up and feeling rested for the push for the top. We're giving the weather forecast more and more scrutiny every day and the tick marks on the calendar are starting to add up. It shouldn't be too much longer now. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

Congratulations to RMI Guide Dave Hahn and the Big City Mountaineers’ Summit for Someone team that reached the Mt. Rainier summit! With good weather and route conditions, Dave and his team spent some time on top before starting their descent at 9:45 a.m. They are working their way back to Camp Muir and will finish their celebration of today's accomplishments at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon.

Seth here, checking in from inside my tent. We're currently dug in at 9,200 feet at a spot we call "The Castle." We've had a rough spell of weather on this trip with mostly white out conditions but the group is still having a good time. Yesterday we had good weather for a bit while we climbed up to our camp but over night a big storm came in and now we are just waiting it out in the safety of camp. Tomorrow we will make our way back to civilization.

Summer is here this morning, this afternoon that will be a different story. Tsering, Kaji, and Dawa left Camp 2 a half an hour before Dave, Sara and Linden for the climb up the Lhotse face to Camp 3. Lam Babu has now arrived at Base Camp after going the other direction from Camp 2. Dave reported good conditions ,weather and route wise on the face with incredible views of the surrounding mountains. Up above he could see some people going for the summit of Everest, yet another wave of climbers getting a chance at standing on top. It is great to see the groups getting a shot at the top over many days. instead of a lot of teams concentrated on the same window of time. I have started a push to the top a couple of times with eighty or so other climbers leaving high camp at about the same time. It's always a struggle thinking about what the near future could bring. More than often things work out but if they don't it can make for an even tougher day. Enough good experienced mountaineers can be a good thing to have around on the summit push, the right amount is a bit by chance.We will have a tight strong group that can handle most anything. Dave and Sara have decided that 23,000 ft, a good chunk of the way to Camp 3 is going to be enough for today. They have prioritized the next rotation as the objective, the idea of sleeping at Camp 3 tonight was a good plan, but the decision we make out in the field, are the ones that make the difference. They have just radioed in that they are off the face, heading to Camp 2. Linden is still climbing toward Camp 3 to get familiar with the route and location of Camp 3, another altitude records for Linden today. He will also come back to Camp 2 for the night. The Sherpa team worked all morning chopping and digging into the ice for tent platforms which will be used in the future. Instead of putting up the tents today they have then in a duffel bag secure to the site and will set them up on the summit push. No sense in subjecting them to wind and snow for now. So a good day for training and working hard up high. Back to Basecamp tomorrow, for the final resting period, with the summit push as the new focus. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

With fresh sheets and comfortable beds we slept soundly last night, enjoying the luxuries of town after being in the mountains for so long. After breakfast we headed out to explore Kislovodsk, walking through its broad pedestrian area and wandering in the large parks that cover town. Kislovodsk is known throughout Russia for its many mineral baths and is experiencing a rebirth in domestic tourism. The grand old buildings are being renovated and small touristy shops built of shiny glass and decorated with all sorts of neon lights line the streets of downtown. The parks and plazas were busy with sightseers, browsing the stalls of goods or getting their photo taken with eagles and owls now domesticated by enterprising locals. The contrast of Russia's past and present continues to show itself in this town and is a fascinating occurrence to be watching unfold. We were all much in need of a mellow day to rest a bit after Elbrus and most of us took advantage of the rainy afternoon to sort our gear and sneak in a nap. Tomorrow morning we head back to Mineralnye Vody to catch our flight to St. Petersburg to visit the city before ending our adventures in Russia. We will check in tomorrow evening from the banks of the Neva River.

Hello, This is the Shishapanga team with a new update. Camp 2 (22,965') has been established and the team is starting today to do some rotations and the weather forecast for the next few days is good. We will try to push it a little further to Camp 3 (24,278') with some carries and get acclimatized. Everybody is doing pretty well and we are excited and in very good spirits. The team is working well together and despite the hardness of Himalayan climbing we are having a really good time. So that is it for now and we’ll be calling soon with a new update. Take care and hello to everyone. RMI Guide Elias De Andres Martos

Monday, June 6, 2022 - 11:18 pm PT

Today began with a very difficult decision. Should we eat a full breakfast of cereal and fig bars? Or should we just coffee and charge down hill to the cache where a supreme breakfast awaited? Well the team decided, drink coffee, get cache and then have a relaxing brunch feast. What meal could be so enticing that we would exert ourselves on a retrieval mission with only caffeine running through our veins? Well glad you asked! It was breakfast burritos. Specifically pepper, onion, hashbrowns, eggs, Beecher’s cheese and MOOSE meat burritos. So yes, it was worth the wait. The rest of the day was a mix of napping, snacking, chatting, stretching, reading and card playing. It was an ideal day. Tomorrow we’re heading uphill to cache around 13,000' and along the way we’ll experience a series of classic Denali features! You’ll have to wait for the next update to learn all about them, oooh what a cliff hanger!

Until next time dear reader,

RMI Guides Avery, Jack, Liam and the Team