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Winds stayed mercifully calm throughout last night, but just as we got hoping for the morning sunshine (it takes until 11:30 AM for the sun to get around the mountain and into our camp) the storm came in again good and strong for several hours. There was not any question of going ahead with our carry to high camp. Instead, we rested, which turned out to be quite pleasant when the cloud caps blew off the peaks and the winds quit. Just a lazy day in the sun, trying to drink plenty of water and get organized for going higher. This evening's dinner was relaxed and leisurely, the total opposite of our battle with the elements 24 hours before. Things don't seem totally stable yet, but there isn't much doubt now that we are headed for better days. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Beautiful Lines in a Sea of White We had another stellar day today in the peaks off the Branscomb Glacier a couple of miles from Vinson Basecamp. There seems to be endless ski opportunities in this area - not surprising since we're on a continent almost entirely covered in snow and ice. But, what has been surprising is the quality of the snow we've found. Often, we've heard, the conditions for skiing here in the interior are marginal, with variable crust and massive patches of rock-hard, blue ice covered by a thin veil of snow. Hit one of those with some speed and you're down for a home plate slide. Fortunately, some wind events recently, combined with the uncommon snowfall of early season, have created great conditions around Vinson Basecamp. Today, we moved again to the beautiful ribs outside of camp in the late afternoon when the sun gets low and backlights the whole area. Peter, Seth, and Caroline skinned up to a great location below a terrifyingly big cornice; fortunately, their position was well-protected by a hug bergschrund just below the cornice, and gave safe access to good terrain below. We all had a great 4 hours shooting under the low-Antarctic sun with perfect snow conditions. We skinned back to camp by 9:00 PM, had a stellar dinner, and started organizing gear again. Tomorrow, our Twin Otter arrives midday. We'll fly around Vinson for a bit, and then go off scouting for an unclimbed and unskied peak. With luck, the 16th will find us in new territory on an untouched peak in the Antarctic. -Jake Norton

Hello from Africa,

Today we woke to beautifully clear skies again with even better views of Kilimanjaro since moving up on the mountain. The days route took us up and around the well known and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000', setting a new altitude record for some.

We also passed by many of the giant groundsels and towering Senecio trees that made us feel as if we were in some crazy Dr. Seuss story book.

All in all it was a really nice day with clouds gathering in the afternoon to help keep the temperature comfortable for hiking.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hello Everyone! Things are well here in Russia! Most of the team arrived in Moscow yesterday evening after some very long flights and are still adjusting to the massive time change, so we kept things simple with a little round of introductions before stepping out for a short walk and a nice dinner not too far from the hotel. Today we started with a visit to Lenin’s Tomb, which takes a bit of time as there are thousands of other tourists visiting. We then met up with our kind, local tour guide Victoria, who gave us a wonderful tour of the nearby Red Square, the Kremlin, and several churches including the iconic St. Basil's Cathedral. The team also visited the famous Moscow metro, which moves millions of Moscovites daily. It’s incredibly efficient, with 228 stops, many of which are elaborately decorated. After our tour we took a short break and then headed out once again for an amazing dinner and a nice walk. Everyone is doing great and looking forward to heading to the mountains tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and team

The Four Day Summit Climb led by Tyler Reid and the Five Day Summit Climb led by Zeb Blais were on top of Mt. Rainier this morning in blue skies, light winds, and some smoky haze due to wildfires burning around Washington. Both teams started their descent from the crater rim just after 8 a.m. They will check in with us from Camp Muir before descending to Paradise. Day 2 of Mountain Fest is here at Rainier Basecamp. Check out the mountain gear sale, RMI Guide slideshows, and stop by the RMI tent to enter in our raffle to win a free summit climb!

Our acclimatization and preparation are nearly finished. True to the forecasts, the jet stream is back in the Everest region. We could hear it roaring against the high summits last night from our advanced basecamp. There was some worry for Chad, Casey, Rob and Scott up at Camp Three on the Lhotse Face, but they called in at 5 AM to say that the night had been tolerable, with just occasional strong gusts playing through. Michael, Leif and myself left ABC for BC just as the Camp Three team began descending toward ABC. Spindrift avalanches fell continually off of Nuptse as we made our way down the Western Cwm. The Khumbu Icefall offered its normal challenges, except that there were hardly any people to pass or wait for at the ladder crossings. Like ABC and BC, the Icefall was deserted. Most Sherpa teams are resting or down-valley, most western climbers are taking it easy elsewhere and waiting for a "weather window". It was good for us to rejoin Mark Tucker and Seth Waterfall at Basecamp and to be back to Kumar's fine cooking. Our Sherpa team finished their carries to the South Col today, all will be in Basecamp as of tomorrow. We'll rest up, wash up, fatten up and begin looking at weather forecasts.

We may be just tourists now, but today we still got an “alpine start”.  It was still pitch dark as we were driving away from the lodge at 5:40 AM.  Our guides had recommended the early start for Ngorongoro Crater as a way to see better wildlife.  Most animals are a bit more lively in the cool mornings than in the hot afternoons.  The light came up as we were crawling toward the caldera rim in our landcruisers.  After a bumpy ride in the clouds along the rim, we made an important stop at a Maasai village.  We wanted to learn a little more about this colorful tribe (one of 128 in Tanzania) hanging on to their traditional ways in a rapidly changing world.  They greeted us with singing, then showed how they make fire without matches or lighters.  They took us into their Boma (village) and into their homes. We thanked them for taking the time to answer our many questions and then we headed for the “crater”   Immediately upon reaching the valley floor we began seeing bigger and bigger herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and gazelles.  There were a few ostriches mixed in for variety.  Eventually we did a picnic breakfast -spitting distance from a flock of hippos.  By the time we followed up with a picnic lunch, we’d seen rhinos, lions and elephants.  There was a bonus encounter with a skittish cerval cat.  We climbed out of the caldera around 3 PM under still cloudy skies, but it was a pretty good day all around.  After a bunch more rough roads, we were back at the ultra-comfortable Plantation Lodge at 4:30. 
Tomorrow we’re bound for the land of elephants   -Tarangire. 
Best,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Saturday, January 14, 2023 1:07 PM PT

We awoke early in the morning to chilly temps and moderate winds. Our summit bid had begun! It took several hours of slogging uphill before the sun finally blessed us with its presence. The rest of the climb was warm and the summit itself was windless!

The descent was smooth and exhausting. Everyone is back in camp safe and sound. Tomorrow we begin to descend into thicker air.

RMI Guides Mike King, Dominic Cifelli, Jack Delaney and Team

Saturday, January 14, 2023 9:30 AM PT

The Team stood on the summit of Aconcagua at 22,841' today!  All is well, and we will share more details of our climb when we get back to camp!

RMI Guide Mike King

The RMI Summit Climb team, led by Tyler Reid, is currently on the top of Mt. Rainier. A beautiful day with hardly any wind on the highest point of Washington. The team will spend some time on top before they begin their descent. Congratulations to today's summit climb team!

At their teacher’s request, the 7th grade class in Crystal River, FL, Skyped with RMI guides JJ Justman and Joe Horiskey for 60 minutes yesterday. We discussed mountain climbing in general, and fielded questions about Mt Everest in particular. The class was doing a novel study of the book “Peak” by northwest author Roland Smith, which centers on a 14-year-old boy climbing Mt Everest. Their teacher, Sarah, had inquired by email whether RMI would be willing to Skype with her class. Of course the answer was a resounding “Yes!” The students, obviously well-versed in their subject, asked pertinent questions on topics such as: the effects of altitude on the human body, requisites of food and gear for climbing Mt Everest, necessary climbing experience, and surviving for an extended period of time in potentially hostile terrain. Being familiar with the tragedies which had befallen the mountain the past two consecutive years, the class was riveted to hear JJ’s first-hand account of actually being at Camp l last April 25 when the earthquake struck. He also presented video of his evacuation by helicopter to Base Camp. One student asked how climbers deal with being separated from loved ones, friends and family, for extended periods of time. Another inquired about our “scariest moments” as mountain guides. But throughout, our message to the class emphasized safety, and while mountain climbing does involve accepting a certain amount of risk that is the case for many activities in life (sports, driving, etc). Sarah noted at the conclusion of our presentation the kids’ favorite photo was of the abbreviated ‘runway’ in Lukla (at Tenzing-Hillary Airport)! JJ and I really enjoyed talking with Sarah’s class and look forward to similar presentations with hers and others in the future! RMI Guide Joe Horiskey