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We spent the night listening to a wind play through high camp. It wasn't a strong wind, but it was persistent and if anybody got out of the tent to feel it, it was a cold wind. It had eased considerably by morning and so there was hope that our Christmas gift from the universe would be a nice calm summit day. But no. One look at the summits of surrounding peaks (we can't see Vinson summit from high camp) revealed wind driven and sleekly sculpted cloud caps on everything. It could not be a summit day, but it turned out to be a pretty great holiday. We took it very easy and slow; resting, reading, taking pictures, eating and drinking. No parades, no football, no turkey and no tree. But also no complaints. The weather (in camp and up high) got quite nice as the day went on. We each took walks a couple hundred feet to the west to peer over the edge... a thousand meters straight down to Low Camp, and to see where
Vinson Basecamp might be hiding under a carpet of low cloud, and to gaze out at the endless ice cap.
We have high hopes for tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
This day started out fine. We definitely felt like we'd dodged a bullet since forecasts had predicted 6 to 12 inches of new snow overnight at
14,200 ft. We got nothing and liked it. The morning seemed perfect as we ate breakfast in strong sunshine and calm conditions. We had high hopes for the sun working its stabilizing magic on the avalanche slopes between us and our climbing goals. Since the clouds were gone, the team geared up for another walk to the Edge of the World. This trip would be pretty simple compared to yesterday's as we now had a packed trail to follow. It was a thrill to reach the rocks this time and to look down into the abyss. We took hero shots, posing on the high points and basked in the sunshine. The clouds began to form as we walked back toward camp. Unfortunately, they kept building and by dinner there was a massive cap on the mountain and wind was scraping hard at the ridges around us. We happen to be perfectly sheltered from this particular storm at the moment, but it is obviously nasty above and around us... not exactly the stabilizing influence we were seeking. So we'll go to bed and hope for better things in the morning. We are still doing fine for food and fuel, but are aware that a few more of the teams around us have reached their limits and are now focused on descent.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Bryan Mazaika led the Four Day Climb May 28 - 31, 2023 to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams enjoyed over an hour in the summit crater before starting their descent from the crater rim shortly before 9 am. Conditions above Camp Muir were clear and sunny with a cloud deck below near 7,500'. Climbers will make a quick stop at Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them back at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
We had an early start after a windy night to begin our 9 hour day over John Gardner pass at 3,900'. The trail winds through a muddy forest for a few hours before getting into the alpine zone. There was fresh snow on the peaks surrounding us and lots of wind to motivate the group to take shorter breaks and keep moving to stay warm.
We got into the pass with some nice views of the Grey glacier, one of the longer arms of the Southern Patagonian ice field. Once back into the trees to begin our descent the trail gets less than ideal from a knee and feet standpoint. The trail is steep and has large steps that make a measured and rhythmic stride all but impossible. It's just part of the trek, but not the best part of the trek.
We are all in camp, some have gone for showers and some have gone for drinks. We all are looking forward to a good night and day off tomorrow.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
RMI Guide Ben Liken called from Camp Schurman on the
Emmons Route. The team left at 4am this morning breaking trail as well as shoveling their way to 13,300'. Due to the length of day and high winds, they chose to make 13,300' the high point for the day. It is currently raining at Camp Schurman. They are going to do some crevasse rescue this afternoon and plan to descend back to the trailhead in the morning.
RMI Guides
Peter Whittaker and
Mike Haugen led the Four Day Summit Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams reached the summit about 8 a.m. and reported blustery conditions on the summit. The teams are making their descent and will return to
Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Our preparations for high altitude complete, the team awoke a few minutes after midnight on Monday morning for our summit bid on
Cayambe. The sky was cloudy, but calm- a hopeful sign given the hail and rain the afternoon prior. The first hour of climbing found us negotiating a long rocky stretch in big mountain boots. We transitioned to snowy slopes and the group moved steadily uphill in high spirits as the clouds gave way to a clear and starry night. At a break at ~17k, we caught the sunrise, as well as a glimpse of three climbers high up on the mountain. Several of us were amazed at the steepness of the slope they were ascending, only to discover shortly thereafter that that would be our route, as well! However, our group was more than up to the task, and everyone summitted after 7.5 hours en route. The weather on top was flawless(!), so we lounged around and took hero shots for an hour before heading down. The steep section was just as exciting on the descent, but the remainder of the route was easily accomplished by our crew.
After arriving at the refugio, we quickly packed up our gear and hightailed it down the mountain to get to some food! Unfortunately, hightailing it only works so well when you have 36k of rough road and 6000' to descend! After eating, everyone was looking forward to seeing our lodging at Chilcabama. However, the travel gods felt differently, and the expected transit time stretched out longer and longer, as first rain (on our duffels on top of the van), then traffic, the construction, and finally dark, unmarked roads had their way with us. Finally, we arrived to Chilcabama, where hot showers, freshly-made soup, and fires in our in-room fireplaces awaited us. It was the perfect end to a very long day.
Pictures to come pending wifi access!
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Katie Bono and Team
On The Map
We left Moscow early this morning, leaving the city's quiet streets behind for the forest of pine that surround Moscow's Domodevo Airport. The calm morning was broken as soon as we arrived at the airport, with travelers packing the main terminal trying to check-in for their flights. With plenty of time to navigate the crowds, we found our check in counter and meandered through the serpentine line to the front, doing our best to keep our towering carts of climbing gear from toppling over on the unsuspecting passerby. Despite the complete language barrier checking in for our flight was smooth and easy and before long we were climbing the steps into our neon green 737 for the flight to
Mineralnye Vody.
The two and a half hour flight took us from Moscow south across the farmland of central Russia to the foothills of the Caucasus. Thankfully all of our bags appeared on the carousel in Mineralnye Vody and we shouldered our duffel bags and navigated the chaotic parking lot outside to our van (conveniently parked, we all noted, in the farthest possible point from the door of the baggage claim). After cramming all of our duffel bags and 9 passengers into the narrow van, we took off down the highway bound for the mountains.
The drive from Mineralnye Vody to the village of Cheget in the Baksan Valley with the base of
Mt. Elbrus took about 3.5 hours and brought us from the busy agricultural centers near the airport deep into the heart of the Caucasus. In the small towns on the way to the mountain we passed little markets and stores spilling out onto the streets, dozens of errant cows lounging in the roadway, and a tungsten mine and former factory used in the Soviet Space Program, long since shut down and now in the process of being reclaimed by the forest.The recent rains in the area still left thick clouds hanging throughout the peaks when we reached the little ski town of Cheget. We have yet to catch a view of the high Caucasus or Mt. Elbrus, but the clouds started to thin as we finished dinner and we are hopeful that the views will prove more rewarding tomorrow on our acclimatization hike.
We are staying in a small ski lodge at the base of the Cheget ski resort, where we will be until Wednesday. The rooms are comfortable and the food hearty. We are all very pleased to be in the mountains and looking forward to our hike tomorrow.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Hello from Everest Base Camp,
We have been enjoying some warm sunny days relaxing at Base Camp with Dave and Linden after their return from the summit. We were joined in Base Camp by RMI Guide Melissa Arnot and her climbing partner Dave Morton. For the past two months, while our team was at Everest Base Camp acclimatizing and preparing for our Everest summit bid, Melissa and Dave were doing the same for an ascent of Makalu. They are now resting at Everest Base Camp in preparation of a summit bid on Mt. Everest. The weather looks good and they plan to leave Base Camp in a few days.
Dave and Linden will also be departing soon. Making their way down valley to Lukla, flying to Kathmandu and spending a night or two before boarding flights for home. Everest Base Camp is getting pretty quite but there are still a few teams here.
We will keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
This is Mike checking in from high camp on
Denali. The weather is playing games with us today, but the forecast remains excellent. We had contemplated a summit bid upon awakening, but a lenticular cloud cap kept alternately forming then dissipating throughout the morning, and we decided to hold off. It has been quite windy in camp, but high pressure is forecast to dominate the next several days. Our well rested team hopes to go for it tomorrow. All is well and we will be back in touch with an update tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Hey Jake and Team #2. Merry X-Mas.I hope that crazy wind carms down for a good chance at your summit bid. Looking forward to our trek with Bill Nugent in Feb. Ken Young
Posted by: Ken Young on 12/26/2012 at 8:02 am
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