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After a few snowy days at our 11K camp, we hoped for some kinder weather for our move to 14,000'. We all agree we got too much of a good thing. Yesterday's move validated the old mountaineering saying that "you either freeze or fry." Wednesday morning was clear, but quite cold at 11K. We ate our warm breakfast, anxiously awaiting the sun to warm our tents before we packed up to move. The cool morning climb up Motorcycle Hill quickly turned into a sweltering overly sunny slog through the Polo Fields and around Windy Corner which lacked the then desired wind of which it got its name. After refueling and rehydrating the well-oiled machine we pulled into camp 4 (14,000') at 5 pm. We were welcomed by our other RMI team, light snow, and many other climbers at this small makeshift alpine village. Today (Thursday), we returned to Windy Corner to retrieve our cache of food and equipment in much of the same weather conditions as the day before. We are now resting back at 14,000' awaiting our possible carry up the fixed lines to 16,000' tomorrow. To our many fans out there who are leaving messages on our blog, rest assured they have reached us! Tuesday night over dinner we passed the iPhone around for all to read the kind words from friends and family. Keep them coming! Until tomorrow, RMI Guides Mike Uchal, Adam Knoff, Zeb Blais, and our team at 14,000' Stay classy lower 48!

On The Map

The Four Day Climb June 17 - 20 led by RMI Guides Win Whittaker, Henry Coppolillo and Claire Pennell consists of climbers supporting the American Lung Association of Washington and the Climb for Clean Air.  The team enjoyed beautiful weather for all of their days spent on the mountain.  Snow conditions and potential avalanche danger prevented the group from making a summit attempt.  They enjoyed the sunrise from Ingraham Flats this morning along with some additional training.  The team is now back at Camp Muir and plan to start their descent to Paradise around 10 am.  Their program will conclude this afternoon in Ashford with a celebratory team dinner.

Nice work team! 

PC: Win Whittaker | ALA Climbers learning ice axe arrest techniques during Climbing School.

We made pretty good use out of today. The weather wasn't perfect, it still seems like the long, slow storm is lingering, but it wasn't all that bad either. There was still a ton of cloud hanging around when we got out of the tents at Low Camp this morning. We'd done the traditional sleep in until 11 AM so as to avoid the cold cold Vinson shadow that haunts Low Camp, but the surprise turned out to be that it really wasn't all that cold. The clouds had kept some heat in for us. Everybody was feeling good and well-rested, so we grabbed some supplies, shoved them in our packs and headed for high camp. The goal was to do a carry, to bring food up for our eventual move to high camp. But moving that food up wasn't nearly as important as getting everyone familiar with the climbing route and getting in some good exercise at altitude. We did all of that. The "meat" of the day was toiling for about three hours on the steep and continuous "fixed rope" section of the hill. By the top of the ropes, the weather had taken a slight turn for the worse, with a slight, but persistent breeze blowing new falling snow, We carried on the extra hour and a half to high camp anyway, since it seemed we were getting such good experience in and everyone was climbing strong. We were up to high camp by about 7:25 PM, meaning we were spot on the expected six hours. We just took a few minutes to cache the gear and food and then we were off down the hill. We got warmer as we descended and made pretty good time with light packs. It was 9 PM when we reached the base of the ropes and just another fifteen minutes or so brought us into camp. The sun came out while we were eating dinner and getting ready for bed, making all of that just a little bit easier. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

After a delicious Roadhouse breakfast and stories from the world famous Fairview Inn pre-party, the team has been busy sorting gear for the trip. The weather is beautiful right now and we're prepping to fly onto the mighty Kahiltna tomorrow morning. Until then we're enjoying solid earth under our feet, the smells of lush green plants in our noses and hearty meals in our bellies. Cheers from the RMI Knoff, Uchal and Blais team. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

The Four Day Climb August 7 - 10 led by RMI Guides Andy Bond & Jess Wedel did not reach the summit today due to gusty winds.  The teams left Camp Muir on their alpine start but turned around at Ingraham Flats due to wind.  The teams returned to Camp Muir and climbed Muir peak to enjoy the sunrise. Photos above are from RMI Guide Calvin Jiricko.

The teams plan to descend from Camp Muir after 9 am today.  We expect them to return to Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - 11:33 pm PT

We had another great day here on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Not a cloud in the sky and balmy temperatures made life easy. We woke up a bit earlier today, around 6, ate a quick breakfast and started breaking trail up towards our first climbing objective. Radio Control Tower is a peak located just outside of Base Camp. We made good time getting up to the ridge, and put a lot of different climbing techniques to use.

We got back to camp and hid from the sun in our tents for the early part of the afternoon. Once it cooled off a bit we practiced some crevasse rescue systems around the tents, with the hopes of finding a suitable crack to practice around tomorrow.

Everyone is adjusting quite well to glacier life. We’ve already got a book club in the making, and our nightly live-broadcast podcast is really taking off. Everyone sends their best to the folks back home! You’ll hear from us again tomorrow.

RMI Guide JM Gorum

What a great day here on Aconcagua, sunshine and no winds had our rest day in perfect condition. We woke up as the sun hit our tent and sipped hot drinks until nearly 11 am. Then the team went on a short hike up hill to acclimatize and look at tomorrow's route. Everyone is ready for the move to our final camp at 19,600' tomorrow, and excited to look up at our final move, the summit. Let's hope for clear calm conditions in the coming days. RMI Guides Ben Liken & Pepper Dee

On The Map

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Jackson Breen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning and were walking off the crater rim at 6 am PDT. Dominc reported clear skies above 7,000' feet, and no wind. The team is making their way back to Camp Muir and will be back at Rainier Basecamp to celebrate this afternoon.

Congratulations Team! 

Throughout the night the clouds surrounding camp started to produce snow and dropped over a foot around our tents. Plans are always in flux up here and our carry higher on the mountain has been postponed. The crew is unfazed, merrily digging out our home and relaxing with a big salmon and bagel breakfast. Another round of digging and a bit of rest before our upcoming potluck lunch. Down days can be productive, storing up strength for higher up on Denali and fine tuning the essential camp skills required for the future. That's all for now, cross your fingers for a break in the weather and we'll check in later. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Yesterday was the first full day of the 2012 RMI Denali season. After a great team breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse, we headed to the National Park Service for our pre-climb orientation meeting, followed by a full day of packing and sorting our gear at the K2 Aviation hangar. We're all excited for this trip to start, and optimistic that we will be able to fly on to the Kahiltna Glacier today. There are some clouds in the sky, and a little precipitation in the forecast, so we'll see if the planes are able to fly or not. Hopefully our next dispatch is sent from the glacier...either way, we'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map