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Friday July 1, 2022  11:25pm PDT

We were repetitive today.  “What a gorgeous day” was heard over and over.  We were out of our sleeping bags and firing the stoves at 7 AM and … as usual… it was calm and clear and perfect at 14,000 ft.  A little cool in the shadows, but by the time we’d eaten breakfast and done another big gear sort, it was 9:50 and the sun was coming on strong.  We headed up the now-familiar terrain leading to the fixed ropes and the crest of Denali’s West Buttress.  The work was certainly hard, carrying big packs on steep snow, ice, and rock at high altitude, but the scenery was magnificent.  It was even more magnificent once we loaded up the supplies from our cache at 16,600 and pushed on to new ground.  It was a thrill to walk along the ridge crest, balancing between the big drop down to Genet Basin on one side and the Peters Glacier on the other.  We rolled into 17,200 ft at about 4 PM in calm and sunny conditions and began to build our high camp. 

The decision was made, over dinner in our rather compact high camp dining tent, to take a rest day tomorrow (Saturday) and to focus on a summit bid Sunday.  Conditions look good for Saturday, according to the forecast, but even better for Sunday and we’d like everybody to have their best shot at the top after so much hard work. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

This spring, while another hot and dry winter in Utah began to wind to a close, my friend, and fellow RMI Guide, Steve Gately and I were desperate to find a real winter. The island country of Iceland, once an isolated and expensive island destination to visit, has made a big effort to attract foreign tourists, since the 2008 collapse of their economy, by subsidizing direct flights from Europe and N. America. Lucky for us skiers, this presented an opportunity to explore and ski the volcanic peaks and fjords that Iceland harbors amongst its wild and otherworldly landscape. It being both of our first time to the island, Steve and I made our goal to ski as many of the coastal mountain ranges as we could. Arriving in the city of Reykjavik after a red-eye flight, we spent that first day battling heavy eyelids, touring the walkable capital city, sampling the wide array of fresh seafood and local brews, and beginning our feeble attempt to learn a few Icelandic phrases to help get us by for the next two weeks. “Tveir bjora, takk”, meaning, “two more beers, thank you”, was the only phrase we could retain well enough to use during that first day. Car rentals are notoriously expensive, but we found a deal on an old Toyota Rav4 with decent tires that seemed to be held together well enough for half the price, and we were off. We drove the length of the main highway on the south side of the island, also known as the Ring Road, passing by the active and massively glaciated volcanoes along the southern coastline. Finally reaching the Eastfjords, we were a bit discouraged by the high snow levels in these broad fjords, but found charm and beauty in the tiny and isolated fishing villages. We spent a couple days skiing spring “corn” snow as it slowly softened with the warmth of the low angled sun of the springtime. An experience of a lifetime, the clear nighttime skies lit up with the Northern Lights like we could have never imagined. Domes of vibrant green and purple rocketed over our heads while we camped in the empty Neskaupstadur town campground, taking in the show in awe. Moving northward and then west, we drove across the volcanically active rift valley where the Earth’s crust was being created in real time, creating hundreds of miniature volcanoes, steam vents, and rugged lava fields. Eventually, we reached the Troll Peninsula, the skiing mecca of Iceland. In recent years, the “Troll” has increased in popularity with skiers through recent ski films and the presence of Arctic Heli Skiing. The popularity of this place was well justified; we found some of the best spring corn skiing we’d ever experienced, with the Arctic Ocean serving as our backdrop. The aesthetics and quality of skiing was only matched by the hospitality of the people we met in the small village of Dalvik. Our days here were spent skiing while evenings were filled mingling with locals and tourist skiers alike on the front steps of the local Kaffihaus (Coffeehouse), which doubled as a pub in the later hours of the evening. As with many of the small communities in Iceland, the owners of our hostel also ran this Kaffihaus, serving their own fish stew from their friends’ fishing boats, and serving beer brewed a couple doors down the street. Traveling onward, we drove the barren and isolated roads from Dalvik to the northwest corner of the island: a series of peninsulas collectively referred to as the Westfjords. We hunkered down in the town of Isafjordur, surrounded by hundreds of steep ski runs that plummet to the ocean, as the snow began to fall. We spent the next six days drinking coffee, while the snow pounded down outside, immediately jumping in the car as soon as the sun made one of a few brief appearances. In a neighboring fjord near the village of Flateyri, we found the siren that had drawn us to Iceland: a beautiful fjord that held the deepest and driest powder of the trip; a long series of steep chutes looming above the ocean. After a winter of scraping and scratching by in Utah, this mythical run made our ski season whole! During these rare moments of sun the formula looked something like: drive around the fjords looking for ski runs (the best were steep rock-lined couloirs), climb up, ski right back down to the car, manage to drive our manual transmission Rav4 in ski boots to another ski run, and repeat. The snow in the Westfjords did not let up for days, even as our time to return to Reykjavik approached. The most hair-raising adventure of the trip was driving the fjords and passes back to civilization in southern Iceland. Over one particular pass, we had to put our rental to the test, busting through snowdrifts until we found a lineup of cars waiting to follow a supersized snowplow the rest of the way back to the main highway. Back in the capital, Steve and I celebrated the end of our trip just like we did at the start; enjoying the fresh fish and brews of Reykjavik, knowing that we had only scratched the surface of the skiing that this country has to offer. _____
Robby Young is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions, leading trips in Washington, Alaska, and Peru. Robby calls Park City, UT home, where he is a ski patroller at the Canyons Resort. When not guiding, Robby is found chasing splitter crack climbing and perfect powder around the globe. He is also a talented photographer: view his images at www.robbyyoungphotography.com.

Breakfast came early this morning at the BW Majestic Hotel, located in the heart of the world's second largest city. By 7 am the group was assembled on the Majestic's top floor where the restaurant is located and to our surprise, we could clearly make out the glaciated peak of Ixta far out to the south. This was indeed confirmation that Mexico really does possess snow and ice. A fact most North Americans are unaware of. With our excitement clearly building we loaded the waiting van and headed straight to- oh ya! Wal Mart. Yup, glaciers and Wal Mart, these go hand in hand on successful mountain climbing trips. After we saved a bunch of pesos on today's everyday low price, we gunned it to La Malinche where we moved promptly into our dorm style cabanas and motivated for our first acclimating hike up the flanks of La Malinche itself. With the summit laying a hop skip and jump out of our reach, the team took its final rest break at 13,700 feet and quickly descended. Nothing better to toughen one up! We are now off to dinner and preparations for tomorrow's move to Ixta. Team Orizaba out. RMI Guides JJ Justman & Adam Knoff

On The Map

We've enjoyed a very leisurely day here in Deboche, taking full advantage of our rest and acclimatization day. The morning broke clear and calm. From the windows of the tea-house we could see the summit of Everest and the surrounding peaks and we gazed out at the panorama of mountains over a breakfast of apple pancakes. After breakfast we grabbed a water bottle and few warm layers and walked through the rhododendrons of Deboche to the Buddhist Nunnery tucked inconspicuously off the trail on the other side of the village. We spent some time exploring their Gompa, with it's large prayer wheel and room for meditation and prayer all housed in a small compound. We then climbed the hill back up the ridge top village of Tengboche, which we passed through yesterday, and continued further up it's ridge to a view point. Following a small path that see little travel, we passed dozens of long strings of prayer flags strung along the ridge, the five colors of the flags fluttering in the wind blowing up the valley, until we reached a small chorten. Below us the Tengboche Monastery stood on the ridge, surrounded by the skyline of sharp mountains stretching off in every direction. We relaxed up there, enjoying the views and the warm late morning sun while also taking advantage of the higher altitude to give our bodies some exposure to the new elevations before dropping down again. Upon returning to Tengboche, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the cafe and bakery in the village, resting and reading while we passed the time. While there a trekker from Germany came in with a large gash on his head - while he was climbing the hill to Tengboche a passing yak herder threw a stone at one of his yaks to urge it on, however his aim was off and the rock hit the man squarely in the back of the head. Luckily for him, the doctor in our group sprang into action, quickly fixing him up and sending him on his way - relief and gratitude written clearly across his face. The clouds settled in by later afternoon, covering the village in a thick fog that was punctuated only by the sound of the horns blowing from the Monastery announcing the afternoon prayers. We followed the monks into the large and ornately decorated prayer room at the center of the Monastery, framed around a statue of a sitting Buddha two stories tall. The monks settled into their blankets and poured steaming cups of tea while we found a seat along the edge of the room. Then a deep hum filled the chamber as they began to chant their prayers, each one accentuating a different syllable but beginning and ending each mantra in perfect unison. Leaving the monastery we descended the fifteen minutes back to our tea-house and settled in around the fire while the clouds blew through the trees outside. It was a restful and enjoyable day, the ideal break from the hiking we've been doing before we head further up the valley to the village of Pheriche at 14,000' tomorrow. We have appreciated all of the comments and send our best to everyone at home. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

RMI Guides Shaun Sears and Billy Nugent led their Four Day Summit Climb July 30 - 2 August, 2012 to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams reported nice climbing conditions and clear skies with a cloud deck below them at around 8,000'. They were able to spend some time on the summit before beginning their descent at 8:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guide Tyler Reid. The team spent two days training in Ashford and Paradise before driving to the White River Trail head and beginning their climb. They will descend to their camp and spend one final night on the mountain. Congratulations to today's teams!

The Four Day Climb led by Dominic Cifelli and Josh Geiser reached the top of Disappointment Cleaver today.  The team had a good day of climbing with winds of about 20 - 25 mph, and some hazy skies due to wildfires in the area. We have several guides on the upper mountain working to establish a route to the summit. 

Sunday, January 29, 2023 - 10:26 pm PT

This morning we made our way up to the glacier under clear skies and moderate winds. We had a quick refresher on basic snow and glacier climbing principles and throughout the weather turned nicer.

A quick jaunt back down to the refuge was followed by most people squeezing a short nap, which was useful given we just woke up at 11pm. We’re now halfway to our first break, trying to wipe the cold from our eyes and get the engines running.

Tonight we try hard.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Same Marjerison and Nick Sinapius turned at 13,100' on their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team climbed into a cloud camp with low visibility and unstable weather. They are back at Camp Muir and will descend to Paradise soon.

The Mt. Rainier Climb, led by RMI Guides Mike King and Taylor Bickford, were on the summit at 4:20 am!  The team had good weather with winds at about 10 – 15 mph and blue skies. They are currently descending back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations to today's summit teams!

Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 11:31 pm PT

Cold temps and wind greeted us as we began our move to 11,000' Camp, our Camp 2 this morning.  The climb warmed up as the sun hit us and we enjoyed stellar views. The day remained windy with blowing snow but our team powered through it.  Arriving at 11,000' Camp, we settled in and built our camp in fine alpine style.  We were pleasantly surprised to run into the rest of our RMI teams here at 11,200'. Hopefully the reunion will be short as those teams progress up the mountain while good weather remains over the range.

RMI Guide Eric Frank