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Posted by: Adam Knoff, Mike Uchal, Zeb Blais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
On The Map
RMI Guide Adam Knoff checks in from 14,000' on Mt. McKinley.
Way to go Courto!!!!!! Keep on making the Cheeseheads proud. You are a super rock star - kind of scares me actually as I sit on my mommy butt drinking beer and watching reality tv. I know you are also super embarrassed reading this right now so I guess my current mission has been accomplished. The Thompson 5 love you. Sus
Posted by: Susannah Thompson on 6/3/2011 at 1:01 pm
Buen dia rucho, te amo mucho…acurucaaaa! jaja… feliz aventura…
Posted by: Anita on 6/2/2011 at 3:35 pm
Posted by: Andy Bond, Jack Delaney, Joey Manship
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
June 17, 2023 11:04 PM PT
Day 12 of our Denali climb.
Today we had a sleep in at Camp 3 and woke up in beautiful sunshine and 15cm (6 inches) of fresh powdery snow. We looked at all the climbers who went up the fixed lines to get to 17k camp for a summit push on Sunday, but we all agreed the night before that we need more time at 14k camp before our summit push. We hope for another weather window at the end of next week (fingers crossed). No worries, big strong Andy still has two pounds of cheese left and will be safe.
Instead of climbing, we hired lovely Lenhardt for an intense yoga session to get mentally and physically ready for this mountain. After that railroad, Jeff improved our eating tent to make it comfier for the following days and Katherine worked hard to make Joey's long hair cut more functional and fashionable for the mountain.
The focus of the afternoon was listening to music, chill outside, eat snacks and hydrate, and let our bodies adjust to the new altitude. We also improved our sleeping tents, so the polar bear can sleep well at night and doesn't attack his tent mates. In the evening, Heidi gave us a call to come to the edge of the world for the first round of Denali's Next Top Model. We stretched our legs and walked over to this stunning place where the mountain drops 7,000 feet to the northeast fork of Kahiltna. We had great views of Mount Foraker and the valley. We had a good photoshoot, and all the Bond girls made it to the second round. Heidi was very proud of us. When we came back to our camp, Mr. Bond had already prepared a nice dinner for us.
To finish the day, a short German "th" joke for you . The captain of a boat is calling the German coast guard "Help, we are sinking, we are sinking". The German coast answers "Ok, no worries, what are you thinking about?".
Stephan Schiffer aka Polar Bear
Wow! You are going to summit soon!! What a thrill and what an amazing achievement - so proud of you!
Posted by: Mary McKinley on 6/19/2023 at 7:05 am
Praying y’all get good weather for your next push! 17K! I can’t believe it! Good luck guys! Stay safe y’all!
Keep killing it Mikayla!!
Posted by: Mack Thompson on 6/19/2023 at 5:12 am
Monday, June 20, 2022 - 10:04 pm PT
Greetings from 7200 ft on the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Right where we wanted to be. We left Talkeetna in two classic ski equipped Otter prop planes and headed into the Alaska Range. Clouds were clearing and the views were stunning. The weather in this section of Alaska has been quite dry in recent months and so there wasn’t much snow left outside the range. We had great views of the giant, striped glaciers like the Ruth and the Tokasitna. We landed uphill on the SE Fork at about 11:15. Avery Parrinello’s successful RMI climbing team greeted us and helped us unload, since our then empty planes were taking them toward Talkeetna and home. We exchanged a few hugs and wished each other well and then our team set to building a camp. It was made just slightly difficult. -putting up tents- by our need to stop every few minutes to marvel at the scenery and scale of everything. Mt. Hunter towers over basecamp, seemingly straight up for miles. Mt. Foraker, at 17,400 ft just across the way, looks impossibly massive and formidable. Once camp was up, we dove into some training and review for glacier travel and crevasse rescue. We covered many topics through the afternoon and evening, aiming to have the team well-informed for travel in the early morning hours tomorrow -when the glacier surface is frozen solid. We ate our first dinner on the mountain in a quickly excavated dining room and then did a few last organizational chores before turning in early (in the still bright sun) for some rest.
Best Regards,
Great start team!!! Yifei, you’ve got this!!
Posted by: Michael Freedman on 6/21/2022 at 11:31 pm
So exciting to follow!!! So impressive!!! Go, team, go!! Thinking of all of you and wishing you well. Go, Jim, go!!!
Posted by: Deborah Karmozyn on 6/21/2022 at 4:20 pm
Posted by: Robby Young, Steve Gately
Categories: Guide News
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.
Posted by: Mike King, Dominic Cifelli, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Today our Aconcagua Team is taking a rest day at Camp 2, 18,000'. We had a cold night with light winds that blew the weather pattern of the last five days out of the area. Dark clouds and high winds plague the summit. We'll focus on eating, rest and hydration. Our plan will be to move up to High Camp up the 12th, and make our summit attempt on the 13th. We are hoping the snow firms up and we get clear weather.
Hi Team: I’m with you in spirit if not in body. My very best for your summit attempt. I’m willing those winds to lay down and the snow to sublimate away. I’m toasting you and the mountain which I can see from the vineyards here in The Valle de Lujàn de Cuyo, raising glasses of Torontés, Malbec and Cabernet Franc to you all and your climb. Salud!
Posted by: Lisa Fernandez on 1/11/2023 at 7:53 am
Hey Mike! Wishing you and your team all the best on your summit!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/11/2023 at 5:03 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Nikki Champion
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Nikki Champion climbed into a cloud cap with rain and wind, this forced the team turned at 13,200' on Mt. Rainier. Despite turning before the summit due to weather, the sunrise at the top of the cleaver was very rewarding!
The team is back at Camp Muir and will be descending soon.
Congratulations Team!
Howard and howie so amazing and your awesome. Get back down safely
Posted by: Favorite sister and Jim on 8/7/2021 at 10:32 am
Congratulations to all the climbers!
Posted by: Katie on 8/7/2021 at 9:57 am
Posted by: JM Gorum, Grayson Swingle, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 7,300'
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.
A book club in the making. Now THAT is not what you’d expect to learn is happening up on a glacier. Shows the balance of working both body and mind though. So rock on!
Posted by: Melanee Strootman on 5/26/2021 at 12:17 pm
Way to go team, keep up the good work. The view looks amazing.
Posted by: Frances Shaw on 5/26/2021 at 7:22 am
John and crew, Stay strong! I am pulling for the weather to begin to work in your favor. You have been so patient ....hang in there! love, dee
Posted by: Deann on 7/7/2012 at 12:46 pm
Nelson, sympathy for Mother Nature at 17,000 camp. I know you toughed out cold and wind, and I hope you can recharge and warm a bit at 14,000 camp. I know you may be disappointed, but few have ever been to 17,000 on Denali. Hang in there and maybe the weather will break and reward perseverance. Love you, stay safe. Dad
Posted by: Bill on 7/7/2012 at 10:10 am
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