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The Five Day Climb July 22 - 26 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita & Henry Coppolillo were standing on Columbia Crest just before 7 am today.  Brent reported a gorgeous day on the mountain with very light winds.  The teams began their descent from the crater rim around 7:20 am.  They will return to Camp Muir for a short break to pack up their gear. They will then descend to Paradise and transfer back to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Yesterday winds were high so the team did some additional glacier travel skills and explored Ingraham Flats.  These photos are from their adventure yesterday courtesy of Brent.

Hello, It is a beautiful day at Everest Base Camp. The climbing team and I did a nice glacier walk out from Base Camp. Just enough to stretch the legs and stop at the internet cafe en-route. There has been lots of packing and loads distributed to the Sherpa team who will help carry gear up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The rest days here at Base Camp have been good for the climbing team members and it looks like tomorrow they will begin their next rotation up high. We had two members of our Sherpa Team, Lam Babu and Yubaraju, that spent last night at Camp 2. They reported that everything is ready for the climbing team to inhabit this upper camp. So, our plan is a 3:30 am breakfast, with requests of eggs, rice porridge, cold cereal and some hot drinks. The team should then be walking out of camp at 4:00 am headed for Camp 2. We are hoping for good weather and for everyone in the team to feel strong as they climb higher tomorrow. We will keep you posted. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

The Four Day Climb June 24 - 27 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Josh McDowell.  The team enjoyed clear skies above Camp Muir during their climb while the lower elevations were covered with low clouds and precipitation.  The climbers reached the crater rim around 7 am today and enjoyed some time on top before starting their descent.  The climbers have returned to Camp Muir where they will pack gear and continue another 4.5 miles back to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Sunday, June 26, 2022 - 9:56 pm PT

A full night’s sleep was had by all.  We got up for a leisurely breakfast at 8:30.  Followed by a leisurely lunch at 1 PM.  And there were naps.  Our run of good luck with the weather has continued.  It was partly cloudy today with some breezes blowing but it hasn’t been stormy at all and the forecast continues to be relatively stable.  There are very few teams here at 11,000 now as new arrivals to the mountain taper off with the end of the climbing season in sight.  We were happy to have Hannah Smith’s successful team pass through in the early morning hours as they made their way to the airstrip. 

All in all it was an excellent rest day and the team is ready for the big move to 14,000 ft.

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Today was our time to shine; it was our 16th day on the glaciers of Denali and our opportunity to take a shot at the top of North America. Early sun on the tent at high camp, coupled with the solstice less than a week away had the guides up starting the stoves by 7:30am. With the winds moderate and temps near -15F we stalled our departure for the summit bid until 9:45am with the thought of summiting during Alaska's peak heat of late afternoon. The wind and cold had us in full equipment. We wore face masks, goggles, mittens and climbed in our heavy weight parkas a good portion of the climb. The guides stressed many times of the importance of self care and the critical nature of getting frostnip or frostbite. All of us had cold hands, feet, and faces a number of times throughout the day, but all of us took responsibility for keeping close eyes on each other and managed to keep the cold injuries at bay. The climb took our team 7 1/2 hours to reach the summit. Our time plan was perfect as the summit provided some the the lightest winds of the day allowing us to spend just over thirty minutes on the summit expressing emotion, embracing our team mates, and snapping photos of an unforgettable 360 degree view of central Alaska. Given the conditions our team made great time, though we all had to dig deep in our reserves to make an uneventful descent back in our high camp- 11 hours after our departure. Hot drinks, a warm meal and memories from our summit push ended the evening with high stoke and excitement to get down and reunite with our friend, families and loved ones. Every member of the team would like to thank all of you for your support, love, and compassion in letting us fulfill a dream. Tomorrow we plan to disassemble our high camp and move down the picturesque West Buttress. We will be recovering our cache at 14k and, if weather and energy allow, a descent to 11k for a well deserved rest in what now has become the low country. We look forward to the thick air. RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Eric Frank & Logan Randolph

On The Map

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Leif Bergstrom reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Brent reported bluebird skies, and that the entire team 100% stood on TOP!! The team is on their descent and in route to Camp Muir. 

Congratulations Team!  

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

We woke early with aspirations of moving to high camp this morning, but winds from the NW ramped up and persisted a little too long for my liking and we decided to stay put for another day.

The unknown nature of mountain weather and the prospect of setting up camp at 17,200' in frigid winds was enough to make me pump the brakes. We're in a good position and patience has always proved itself prudent on Denali. Meanwhile, we continue to acclimate and get stronger in the comfort of our camp in Genet Basin.

We plan to repeat the process tomorrow morning, rising early with the plan of moving up to high camp to be in position for a summit to push. We'll let you know how it plays out.

"You don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows..."

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 Leah awoke just before me and the first words out of her mouth when she went outside were: It's beautiful out. The sky is blue, there's no wind. I think it's the nicest day yet. And so the wheels were set in motion: firing up the reluctant stoves from their below zero degree slumber to get breakfast and hots going for the team, then waking everybody up to let them know that we were going for it again. Even with yesterday's aborted attempt that certainly burned a bit of energy, the crew was excited and ready. This time, we didn't have to break trail up to Denali Pass. At first we were nervous about the colder temps, but these concerns proved unfounded as the sun shone brightly and warmed things up. As we ascended, things just got better and better, and our climbers responded well. In fact, they climbed flawlessly today. To say that I am particularly proud of everybody would be an understatement. No slips or oops or loss of focus that seem just an inevitable thing when a large group of folks climb for twelve hours. We reached the summit at about 4:00, the first team to summit today. After the hero pictures and summit hugs, we made our way back to camp well before the sun slid over the ridge. Enjoying another dinner together was the finishing touch to a great day. We even got some singing out of one of our favorites, tired of body though he might have been, his spirit was obviously on a high. Now our thoughts go to the descent from this lofty camp. A couple of hard days and, with a little more luck, we might be seeing our loved ones soon. But for now, the cold of night is chasing me into my bed of down. Goodnight from RMI Guides Brent, Logan and Leah, 17,200' on Denali.

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.