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RMI’s Denali climbing season is kicking off. Out team spent yesterday in Talkeetna packing and prepping for our expedition. Spreading our gear out in one of K2 Aviation’s hangars, we went through all of our clothing, food, and climbing equipment to fine-tune everything and be sure our checklists were complete. Everything was weighed and labeled for the airplanes. This morning we’ll touch base with K2 to see what the flying conditions are like. Our hope is to fly in to Kahiltna Basecamp today. Located on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, this glacier runway will be our approach to the West Buttress of Denali.

Our team looks well prepared, and everyone is eager to embark on this multi-week expedition. We’ll keep you up to date along the way as we slowly progress higher on Denali’s slopes. I’ll be in touch with flying conditions and our status.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

RMI Guide Mike King and the Four Day Climb July 7 - 10 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 5:20 am.  Mike reported really good route conditions and clear skies.  There are many climbers on the mountain today and the team made good time.  After spending about an hour in the crater the team began their descent.  Once back at Camp Muir they will take a short rest before descending the final 4,500' to Paradise.

Good work today team!

It has been a difficult few days for our team members. Today all climbers descended safely to Depot Camp (Advanced Base Camp) where they will spend the night. They plan to descend to Base Camp tomorrow. The RMI Office Team

Good evening ladies and gentlemen from the team at Pampa de Leñas. Yesterday we left the hot and humid climate in Mendoza for Los Penitentes where we enjoyed our last night in a warm bed and feasted in the Hotel Ayelen dining hall. This morning we began our hike into the Vacas Valley under some un-characteristic weather indeed. Instead of a clear blue sky and unrelenting sun, we left Punta de Vacas in a light rain and cool breeze. But as we pressed on, the rain soon subsided and we enjoyed a pleasant hike into camp where we had our tents up by 4:30 and dinner by 6:30. The team did a great job on this first day and we look forward to sunny skies tomorrow as we continue up the Vacas Valley to our next camp at the 'House of Stone'. Hope everyone enjoyed their Monday; we certainly enjoyed ours. Until Tuesday... RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

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

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 6:39 pm PT

This day won’t be forgotten soon by our team.  It was longer than most, to begin with.  We were drinking coffee at 10:30 PM and loading the buses at 11.  The rough road took us plenty high, but then we were out and trudging uphill by headlight for hours. It was cold and a little breezy, but we were looking at stars… and Jupiter and Neptune.  We stopped in a hut long enough to put on helmets and harnesses and then marched up to the snow, where we donned crampons and ropes.  The walking got easier on the snow, except it was all getting to the kind of heights that are just plain hard to climb and breathe in.  We transitioned onto a glacier, still in pitch darkness.  By daybreak the team had reached above 18,000 ft.  All of the magnificent volcanoes of Ecuador were lined up for our viewing pleasure.  There were plenty of clouds at different levels but it was evident that we were going to get lucky.  Things steepened for the final 800 ft to make the team dig down deep for energy.  But by 8:40 the gang was on the summit of Cotopaxi at 19,347 ft.  13 of our 18 climbers made the top, along with 6 of our excellent Ecuadorian guiding staff.  The team was back at the lodge by midday and packing for departure.  By 2 PM we were in our buses and headed for the jets.  Now -at 6:30 PM- we’re high over Cuba, pointed toward Miami and a celebration on the water.  A big day indeed, much of our team shattered personal altitude records and found inner strength they hadn’t imagined. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Thursday, May 18, 2022 - 12:46 am PT

We took our time over coffee and breakfast burritos this morning, enjoying the slow start and the warming sun that doesn't hit camp until 9 am. Satiated, we left camp and moved quickly downhill to our cache at 9600', relishing the opportunity to stride it out and cover ground. We passed a lot of teams headed towards 11,000' Camp, slowly trudging under the loads of big packs and full sleds. With our cache retrieved, we worked out way back uphill to our cozy camp. Overall, 11,000' Camp felt like it doubled in size today and lots of folks were strolling around, enjoying a warm afternoon. We'll look to continue our momentum tomorrow caching a load of fuel and food up high near Windy Corner.

RMI Guides Pete, Leif, Erika, and team

The Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos and our Five Day Summit Climb Team Led by RMI Guide Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams climbed above the 8000’ cloud deck and reported moderate winds. They will spend some time on the summit before descending back to Camp Muir. The Expedition Skills Semnar - Emmons Team led by Geoff Schellens reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Route this morning. The team had a great day of climbing and are the first RMI team to reach the summit of Mt.Rainier via the Emmons route this season. Congratulations to today's teams!

Rest day for our entire team today. The Sherpas were certainly entitled to one after their big day going to Camp II and back. And for the rest of us, it has been several days back-to-back of hikes and training. Time to slow it down, catch up on food, hydration and rest. And of course, hygiene. Today was shower day... we've got a little on-demand propane burning water heater rigged up on a shower tent that does the trick nicely. Not every day, of course, because propane isn't exactly naturally occurring in this valley, and because getting water just where you want it to be is rather labor intensive, as well. But every now and then it is oh so nice to get clean again. Just before lunch, Mark Tucker made it into camp, fresh from Island Peak and another full circuit of the route to Lukla. So with our Basecamp manager on scene, the entire team is now assembled. The climbers are getting gear ready for a "dress rehearsal" in the Icefall tomorrow, a practice run to the halfway point. The Sherpas are getting ready for a holiday... Nepali New Year tomorrow. To help with the festive atmosphere, Seth and I gave out brand new RMI uniform gear: Eddie Bauer First Ascent climbing clothing for the staff. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Hello Everyone, A last day of packing and prepping in Punta. We got our gear weighed and carted off to go in the hold of the Ilyushin 76 transport plane that will soon take us to Antarctica. David Rootes, one of the directors of ALE -our logistics company- gave a great slideshow and briefing to get our team excited and informed for a trip to the Ice. We reviewed environmental concerns and procedures for minimizing our impact on the continent. And we heard that Vinson, the mountain we are bound for, is presently giving the first climbers of the season a very hard time with persistent and powerful winds. Far from being discouraged, we came away energized and determined. Determined to have one more great dinner out on the town. Tomorrow we fly (if we are lucky) RMI Guide Dave Hahn