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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

Today we made our first big move up the mountain as we left basecamp and have settled in atAconagua's Camp 1. Despite a couple hiccups (negotiating with some Russians over tent platforms, some minor blisters, and acquainting ourselves with the bio-bag human waste system) today's move was the smoothest I've seen. The guys are all in great spirits after having a great meal and a hot drink before crawling in for the night. We hope to take advantage of more good weather forecasted for tomorrow by pushing another carry up to our Camp 2, also know as Chopper Camp. We'll check in again tomorrow evening, RMI Guides Billy Nugent & Leon Davis

On The Map

This is Mike checking in from the Torres del Paine trek. Our team is finally assembled in Puerto Natales. We arrived over the last few days and finally got all of the group together for a dinner. There was some delayed bags and subsequent logistics that needed to be figured out. The winds were very strong leaving Punta Arenas, our Magellanic penguin tour was cancelled due to high winds and tide issues, which resulted in a windy van ride that made the cancellation all the more understandable as white caps and ships listed in the harbors. 

We are in Puerto Natales, briefed and packed for our trek. Everyone is eager to leave the amenities of the hotels and begin the "O" portion of our trek tomorrow. We will be heading for Seron camp and fingers crossed that we get a nice view of the Torres and Cuernos as we head into the park. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

The Five Day Climb August 19 - 23 led by RMI Guides Leif Bergstrom & Dan May left Camp Muir around 2 am to make their summit attempt.  The teams climbed to the top of Disappointment Cleaver (12,300') before high winds and deteriorating weather conditions forced them to descend.  The teams will return to Camp Muir where they will spend another night on the mountain. If weather improves they may be able to do some additional training before descending to Paradise tomorrow to complete their program. 

As we arose from our tents again at 14,000’ camp, fresh snow covered everything as if a frozen Baja Blast machine broke in the middle of the night and began spewing as far as the eye could see.

Today marked a choice, go for it, and continue up beautiful Denali, or stay here at14,000’ Camp for another night, and wait for a better window. Upon first view of the surroundings, the choice was clear, spend one more day resting. This journey has been largely about patience, especially these last few days, but we are on the home stretch now, also just days away now from returning to civilization…

All the fish tacos, burritos and fajitas, Doritos, and Fritos, and Cheetos, pizza, burgers and glizzies and frozen margaritas All these and more, await at Talkeetna

Climber Joey Myers & Team

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!

We woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the roof and a sinking feeling descended over me: rain meant cloudy weather and no flights into Lukla and I began to wonder if we would be forced to spend the day waiting for clearer skies in order to fly back to Kathmandu. I hesitantly looked out of the window of the teahouse and much to my relief it was only a light rain falling from a thin layer of clouds above. By the time we packed up our bags and sat down for breakfast the skies cleared and soon airplanes began making the harrowing approach into the narrow strip of runway in Lukla. After wrapping up breakfast we said goodbye to our porters and Sherpa staff and walked the hundred yards up the trail into the Lukla airport where we checked in for our flight. We reweighed all of our bags, once again amazed at the loads our porters were able to carry for the duration of our trek, and then found a seat in the waiting area. Every loud roar accompanying the landing of an airplane we would jump up to stare out the window to see if the plane arriving was ours. Finally, after a couple of planes came and went the green tail of our Tara Air appeared on the runway and and we lined up outside of the idling aircraft to take our seats. The flight back to Kathmandu lacked the views of our flight in and the plane was forced to take a long route around all of the clouds already building by mid morning before we finally began the descent back into Kathmandu. We landed safely and stepped out into the thick and warm air of the city, a very different feel than the mountains above. Once all of our gear was loaded into the back of the van we set out for our hotel. Needless to say, the melee of cars, motorbikes, horns, buildings, and throngs of people is a radical change from the relative quiet and calm of the Khumbu and it is taking us a good bit to make the shift back into the scene here in Kathmandu. We arrived at our hotel but not all of the rooms were ready so we sat down next to the pool behind and ordered lunch: fresh salads, vegetables, and burgers (even in Nepal!). It was a feast. We then turned our attention to showers and clean clothes - another luxury for us. By late afternoon, showered and dressed in fresh clothes, we headed into Thamel, the heart of Kathmandu, and spent a few hours wandering the streets and taking in the scene. It feels great to be back in Kathmandu but hard to believe our adventures are over; we've settled into our trail and routine and it's a bit strange to not have to wake up tomorrow, pack the duffel bag, and start walking. It's going to take a bit to readjust. We are heading out for our celebration dinner tonight, looking forward to another good meal. Tomorrow is our contingency day, just in case weather prevented us from moving at some point during the trip, and we are using it to check out a few of the sites in Kathmandu before our flight home the following day. The team is all excited to get home and share their stories, thanks to everyone for following along with us. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

Namaste!

We woke to a little new snow on the ground today, but thankfully it was clear and sunny for our final hike to Lukla. There were endless loads headed for basecamp as always, because much of the needed supplies arrive via plane or from a few days away by mules and the only transport options are porters or pack animals. 

It was our third consecutive day of eight hours on the trail to cover the nearly 40 miles that took us nine days to ascend on the way in. The team is more than happy to finally be here! 

Also to note. The current FKT (fastest known time) to hike from Everest Base Camp to Lukla is currently held by one of RMI’s amazing guides, Jess Wedel. Somehow she ran this rugged trail in just under 11 hours. Just so happens that she’s back here to climb Mount Everest and raise funds for the prevention, early detection research and awareness to combat Ovarian cancer. 

If you’re interested in following her climb of Mount Everest, you can find her here at 

instagram.com  or anymountainsong.com

With a little luck we hope to be back in Kathmandu tomorrow morning!

Keep your fingers crossed for us. 
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Sunday, January 9, 2022 - 5:05 am PT

Hola de Mendoza! The adventure has begun. All climbers and guides have, miraculously and with only a few delays, made it to Mendoza, Argentina, the starting point for our expedition to the summit of Aconcagua. Despite the jet lag and sleep deprivation, everyone managed to pull it together for a traditional Argentine group dinner of wine and steak followed by Mendoza’s famous gelato! Despite the late hour, it was nothing but smiles by the time everyone finished their ice cream. The food in Mendoza never ceases to delight and ice cream always helps calm the nerves. After, we all retired to our rooms for some well deserved rest before a busy day filled with more travel and packing for the trek to Basecamp. Tomorrow we head to Uspallata. Only one more night before we entire the park and start the long uphill march to the top!

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Alex called from the summit of Manaslu on October 1st 10:50 a.m. Nepali time (September 30th 10:32 pm PT)

"It was a really chilly morning. Keeping moving on the summit to keep my fingers and toes warm. There are some clouds starting to come in and it's starting to snow. Hoping to go all the way down to Basecamp today. Looking forward to some good food and a decent mattress. The pace was pretty grueling: Base to Camp 2 in 8 hours, Camp 3 to Camp 4 in 3 hours and 45 minutes, and Camp 4 to summit in just over 4 hours. I have the summit almost entirely to himself. Just one other climber up here. Pretty cool. Going to start making my way down. I'll check in when I hit base. Ciao."

Email from Alex received October 1st 8:25 pm Nepali time (7:40 a.m. PT) I stood on the peak of Manaslu at 11am on October 1st! Funny thing is that exactly one year ago to the day I was at the summit of Cho Oyu. Tired and cold, I just arrived back at Camp 3. I'm going to have something warm to drink and bundle up here for the night. I'll post something more descriptive tomorrow from Basecamp. To those who have been following my trek, thanks for all your thoughts (and words) of encouragement. RMI Guide Alex Barber