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Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 We woke up around 7:30 with clear skies and no winds. We set off towards the summit with all of the crew feeling great. We experienced a little bit of wind and clouds at Denali Pass, but that is pretty normal. The climb was going smoothly and the weather was about as perfect as you can get. We were about 150 feet below the summit ridge when the clouds came in and blocked out our sun. All of a sudden we heard a crack of thunder and all of the metal around us began to buzz. We hightailed it down to a depression in a feature called the football field where things seemed to be calm. By calm, I mean a whiteout snowstorm came out of nowhere! We hunkered down and waited to see if things would settle down. When we were certain they would not, we worked our way down the mountain with GPS and some wands that mark the trail. After a fourteen hour climbing day, our whole team is back in camp happy, healthy, and fed having come a few hundred feet short of the summit but without a permanent stutter from electrocution! Our plan is to rest tomorrow and perhaps give the summit another go in the next few days. We will see. Goodnight! RMI McKinley Summit Team 6

On The Map

The group got a much-needed rest day in La Paz that included some shopping, laundry and good eating. We went to Ancestral restaurant for dinner, which is one of the top up and coming restaurants in Latin America. Most of us selected our own steaks and we enjoyed an amazing dinner.

The next morning, we loaded our van and headed to Illimani.  After several hours of driving on windy dirt roads we arrived in Another winding dirt road led us to basecamp where we slept next to a peaceful creek under a starry night.

RMI Guides Andy Bond, Henry Coppolillo & Team

After two nights of being spoiled with plush mattresses and running water in the Llaca Valley Refugio the team put in a full day (16 hours) of climbing and was rewarded with a breathtaking sunrise and perfect weather on the summit of Vallunaraju at 18, 655 ft. 

With only a few hours of sleep and some hot coffee and tea, we departed Vallunaraju basecamp with a classic alpine start at 11 pm. After a 3.5-hour approach on a rugged climber’s trail, we donned our boots and crampons and climbed a full pitch of alpine ice—a highlight of the climb. We then meandered through a maze of icy crevasses and steep snow until we gained the col between Vallunaraju’s north and south summits. The beautiful alpine sunrise provided the mental boost needed to gain the summit ridge and ascend the final 300 feet of steep snow to the summit. With only a breath of wind and smiles all around, we took in the views of the greater Cordillera Blanca and got a sneak peek of what’s to come in the Ishinca Valley.

We reversed course and began our descent in the sunshine, looking down at the city of Huaraz where a hot shower and bed awaited us. With tired bodies and full hearts, we were greeted with a bowl of hot soup and tea at basecamp. We then packed up our duffels and headed back to Huaraz via the rugged trail of a "road," thankful for a safe and successful climb.

The team enjoyed a well-deserved rest day in Huaraz, just enough time to unpack and repack duffels. Today, we are headed into the Ishinca Valley where we will establish basecamp for the next five nights. We will be focusing on climbing skills and resting up for more summit attempts.

RMI Guide Tatum Whatford & Team

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier and the Mt. Baker - Easton Team July 17 - 19 reached the summit of Mt. Baker on Monday.  They reported clouds at camp and below 7,000' but otherwise a nice day on the mountain.  The team returned to camp in the afternoon and will walk out to the trailhead today.

Way to go team!

RMI Guide Mike Haugen led his team to the Mt. Rainier summit via the Disappointment Cleaver Route this morning with beautiful weather and a slight breeze. The team began their descent at 10:00 a.m. RMI Guide Jason Thompson was leading his team on the Emmons Route on the northside of Mt. Rainier. Due to firm conditions and a cloud cap developing on the mountain, the team had to make the tough, but more importantly, safe decision to turn at 12,500'. They will stay at Camp Schurman tonight and descend the mountain tomorrow.

Hello everybody. This is Jake, JJ, Fernando, Mike, Mav, Bob, Jim, Peter, April, Cyrus, Christopher and Matt. We are all on the summit of Orizaba! Everybody did super well. We got 100% of our team up. Everyone climbed super strong. Light winds, beautiful day. We can see all the mountains in Mexico that we've been around and everyone is doing super great. Wish us luck on the descent and we'll call in later. Nice job everybody. Thanks a lot! RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Jambo from Kikoti Camp, We packed up this morning, left the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge and headed to Tarangire National Park. It is about a 2 hour drive from the crater rim, and by late morning we were already seeing the first of the many animals to come. Tarangire is the fifth largest park in Tanzania and it boasts over 3,000 resident elephants. It lived up to its reputation today and would guess that we saw at least 300 today. Since there is only one main river running through the park, most of the animals are concentrated along this water source, especially in the dry season (June - September). Lots more of zebras, wildebeast, impala, and gazelle were seen, as well as a few lions. The safari drivers always talk to each other about what animals they have seen. Unfortunately, it has been at least two days since the last leopard has been seen. Maybe it will happen tomorrow.... We will spend a few hours game viewing in the morning before heading back to the Dik Dik Hotel and getting ready for our flights home. This has been a really fun trip and we are sorry that it has to come to an end. Thanks to the entire team for making this a great adventure, and congratulations to all of you for reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. Cheers to all and safe travels home. RMI Guide Jeff Martin

Our Four Day Summit Climb teams reached the top of Mt. Rainier early today, by the light of the blue moon. The guides reported good weather, the winds were decreasing, and it was cold! This summit climb marked RMI Guide Brent Okita's 450th summit of Mt. Rainier! Congratulations on your remarkable milestone! We would also like to congratulate RMI clients Alex and Julie. News from the summit this morning that Alex proposed to Julie and she accepted! A special day on Mt. Rainier!

June 13, 2017 Hello, this is Jake Beren calling in from 17,000' Camp on Denali. The team made it up today, it was pretty windy in the morning but the wind tapered down, and we were able to make it up to camp safely. Now we are snuggled up with full bellies and hot drinks. We are just going to wake up in the morning and see what the mountain offers us. Wish us luck! We need some low winds for our summit bid. We are prepared to spend a few days up here but we are hoping not to. That's all from 17 Camp. Hope everybody in the lowlands is doing well. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

On to the roofs of the world!!!! This morning we set our sights to the summit of Shishapangma. Spent the morning packing bags and double checking our equipment. #allthewayup. After 26 days of preparation, we're ready to launch our summit attempt. Excited to reach new heights and goals. Weather forecast says we're set for the 1st. Ramen will toughen us up! We feel strong with the force, and confident on the climb to come. We thank you all for the blog comments, which strengthen our spirits. *This blog was written around the breakfast table, one sentence per member. May the force be with us!!!! The RMI Shishapangma team