Hello from Moscow!
It is official, our Elbrus expedition has officially started. Well...not quite. However, everyone has arrived gear and all minus one late comer who will meet us tomorrow for dinner.
We spent the evening discussing our itinerary but more importantly we just kicked back and got to know one another. Some of the team have climbed together while others are meeting for the first time.
Tomorrow we will spend the day touring the city of Moscow and arguing about which fantastic restaurant we will have dinner. Tonight's choice was Italian and it did not disappoint.
It's a rough life getting started on Mount Elbrus but we are somehow managing. Dessert cappuccinos are in their way...gotta go!
Please check back tomorrow for an in depth look at some of the magnificent sites we explore...
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Not a lot to report on our last rest day at Base Camp. The crew has been keeping busy reading, jamming tunes, tanning, etc. RMI Guide Leon Davis lead the guys through a knot and anchor session that everyone found interesting. Other than that we've just been chilling, trying not to be anxious about the big day tomorrow on our move to Camp 1. We'll check in from over 16k tomorrow!
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
P.S. William would also like to wish his son John a very happy birthday! He wishes he could be there to share it with you.
Yesterday we had a lovely day resting at Plaza Argentina and catching up on some sleep, sorting gear and generally preparing to go higher on the mountain. Though "resting," we were doing the work of building a solid base of acclimatization for later in the expedition. Without giving our bodies a chance to recover, we would seriously hinder our shot at the upper mountain.
Today, well rested, we will carry a load up to Camp 1 at over 16,000 feet to prepare for our tenure higher up. Hasta la vista everyone.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Billy called at 9:00 a.m. PST, their entire team reached the summit of Cotopaxi this morning. They had good weather and a great climb. Currently they are enroute to Quito looking forward to a hot shower and a celebration dinner. The group will spend their last night in Ecuador tonight at the Hotel Mercure.
Congratulations to James, Casey, Sarah, Mark, Jon, Dawn, Rick, Andy and Billy!
Thanks to Dawn Kim for the photos in this post!
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
Alex B - CONGRATS!!!! My son Eric and I climbed Rainier with you in July, 2012. We’ve been excited and inspired to follow (and root you on, telepathically?) on your Himalayan adventure. Eric (without father) will climb Denali in May ‘15 with RMI. Hoping our mountain paths cross again. Best - Alex A
Posted by: Alex Alimanestianu on 10/2/2014 at 9:44 am
Alex. Congratulations getting to the summit. Particularly after having to retreat at first. And then to get it all together to try again. Lots of determination.
"Analysis paralysis" is an accurate summation of my last few days here at Manaslu Base Camp. I've been reviewing weather information for the coming week collected from different teams and sources, paid forecasts, free forecasts, second hand forecasts. Of course, they all project different weather conditions. There is a general trend though... starting Thursday the 25th to Sunday the 28th looks like it might be a decent window for my summit day. The 25th being the worst day with 30+mph winds at the peak. Saturday, the 27th, is forecast to have 5 to 10mph winds but possibly precipitation. That precipitation could just be the result of a few days of good weather causing afternoon snow showers or a larger deposit. In this part of the Himalaya it can be hard to predict - and this is too many days out for a mountain weather forecast to be highly reliable.
Decision time - It all comes down to this, the time, the money, and the mental dedication.
I will depart in the morning tomorrow, the 23rd, for Camp 1, the 24th I'll climb directly to Camp 3 then if the weather window looks decent the 25th I'll move Camp 3 to Camp 4 and push to the summit the morning of the 26th. I'll keep the 27th as a backup day as it is currently forecasted to be the best day. I do not plan to stop at camp 2 on purpose because the entire area around camp 2 is unstable and dangerous. The many seracs and ice cliffs higher up the mountain - with large slopes below to accumulate snow - is a bad day just waiting to happen. This site is not for me. I'll just push through to camp 3, which is in a much safer location - as I described in an earlier post.
I'll check back in from the upper mountain in the next couple of days with a weather update and my progress up the mountain. The photo below shows a view from base camp up towards the peak of Manaslu, my objective for this week.
RMI Guide Alex Barber
Hello fellow mountaineers! A picture speaks a thousand words and a video speaks millions! So please enjoy our team's video from today.
We covered a lot of ground and our team soaked up the sights, sounds and even smells of Moscow. Our city guide was the famous Nina who bombarded us with all the interesting facts and history of this famous area.
Red square, Kremlin, theaters, KGB, Lenins Tomb and heck...even Sbarro pizza! There is so much to see you simply have to see it for yourself.
Our team had a fantastic dinner tonight and "Mo", one of our climbers was adventurous enough to see the Swan Lake Ballet. I forgot my tutu so instead, I am writing this dispatch.
The highlight for me was the changing of the guards of the unknown soldier. It is featured in the video. If our team marches as well as the guards, we will summit for sure!
We will touch base tomorrow from our tiny little mountain town at the base of Mt. Elbrus.
RMI Guide J.J. Justman
The Kremlin has never looked so good and your report was great!
На саммите в Санкт-Эльбрус!
Posted by: David + Mitchells on 7/25/2012 at 8:14 pm
Elsie- you have a career in broadcasting. Loved the video and good to see you and Charlotte finally. Been checking the website for days. Looks warm there in Moscow. Can’t wait to see you all on the mountain. Kathryn
Hello from the Mexico's Volcanoes Team,
Today we left our high altitude training site ready to go higher. After a lovely brunch overlooking the Txacala waterfall we continued to the town of Amecameca to finish acquiring our provisions for Ixta. Loaded with plenty of food we drove to Paso de Cortez, the col between Ixta and Popo, to finish our approach to the Altzimoni hut. Here we rest, with full bellies, and finish our last preparations before hitting the trail to our high camp on Ixtaccihuatl.
The weather has been a bit unseasonable so far, with rare snow at these elevations. Folks from the surrounding towns have been driving up to check out the snow and we have passed more than a few cars with tiny snowmen perched on their hoods. Our fingers are crossed that the "White Woman" (as Ixtaccihuatl is known because it resembles a woman sleeping on her back, and is often covered with snow) will be without her blanket of clouds tomorrow.
Wish us luck,
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Hi, this is Mike Walter it’s 8 a.m. and we are standing on the top of Cotopaxi!
Beautiful day light breeze, great views of Antesana, Cayambe, Chimborazo, the Illinizas and all the mountains in Ecuador.
It's a beautiful day and I’ll give you a shout when we get back down.
See ya!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
RMI Guide Mike Walter checks in from the summit of Cotopaxi!
Our Summit Climb team, led by RMI Guides Caleb Ladue and Mike Walter, reached the top of Mt. Rainier this morning. With sunny skies and moderate winds, the team is making their way back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
Hi Neal,
Glad you arrived safely. Seeing Moscow brings back memories. Much success to you and your team. Our thoughts and prayers are witth you.
God Bless,
Pat and. Dan
Posted by: Pat and. Dan. Nolan on 7/22/2012 at 7:56 pm
View All Comments