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Downhill from here! The team's descent began five minutes ago. The group had the summit to themselves for a while at the end. We tried to do a phone call to the blog, but tough conditions as you can imagine. Just to make sure you guys hear some of the thoughts that were mentioned by Dave and Linden from the summit: - Bill and Sara hope to see you on top, another time ,and thought of you two the whole climb up today. - RMI Guide Melissa Arnot and Dave Morton over on top of Makalu today (we hope), looking forward to seeing you here on Everest in a few days. - Thanks and couldn't have done it without our local staff: Lam Babu, Tsering, Dawa, Kaji, Yubarji, Kumar, Raju, Gurung, Jeta, Gelzen, our guys in Kathmandu, Kili Sherpa, and Sagar - Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. back in Ashford, Washington. You let us run a top notch program. - First Ascent - the gear to get you there - All the friends and family back home - Linden: Wishing his Mom "Happy birthday", and spoiled old me getting my wishes from the top, for I think about the fifth time, since it being my birthday today as well. - All the other teams on the hill for such a great season and fabulous cooperation. - All you for following our blog. - And Mount Everest, for being so kind to our team. The team should be back to the South Col in a few hours. Weather still perfect, all systems in the green, guys are still having a great time. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

The Four Day Summit Climb led by Seth Waterfall and the Five Day Summit climb led by Gabriel Barral were forced to turn around at 11,000' due to storm conditions and high avalanche hazards. There is a large cap on the mountain that was descending to almost 10,000'. The team began their descent from Camp Muir. We look forward to meeting them at Rainier Base Camp later this morning.

It has been a rewarding and exhausting week and a half traveling around Ecuador and venturing into the high mountains. Yesterday, we concluded the trip with an attempt of Cotopaxi, followed by a celebration dinner in Quito. We did not summit Cotopaxi and yet, had a meaningful and memorable experience. There are some days that the mountain does not grant reasonably safe passage and that is just how it goes. Reflecting on my own experiences climbing in this country, some of the windless, sunny days where we reached big summits have begun to blend together. On the other hand, those nights with unrelenting wind, rain, snow, rime ice or lightning really stand out. Our attempt of Cotopaxi falls into that category.

As we left the hut, the feeling was that the steady 20-30mph wind would need to relent during the early morning hours as we went higher on the mountain. Adding to this, we were occassionaly spritzed by rain or very moist clouds. I know that may sound like the same thing, but there is a subtle difference. Either way, by the time we reached the glacier our clothing was thoroughly coated in rime ice and we found ourselves in even more need of improvements in the weather. We began the long, steep traverse from the entrance of the glacier to the Yanasacha Ridge and the weather never improved. At 17600' we made the decision for the team to turn around. That is a tough call to make, albeit the right one. Most people's reflection seemed to include some continued dialing of how much weather is too much weather. I often reflect using a thought process along the lines of: if I continue to the summit in these conditions 100 times, does something catastrophic occur? Of course, we can't know for sure the answer to that, but we can begin to imagine the variety of outcomes and I think we all know a 1 in 100 chance of catastrophe is not worth the reward. We can feel proud to have pushed ourselves in adverse conditions and have had a learning experience.

Today the team is parting ways. Most are headed home to family, while some are extending their vacations or climbing plans further into South America. Wherever it is, this team now carries with them some great memories and stories to be shared.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

We left Moscow early this morning, leaving the city's quiet streets behind for the forest of pine that surround Moscow's Domodevo Airport. The calm morning was broken as soon as we arrived at the airport, with travelers packing the main terminal trying to check-in for their flights. With plenty of time to navigate the crowds, we found our check in counter and meandered through the serpentine line to the front, doing our best to keep our towering carts of climbing gear from toppling over on the unsuspecting passerby. Despite the complete language barrier checking in for our flight was smooth and easy and before long we were climbing the steps into our neon green 737 for the flight to Mineralnye Vody. The two and a half hour flight took us from Moscow south across the farmland of central Russia to the foothills of the Caucasus. Thankfully all of our bags appeared on the carousel in Mineralnye Vody and we shouldered our duffel bags and navigated the chaotic parking lot outside to our van (conveniently parked, we all noted, in the farthest possible point from the door of the baggage claim). After cramming all of our duffel bags and 9 passengers into the narrow van, we took off down the highway bound for the mountains. The drive from Mineralnye Vody to the village of Cheget in the Baksan Valley with the base of Mt. Elbrus took about 3.5 hours and brought us from the busy agricultural centers near the airport deep into the heart of the Caucasus. In the small towns on the way to the mountain we passed little markets and stores spilling out onto the streets, dozens of errant cows lounging in the roadway, and a tungsten mine and former factory used in the Soviet Space Program, long since shut down and now in the process of being reclaimed by the forest.The recent rains in the area still left thick clouds hanging throughout the peaks when we reached the little ski town of Cheget. We have yet to catch a view of the high Caucasus or Mt. Elbrus, but the clouds started to thin as we finished dinner and we are hopeful that the views will prove more rewarding tomorrow on our acclimatization hike. We are staying in a small ski lodge at the base of the Cheget ski resort, where we will be until Wednesday. The rooms are comfortable and the food hearty. We are all very pleased to be in the mountains and looking forward to our hike tomorrow. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

The Four Day Climb with Drew O’Brien and Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 5 am PDT today. The team left Camp Muir and climbed for 6 hours to reach the top. They enjoyed clear skies and great views in every direction.

Congratulations Team! 

PC: Drew O'Brien & George Hedreen

The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guide Joe Hoch spent two days on the mountain. The team climbed to Ingraham Flats where they were able to spend the day learning crevasse rescue skills. The team had a great couple of days on the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier.

The Four Day Summit Climb June 29 - 2 July led by RMI Guides Brent Okita, Gabriel Barral and Erik Nelson reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning shortly after 7 am (PT). The team reported cold temperatures, winds and a high overcast sky. The climbers spent 30 minutes on top before beginning their descent toward Camp Muir. The team will re-pack and re-fuel before at Camp Muir before continuing their descent to Paradise and on to Rainier Base Camp. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!

RMI Guides depart for Shishapangma (26,289’)! On the morning of September 3rd Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. guides Jake Beren, Elias De Andres Martos, Geoff Schellens, Erik Frank, Leon Davis, and Bridget Schletty departed from Ashford, WA USA, en route to the Tibetan Himalaya. Their goal is the fourteenth highest mountain in the world, Shishapangma. The team will attempt the mountain without the benefit of supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support. In addition Jake Beren has brought his skis! If conditions are right Jake hopes to make a ski descent. Stay tuned for dispatches and photos as this intrepid group of climbers make their way to the top of the mountain and home again. Safe travels!

Mark Tucker here at Everest Basecamp (EBC). Home away from home. I recently completed an Everest Basecamp Trek and Island Peak climb. Always a pleasure to share this amazing place with adventure travelers. I had a great time. Hope the return home for my team went smooth. Thank you all. Back at EBC, I am settling in. Getting organized is always a bit of work but much appreciated as our team's prepare for the rotations to the upper camps. Now that the organizing is done, I opened up the local grocery store for the team. They went shopping for their food to be consumed at Camp 1 on their upcoming nights. They plan to head full force thru the Icefall in the early AM, looking at three nights on the hill. The team looks great, ready to get into meat of the climb. We did take time out to build the horseshoe pits and get in a couple games. Burrito night tonight. A favorite meal here at EBC. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

Mt. McKinley has the gnarly reputation for being one of the hardest mountains in the world to reach the summit of. In circles of armchair mountaineers, horror stories bounce around like cheap cigars. What most people don't realize is how much down time comes with living the dream of climbing north America's highest peak. Yesterday we put in our first "average work day" with an eight hour round trip climb to Washburn's thumb at 16,500 feet. We cached food, fuel and clothing needed for our time on the upper mountain. This was our teams most difficult challenge to date which everyone handled like cagey veterans. Back to the down time. Of course the terrain on this mountain demands one's full concentration, but so does our time of rest. It is unnatural for all of us to try and sleep twelve hours a day with no darkness. The rigors of rest should not be underestimated. Today we woke from thirteen hours of hibernation and had a two hour breakfast demanding great effort to pull away from. Now we are preparing for a stroll to the edge of the world and then home for more sleep. Today is beautiful here at 14,000 feet, much more pleasant than our ten below nights. All is well and we look forward to climbing higher.. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map