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Categories: Guide News
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Categories: Guide News
Kahiltna Base Camp sits in the heart of the Alaska Range, surrounded on all sides by peaks such as Denali, Mt. Foraker, and Mt. Hunter. With the plethora of climbing options the pair decided to climb the Kahiltna Queen (12,380’).
AM: Around Base Camp there are so many cool peaks to climb and one of those is the rarely climbed Kahiltna Queen. This peak is located at the end of the southeast fork of the Kahiltna glacier. It is the only peak in the range that divides three different glaciers: the Kahiltna, the Ruth and the Tokositna.
KB: Andres and I spent a day skiing up the Southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, stopping along the way to look at different climbing options and to do some ice climbing. Kahiltna Queen looked like a gorgeous peak to climb and both of us were stoked about trying an unclimbed route.
The following night Katie and Andres began their climb up the West side of the Kahiltna Queen.
KB: The line we took followed a rib splitting the west face, starting from where the rib emerged from the glacier. The part of the climb was mostly steep snow climbing on some great and not-so-great neve (granular snow that accumulates near mountain tops from wind and precipitation). The route then transitions into ice climbing with some rock mixed in.
AM: The mixed climbing was great all the way to the summit. The day was incredible and the views were just amazing. At the top we stopped to melt water and high five. Then it was time for us to start descending the West Couloir Route. The descent ended up being longer and more difficult than I expected as we had to do over fourteen rappels.
Following the successful climb, Katie and Andres, skied two hours back to Base Camp. After 25 hours of climbing they returned safely to Base Camp.
KB: Seeing the moonrise while we were climbing was awesome! It came up for maybe an hour or so and just skimmed the edge of the horizon. For the whole way up we had splitter weather and were basking in the sun at the summit. After this trip I can definitely understand why my friends are excited about Alaska. It was great to be able to climb the Kahiltna Queen after guiding the Alaska Seminar since it enabled me to spend so much time in the Alaska Range. Andres has heaps of experience in the Alaska Range and I learned a lot from working and climbing with him.
AM: All and all it was a great climb with a great partner. I am already looking forward to next year’s seminar and more personal climbs in the Alaska Range.
Andres Marin is a senior guide at RMI leading programs in Washington, Alaska and Colorado. He is an off-width specialist and an accomplished ice and mixed climber. One of his recent achievements includes climbing the five hardest mixed lines in Ouray, Colorado, in a day. Andres is a fully certified alpine and rock guide sponsored by Millet, Blue Water Ropes, 5.10, Petzl, GU and Ice Holdz.
Katie Bono is an RMI Guide and accomplished climber with impressive ascents in North America and Canada. A retired Nordic ski racer and Millet athlete, she currently holds the women’s speed record on Mt. Rainier.
To see more of their climb check out Andres’ Kahiltna Queen video.
Do you think the Kahiltna Queen can be solo’d in January? There is a climber in Talkeetna, Alaska right now who may attempt the first solo of the KQ in January 2019. He was going to solo Denali, but due to the government shut-down, that was a no-go. Alaska just had a big earthquake (7.0) on November 30, 2018, and the aftershooks are still plentiful even in Big Lake and Talkeetna, which are not that far from KQ. I wish this climber the best and would value your opinion.
Posted by: Annie G on 1/12/2019 at 4:13 am
Anyone looking into Andres’ background as a guide or a teammate can have confidence that he is capable of more than most and still patient with those less skilled. (thanks again, Andres)
Posted by: Creighton Miller on 8/15/2013 at 8:15 pm
Posted by: Ed Viesturs, Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
On The Map
Looks as though you are making great progress. Hoping and praying all goes well. Love to you, Mom
Posted by: Mom on 5/14/2011 at 1:16 pm
Just reaching out to my good buddy, Mark Duffy, hope all is well my friend and be safe. Have a great time and I’ll see you in a few weeks. Good Luck!
Posted by: Bob Petty on 5/14/2011 at 6:54 am
Posted by: Alan Davis, Seth Burns, Tatum Whatford, George Hedreen, Charlie Harrison, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb August 25 - 28 was approaching the crater rim of Mt. Rainier at 6:40 am led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Seth Burns. Alan reported climbing time from Camp Muir to the summit was 6 1/2 hours for the teams this morning. It's a beautiful day to be in the mountains with clear skies and light winds. The teams will enjoy some time at the summit today before retracing their steps and returning to Camp Muir. After a short time at Camp Muir, they will continue the final 4,500' to Paradise and conclude their program at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
What an incredible experience! The summit crater must have been breathtaking, and the four-day trek sounds unforgettable!
Posted by: Peol Solutions on 5/5/2025 at 1:09 am
The team’s success in summiting Mt. Rainier is truly inspiring. Congratulations on a remarkable achievement and an unforgettable experience! Well done!
Posted by: Right Angle Developers on 5/21/2024 at 2:12 am
RMI Guides James Bealer and Ellison Boord met their team for the Mt. Baker Leave No Trace Master Educator Course and Climb on Friday, August 26th for their first day of a six day training course and climb. After their Orientation day the team set up mountain camps, practiced Leave No Trace skills and travel as well as learned glacier travel skills. Yesterday the team made their summit attempt of Mt. Baker via the Easton Glacier route. They returned to camp for their final night in the mountains. Their program will conclude today with a celebration in Sedro-Woolley.
Nice work team!
Posted by: Seth Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
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Categories: Guide News
Treadmills and stair machines only work your legs against the earth’s gravity, not your entire body’s weight or even the weight in the pack. They also don’t really do much for the downstroke of the leg, just the upstroke. It’s Newtonian mechanics, guys.
Posted by: borisjimski on 7/4/2012 at 1:30 am
Bodyworks, which partners with AAI, says that one needs to be able to go on a treadmill at 15 degrees for 45 minutes at 3.5 mph with a 40-pound pack in order to be in sufficient shape to climb Mt. Ranier. There is no way I can do that. Are they exaggerating? On a good day I can go at 15 degrees at 2.5 mph for 45 min with no weight.
Posted by: Larry on 6/19/2012 at 6:45 am
Friday, April 1, 2022 - 6:02 pm PT
This morning was our first time waking up with thin nylon walls as our shelter instead of the plywood walls of our tea house rooms. At Everest Base Camp, located almost exactly at 17,500 feet, the eery sounds of the Khumbu glacier popping and shifting, the rock and ice falling from nearby mountain walls and sleep sounds of your tent neighbors were all part of the range of audible noises heard as throughout the night.
As the first rays of light creeped in we reluctantly began to pull ourselves from the warmth of our down sleeping bags and being careful not to rub the tent walls because of the frost that had condensed on them would sprinkle off and create an small snow shower inside the tent itself. Estimated outside temps were likely in the high teens last night making it our coldest night yet.
Once packed and filled with more food than our stomachs could bear, we said goodbye to the wonderful base camp staff and headed back the way we came, retracing our steps through growing camps preparing for their soon to be arriving climbing g teams.
The days was beautiful and cool making the five hour walk back to Lobuche nice and comfortable. After arriving back at the hotel eco resort, we began to prepare our bags and equipment for the exciting move to Lobuche High Camp tomorrow. This shift from trekking to climbing mode has all of us psyched to be headed into the more technical and demanding part of our journey. I think we are all ready.
Stay tuned for a report from 18,500 feet tomorrow evening.
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jenny Konway, David Price, Matt McEttrick, Liam Weed, Axel Ryd
Categories: Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Five Day Climb June 3 - 7, 2021 is completing their climb today. The teams did training at Paradise on Friday with instruction on cramponing, rope travel and ice axe arrest. On Saturday they made the ascent from Paradise to Camp Muir. Yesterday, they enjoyed some additional time walking in crampons and working as a rope team by walking to Ingraham Flats at 11,200'. This allowed them to see abit of the route in the day light hours. They planned their summit attempt for today but unfortuaty the team was unable to make a summit attempt due to high winds. According to the Camp Muir Telemetry wind averages were 34 - 53 mph with gusts up to 68 mph.
The teams will descend from Camp Muir to Paradise and make the drive back to Ashford. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
I had the previlage of climing with Gombu in 1978
on Mt.McKinley along with Phil Ersler with the RMI
team. I spent several nights in the same tent with
him listening to him tell stories about his Everest
climbs, what an adventure to have meet him. Saw him
over 20years later on the way to the summit of Mt. Rainer and he reconized me!
Posted by: Greg H. Craft on 5/25/2012 at 3:59 pm
August 1984. My first climb of Mt. Rainier. Gombu was a great tutor, using crampons and an ice axe. The crevasse rescues were scary stuff, at first, but experience made them easier to set up and use successfully. After all the years in between, I remember Gombu well. Rest in peace.
Posted by: G. Arnold Hartford on 5/23/2012 at 3:54 pm
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