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Today Dave Hahn, Linden Mallory and Sara McGahan woke up at 4:30 a.m. for a 5 a.m. departure for Camp 1. After a hearty breakfast of rice pudding (not a huge fan, but Linden and Dave are) cheese omlettes, toast and Lucky Charms (Sara always has the Lucky Charms) the team paid its respects' at our camp's Stupa before departing. How they paid their respects was by circling the Stupa in a clockwise rotation on their way out, and taking a moment at the front of the Stupa (which faces the ice fall) to pause/reflect/pray, and to also breathe in the burning juniper that had been lit. On a lighter note, the team also took a moment to each throw a horseshoe while walking out. No ringers or leaner's were recorded (not even close). The walk up the icefall began as the sun was beginning its rise over Everest and Lhotse. The trail has gone through some changes over the past week as the Khumbu Icefall continues its movements. The team encountered several new challenges, including one spot in which a crevasse had opened up. There was no ladder around, so the team had to jump over the gap. Sara broke out her skills from junior high field day and long jumped over a crevasse. Well done. And some people say that they never learn meaningful skills in school! The team was able to make it up to Camp 1 just before 10 am. Dave reported that it is very quiet at Camp 1. Hardly any people at all. It seems that most of the teams are now down at Base Camp beginning to rest for their summit pushes over the next few weeks. Our team spent most of the afternoon resting and napping, which, of course, is one of our teams' strengths! Three other members of our climbing team - Tsering Dorje, Dawa, Yubarj and Kaji (all except Lam Babu) - climbed to Camp 2 today with our South Col equipment, including oxygen tanks, masks, and regulators. This gear will be used by the entire team when they arrive at Camp 3 in a few days. They will be breathing oxygen at night and wearing the masks during their climb up toward the Col the following day. The grand plan is to return to Base Camp on the 11th and then rest for a week. If everything goes well, we hope for a summit bid to start around the 18th. Life at Base Camp continues. Today our neighbor Hamid, who is from Iran, came over with some written questions for Sara. Hamid is involved with a Children's Hospital that treats kids with Cancer. He is climbing to benefit the charity. He requested that Sara answer some questions (which are questions like "how did you get into climbing?" etc..) so that they can publish an article in their hospital newsletter. He also invited Sara to Iran to visit this summer. He is extremely nice (and has a daughter the same age as Sara) and he is VERY impressed with Sara. So, in summary, the goals of the day (Camp 1, Camp 2, etc...) were all accomplished, and everyone feels well. As we say in Georgia, we are hunkerin' down for a cold night and we will be up an at 'em early tomorrow. Bill M.

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Lacie Smith and Walt Hailes reached Ingraham Flats today. The team was unable to move further up on the mountain due to route conditions. The team was able to do some additional training as well as enjoy a beautiful sunrise from 11,200' on Mt. Rainier. 

Monday, January 10, 2022 - 2:20 pm PT

Today was the big day!  We woke up in Uspallata and started our drive towards the Aconcagua.  After getting our permits and entry to the park in order, we began our trek into Confluencia Camp.  We arrived in camp and picked up our bags that were delivered by mules.  Tent sites were selected and the team quickly got moved in.  We then spent the afternoon resting and eating amazing food as we begin to adjust to the altitude.  

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Just a quick check in from Piedra Grande. Today was smooth as silk for our move to the hut on Orizaba. We left Puebla just after 8am and arrived at the Servimont compound at 10:15. That gave us plenty of time to pack and have a nice lunch. After that we loaded in the big 4x4 for the steep drive to the hut. We had great views of the mountain all day and everything seems to be coming together for a good climb tonight. We'll check in tomorrow morning, hopefully from the summit! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

Pico de Orizaba summit! 

With bellies full of cheese from last night’s dinner, we powered our way through a midnight wakeup. The first few hours of the route take us through “The Labyrinth”, which would be an easy place to take a wrong turn. Fortunately, we have Allen (our local guide) with us to help us efficiently navigate. Through the Labyrinth and at the base of the glacier we donned crampons and make our way up the ever-steepening slopes of the Jamapa Glacier until finally topping out on the third highest peak in North America!

Congrats to all the climbers who summitted La Malinche, Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba! We now just spend the night at Dr. Reyes’ soap factory museum before most of us head home tomorrow.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 3:45 pm PT

When we got in our tents last night it was clear and calm, but the clouds, wind, and snow returned overnight, although with much less vengeance than before. We fired up the stoves early with hopeful anticipation that the cloud deck would drop below us and winds would abate, but that was not the case. We decided to stick around 11k another day, with an improving weather forecast ahead of us.

The hope is that tomorrow is our day to bump camp up to 14k. We're rested, acclimatizing, and our team has already tackled the climb to 14k on our carry day; while it will still be strenuous, the team is well prepared for the move to 14k. And we're looking forward to it.

I'll check in again tomorrow, hopefully from a higher vantage point.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

The Four Day Summit Climb led by Billy Nugent and the Five Day Summit Climb led by Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just after 7 am today. The teams reported clear skies, calm winds and pleasant temperatures. They spent over an hour on the summit before starting their descent to Camp Muir. The teams will take a short break at Camp Muir to rest and repack before continuing down to Paradise. Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!

Holiday greetings to all our friends around the world! Down/up here on Aconcagua it has been a Christmas to remember. We went on an acclimatization hike towards C1, enjoyed a favorite mountain holiday tradition of quesadillas a la Leon, and generally enjoyed each other's company. Tomorrow we will ride the (hopefully) improving trend of decreasing winds and try to carry up to Camp 1. Our time spent at BC prepares us for strength on the upper mountain and we look forward to making the most of it. Here are a few shout outs from the team: "Feeling great! Love you all. MUAT baby." "Merry Christmas family and friends. Love from 14,000 feet." "Love you family! #2, wish you were here! Love you, #1" "Jeanne, Love you." "Merry Christmas Fam!" "Adi, having a great time. See you soon. Do your homework-love, Dad" "Vien, all I want for X-mad is you." A few of us might have been napping, but rest assure we all miss our people and can't wait to share this adventure when we return. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Our Four Day Summit Climb team led by Mike Walter and Five Day Summit Climb team led by Seth Waterfall made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reported clear skies above 6,000’ and light winds from the west. The teams have started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

Friday, June 30, 2023 11:47 pm PDT

The gods of Denali blessed the team with the weather window needed to begin the hardest three days of our lives. We began our assault up The Wall and eventually the fixed lines. The sun was surprisingly warm and persistent. The black rocks jutting from the frozen snow reminded me constantly of the Oreo McFlurry I will no doubt consume when I get off here. We are thinking of you all as we attempt to summit tomorrow. 

RMI Climber Travis and Team