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Resting at Base Camp is a little bit of a deceptive phrase. It is 17,300 feet, and rest (even after weeks spent here) is hard to come by. The more days we spend here, the less restful it seems. But waiting and patience have always been part of the Everest climbing season. It is a gentle reminder that we are here climbing on the mountain's terms rather then our own. And the terms are dynamic. We have been looking closely at the weather every day, while also watching the conditions on the upper mountain slowly evolve into something more favorable for our summit bid. Yesterday our climbing Sherpa headed up to Camp 2, with their sights set on getting the higher camps built. I just heard the fast Nepali words come over the radio; they are back safely at Camp 2 after building a suitable Camp 3. It is all shaping up, but of course for us, this means only a flicker of light in the tunnel of a summit push. There is still a considerable amount of resting and waiting to be done. So now it is slow days of rebuilding our Base Camp tent platforms, card games, books and walks around the area. The team is doing well, everyone is happy and thankful to be waiting at the feet of a giant and watching carefully for the right time to climb. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The RMI January 24th Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari team reached the summit of Kilimanjaro, the Roof of Africa, on Sunday January 29th.  The team enjoyed clear skies and sunshine as the sun rose over Tanzania.

Congratulations everyone!

Today team Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise was relieved to crawl out of our tents to clear skies and warm temps. Last night, directly after arriving in camp after crevasse rescue training we were graced with a purifying rain burst but then rudely interrupted by a brief but intense lightning and thunder storm. It cleared in time for dinner and a peaceful sleep. After packing up camp this morning, a stimulating walk through a large crevasse field and icy section brought us to Camp Muir at 10,060 feet. Here we will rest and prepare for our summit climb tonight. Folks are happy to be moved into the bunk house here and even happier to hand off some group gear to a guide heading down hill. Yea for lighter packs! Wish us luck tonight on our climb. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Greetings everybody! We are at the Altzimoni Hut at the base of Ixtaccihuatl, where we will be heading out to climb tomorrow. All is well here. We've had clearing afternoon a little bit of cloud cover over Ixta right now but looks to be breaking up somewhat. So, with fingers crossed we'll go to bed (hoping for clear skies in the morning) and head up to our high camp tomorrow. The team is doing great. We had a nice stop in Amecameca to pick up some last minute items, cruise around town and sort of check out what was going on and see some sites we may not otherwise have visited in Central Mexico. We will call in from our high camp tomorrow. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Wow.  We did it.  Against all odds, the team made it clear over to East Africa without missed or canceled flights and without losing luggage. 

We’re assembled here in USA River, Tanzania (on the outskirts of Arusha) and ready to begin our Kilimanjaro adventure.  Some of the team used the day to explore the town, some were still en route and some of us just napped… trying to work out the jet lag.  But we came together for a pleasant dinner in the garden-like setting of the Rivertrees Hotel.  Most chose to wear sweaters, finding the cool temps a pleasant change from the various heat waves plaguing the States these days.  The nine team members simply enjoyed each other’s company this evening…  tomorrow morning we’ll begin the business of prepping for a week of climbing Africa’s highest mountain. 

Best Regards, 

Dave Hahn

The Glacier Peak Climb was on top with 100% of the team!  RMI Guide Hannah Smith reported a beautiful day and good climbing conditions.

One of the finer days we've seen on the trip, weatherwise. Clear skies and calm as anything in the morning, which made us forget the cold. We were out in the glacier again, at our jungle gym of ladders and fixed lines and ice walls. The team practiced safety clips and rappel procedures and did lap after lap, without packs, with packs, with ice axes, without them... All under the watchful eyes of myself, JJ Justman, and Chhering Dorgee Sherpa. At this point, still, the only climbers to have been through the icefall have been the icefall doctors responsible for building the route. That will change within a few days... Of course we are all quite curious as to what surprises the "new" route through the glacier holds. In the afternoon on this fine day, our Basecamp Manager, Mark Tucker, took a foursome out for the first day of a planned four-day golf tournament in the mellow section of glacier close to camp. Tuck showed his party around the Khumbu Country Club, scoring a hole-in-one in the process (his partners now each owe him 100 rupees). Newcomer Robbie came away with the low score for the round however, with a nine under par performance. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Voice mail received 3 am PT Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling from Mt. Everest. We are about a mile higher then when I spoke to you last night. Seth Waterfall and myself along with Tshering, Kaji and Gyaljen got up super early this morning. We woke up at 1 AM and we're walking by about 2:15 AM. We skipped Camp 3 and went all the way up to the South Col, just a hair below 8,000 meters. It was a big day and obviously aiming for a summit tonight if conditions allow. We don't have a whole lot of ability to wait at this point and the forecasts don't really reward us for waiting much. This expedition is almost at its end. So this is our shot. We are all feeling really good up here at 8000 meters. Seth and I are sitting in the tent right now and it's nice and hot. There is sun coming through the tent walls. There is a little breeze and there are some clouds, but it's not necessarily bad weather. Things are looking good. While we were climbing, we were keeping track of Lam Babu and Dan Johnson. They made great time, great progress to get down to base camp. They arrived there about mid morning – nice and safe and sound. So that is great news all around. We're going to try to keep you updated with the start of our climb. This climb again will be a middle of the night start, with the hope of being up high and close to the summit when the sun is first getting around on Mt. Everest. That is all for now. Bye now.

On The Map

Hey RMI. This is Linden Mallory calling from Island Peak High Camp. We touched the top today. We had a pretty phenomenal climb. Everybody made it, 100% success! The morning started out clear. We had beautiful stars as we were climbing. Nice morning sun. And then right as we started down, we had more snow. Keeps snowing pretty consistently since early this afternoon. The afternoon made the descent a little tricky with all that new snow on top of the rock, but the team did well. We handled it without too many problems and now we are looking forward to heading downhill tomorrow. We will be down lower in the valley tomorrow and will try and send out some photos and a written account. So that's the news. We're all really happy about the climb and happy to be down. And looking forward to getting out of here. Take care. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

On The Map

Although Paradise remains in a bit of a cloud this morning, it is sunny and clear above Camp Muir. The Five Day Climb August 21 - 25 led by RMI Guides Henry Coppolillo and Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The teams found a bit of new snow on the upper mountain but the route was in good shape and the weather is beautiful, so they had a great climb to top. They started their descent from the crater rim around 7:20 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a quick break and continue down to Paradise. Their program will conclude this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!