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Torres Del Paine: Team Hikes to Paine Grande

February 26, 2022

Posted by: Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine

We got a casual start today. The day’s hike was approximately 8 miles to Paine Grande Refugio. We walked through the rolling and rocky hillside along Lago Grey. The landscape is mostly barren due to the 2011 fire that swept through the frontside of the “W”. The paste green colors of Lago Grey and the floating icebergs from glacier Grey took up most of our views. As we descended towards the Refugio we got a nice view of Lago Peohe (pay-way). Short day has us enjoying views of the Horns and Paine Grande, while some rain hits the windows of the bar, finally some traditional Patagonia weather.

Everyone is doing well and tomorrow we’ll see what the weather does regarding hiking into the French valley. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King & Team

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Everest Base Camp Trek & Lobuche: Team Returns to Kathmandu

April 8, 2022

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Hannah Smith

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche

Day 16-17

Waking into Namche this round through was much different than the first time. Despite our sizable group, we were by no means the largest on the trail.

This place is now in full swing with Everest climbers, international trekking teams and yak trains going up the valley towards Everest Base Camp.

Even though the traffic resembled more of a US interstate than a single-track trail, we were pleased to land back at camp de base where we were welcomed with hot showers, Nepal Ice “extra strong beer” and the comforts of nice rooms with personal bathrooms. The hike was roughly 8 miles from Pangboche consisting of many ups and downs but nothing the seasoned team couldn’t handle.

After a normal 7:30 breakfast the following morning, we set our sights on Lukla, home of the infamous dead-end runway and gateway to Everest. Eleven miles and 6 hours after leaving Namche we strolled in with time to spare before dinner so naps all around became the team activity. The clouds were thick as pea soup by 7 pm so our flight status was a bit unknown. With fingers crossed we went to bed. When our alarms ripped us awake at 5 am the disheartening presence of this fog was still lingering out the window.

We made our way anyhow, walking to the airport to check in and hope for the best. After waiting for ten hours to fly on the way in, we were not hoping for a repeat. Two hours in we were beginning to get a bit worried and then the first plane landed. Ten minutes later we were loaded up and, in our way, back to Kathmandu!

Now we are clean, fed and content, celebrating a fun and successful trip. I can’t thank this team enough for a great few weeks in Nepal.

This wraps up the Everest Base Camp and Lobuche expedition. Thanks for following!

RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Hannah Smith and Team

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Amazing trip. Would do it all over again. This trip changed the trajectory of my life. Thank you for your expertise guidance and comeraderie

Posted by: Eva on 4/9/2022 at 3:17 am

Congratulations! If you are in southwest Idaho, look us up!

Posted by: Molly Knoff Vaughn on 4/8/2022 at 10:01 am

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Mountaineering Training | Strength Training Beyond The Gym

November 4, 2013

Posted by: Lindsay Mann

Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training

When most people think about strength workouts, they think about joining a gym and lifting weights to build muscle mass. I grew up as an alpine ski racer and continue to stay involved in the sport now as a ski coach. If you have watched an alpine ski race, in person or on TV, you know that ski racing is all about leg strength. Although mountaineers don’t need to be hitting the weight room to the same extent as a ski racer, strength is a key component to climbing.  Traveling around the world as an athlete, coach, and guide, I do not always have access to a weight room. During the season I still need to do exercises to maintain strength. I make use of local parks or playgrounds (where the entry fee is free) or even my own living room. Below are a couple of key exercises that you can do either in a gym or in the comfort of your own home. Remember, whenever doing strength workouts, it is important to get a proper warm-up and cool-down and listen to your body in order to stay injury-free and get the most from the workout. Warm-Up: This involves 15 - 20 minutes of running or biking to get your muscles warmed up. This is imperative since diving into strength training cold is a great way to hurt yourself. This time can be spent on a stationary bicycle, a couple laps around the neighborhood on a road bike or mountain bike, a few laps around the track or soccer field, or a jog around the neighborhood. Body Weight Squats: Start your workout with two legged squats, feet hip width apart, with no weight. As you up your training, adding weight is a viable option as long as your form and technique stay correct. Jugs of water, rocks, or chunks of firewood all make good weight additions. To maintain form and avoid injury, make sure that your knees are stacked over your ankles. Start with doing three sets of 10 reps. I usually go down for a count of 2 - 3 seconds and up for the same count. One-Legged Squats: These are my personal favorite; still a leg strength building exercise, one-legged squats also add a balance component. In order to protect your knees during any squats, I recommend going no deeper than a 90-degree bend in the knee (doing these in front of a mirror when you first start can be beneficial). Start out with the non-weight bearing leg parallel to the standing leg. As you master this, play around with the position of the leg in the air. It can be in front, out to the side, or back. Now not only are you working on leg strength but you are also working on balance. Work up to 3 reps of 10 on each leg. Depending on your baseline strength you may start with 2 reps of 5 on each leg and then slowly work up. Again as this gets easier for you, add weights in your hand or try these on grass or sand. All of this will change your balance and the difficulty. Wall-Sits: Simply sit against a wall with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle like you are sitting in an invisible chair with your back and butt against the wall. This is a real thigh burner. Start by holding this for 30 seconds to a minute and doing two or three sets, shaking your legs out in between. As you get better at this, increase the time you are holding to up to a few minutes. Another way to increase the difficulty is to hold an object straight in front of you, such as a ski boot or climbing boot. Lunges: With an emphasis on quad-strengthening exercises it is important to incorporate some hamstring-strengthening exercises as well. One suggestion is lunges. The key to these is that they are done slowly; you are building strength as you lower your body weight and raise it again. Make sure that your knees are lined up above your ankles and feet, and do not push your knee beyond your toes. I usually start with my hands on my hips doing 2 to 3 sets of 10 - 15 lunges on each side (20 - 30 total in a set), and alternate which leg is in front. Again, as this becomes easier for you, you can add free weights. Pull-Ups: These are nice because they can be done anywhere. Not only is it good arm strength exercise, but it also involves the core. Pull-ups can be done with a pull-up or chin-up bar in your house, or at the local playground on the monkey bars. Start out with 2 sets of five. If this is hard for you, have someone hold your knees to assist you after doing a few on your own. You will be amazed how much you will improve just by trying them on your own and then going through the motion with someone assisting you. Cool-Down: In order to aid recovery for the following days, do a proper cool-down. Spend another 15 minutes on a bike or finish with a light jog to get out some of the lactic acid. Don’t forget that stretching is also an important aspect of the cool-down process. Listen to your body with any workout. All of the recommendations of sets are exactly that - recommendations; do what makes sense for you. Depending on your starting point you may have to start with fewer and work up. That is okay; continue to work on strength exercises and you will see improvements. Set benchmarks and goals for yourself so that you can see the improvements! Often times the process of seeing yourself improve is all the motivation you need! ______ Lindsay Mann is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions and a NCAA D1 Skiing Champion. She has climbed and guided around the world, from Peru to Alaska. Lindsay is leading a team of female climbers to scale Mt. Rainier on a special Four Day Summit Climb next summer, August 12 - 15, 2014. Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!

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Mt. Rainier: Summit Climb Teams on Top!

August 28, 2021

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, David Price, Nathan Delmar, Josh Hankin, Augi Fleer

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led be RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Matias Francis crested the crater rim at 8:15 a.m. Although the sun is shining, the skies are a bit hazy. The team will spend some time on top before starting the descent.

Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

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Its with great humility that I thank Pete and Matias (ma-TE-us, get it right, and sorry for teasing you about it) for taking me, my children (Josh and Molly) and my children’s friends (Dylan, Bri, Brett and Luke) up that morning and congratulations to Josh and Dylan (and the other 4 climbers that morning) for summitting. Also, Special thanks to Josh Hankin for the great instruction, Augi Fleeras for guiding my daughter and Bri down and for Nathan Delmar (sorry about the macramé Joke-I’m sure it gets old and for bringing me down and not dropping me into a crevasse) and David Price (you are just an all around good dude). You guides do something amazing and I’ve seen amazing. Not only do you shoulder the responsibility for taking mostly unprepared climbers up this mountain and protect our lives, but you also trust us tourists to belay you and trust us not to make a lethal mistake and cost you your lives. And you do it every day and not for the money (pizza joke really not that funny). Pete, Matias and Josh especially, you guys are truly the most professional, mature, confident and athletic people I have every known, a special breed of individual who loves and appreciates the beauty of mountaineering so much that you go to extreme lengths to share it with others, many of us who have no business seeing it first hand, yet you do it with confidence and poise knowing that when we fall off or fall in, you can save us. Pete, thank you for recognizing that I needed to turn around and sending me down with Nathan. Also Pete and Matias, thank you for not stopping until Josh and Dylan were at the top in spite of the route conditions. To Peter and Kerri Whittaker, only got to say “hi” momentarily to you but it was both an honor and a pleasure. Thank you for finding guides like Pete, Matias, Josh, Augi, Nathan and David so a kid (old kid) from Kansas who has always dreamed of the mountains could experience Mountaineering first hand.

Godspeed,

Chris Banwart

Posted by: Jon Banwart on 8/31/2021 at 7:50 pm

Great job everybody!!!!!

Felicitaciones Nicko!!!!!

Posted by: Jose Fulginiti on 8/28/2021 at 1:13 pm

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Unable to Summit, Reach 12,300’

August 31, 2022

Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Seth Burns, George Hedreen, Jenna Burkey, Joey Manship

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 12,300'

The Four Day Climb August 28 - 31 led by RMI Guides Avery Parrinello and Jack Delaney were unable to summit today. Climbers reached 12,300, the top of Disappointment Cleaver, before deciding to turn back due to unfavorable route conditions and warm temperatures. The teams were back to Camp Muir just after 7 am. They took some time to repack before beginning their descent from Camp Muir back to Paradise. We expect the groups to be at Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.

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Mt. Rainier: August 13th Update

August 13, 2021

Posted by: Mike King, Taylor Bickford, Henry Coppolillo, Cal Smith, Axel Ryd, Lauren Macklin

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 11,200'

Due to overhead hazards, the Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by RMI Guides Mike King and Taylor Bickford, turned at Ingraham Flats. They reported smoky skies and a busy route. After packing up at Camp Muir, the team began their descent to Paradise at 9:00 a.m.

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Mt. Rainier: Teams Enjoy Walk to Flats

September 2, 2022

Posted by: Steve Gately, Matias Francis, Ben Luedtke, Charlie Harrison, Mike Bennett, Nicole De Petris

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 11,200'

The Five-Day teams led by Steve Gately and Matias Francis enjoyed a beautiful walk to the Ingraham Flats this morning. The team decided not to climb due to unfavorable route conditions but enjoyed two days of great weather and lots of hands-on training. The teams will pack up camp and head downhill this morning. We expect the teams back at Basecamp in the early afternoon.

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Vinson: Season Beginning Soon!

November 8, 2011

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Dave Hahn, Seth Waterfall and Billy Nugent leave the US for Punta Arenas, Chile, in a few days! Once in Punta Arenas, the team will meet for their orientation and final preparation before flying to the Union Glacier in Antarctica! If you would like to follow along as the RMI team pushes their way to the highest point in Antarctica, please sign up for alerts below.

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great success cheryl holman :):):) toy

Posted by: wayne on 11/15/2011 at 5:23 pm

Be safe! Enjoy!!!
I will miss you MAW!!
Diane

Posted by: Diane Barnett on 11/14/2011 at 1:39 pm

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Dave Hahn Checks in from ABC

April 30, 2012

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 21,300'

This is Dave Hahn calling in from Advanced Base Camp again. Another windy day up here at the head of the Western Cwm. Apparently the jet stream winds are still on the mountain and it’s sure sounding like it. All day long big roaring noise as the air was hitting the south west face of Mt. Everest and the north face of Lhotse. And just ripping over the tops of the mountains. Didn’t make sense to do any hard climbing in those conditions, for us. That wouldn’t have worked for us anyway today we were into light exercise activities and trying to gain acclimatization. We all had a good night last night and we are try build on that. We just went for a short, couple hour long hike to gain a little elevation but didn’t get on to any technical ground. We returned back to camp and took it easy the rest of the afternoon. We are looking forward to some change in the wind and still surprised at how icy and dry the upper mountains are. I wouldn’t mind that changing a little bit and getting a little snow cover on the hills. But, everybody is doing well and we will keep you up to date. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in after the team's first night at ABC.

On The Map

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Thanks for sharing the adventure of a lifetime with all of us. I wish you all safe travels & good weather. Or at least the best weather that one can expect from the Mother of all Mountains. Looking forward to each & every update. Peace…

Posted by: Sherry Jennette on 5/3/2012 at 2:48 pm

Wish you great spirit and protection on the Mt. Following closely! God Speed…Judy ( Mt Rainier July 25-29 2011) Go Melissa!

Posted by: JUDY DAHL on 5/2/2012 at 8:56 pm

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Everest Base Camp Trek & Lobuche: Knoff, Smith & Team Summit Lobuche

April 3, 2022

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Hannah Smith

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche

Elevation: 20,075'

We are happy to announce that the Lobuche climbing team successfully reached the summit this morning at roughly 10 am. It was a much more demanding climb than originally thought but everyone pushed hard and gave it all they had resulting in 100% of the team making it to the summit. Because the day was so challenging, we got down much later than expected so we are currently still at High Camp. We will descend in the morning to hot showers, wi fi and beer! All of the guides are proud of today's efforts. Stay tuned for a more detailed description later.

RMI Guide Hannah Smith

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CONGRATULATIONS!! Safe descending and travels!

Posted by: Molly Knoff Caughn on 4/3/2022 at 3:10 pm

That is Very Cool!! Congratulations!!

Posted by: Dave Kestel on 4/3/2022 at 11:20 am

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