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Cotopaxi Express: Wittmier & Team Hike to summit of Rucu Pichincha

November 2, 2021 - 6:33 am PT

Yesterday we did our first serious acclimatizing by hiking Rucu Pichincha.  It is a fun hike that includes a gondola ride to 13,000' where we began our ascent to Rucu Pichincha, with an official summit elevation of 15354'.  The entire team made it to the summit after a few hours of hiking and a short scramble.  We then hustled down to avoid the afternoon rains and arrived back at the gondola before getting wet.  This morning we are headed to Iliniza to make a summit attempt on Iliniza Norte tomorrow!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier

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That is Awesome Dustin!!! Best of luck to you and the team!!!

Posted by: Dave Kestel on 11/3/2021 at 4:05 am

Nice hike to the summit of Rucu Puchincha.  Keep up the good work.

Posted by: Joel Cline on 11/2/2021 at 8:16 am


Mt. Rainier: Five Day Climb Calls Muir Their High Point

Early season weather kept the Mt. Rainier Five Day Climb from ascending above Camp Muir. The teams, led by RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Andy Bond reported windy and snowy conditions at Camp Muir. The climbers will make their descent to Paradise this morning and will be back in Ashford later day.

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So good to meet you all and thanks to Andy and the gang for a fantastic time on the mountain. I’ll see you guys again in August for an hopefully successful summit bid.

The closed Longmire Gate still haunts my dreams.

Posted by: Xavier on 5/3/2022 at 7:08 am


Dave Hahn’s Memories of Nawang Gombu Sherpa

The most famous RMI guide that ever lived was also a profoundly humble man in an arena not known for fostering humility. Nawang Gombu Sherpa was a man of many such contrasts. My memories of working with Gombu aren’t unique or privileged. I wasn’t seeing some side of him that others weren’t privy to. But because of his unassuming nature, casual acquaintances might have mistaken his stature in the world. Certainly not, if they’d studied mountaineering and 20th century world history. Gombu was the first man to summit Mount Everest twice. He was the longtime director of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and he was nephew to Tenzing Norgay. He was the youngest Sherpa on the successful 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition and was one of the last surviving climbing Sherpas of that heroic era. Nawang Gombu had met the queen of England on several occasions. You can find a picture of him in a 1963 National Geographic magazine placing a silk scarf of friendship around John F. Kennedy’s neck in the Rose Garden. But if you worked and lived with Gombu around Mount Rainier in the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s… you probably don’t remember him doing a whole lot of explaining as to why he was so special. More likely you remember him working very hard. And as he got a bit older and less capable on the mountain, some may remember that he also worked hard down around the guide shop, pushing a broom or helping with rental gear. Despite his unfailingly open and friendly personality, it wasn’t the easiest thing for a young guide to get to know Gombu. He was from a different generation and a vastly different culture and so he talked and acted a little differently… and often times he was a bit needy since he was somewhat isolated in Ashford without a car. So, while everybody called him a friend… that was pretty easy with Gombu, it took a little extra effort for someone to actually be his friend and include him in activities and routines. But for that Gombu was always profoundly grateful. I’m embarrassed now to remember how many times he cooked me dinner and then didn’t allow me to wash dishes afterward. There wasn’t even any question on that… he’d just push you out of the way (and he never lost that particular strength). We did have some fun together… but not enough to justify all of that dishwashing on his part. I’d take him into the suburbs for haircuts and shopping trips to the malls. We’d go into downtown Seattle so I could obsess over shiny climbing gear in the stores. We went rock climbing out at Leavenworth (Gombu was better than I was, not surprisingly) and we even went to the soldout Kingdome to watch Ken Griffey Jr. hit a homerun (his ninth in nine games… it was a big deal). I recall how amused the people in the stands around us were to hear me trying to explain baseball to a Cricket fan… if only they’d known who he was. But I thought that a lot back then, since, as I say, Gombu didn’t go out of his way to let people know he was famous. Which brings me back to the guide shop and a typical start to a day on Mount Rainier in which I’d meet a bunch of new climbing enthusiasts. They’d introduce themselves and detail their previous successes and immediately I’d find out about the banks and corporations they headed, and I’d hear about their ambitions for high places and their admiration for those that had already been to those places. And amidst all the introductory chest thumping (not just theirs… my chest got worked as well) I’d look over to see Gombu sweeping dust off the rental counter and I’d pause to consider that those captains of industry - and I - might not ever meet a greater mountain climber than the small, friendly, quiet legend who’d just fitted them for boots. RMI Guide Dave Hahn, June 17, 2011
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Mt. Baker: Hailes and Team Summit Easton Glacier

The Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier Team with Walt Hailes reached 10,781' summit via the Easton Glacier. The team had perfect weather and route conditions for the climb.

Congratulations Team! 

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Joe Horiskey Recounts his First Mt. Rainier Summit of 46 Years Ago

46 years ago, August 24, 1967, I began my first summit climb of Mt. Rainier. I was a paying customer. The cost was $25, which included a One-Day Climbing School. Nevertheless, as many have, I contacted the Guide Service (it wasn’t RMI yet) and pleaded my case to avoid the training and lessen the price. I pointed out I had backpacked earlier in the summer and encountered snow, which I successfully negotiated. Alas, the manager informed me I needed the Climbing School, but proposed I carry a load of food to Camp Muir to work out the cost. Terrific! John Anderson drew a rudimentary map of the ‘route’ to Muir one Saturday morning at Paradise in early July and my only question was “how many round trips?” (I was totally serious). His deadpan reply was that one ought to do it. My trip to Muir is another story for another time. I managed to deliver the supplies and participated in Climbing School the following day. The evening of August 23, 1967, some neighbors from Lakewood dropped me off at Paradise. My folks had provided money for a hot dog at the snack bar, but a room in the Inn was out of the question. Not a problem, so I headed to the Inn to kill the evening before finding a suitable campsite. Employee Talent Shows were a nightly occurrence at Paradise Inn in the good old days. The hotel management hired people oftentimes based primarily on musical or other talent. At the conclusion of the show a juke box was cranked up, and employees and guests alike hit the dance floor for a couple of hours. I was content to watch. At 10:00PM I donned my waiting pack (a wooden frame Trapper Nelson) and walked up the Skyline Trail a short distance above Paradise Inn. There I settled in beneath a cluster of sub-alpine fir and spent the night. Dawn on Saturday, August 24th, promised a perfect day for the trek to Camp Muir. Guide Service headquarters was located in the basement of the Visitor Center (the flying saucer) and there I met the other clients and our two guides, Tony Andersen and John Rutter. There were five clients, including myself. I can’t remember details about the trip to Muir, other than I positioned myself in line directly behind the ‘cabin girl’ headed up to cook for the guides. There was no client Bunkhouse, instead the guides on each trip would pitch and strike White Stag car-camping tents (the guides headquartered in the tiny, rock Cook Shack). Dinner was provided as part of the fee: beef stew & mashed potatoes (from #10 cans), as well as breakfast when we awoke to climb (#10 can peaches). Even a sleeping bag was supplied (I had no concern of when it may have been cleaned last). Summit day took 12 hours round trip: nine hours up and three hours down. There were three ladders to cross on the Ingraham Glacier. We left Muir at midnight and about half-way across the Cowlitz Glacier, I realized I’d left my gloves in camp. No big deal; I would tough it out. On a side note, it goes without saying we weren’t wearing helmets, beacons, harnesses or headlamp (we carried flashlights), or even gaiters. I wore wool army pants, my ‘parka’ was a Navy pea coat (heavy wool), and we were tied directly into the 150’ goldline rope with a bowline on a coil or bowline on a bight. Above the first rest break, we negotiated the ladders and traversed north onto Disappointment Cleaver. My hands were pretty damn cold (the guides hadn’t noticed my predicament) as we ascended the spine of the Cleaver. On top of DC we took our second rest break and lo and behold, one person decided to call it quits. Before resuming the ascent I screwed up my courage and asked the person staying behind if I could by any chance borrow his gloves… of course I could! High on the summit dome I was really starting to run out of gas, and we were still more than an hour from the crater. Could I/Should I drop out?! John Rutter’s emphatic answer was a resounding NO! I kept plugging. Now the rim was in sight, and slowly getting closer. But then… what the hell?! Instead of halting for a much needed break we didn’t so much as pause, traversed through the rocks, dropped into the crater and crossed. Sign the book. Un-tie and reach Columbia Crest. Hero shot. The weather was perfect. It was 9:00AM, Sunday, August 25, 1967. Occasionally over the years I have wondered if I blocked our descent from memory; was it that much an ordeal?! I recall very little, other than being incredibly thirsty. In retrospect, we took some wrong turns on the DC (Disappointment Cleaver), which necessitated backtracking uphill (killer). At Muir we were plied with Kool-Aid. The descent to Paradise took forever, but at the parking lot I was one happy, exhausted 16-year-old. I didn’t play organized sports in high school; I grew up with parents who hated camping (but enjoyed road trips and appreciated National Parks); to suggest I wasn’t particularly studious is a gross understatement; but I had just discovered something I loved, that would stay with me for the rest of my life: climbing. Over the next winter I bothered Lou incessantly about becoming an Apprentice Guide (I even applied for work at Paradise Inn, but evidently lacked a requisite talent). At some point (maybe just to put me off), Lou and/or John Anderson said to show up at Paradise in June, and see if there was work. I did; there was; and, there still is! RMI Guide Joe Horiskey Photo Captions: August 25th, 1967 - Joe Horiskey, age 16, on the Mt. Rainier summit. Mt. St. Helens, pre-1980 eruption, in the background. 1968 - Jim Whittaker, Joe Horiskey, and Lou Whittaker on Mt. Rainier. Joe's first year working for the guide service, which became RMI the following year.
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Summited with Joe as the lead guide on a July 1980 trip. I was the anchor on his rope team and wrote about the climb for The Daily World in Aberdeen. I remember that the southeast flanks of the mountain below 13,000 feet were covered in ash from Mount St. Helens eruptions. At our rest stop above DC, Joe gave us a pep talk about some dicey crevasses that awaited us. He said, “Let’s just grab the bull by the horns and go.”

Posted by: John Dodge on 8/14/2024 at 3:26 pm

Great story, thank you for telling us about it. I loved the part when you said “lo and behold someone decided to call it quits after passing through the DC”.This part was where three of my team members last year decided to turn around too ( and I will admit I was about ready to also if guide Bridgette B. hadn’t coached me through my anxiety). RMI has great guides that put their lives in jeopardy so people can achieve their personal goal of reaching the summit. Thank you so much! And Joe, congrats and a high-five for your very first summit at age sixteen!

Posted by: Stephanie Antich on 7/20/2015 at 12:03 am


Mt. Rainier: Rain Keeps Five Day Climbs at Camp Muir

Continuous rain overnight at Camp Muir, kept the Five Day climb July 2 - 6 teams from making their summit attempt. RMI Guide Casey Grom reported a slight break in the weather but the rain was continuing.  They plan to leave Camp Muir around 9:30 am for a hopefully dry walk down to Paradise.  The teams should return to Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.

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Thank you Abby, Casey and all the guides for your leadership and hard work to help us all develop our mountaineering skills.

Posted by: Jeff Wrobel on 7/7/2022 at 7:24 am


Everest Base Camp Trek & Lobuche: Knoff & Team Enjoy Namche Bazaar, Visit Women’s Nunnery

Today was pleasantly uneventful here in the Khumbu.   We are starting to fall into a nice routine up here aided by the familiarity of the food, the daily packing list and what to expect weather wise.  I am very impressed with everyone adjusting so quickly and favorably to the Sherpa menu items often eating porridge for breakfast, noodles and momos for lunch and some kind of sherpa stew or rice dish for dinner.  We are all leaving the fried food and pizza items alone which I think secretly impresses our local guides.  

After that fine bowl of porridge this morning the RMI team, led by Dawn and Denza Sherpa packed our not so heavy day bags and made a lovely two hour trek into the Thame valley to visit an all women’s nunnery which I believe is the only one of its kind in the entire area.  We sat in on a stunning prayer ceremony while sitting mesmerized by the cadence and tone of the prayers, all read from a scripture.  All of us with technology raised fine western children all asked each other how long we thought our kids would last sitting cross legged on the floor praying through a rhythmic chant while reading a bible.   I think the average answer was around 30 seconds.   The Buddhist nuns and monks will pray for three to six hours a day for 30 years.   What a crazy different world we all exist in! 

Once we finished with the monastery we had some tea then retraced our steps back to Namche for lunch and more shopping.  I can’t get over how much the village has changed!  So many new structures and lodges.  I hardly recognized it walking through the gates yesterday at the bottom of the hill.  

By 5 pm were practicing some knots and technical skills on the extreme angles of the lodge’s front steps.  After everyone displayed ample confidence in arm wraps and figure Eights, dinner was on the table so we wrapped up our day sitting by the fire eating exactly what makes us happy.  

Now in bed we are prepped and ready for a nice long hike to Phortse which holds a special place in my heart.  

Find out why tomorrow.  

Namaste from Hotel Camp De Base, Namche Bazaar.   

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

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Wish I could be there with you!  It all sounds and looks wonderful.

Posted by: Catherine on 3/25/2022 at 4:02 pm

Glad your team is doing well and continue the great updates on your trip and comparisons to trips past. Thx and Best

Posted by: Jane on 3/25/2022 at 9:54 am


Mountaineering Training | The Triangle of Training Success

With the start of the a new year now is a good time to step back and take account of your training plan. Training for any sport requires a balance of different activities. Too much of one type of training can lead to over-stressing our bodies; too many different activities can lead to a dilution of focus. While a mountaineering training program will include many facets, it is important to never lose sight of the critical elements: 1. Aerobic Endurance Training: Longer sessions to increase the ability to go for a long time at a steady pace. This builds your training base. 2. Anaerobic Endurance: Shorter intense sessions to increase the ability to go for a short time at higher intensity. This gives you the range of exertion to accommodate different paces and exertion levels. 3. Strength Training: The ability of the muscles to support the pack weight, movement over challenging terrain and other tasks such as digging snow or performing an ice-axe arrest. These are the “meat and potatoes” of preparation for mountaineering. Try to make sure you are exercising all three on a weekly basis. - John Colver John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle, and is working on his second book, Fit to Climb - a 16 week Mount Rainier Fitness Program. Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts with John and other readers on the RMI Blog!
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Drawing trend lines is one of the few easy techniques that really WORK. Prices respect a trend line, or break through it resulting in a massive move. Drawing good trend lines is the MOST REWARDING skill.

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Posted by: dineh7gj on 7/17/2018 at 5:08 am

Drawing trend lines is one of the few easy techniques that really WORK. Prices respect a trend line, or break through it resulting in a massive move. Drawing good trend lines is the MOST REWARDING skill.

The problem is, as you may have already experienced, too many false breakouts. You see trend lines everywhere, however not all trend lines should be considered. You have to distinguish between STRONG and WEAK trend lines.

One good guideline is that a strong trend line should have AT LEAST THREE touching points. Trend lines with more than four touching points are MONSTER trend lines and you should be always prepared for the massive breakout!

This sophisticated software automatically draws only the strongest trend lines and recognizes the most reliable chart patterns formed by trend lines…

http://www.forextrendy.com?kdhfhs93874

Chart patterns such as “Triangles, Flags and Wedges” are price formations that will provide you with consistent profits.

Before the age of computing power, the professionals used to analyze every single chart to search for chart patterns. This kind of analysis was very time consuming, but it was worth it. Now it’s time to use powerful dedicated computers that will do the job for you:

http://www.forextrendy.com?kdhfhs93874

Posted by: dine on 7/16/2018 at 11:47 pm


Life at The Creek: RMI guides check in from Indian Creek, UT

October marks the end of the guiding season on Rainier, and the beginning of some of the best rock climbing weather and conditions throughout the Rocky Mountain West. RMI guides Steve Gately, Robby Young and Sean Collon celebrated "Rocktober" this year by spending their time down in Indian Creek near Moab, Utah. “The Creek” is home to some of the best pure crack climbing in the world, with fissures ranging from too small for fingers up to chimneys large enough for your entire body; running a hundred feet up otherwise featureless sandstone walls. It attracts climbers from around the world and is a popular hangout for guides in the October off-season. Sean, Steve and Robby documented their time in The Creek through film, and recount their experiences: Robby Young: There is no place like Indian Creek. The abundance of stunning cracks splitting through vertical sandstone walls appear otherworldly amongst the beautiful desert landscape of Southern Utah, located just a few hours from my home in Park City, UT. I was very excited to have the opportunity to spend some time in this wonderful place with some good friends, and fellow RMI guides. The vibrancy of the red rock offers a dramatic contrast to the snow and glacier covered landscape of Mt. Rainier in which we spend much of our summer. I was also lucky to be able shoot photographs and capture film of some of friends as they pushed their climbing skills in the never-ending pursuit to become better climbers and alpinists. Sean Collong climbing in Indian Creek (Robby Young). Sean Collon: Rock climbing and mountaineering have a large number of common skills, techniques and physical requirements. Approaching rock climbs with heavy packs full of gear builds stamina, and the climbing itself requires total body strength; all of which contributes to success in the big mountains. When guiding, or on personal mountaineering trips, I rely heavily on the rope skills I have developed largely in the vertical world of rock climbing. But more than all of this, rock climbing, in and of itself, is fun. Like any type of climbing, it is physically and mentally demanding. It can be pure enjoyment, often scary and painful, but always tremendously rewarding. Steve Gately: After a busy Rainier season, trips like this provide us with some welcomed vacation time, while also allowing us a great opportunity for continued training. With back-to-back trips to Aconcagua coming up this winter, keeping my skills sharp is important to me. One aspect that goes consistently overlooked is not only the mental capacity but also the situational awareness needed for such long expeditions. For me, rock climbing is a way to keep my assessment skills sharp. There is some inherent risk in rock climbing, similarly to anytime that we step out into the mountains. This requires you to be constantly assessing situations, risk, hazards, terrain etc. This level of awareness is invaluable. You can be as strong as the best climbers out there, but without that ability to constantly assess your surroundings and problem solve when needed, well, you won't last very long in the mountains. For me, as a guide, this is one of the most important contributions I can bring to my trips and rock climbing provides an excellent way to stay strong, keep my skills sharp, and have a ton of fun while doing it! ______ Robby Young is as talented on rock as he is on glaciers and skis. He is spending the winter ski patrolling and teaching several avalanche courses in Utah and planning on a ski trip to Iceland this spring before his Denali expedition. See more of Robby's photography at www.robbyyoungphotography.com. Sean Collon is an RMI guide, originally from Michigan, spending this winter season in Utah ski instructing at Canyons Resort and training for the AMGA Rock and Ski Instructor Courses. He has climbed rock and alpine routes all around the Pacific Northwest and throughout the country, and guiding with Dave Hahn next summer on Mt. McKinley. Steve Gately is heading to the southern hemisphere this winter to guide on Aconcagua. Returning to Park City, UT, he will be found skiing, ice climbing and working on another short film about backcountry skiing in Utah's Wasatch Range before heading north to Alaska next summer.
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Great clip! I had the honor of attending a fundraiser last night (Golden,CO) for Jeff Lowe’s “Metanoia” movie.  One of the items they were auctioning off was a 3 day climb at “The Creek” with Jim Donini! Jim was there and personally offered the trip. As you can imagine, it went for a nice high bid!!

Posted by: Lori Stewart on 12/18/2013 at 7:30 pm


Mt. Baker: Easton Glacier Team Summits

Tuesday, September 5, 2022 8:10 am PDT

SUMMIT! 

RMI Guide Jack Delaney called in at 8:10 am PDT from the summit of Mt. Baker. The team climbed via the Easton Glacier route. The early morning temperatures were cool, but great for climbing! The team is on the descent and will be back at their high camp at about 6,800' where they will spend the night, and plan to descend early tomorrow.

Congratulations Team! 

Monday, September 5, 2022 5:06  pm PDT 

Greetings from the team with the two tallest guides at RMI! 

We hiked into Sandy Camp on the flanks of Mt. Baker yesterday. The hike in was slightly overcast but great temperatures for hiking with a heavy pack. Once we got to camp we quickly set up tents as the overcast clouds had become dark and threatening. Lucky for us the rain started as soon as we moved into our tents. The rest of the night was spent hunkered down inside our nice dry tents except for a brief lull in the rain that we took advantage of to boil water for dinner. This morning we awoke to dry weather with partly sunny sky's. Today we'll practice all the mountaineering skills necessary for our ascent of Baker starting in the wee hours of the night this evening!

RMI Guides Jack, Roland & Team

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