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In the movie "Spinal Tap" there's a comical part where the rock god explains to an interviewer that, whereas most amplifiers only go up to ten, his "goes to eleven" in case he's really rocking out and "needs that extra push." Well, our strong team definitely needed no extra push in making it to 11K camp today. After a calm night at 9600' we woke to clear skies and prepared to "go to eleven." After caching some gear and food in a snow hole ( which we'll pick up tomorrow) we enjoyed the feeling of dramatically lightened packs and sleds as we moved up. Arriving in camp the team had its first experience with building a true Denali-style fortified camp. Some people were shoveling, some were cutting blocks, some were carrying them: everyone was working hard and in an hour or so we had a veritable Great Wall in place. Everyone enjoyed the upper body workout and the concrete results. The sun sets late at 11K (it's about 10pm now and still brilliant) and folks are settling in to a well-earned sleep. Tomorrow will be a "half-rest" day: we'll be making a three-hour trek to retrieve our cache, but without the work of breaking down and setting up camp we'll be able to also rest and acclimatize. RMI Guide Kel Rossiter

On The Map

This morning (or night, depending on your point of view), the intrepid Team Blackberry/iPhone, awoke to darn near perfect climbing conditions and decided to give the old lady a shot. Our high camp had positioned us perfectly for a good shot at topping out on the first of our big volcanoes for this trip. We left under dark skies, high above the town lights of Amecameca and Chalco far below us. We walked steadily through the rocky glacial debris at the base of the Ayoloco Glacier, skirting the previous night's accumulated hail and gaining the ridge just before first light. Once on the ridge we bundled up because even though in Mexico it can still get cold in the wind at 17,000 feet. From the ridge we handled our new challenge of cold temps until gaining the true summit of Ixtaccihuatl as the sun broke over the horizon, illuminating our next adventure, Pico de Orizaba. After a few photos and some summit celebrations, we steeled ourselves for the descent back to our high camp and the homemade soup of Rogelio's (our trusted driver) wife, waiting for us at the trailhead. Easing our way back into wheeled transport, we stuck to the backroads, avoiding the weekend traffic and checking in to our hotel in the zona historica of the colonial city of Puebla. Tonight we will feast and enjoy a good night's sleep at relatively low elevations, using tomorrow to explore the city and recuperate for Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico.

Dobrye Veycher from Moscow! The RMI Mt. Elbrus Team arrived into Moscow throughout the day today, making the hour long drive from the airport to our hotel in the heart of the city, across the Moscow River from the Kremlin. With climbers coming in from all over the globe, it has been a long couple of days of traveling for the team and we had a mellow evening, finding dinner in a small restaurant down the street from the hotel. This far north, it is still daylight at 10:30pm as we turn in for the evening. We are excited to be here and looking forward to exploring Moscow tomorrow, visiting the city's most famous sites - from Red Square to St. Basil's Cathedral to the Kremlin. We will check in tomorrow after our city tour. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

We rolled out of the tents at 11:30 AM to find another perfect day. Calm, sunny and clear, just the way we like things. This was our well-earned rest day and we took full advantage. A leisurely breakfast primed the team for a mid-day nap, which was followed by the mid-afternoon nap and the early evening nap. The goal of it all was to prepare for a few tough days to come up high on the mountain. Everybody did their best to catch up on hydration and calories. Billy Nugent and Seth Waterfall rested by spinning on down to basecamp and returning with fuel and other supplies in a tight five hour round trip. Thanksgiving dinner was held under our festive blue and white POSH tent. Chicken and noodles with all the trimmings. We'll be even more thankful if this fine weather continues. Best regards to all back at home. RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team

The American Lung Association - Climb for Clean Air led by Win Whittaker and JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team was greeted with crisp clear skies and calm winds. Congratulations to today's teams!

Today was a concatenation of surprises which threw all of us in a vortex of emotions and awe! The journey started o’dark early, navigating from the Vacas Valley at Casa de Piedra, straight into fridged knee high white waters to access our next route.  Pins and needles shocked our legs but the cold waters quickly awakened those that were not yet awake.  The team was ready as we headed into the Relinchos Valley, navigating the long narrow edges that overlooked the raging river stemming from Cerro Aconcagua as the team deadheaded towards base camp.  Passing many mules and sparking multiple conversations of chapacubras, lemmings, and jackalopes, helped to preoccupy our conversations and made for a quick traverse. We were treated by Dom and Ben to a delicatessan delight with homemade ham and cheese sandwiches which was a bonus and boosted our spirits. We climbed high and at a good pace until we reached Aconcagua’s base camp.

Other highlights - we saw an Argentine Bolo Mouse which Ben said had a poisonous tail, passed by a heard of Guanacos as they gazed the fields, and mistook the sound of the closing bathroom doors for thunder snow.

All in all a great day as it could only be summed up only to this Aconcagua Slayers Rhyme:

Twas the night before base camp, two camps down one to go! From Pampas de Leñas to Casa de Piedra, all bedded down early, and ready to roll.  Tossing and turning, the thin air spoiled in their sleep. The stench from no showers wrenched as they slept. Tucked tightly in their tents, the storms rattled and the winds howled, but did not prove to be a battle!  No cap!

Dressed in their Patagucci, all tired and weak, they strolled with their feet, crossing creek to creek. The harsh cold weakened and dampened their feet but was match to slow the Aconcagua Slayers beat.  Morale was so high that they could not deny, they trekked on to no demise and accomplished their prize! Base camp conquered, what a feat, nothings going to stop the Patagucci peeps! 

Time for some Farkle gone wild.

RMI Climber Nathan Karlen

Well, the gang's all here and we're ready to fly on to the Kahiltna Glacier to start our Denali expedition. We spent all day packing our gear and preparing for the trip, paying close attention to the finest details. We are all very excited to get on the mountain and start climbing! Hopefully the weather holds and we can fly tomorrow morning. We will update you on our progress as soon as we can. Stay tuned! RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

We left Camp Muir this morning at 4: There was a cap over the summit from the outset of our climb but we were thankful the winds from yesterday evening had abated and hoped the cap would follow suit.45 a.m. in reasonable winds. The team took to heart the lessons learned at yesterday’s climbing school and climbed strong on the upper mountain in deteriorating conditions. I began the route finding effort up the Ingraham Direct but gave way to RMI Guide Zeb Blais as he led the team up to a break at 12,800’. As we switchbacked our way up the mountain, we encountered increasing wind speeds and steadily decreasing visibility. We made the smart and safe choice to call 13,400’ our high point for the day. On our descent to Camp Muir, clouds would billow up from below causing white out conditions followed by periods of visibility. This process repeated continually until we returned to Camp Muir. We’re back at Camp Muir safe and sound. We are looking forward to a low-key afternoon at camp with a siesta and some easy training on the schedule. Signing off for now, RMI Guide Brent Okita

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams reported warm temperatures with winds at about 15 mph. They spent over an hour on the summit enjoying the views before beginning their descent back to Camp Muir. After a week of Denali Prep training, Mike Haugen and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Kautz team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning with 100% of their team. They have started their descent and will be back at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon. The American Lung Association Climb for Clean Air is ascending to Camp Muir today with Win Whittaker as their lead guide. He sent us a photo of the team's climbing school from yesterday. What beautiful weather the teams have been climbing in!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in the lowlands! After our day of training, we were raring to go carry up the fixed lines. Packed up, alarms set but when we woke the wind was blowing and the snow was swirling. Dragging our feet provided little clarity, with the basin clearing out just enough to show high winds on the West Buttress. Tough to establish a trend, but we decided to wait another day here at 14 Camp. It ended up being a good call as the clouds regained control of camp and it has snowed heavily since. Armed with an optimistic forecast, we plan to carry tomorrow and get in position for a move as soon as we can. Wish us luck down there and enjoy the day celebrating all the Fathers. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map