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The team left Moscow very early this morning and traveled via plane and bus to the beautiful Caucasus Mountains. Our two-hour flight took us to southern Russia not too far from the Black Sea to a place called Mineralnye Vody, which is known for its abundant Mineral Waters. Southern Russia is predominately rural and is responsible for much of the agriculture that the larger cities depend on. We were met at the airport by my friend and local guide Yuri, whom I've climbed with many times. Then hopped in our van for the beautiful three-hour drive up the Baksan Valley to the base Elbrus. Things went pretty smooth minus a few little traffic jams with cars, motorcycles and cows all humorously trying to use the road at the same time. The small town we are in is called Cheget, and it doubles as a ski town in winter and converts to a climbing town in the summer. We didn't do a ton of exploring this afternoon due to the adjustment of the time that we are all still feeling and having started so early. However, tomorrow we will do our first acclimatizing hike and do a little exploring too. All is well here as we are looking forward to a little exercise tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom

On The Map

The Four Day Climb June 27 - 30 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides JT Schmitt and Christina Dale. Christina reported great route conditions and clear skies.  The teams were on their descent at Camp Comfort around 7:30 am making their way back to Camp Muir.  The teams will continue their descent to Paradise and then be transferred to Rainier BaseCamp.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Climb team August 9 - 12 led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning.  The team enjoyed a spectacular meteor shower as they left Camp Muir on their alpine start and climbed toward the summit.  Andy reported a beautiful day with calm winds and warm temperatures once the sun came up.  The team was starting their descent from the crater rim just after 6:30 am PT.  Once back at Camp Muir they will refuel and repack for the remaining 4.5 miles back down to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Five Day Climb April 26 - 30 led by RMI Guides Avery Parrinello and James Bealer completed their Mountaineering School on April 27 and made the ascent to Camp Muir on April 28.  The teams spent the last two nights at 10,080' Camp Muir.  Climbers were able to ascend to Ingraham Flats but due to adverse weather conditions were unable to climb any higher. Today the team is descending from Camp Muir to Paradise.  We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.

Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 10:41 a.m. PT Hi, this is Billy checking in. We are back in camp safe and sound from our successful summit bid. We got 100% of our team to the summit of Mount McKinley today, aka Denali. We are back in camp. Everyone's hanging out, rehydrating, eating some delicious freeze-dried meals, and hopefully going to get a great night's sleep before we gear up to head down and head home. And that's all for now. We'll check in again as our descent continues. RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides James Bealer and Josh McDowell reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team had a little bit of weather, so they did not stay on top for long. The team is back at Camp Muir and will be arriving at Paradise in the early afternoon

Congratulations Team! 

Saturday, June 25, 2021 1:18 am PDT

Everything we worked for all came together today. We woke to nearly perfect weather conditions. It was game time. We packed and tied into the rope. A quick downhill gave away to steep terrain up the autobahn. Step by step we worked our way up the mountain. A breeze here and there kissed our cheeks, but all things considered was pretty calm until the summit ridge. One final steep uphill up pig hill brought us to the summit ridge. This is where the winds picked up. But we dug deep and pushed forward to the tippy top. What an accomplishment! The team trained hard, and it showed. They gave it their all and came out on top.

Congratulations team!!

Tired legs and bodies brought us back to our camp where we are resting up for two more big days walking to the airstrip.

Night everyone,

RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Kiira Antenucci, Daniel May and Team

Sunday, September 4, 2022 - 12:45 am PT

Team is all safely back at high camp, a little tired but full of smiles. 

Everyone did an amazing job climbing and stayed positive even though it was a tough climb. It was a cold night and busier than we would have liked, but the team persevered and we were able to get 9 out of 10 climbers to the summit! 

We spent about about 30 minutes on the summit celebrating, taking photos and even made a few phone calls to loved ones back home. 

We are headed down the mountain to our final camp in the thick warm air at 10,000 ft, where we’ll have dinner then head off to bed for some well deserved sleep. 

Also to note…Buckeye’s won!   O..H

RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro summit crew!

After the climb David, Cindy, Ben and I said goodbye to our climbing teammates and boarded the Twin Otter at Vinson Basecamp. We flew to Union Glacier, the hub of ALE's antarctic expeditions, we had only spent a few hours here on our way into Vinson Basecamp due to the great flying weather. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case on our return. The weather is good for flying but a strike in Punta Arenas, Chile, our next destination, is preventing the Ilyushin jet from making it's way to pick us up. We aren't alone.. several teams are sitting in Punta Arenas waiting to start their Antarctic adventures and just as many teams are here waiting to return. Hopefully we will be in the air soon. RMI Guide Ed Viesturs

After a week of unexpected park closures and a wonderful spring storm, our first Muir seminar of the season has concluded. Despite the less than stellar weather conditions, the team was able to shift gears and make the most of their time on the mountain. Climbers learned important skills like route planning, glaciology, snow sciences and spent several days practicing and honing their crevasse rescue skills.

Congratulations team – we hope you enjoyed your time on the mountain!