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Greetings from Puebla! Today was a great day for the team to rest and explore the beautiful city of Puebla. This city is full of history, delicious food, colorful markets and a perfect place to recover for our next climb.
After a day to explore the incredible Catholic Churches built in the 1500s, the team ate dinner together at El Mural de los Poblanos, a fantastic restaurant full of classic local dishes. Puebla is known as the home of Mole.
Our next objective begins tomorrow as we head up to 14,000ft to the high camp on Pico de Orizaba!
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!
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
The All-Women’s Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise led by RMI Guide Devin Wilkinson wrapped up their week by climbing to Ingraham Flats to watch the sunrise. Warm temperatures and overhead hazards on the climbing route prevented the team from reaching the summit safely.
The team has spent the last five days on the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier developing their expedition skills beginning with ice axe use and cramponing techniques and moving on to more advanced skills such as anchor placements, various self and team crevasse rescue techniques, steep technical ice climbing, belays, rappelling, knots, route finding and fixed rope travel. Evening lectures in camp include group discussions on mountain weather, medicine for mountaineering, altitude wellness and equipment.
Congratulations to our All-Women’s team!
Congratulations to this incredible group! Thanks for the post and sharing the photo. Spectacular!
Posted by: Barbara McQueeney on 8/14/2021 at 4:12 pm
Proud of everyone! Amazing accomplishment nonetheless!
Posted by: Kimmy on 8/14/2021 at 1:18 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, JJ Justman, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
Elevation: 4,383'
Your team, the thoughtful decisions you make, and your sensitivity to local conditions and customs are all reasons that RMI enjoys such an enviable safety record and remains the gold standard for guided mountaineering. We all join you in your continuing support for the recovery efforts and in keeping the resilient Nepali people in our thoughts and prayers.
Posted by: Everett Moran on 5/3/2015 at 10:08 pm
So grateful that all of you are safe and on your way home even though your goal of the summit was not to be this year.
Posted by: Susan on 5/2/2015 at 7:19 pm
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Robert Whyte
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
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!
Posted by: James Bealer, Ben Luedtke, Sam Hoffman, Josh McDowell, Trevor Katz, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,400'
Today's Four Day Climb May 31 - June 3 reached 11,400' today before deciding to turn around due to high avalanche danger and deteriorating weather. The teams returned to Camp Muir and packed up. They started their descent to Paradise at 8:30 am. RMI Guides James Bealer and Josh McDowell reported that the winds were high and it was snowing hard as the team left Camp Muir on their descent. Once back at Paradise the teams will be shuttled back to Rainier BaseCamp for a closing ceremony.
Be safe. You are the best and most experieced guide in the world, so you really don’t need me to say “Be Safe” but we are all hearing about the conditions this year - so BE SAFE. Bill M.
Posted by: bill mcgahan on 5/19/2012 at 10:49 am
Hey Dave,
Mark Gray here. You led a climb on Rainier about 6 years ago where you were called of for a rescue of some other RMI group. It had snowed off and on through the night and we would probably would have not tried for the summit anyway. Needless to say I was amazed to even have been able to climb to camp Muir with you and have followed your Everest attempts ever since. Just wanted you to know you are in my prayers as you once again head for the the top of the world!
Posted by: Mark Gray on 5/19/2012 at 9:29 am
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Kiira Antenucci, Daniel May
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 20,310'
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
Congratulations to all. Awesome experience. Love what I am seeing. I can only imagine what it looks like in your eyes. Rest up enjoy the descent and have a hot chocolate lol.
Posted by: John on 6/26/2022 at 7:07 am
Big congratulations That’s so awesome……. big kudos to Jason and Jason ❤️
Posted by: Jo Anne on 6/26/2022 at 5:08 am
Hello from 14,000ft on Pico de Orizaba! Today we left the comfort of Puebla behind for our final objective. A two hour bumpy 4x4 ride in the back of a pickup truck took us up to our basecamp on Orizaba. The team is feeling well rested for one more climb tonight.
We have clear skies at the moment and the forecast is calling for a clear summit bid tonight. We are looking forward to watching the sunrise from the side of an 18,491ft volcano. For some folks this will be a new altitude record previously broken on Ixta earlier this week.
Wish us luck for a beautiful morning of climbing. We will check in again tomorrow!













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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