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Mt. Everest: Hahn & Team in Namche Bazaar

May 1, 2015

Posted by: Dave Hahn, JJ Justman, Mark Tucker

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 11,300'

Thankfully, it was another sparkling sun and blue sky day. We got out of Pheriche by 8:15 AM and got walking out of the alpine zone and down into the land of the living. Helicopters continued to buzz back and forth overhead, traveling to Everest Base or to Gorak Shep, most likely. We encountered a few more trekkers and porters still heading up valley today, but drastically fewer than normal, which made for another quiet and easy day on the trails. We took our time, stopping in Pangboche to check on acquaintances and to pay respects to victims, but then we moved on across the river to Deboche and up to Thyangboche, which was abnormally calm and quiet. The classic and grand monastery was visibly damaged and seemed abandoned for the moment. We sat and rested in the quiet for a time before heading down the big hill and into waves of blooming rhododendrons. Then it was up the next big hill and along the dramatic traverse trail to Namche. We saw plenty of eagles and lammergeiers, Himalayan Tahr... And lots of evidence of massive rocks having crossed the trail in the quake. We've found our way back to our favorite place in Namche... Camp De Base. Damage in Namche seems slight, but we have been reminded that the earth isn't through moving yet. There have been aftershocks that we apparently haven't noticed in our tent environments. But here in town, everybody seems much more aware of them in a place where buildings shake. We'll keep our guard up, but we'll also avail ourselves of some quality 11,000 ft sleep... The kind we haven't experienced in a month. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Our thoughts are with our team, the people of Nepal, and all those affected by this tragedy

April 28, 2015

Posted by:

Categories: Guide News Responsible Climbing

All of us at RMI are truly grateful for the support shown in regards to our Everest climbing team, Sherpa team, and guides—Dave Hahn, JJ Justman, and Mark Tucker. Our thoughts are with our team, the people of Nepal, and all those affected by this tragedy. It may be weeks before we really can comprehend the damage and devastation caused by this earthquake. While the rugged and mountainous terrain are a big part of what makes Nepal beautiful, this terrain also makes it very difficult to help those in need after such a major catastrophe. There are many great organizations helping out with disaster relief efforts in Nepal, and more help and money is definitely needed. We feel the best way to help is by donating to organizations that are directly involved with the disaster response. The organizations listed below have staff members in Nepal and are working hard to provide clean water, food, shelter, and medical aid to those in need. These selected organizations have also been vetted on the charity rating site Charity Navigator and score well for their accountability, transparency, and financial standards. We want to encourage everyone to do what they can to help the people of Nepal. Doctors Without Borders Mercy Corps American Red Cross We thank you for your continued support as our team, and many others, begin their journey home.

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Mexico Volcanoes: Cifelli & Team Enjoy Last Team Breakfast, Conclude Trip

March 6, 2022

Posted by: Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

The team met for one last breakfast this morning. Recalling our climb of Pico de Orizaba and our other exploits from the trip while laughing and drinking coffee. Only 24 hours ago we were standing at the summit and oh what a difference a day makes. It’s a great way to end a great trip and seems like yesterday that we met up in Mexico City as strangers. I’m impressed and proud of this group on and off the mountain. I look forward to climbing with each and every one of them in the future, but for now, we’re excited to get back to our families and friends. This is the RMI Mexico team signing off for the last time of the trip and season.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climbs Unable to Climb due to High Winds

June 11, 2021

Posted by: Walter Hailes, Camille Leininger, Augi Fleer, Dominic Cifelli, Leif Bergstrom, Liam Weed

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 10,080'

The Four Day Climb June 8 - 11 led by RMI Guides Walter Hailes and Dominic Cifelli were unable to make their summit attempt this morning. Strong winds and blowing snow made for unsafe climbing conditions and kept the team hunkered down at Camp Muir over night. The telemetry from Camp Muir shows wind averages ranging from mid 20 to mid 60 mph over night with gusts up to 79 mph. When the group radioed the office this morning they were experiencing estimated 50 mph winds. The team will be descending from Camp Muir today and return to Rainier BaseCamp. Unfortunately, today was not their day to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier.

Kilimanjaro: Grom & Team Visit Famous Ngorongoro Crater

September 21, 2022

Posted by: Casey Grom

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Hello again everyone,

Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is home to more than 25,000 animals that reside here year round, as its one of the few places that has natural springs. We started early with hopes of catching a few big cats before the heat of the day sent them in search of shade.

We saw many hyenas, jackles, ostrich, plus countless other huge birds, and even managed to get close to a large pride of lions with very full bellies. There was a Black Rhino spotted not to far off of the road also which was a highlight.

We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the crater's rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and the team is off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day on safari.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew

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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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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Teams Enjoy Beautiful Day

August 21, 2022

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Abby Westling, Ben Luedtke, Josh Geiser, Lily Emerson, Michael Murray

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Climb August 18 - 21 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 6:05 am. The teams enjoyed clear skies and a light breeze during their climb. They began their descent from the crater rim at 7:20 am to return to Camp Muir. At Camp Muir they will repack and take a short break before continuing the final 4,500' descent to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbing teams!

Photo credit: Ben Luedtke

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Mountaineering Training | Next Steps: After The Climb

September 2, 2013

Posted by: Linden Mallory

Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training

Coming off of a big climb or expedition often leads to the question, “What’s next?” The first priority is to take time to rest and recover. Any adventure in the mountains is a big physical and mental effort, and recovery time is valuable. Some light activity to stretch the legs can be a good idea but it's not always beneficial to jump back into intense workouts right away. In order to come back stronger, you need to recover first. Recovery time not only helps you physically recuperate but also gives you a mental break. When you do return to your training, you can do so with renewed motivation and excitement. After a few good nights of sleep, take a moment to reflect on your past training and the climb itself: what worked in your training? What didn’t? What were you surprised about in the climb and how can you prepare better in the future? Take the extra minute to dig into this a bit, identify some key takeaways, and note these down. For example, a few weeks after coming home with my tail between my legs from my first expedition to a remote peak in the Andes, I realized that while I felt aerobically strong throughout the climb, it took only a slight increase in pace or pack weight to send my exertion level through the roof. Additionally, the loose rocks of the lower mountain, fields of penitentes, and hard ice of the route were challenging to move across in a fluid manner, constantly testing my balance and ultimately wearing me out after a long day. In my training following the expedition, I focused on incorporating more interval training to increase my anaerobic threshold and to give me a larger aerobic capacity. I also incorporated more balance exercises into my gym routines, aimed at improving my ability to climb comfortably and efficiently despite the uncertainties of the terrain. On my next expedition, I was amazed at how much I gained by focusing on my weaknesses in my training. With these area of focus noted, consider what you want to do next. If you’re eager to get back in the mountains, where do you want to go and what are the appropriate steps to get you there? Maybe it's to climb Mt. Rainier by way of another route? Are your sights set on 18,000’ or 19,000’ peaks like those in Mexico or Ecuador? Perhaps it’s the goal of climbing one of the Seven Summits like Aconcagua or McKinley? After identifying your goal, do a little digging into what that climb looks like and what physical efforts are needed. What are the defining characteristics of the climb in terms of altitude, length, weight of pack, and technical skills? What kind of training do you need to focus on in order to tackle those challenges? Multi-week expeditions like Aconcagua or Denali require different preparation than a climb of several days like the North Cascades, Mexico, or Ecuador. Take a look at your takeaways from your last climb and compare them with the challenges of your next climb. If it's a long expedition with heavy packs, maybe you need to build your aerobic strength and endurance to handle the extended exertion of the climb. If it's a shorter trip, perhaps it's improving your overall aerobic capacity while also increasing your strength and flexibility to meet the needs of the climb. Completing these mental exercises helps bring your training path into focus. Continue to be strategic in your training, and it's not a bad idea to build benchmarks along the way to keep track of your progress. Most of all, keep having fun. As climbers, it’s not just the summit day that generates the passion and excitement for us (although that’s often the most recognizable aspect to others), it’s the entire process of dreaming of a climb, working hard to plan and prepare for it, realizing it as you set foot on the mountain, and relishing in the memories afterwards. ________ Linden Mallory is a senior guide at RMI Expeditions. Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Reaches the Top!

July 8, 2022

Posted by: Bryan Mazaika, Josh Geiser, Joey Manship

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Climb Led by RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team had clear skies above Camp Muir and a good climbing route. The team is on the descent and will be celebrating at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon.

Congratulations team!

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Everest Base Camp Trek: Team Arrives in Nepal

March 17, 2022

Posted by: Casey Grom, Hannah Smith

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek

Namaste!

Greetings from Nepal!

The team has finally arrived after some incredibly long flights and a 12hr time change.We spent our first day get acquainted and discussing the necessities to our upcoming adventure.

We then headed out to visit a few famous temples here in Kathmandu. First up was the Swayambhunath, also known as the "Monkey Temple", that overlooks most of Kathmandu. Then we visited the massive Boudhanath Stupa, which is one of the largest in the world. We wrapped up the evening with getting all our gear packed and an amazing meal at a restaurant call “Le Sherpa”.

Today the team left Kathmandu and flew to Lukla, our starting point to the trek. Thankfully it was a rather uneventful flight to one of the world’s most famous airports. After arriving had breakfast then waited at a tea house for all the porters to be chosen and then hit the trail. We hiked for about 3 hours to reach our first camp of the trip in a small village called Phakding. The weather was perfect, and everyone did great on the hike.

Team is doing well and oh so happy to be in the mountains!

RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team

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Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest: Hahn & Team in Namche Bazaar

On The Map

Our thoughts are with our team, the people of Nepal, and all those affected by this tragedy

Mexico Volcanoes: Cifelli & Team Enjoy Last Team Breakfast, Conclude Trip

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climbs Unable to Climb due to High Winds

Kilimanjaro: Grom & Team Visit Famous Ngorongoro Crater

Torres Del Paine: Team Hikes to Paine Grande

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Teams Enjoy Beautiful Day

Mountaineering Training | Next Steps: After The Climb

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Climb Reaches the Top!

Everest Base Camp Trek: Team Arrives in Nepal

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