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Shishapangma: Elias & Team Finish Second Rotation

September 23, 2016

Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Adam Knoff, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Shishapangma

Elevation: 18,500'

And... the winds brought us back to Shishapangma Base Camp. We had an incredibly rough night at Camp 1. The storm that unleashed upon finishing our well accomplished tasks above Camp 1 the previous day, was so fierce, that continued this morning with even more determination to make us cut our rotation one day short. After fighting the winds securing our camp, and managing to make breakfast, it was clear we weren't going to get a break. We descended towards Base Camp fully bundled in our warm equipment, knowing though that our well spent time up there is going to pay dividends soon. Now we go to enjoy some more rest in anticipation of our next move. Spirits are high and we look forward to good weather soon! Best regards from Base Camp, RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

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Sorry we missed your call to us this morning with the happy anniversary wishes, but we really appreciated your message and expression of affection. The diner and after party last night was a smash success (or so I’m told). As you might have expected, in keeping with my careful allocation of excess consumption occasions, I duly allocated last night’s affair as my one such occasion for 2016. And as I’d expected, today was a total loss, dedicated exclusively to aspirin, antacids, rehydration and horizontal recovery! Hopefully your retreat to Base camp was uneventful and the rest there today fulfilling and complete - and even better than mine!. Wishing you and the team nothing but fair skies and calm air from here on!
Love from us both.

Posted by: Rick Deerwester on 9/24/2016 at 4:32 pm

Go go go! Enjoy and good luck :)

Posted by: Carlos on 9/24/2016 at 2:38 pm

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Mt. Everest Expedition: First Summits

May 18, 2012

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

Another day of waiting and hiking for those of us at Mt. Everest Base Camp, but an important day none-the-less. The "fixing team" made it to the summit today, taking advantage of stable weather in the morning. We heard that things weren't quite so stable in the afternoon, with wind and snow working over the upper mountain, but climbers pushed on to the mountaintop anyway and then descended safely. The word was that several hundred climbers moved up the Lhotse Face today to be in position for summit bids tomorrow. We wish them all fine conditions for those bids, but we are keeping focused on our own window, which the forecasts still predict to be a good one, several days out. Best regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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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

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Mt. Baker: Cifelli and Team 100% to Summit via Easton Glacier Route

September 25, 2021

Posted by: Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades

Elevation: 10,781'

RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Jack Delaney led the entire Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier team to the summit of Mt. Baker today! Dominic reports it was a super nice day on the summit and that "things are going great!" The team is spending one more night at camp before making the rest of their descent tomorrow.

This climb wraps up our 2021 North Cascades climbing season. We loved climbing with all of you this year and are excited for the climbs to come in 2022!

Congratulations climbers!

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

February 11, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 15,696'

What a day! After breakfast the rain let up for a bit and we boarded the teleferico for a ride up to 13,200 feet. Nice way to travel. We caught a quick glance at Cotopaxi before the clouds rolled in and enjoyed perfect walking temperatures up to the ridge of the extinct volcano Rucu Pichincha. With a weather window to work with, we roped up and climbed to the summit, everyone standing tall at 15,700 feet above the sea. The team did great and we even managed to get down to the trail before the rain came in. The rain stayed with us until we got back to town, but everyone's spirits remained high and now we are relaxing before dinner. Tomorrow we leave Quito and head for even higher ground. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

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Hi Mark, we are glad to see you with your team. We hope you will continue to have a good trip and we will follow your adventure via this blog!!

Posted by: Wally Rappe on 2/13/2013 at 5:58 pm

Looks like you are doing well and should I say, even “rested”. hope you are keeping a log so we can hear all about the climb. Push your limits!!! jL

Posted by: John Lind SR on 2/13/2013 at 4:18 pm

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Torres Del Paine: Team Hikes to Refugio Grey

February 25, 2022

Posted by: Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine

With the threat of rain, we got up and started hiking at 7 am. The rain didn’t materialize, and the day was much cooler than the last few. Blue skies and scattered clouds along with a persistent wind made for a scenic day ascending into John Gardner pass at 4000’. We got our first views of the Grey Glacier and its surrounding peaks. The Grey and Tyndall glaciers combine to form much of the southern Patagonia ice sheet. The contrast from the forested valley we had just walked through to one filled with ice that’s around 10,000 years old is quite the site.

We made the arduous descent down towards Refugio Grey. The 5400’ descent is tough on the knees and feet but this group of “Florida Men” stayed together, and we arrived a little under 9 hours. Boots off, refreshments in hand and looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

We’ll hike to Paine Grande tomorrow after a casual breakfast.

Thanks for checking in,

RMI Guide Mike King and Team

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Mountaineering Training | Climber’s Perspective on Training for Rainier

June 24, 2013

Posted by:

Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training

I climbed Mt. Rainier just before my 57th birthday. I am from Boston and live at sea level, so the idea of climbing to 14,411’ was a bit daunting. Since I was climbing with my daughter, an RMI Guide, the pressure was on for me to bring my A game, if you can have such game at my age. For me, the only way to prepare for Rainier was to go hiking. As I am a 9-to-5-office worker, my options were a bit limited, but in general this was my plan. Eight weeks before my climb, I started my program. I did my best to go hiking at least one day per week. Most of my training was done in the White Mountains since it is a two-hour drive from where I live. I started by hiking Mt. Osceola, a five-mile, 2,100 vertical foot climb while carrying a light pack. From there I quickly moved up to Mt. Moosilauke, a seven and a half mile, 2,600 vertical foot climb. In between my weekend trips to the White Mountains, I would try and bike between fifteen and twenty miles a few times a week after work. In addition, three times per week I included a core workout. So that you do not get the wrong impression about my interests, I am also an avid sailboat racer. In the weeks leading up to my climb, I was trying to balance my sailing schedule and my work schedule with my training for the Mt. Rainier climb. After the first few hikes, I started hiking Mt. Lafayette, a beautiful hike located in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. It is an eight-mile hike that climbs 3,600 feet. The first time I hiked Lafayatte I carried a light pack. The following week, I climbed Lafayette again. This time I filled old orange juice bottles with water and added them to my pack for additional weight. My next move was to add Little Haystack and Mt. Lincoln to my trip. This now created a loop where I could climb 4,400 feet while walking only nine miles. Coincidently, this is comparable to the climb up to Camp Muir. My next step was to add weight to my back and to do this loop two days in a row. Having successfully completed this I felt like I was ready to fly out west to make my final preparations. A few notes on my final preparations. Most of my hikes were in warm weather and having plenty of water was critical. In addition, occasional cramping in my legs and other muscles were an issue for me. In part the cramping was a fatigue issue, however, it was also a hydration and dietary issue. As I ate more salty snacks and drank sports drinks on my hikes, cramping became less of a problem. My last concern was the altitude. One of the challenges of climbing Mt. Rainier is the inability to acclimate. In my ideal world, I would have spent time doing some light hiking at altitude before my climb; however, that was not an option. Instead I was able to fly to Seattle a few days before my climb. I spent a day at Crystal Mountain, rode the gondola to the top of the mountain at 7,000 feet and did a light hike. The following day I went for great hike in the Tatoosh Range in Mt. Rainier National Park. The goal of these hikes was to get some light exercise, while keeping my legs fresh for the following day. As for my climb up Rainier; it was just Lindsay and me. We left Paradise around nine in the morning and motored up the snowfield, or at least in my mind we did. Then we ate, hydrated and went to “sleep” in the early evening. We woke up in the dark and started climbing. The weather was perfect and we reached the summit just in time to watch the sunrise. By late afternoon we were back at Paradise. In the end, I felt like my legs were ready for the challenge of the climb. However, I found the altitude to be the biggest challenge. For me, on summit day it was all about finding the rythmn between my climbing and breathing, being mentally tough, and enjoying the climb with my daughter. - Robert Mann _______ Robert Mann is an avid skier, hiker, and sailor who lives with his wife and family near Boston, MA.

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I am 57 and just Summited this week…on the 6 day skills course via the Paradise Glacier route. I tried last year with my son and did not make the summit. I had a whole year to think about it and there was no way I was to be denied. I trained harder, had a better feel for the exposure and was mentally 100%. I will be back again as well.

Posted by: Mark Livingston on 7/14/2013 at 6:16 pm

Being Robert Mann’s senior by 10 years I tried Mount Rainier last September at 68 years of age. I made it to the first rest area above Muir but decide to turn back when the guides said any turn back from that point on would cause everyone on my rope to turn back with me. I had no intention of wrecking my teams climb so I turned back to Muir. Looking back I still feel it was the right thing to do…no regrets and also a decision that was totally supported by the Guides. And as a PS, about 5 or 6 other people from other teams turned back with me. I was grateful for that as I didn’t want to be the only one to wimp out.

Robert’s experience is interesting because he got to do this with his daughter, a professional guide. He was, I’m sure, able to stop and rest when necessary. On a rope with 7 or 8 much younger people and guides who can do this climb in their sleep, the schedule became to aggressive for the “old guy’ in the group.

After the climb I joked with an RMI staffer that they should consider a senior citizen climb. Having read Robert’s story I think RMI might find a new market of older people who are fit enough to make Rainier’s summit if provided with individual guides or with a limited number of team members of similar vintage.

Last September’s climb was my first and last attempt at Rainier. I’m back to climbing the White Mountains of New Hampshire and just returned from a 4 day, 15 mile hike up and over Mount Washington.

Cograts to Robert Mann and to the RMI Marketing department, consider a special senior version of the 5 day climb. You might find a market in our aging population.

Regards to all,

Bob

Posted by: Robert French on 7/4/2013 at 7:21 am

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Teams on the Summit!

June 30, 2022

Posted by: JT Schmitt, Christina Dale, Jess Wedel, Tyler Meyers, Jenna Burkey, Roland Scott

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

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!

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Congratulations everyone! You must be so proud of yourself! We can’t wait to have to full story of your adventure! ❤️

Posted by: My-Lien on 6/30/2022 at 12:58 pm

Congratulations, you did it!!!!

Posted by: Carole on 6/30/2022 at 9:08 am

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Mexico Volcanoes: Team Ready for Pico de Orizaba

October 15, 2021

Posted by: Grayson Swingle

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 14,000'

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!

RMI Guide Grayson Swingle

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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: High Winds Keep Five Day Climb from Making Summit Attempt

June 28, 2022

Posted by: Casey Grom, Alex Halliday, Augi Fleer, Josh Geiser, Mira Schoeberlein, Bo Torrey

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 10,080'

The Five Day Climb June 24 - 28 was unable to make a summit attempt due to high winds at Camp Muir overnight. RMI Guides Casey Grom and Alex Halliday reported that the wind picked up around 8 pm last night averaging 60 mphs at Camp Muir with gusts over 90 mph. The wind continues to blow this morning which will prevent the teams from ascending above Camp Muir. The Five Days Teams will be descending to Paradise later this morning and returning to Rainier BaseCamp.

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Most Popular Entries

Shishapangma: Elias & Team Finish Second Rotation

Mt. Everest Expedition: First Summits

Mt. Baker: Cifelli and Team 100% to Summit via Easton Glacier Route

Ecuador Volcanoes: Beren & Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

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Torres Del Paine: Team Hikes to Refugio Grey

Mountaineering Training | Climber’s Perspective on Training for Rainier

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Teams on the Summit!

Mexico Volcanoes: Team Ready for Pico de Orizaba

Mountaineering Training | Next Steps: After The Climb

Mt. Rainier: High Winds Keep Five Day Climb from Making Summit Attempt

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