Most Popular Entries

The Four Day Summit Climb August 19 - 22 led by RMI Guide Brent Okita reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today! Brent reported strong winds and a change in the weather as the team made their ascent today. They spent a little time on top before beginning their descent around 7:30 a.m. PT. The team will return to Camp Muir and then continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon. Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Mt. Elbrus North Side expedition is a wrap. As I write, I am sitting in the Amsterdam airport, and the team is in the process of scattering to the winds; some will continue traveling, while others are headed home to family and friends. It's amazing that the trip is already over, as it flew by. We spent yesterday on a walking tour of the best cathedrals, gardens, and palaces of St. Petersburg. The sheer size and scale of St. Isaac's Cathedral was stunning, the luminous mosaics of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood were fascinating, and the history of the founding of the city and derive during WWII were enlightening. We wandered through the Hermitage, as enthralled with the architecture and ornate rooms as we were with the collection of some of the world's finest art. Degas, Renoir, Michalangelo, Picasso, and so many more were on display. We finished up the trip with a delightful boat tour in the River Nieva, seeing St. Petersburg from the vantage that most in 1800 would have seen it, via the canals. Finally we gathered one last time at the Jerome for a last celebration dinner before we parted. It's been a fantastic trip, with an smashing bunch of new friends. We had great weather, a perfect summit day, built a hut, and tried to become a bit more worldly along the way. So many thanks to this group of climbers. Mike and I had so much fun, and we look forward to crossing paths in the mountains again soon! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Mike Uchal

Hello, After two great nights at Basecamp, it was time to move out and establish a new camp higher up on Mt. Elbrus. We were really lucky again today with the weather. It was still raining when we first woke up, but just about the time we were taking down the tents, it stopped and has been dry ever since. The trail was still challenging today, but everybody did great. We made good time all the way back up to our cache site at 11,200'. We grabbed a few items from the cache that we would need for the night, and continued on our way. The last stretch into camp climbs up a very rocky moraine and is some of the most trickiest walking on the whole mountain, especially with some heavy packs. We worked our way up the faint climber's trail, dealing with lots of loose scree and some very awkward steps, but finally being rewarded as we crested over the top of the ridge and arrived at Camp 1. The weather has not been that good the last several days, and as a result, there is a fair amount of climbers still waiting at Camp 1 for their summit attempt. Tent sites were at a premium, but after a little searching, we found some good spots and started building our camp. We are now all settled into what will be our home for the next three nights. We have been in the clouds most of the day, but the upper mountain has made a few brief appearances this afternoon. Our hope is that this improving weather trend will continue for us. Right now there are many climbers in camp getting ready to climb tonight. We, on the other hand, are going to bed and looking forward to sleeping in the morning. All the best, RMI Guides Jeff Martin, Pete Van Deventer and the team

On The Map

Today was a well deserved rest day for the team. After a long day of climbing yesterday we spent today relaxing and seeing the sights in Puebla. Molé, the traditional sauce of Mexico, was sampled by everyone on the team and I know one person had it at every meal. It's definitely a favorite of mine. Also, since it is Valentine's day the Zocalo (town square) was full of people celebrating the holiday. It's a big one here in Mexico. We capped off the day with a great dinner at the Mason Sacristía de la Companía. Tomorrow we switch back to climbing mode and head to el Pico de Orizaba! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

Hello everyone, It's JJ with Team 3 on Aconcagua. We are all back safe and sound in Base Camp. This will be our last dispatch. Out plan is to walk out part way tomorrow, have an asado dinner with the cowboys, then wake up and head to Mendoza on the 20th. I would like to take the opportunity to allow our climbers to write a little something on the blog: Hey guys its Greg. Well it looks like I've got a new addiction with headaches nausea and exhaustion what's not to like. Thanks so much for the messages of love and support it really means a lot out here. See you when I get home. Hey Paula & Gang - We summited yesterday - it was awesome. We are back at base camp looking forward to the trek out and getting a shower in Mendoza. Love you all tons and thanks for all of the support - a big thanks to the RMI Team who helped with our success!!! Hi Fam and Friends, its Mike! Thank you all for the love and support along the way, your comments helped gin up the brute doggedness it took to make the summit yesterday. I'll send pictures from Mendoza, cheers! Hey everyone in sunny Florida! Todd here. Love to you all, especially Sally and baby girl McClurem. We are hanging out back at Base Camp after descending 4600 feet today. Trying to stay hydrated and warm. Thanks for all the comments. It was so great to know that we have family and friends who are following this crazy adventure. See ya soon! As the resident geezer on this trip, I would like to thank not only our guides but my fellow climbers as well - a truly great bunch of men. And all my love to those at home for their support and patience. Hello FrontPoint! Well folks, from all the guides we would like to thank all who followed us. Geoff, Garrett and myself would like to thank all of our family at the RMI Headquarters in Ashford, WA. Without all of you we would not be as successful as we are. RMI Guides JJ, Geoff, Garrett and Team

RMI Guide Billy Nugent and Team are currently standing on the summit of Mt. Shuksan. They reported beautiful weather with hardly a cloud in the sky. Billy said, "It doesn’t get much better than this." The team is enjoying the view and will head back to their high camp shortly. Congratulations Billy & Team!

November 29, 2024 - 10:15 pm PT

Well just like the Dude, Mother Nature abided (for the most part) we woke up to clear skies still air and sunshine, everything was saying go. So we did. We’re trying to hit a weather window on Sunday that looks gooood for summiting and so we chose to skip the carry up the fixed lines and give it a go in one shot.
Holy F**king Shit it was hard, but we made it. Heavy loads, steep slopes and 3000+ feet of gain with packs that could moonlight as ship anchors, we climbed to Vinson High Camp.

So absolutely proud that we were able to make it up here in such style and I’ll save you the nitty gritty for your climber to regale you with later. We take a well deserved rest day tomorrow (or today, it’s 3am) and will gear up for our summit push Sunday.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

We had a great climb of Cotopaxi yesterday, and everyone summitted! We took advantage of cool weather and firm snow conditions and were able to climb during the day yesterday, hiking only the approach to the glacier in the dark. The weather was great, with no wind all day. The team climbed very strongly up the steep slopes of Cotopaxi, and had enough gas left in the tank to enjoy the summit and climb safely back down to the climbers' hut in 10 1/2 hours round trip. We had great views along the way, being able to see many of Ecuador's high peaks, including Cayambe, Antisana, the Illinizas, the Pichinchas, Cotocachi, Imbabura, and El Corazon, as well as the beautiful mosaic of Andean farmlands far below us. We spent last night relaxing at the climbers' hut and descended to our waiting vehicles this morning. Now we are at the beautiful Hosteria La Cienega, enjoying hot showers, lower altitude, and the comforts of life off of the mountain. Congrats to our team for a successful summit of Cotopaxi! RMI Guide Mike Walter

Hello fellow readers!

Welcome to our journey! We have wrapped up day two of our Denali Expedition. Yesterday the team met at carousel 1 of the Anchorage Airport with heavy duffels in tow. A rainy drive through the woods of Alaska brought us to the launching pad of Denali Expeditions, Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a Native American word meaning where the rivers meet. At the end of town, you can stand where the Susitna, Chulitna, and the Talkeetna meet with views of Hunter, Foraker, and Denali off in the distance. Today the clouds covered up the mountains but the river rushed by with huge chunks of ice floating along down stream, making for a gorgeous view. It was a busy day for the team sorting gear and getting ready for our flight tomorrow. We are separated into two teams with five going on one plane and four on another. As of now, the weather looks good for getting onto the Kahiltna glacier. The team enjoyed their last dinner in civilization before eating a bunch of noodles and burritos on the mountain. You can see and feel the excitement but also the nerves and jitters for what lies ahead. It's going to be an amazing adventure and a memorable one too. Not only because we are climbing the tallest peak in North America but we are doing it as a team of all Ladies! So say hello to your all women's team, The Tatas. 

Stayed tuned for what's next,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

We spent yesterday packing and going through all of our equipment for our Denali Expedition. Our gear is all packed and ready to be loaded onto the glacier planes, two DeHavilland Otters flown by our amazing pilots at K2 Aviation. We’ll meet at 8am and get an update on the current weather and flying conditions. The forecast is for snow today, so it is still uncertain if we will be able to fly in to Base Camp today. We’ll keep you posted as we prepare to live on a glacier for the next few weeks. Fingers are crossed…

RMI Guide Mike Walter