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Posted by: JM Gorum, Pepper Dee, Cal Smith, Stephen Inman, Jackson Breen, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,400'
The Five Day Climb June 5 - 9 ascended to Camp Muir on Monday after their inital orientation and Mountaineering School days. Yesterday they enjoyed some additional time working as a rope team and walking in crampons as they traveled above Camp Muir to Ingraham Flats. They were able to explore more of the mountain and see a bit of the route. Today they left Camp Muir hoping to reach the summit. They traveled up to Ingraham Flats and then started to ascend the Disappointment Cleaver. Unfortunately new snow and potential avalanche danger forced them to turn back at around 12,400'. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise. They will conclude their program in Ashford later this afternoon.
After another long deep sleep, its coffee that gets most of the team out of bed. One by one, we all wandered to the breakfast table. We are greeted with espresso, fruit, and toast. There is a mystery fruit on the table. Inside is a snot like texture with a sweet taste. The morning entertainment is watching everyone figure out how to eat it. Consesus is the texture might be a bit much. After breakfast its another round of duffle shuffle into the van. The driver has a real skill for stacking our jenga tower of bags. After a quick lesson on pickets and anchors, we load the van to head to the base of Chimborazo. Chimborazo is our final mountain. Fingers crossed we bat 3 for 3. A half way stop for burgers and fries fills our stomachs for the rest of the drive. As we get closer and closer to our destination we are graced with a tiny view of the bottom of Chimborazo and many vicunas. We are again in an adorable place for the night. We all rest up for the final climb. Tomorrow will bring us to High Camp and then hopfully the summit. For now we enjoy dinner and bid you goodnight.
“Snot like texture with a sweet taste” LMAO Love this blog!!! All the Best!!! Climb Strong & Best wishes for more Perfect weather!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 2/19/2022 at 8:27 am
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
Valdez, Alaska, is an incredible place to be in April. Long hours of daylight make for excellent opportunities to log massive amounts of vertical in the backcountry. When the skiing is good on Thompson Pass, there is no shortage of dramatic peaks and aesthetic lines.
Taking my AMGA Ski Mountaineering Guides Exam there this spring, I spent a majority of April in the area training with friends and fellow guides becoming familiar with the Alaskan terrain and snowpack.
The days leading up to the exam were filled with anxiety and endless “what-if’s” and “well-maybe’s.” Soon the other exam candidates and I found ourselves in the thick of eight days of late-into-the-night tour planning, strategizing, and pouring over weather forecasts, raw remote data, weather models, avalanche hazard forecasts, and various other slightly cloudy crystal balls. The general idea being to sort through all the data until you find a summary you like. Forecasting for an area as large as Alaska is quite difficult and many times during the week we were reminded that the forecasts were never quite wrong, but that the timing of the forecasts were usually off.
Conditions varied from thigh-deep powder in the east facing couloirs of the Iguana Backs zone, to some of the stiffest, carvable wind-board I’ve ever skied on the Berlin Wall and Odyssey.
The last few days of the exam we had great weather and flyable conditions. We employed the mechanical advantage of Valdez Heli-Skiing to get a ride into the Hoodoo glacier area for an overnight ski tour. We started with a descent of Acapulco Peak in the sunshine and finished with a long ski out of the Worthington Glacier in whiteout conditions.
Going through the process of being examined by your peers, learning from other exam candidates, and dealing with the stress of guiding new terrain and on-the-fly tour planning has been invaluable in helping me excel in all other facets of my guiding and personal endeavors.
Passing the exam and becoming one of only a handful of certified women in the U.S. is a huge honor and I am proud to represent RMI Expeditions.
- RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall
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Posted by: brahim ait on 9/22/2017 at 11:56 am
Congrats to you Solveig on completing the prestegious AMGA Ski Guide Certification and adding another line on your already impressive reseme. Reading about your latest adventure brought back fond memories of my climb with you, Josh and Lance on Rainier last August 22-25. Although I did not summit, I really enjoyed the adventure and the fellowship of our Climbing Team. I hope to one day sign up for an Everest Basecamp Trec . . . Maybe your Husband would be the Guide! Be safe, enjoy the adventure and keep living the dream. Doug Kennedy - The Songee Guy - a thin red cord binds us together as a Climbing Team !!!
Posted by: Doug Kennedy on 1/23/2014 at 4:20 am
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
Posted by: Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
Not sure if this is the team with our fearless leader CPK. We are all here back at home base, “ST Francis” in CT rooting you all on!! Be safe! So proud!
:)
Posted by: Michelle Carrier on 6/28/2013 at 7:31 pm
Good luck on your summit. Go Dave, Mark, Sam, and Carl!!
Posted by: Eric Olson on 6/28/2013 at 7:47 am
Posted by: Alan Davis, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 20,301'
July 17, 2022 Ishinca Valley to Haraz
With a cold frosty morning and a hot cup of coffee we spent our last morning tearing down our Ishinca basecamp to head back to a night of civilization. Much to our chagrin, our bus broke down due to a leak in the air brakes. Thus, we were stranded for multiple hours on windy rough mountain roads. At least the sun was out and a rescue bus on the way. After another duffle shuffle we made it back to the hospitable Andino hotel in Huaraz with just enough daylight to dry out our tents and sleeping bags on our hotel decks. A well-deserved meal with hot showers were in order as our turnaround to head to our next objective is hours away.
July 18, 2022 Huaraz to Copa Base Camp
Another duffle shuffle and we were on our way to the Copa trail head just an hour north of Huaraz. The trail was in great condition, and we were in forests of eucalyptus until we reached about 13,000’ winding up and up until we reached our basecamp for Copa at 15,200’ over laguna Lejlacocha. The mountain was in the clouds for most of the day, but we were able to enjoy occasional glimpses of the glacier in between rain showers even a nice sunset. After a 4600’ gain in elevation, we were ready to eat a quick dinner and crawl into our warm sleeping bags to rest before our move to high camp tomorrow morning.
July 19, 2022 Attempt to Move
We were thwarted on our attempt to move from basecamp to our high camp at 17,200’ due to extremely high winds and cloud cap over the upper mountain this morning. Fortunately, we were able to rest in the sun at basecamp despite nearly losing our cook tent from the high winds ripping through camp. The winds finally subsided in the late afternoon and the Viscachas came out to play as well as the Andean geese. With the mountain looming in its majesty above our little basecamp, we came to a group consensus that we might as well try to go climbing tonight. As long as the weather stays calm, route conditions allow, and our bodies hold up, we’ll give it an honest go…
July 20, 2022 Copa Summit Push
It felt like a summer climb in the cascades, walking out of camp with only a few hours of sleep and anticipation, but we left our camp at 10pm after a cup of coffee to give it a go. 2 hours out of basecamp, past a glacial lake and through boulder fields of old, we wandered up to the bottom of an ice chute. Our entrance to the glacier. We quickly transitioned into boots and crampons and climbed the three pitches of rock and waterfall ice onto the steep snow slope that brought us to what would have been our high camp at 17,200.’ We paused here to add our hard-shells to arm ourselves against the windy night as we gulped down some gummies and chocolate covered espresso beans. As the night progressed so did the wind, sustained at 15-20mph with gusts of 30+ at our faces. Looking up between the occasional sandblasts from the sugary snow, the Milky Way and all its splendor still shone brightly, so we continued. We meandered through the steep snow slopes, crevasses, and seracs of the Copa glacier until finally the last pitch onto the summit plateau. 6,188m (20,301ft) and we arrived in a single push from basecamp. Something none of us thought we would pull off. 14,000’ to over 20,000’ and back in a day seemed out of reach, fortunately the weather was clear and just good enough that pacha mama (Goddess of the Andes) allowed us safe passage into this beautiful and sacred space. With tired bodies and full hearts, we celebrated one last mountain meal back in basecamp and slept hard to prepare for the walk back to civilization the next morning. Thankful for a safe and successful trip to this special Andean paradise.
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Leif Bergstrom, Nick Sinapius
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Hannah Smith checked from the Summit of Mt. Baker at 12:04 pm PDT today. The team successfully reached the summit via the Easton Glacier Route. Hannah let us know, that the team is stoked and had a beautiful day of climbing. The team will descend to the trailhead tomorrow.
Congratulations Team!
Hannah, Lief and Nick - you did great work with our group. You were consummate professionals and excellent company as well. I look forward to joining you again on a future journey. James
Posted by: James Coley on 10/8/2022 at 4:38 am
Posted by: Alan Davis, Matias Francis, Tatum Whatford, Tyler Meyers, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb August 5 - 8, 2022 led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Matias Francis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams reported windy conditions. They left the crater rim around 5:20 am and as of 7 am were at the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent. Once back at Camp Muir the teams will have a quick break before continuing the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise. They will then conclude their program this afternoon at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Congratulations! A question: I wonder if the trip leaders know what the winds were like on summit day (Mon Aug 8)? I too submitted (independently with my climbing partner) and we experienced persistent winds throughout but also gusts at Disappointment Cleaver that felt quite stiff. Might your own team(s) have a sense of how high the winds actually were (as opposed to forecast)? Thank you,
Posted by: Larissa M on 8/10/2022 at 3:11 pm
Congratulations to the whole team for summiting, but I would like to give a special “Bravo” to my wonderful husband who reach the summit!! So proud of you Stéphane!! You did it!!!!
Posted by: Annie Quinal on 8/8/2022 at 8:01 am
On The Map
Dear Nat, John and Dave, looks like things are going well!!!! So happy for you all to be sharing this experience. Can’t wait to hear all the stories. Happy trails. Beth,Bill,Rachel,Lauren&Maria; :)
Posted by: Mastros on 8/1/2013 at 9:49 am
Way to go Samantha!! So very proud of you and Team Junell! A couple more days and you will be at the Summit and it will all be worth it. Enjoy yourselves and have fun. Lots of Love!
Posted by: Beverly Jones on 8/1/2013 at 9:47 am
Posted by: Mike King, Joe Hoch, Lauren Macklin, Daniel May, Nathan Delmar, Connor Mullady
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI Four Day Climb August 23 - 26 led by RMI Guides Mike King and Joe Hoch reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this mornnig at 6:30 am. Mike report a light breeze with a cloud near the summit as they were ascending this morning but once they reached the crater they had good visibility. The teams were crossing the crater and approaching Columbia Crest just before 7 am. After enjoying the views and signing the Summit Book, the team will begin their descent from the crater rim. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break and then continue down to Paradise later today.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
the same thing happened to me in 1969 !!!! That was a long time ago. But over the years, I was successful 4 more times. I will never ever forget those great experiences, so do not give up. Book another climb as soon as possible. bill bussey
Posted by: bill bussey on 8/18/2021 at 11:59 am
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