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On the road again! We woke this morning to the hustle and bustle of the other teams packing up their camp. The sun creeped into camp warming our tents. This was our alarm to get up. Everyone had a good night and were feeling good this morning, so we continued with our plan to carry gear to Camp 2. Group piles were made while the stoves roared. Toasted bagels with cream cheese and bacon would fuel us to 18,000' and make the rest of camp jealous with its aroma. It was a busy day on the trail with almost all of Camp 1 occupants moving to Camp 2. After a few hours of walking and getting new views of snowy mountains we arrived at Camp 2. A new sea of tents scattered the rocky camp like skittles. We cached our gear, watched the other teams set up their camp, and then we packed up our things to head down hill. We arrived back to a peaceful Camp 1 with only our tents plus one other still standing. The rest of the afternoon we enjoyed the warm sun and fresh popped popcorn for an afternoon snack.
Having the camp to ourselves is nice and will be even nicer tomorrow on our rest day. The quiet will be much appreciated for sleeping in. The air is chilly now, so we are all off to bed to get warm.

Till next time,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

On The Map

Last night a large electrical storm passed over Mt. Elbrus. It brought hail, strong winds, and shaking thunder. We woke up this morning to find a few inches of fresh snow at our doorstep and a lack of electricity flowing through our local power grid. After our standard 8:00 AM breakfast, the winds and snow picked up considerably until it became unpleasant to venture beyond the impenetrable comfort of our repurposed shipping container homes. The forecast for tomorrow showed no improvement in weather. We decided that instead of sitting in the wind and snow doing nothing for two days, we would ride the lift back down to town, eat pizza, and sleep in real beds. That’s precisely what we did, and it has been nothing but enjoyable. We’ll spend the tonight in Cheget, and tomorrow afternoon we’ll ride the lift back up to camp in preparation for our summit attempt on Sunday. RMI Guide JM Gorum

On The Map

RMI Guides Walter Hailes & Nicole DePetris checked in from the summit of Cotopaxi this morning.  It was a cold day with not many views but the route was good and the entire team reached the summit.

Nice work everyone!

Hello from Everest Basecamp! We have finally arrived! We woke to gorgeous weather and a psyched team. The trail to basecamp is rocky with little ups and downs from Gorak Shep. We are in the moraine of the glacier walking ice but it's just buried under the dirt. Many yak trains passing by brought us to the infamous rock that says Everest Base Camp. After many photos the team continued the trek into Basecamp. For us our camp happened to be on the far side. More walking but more to see with all the Everest Expeditions setting up for their teams arrivals come April. Our camp is cozy with a dining tent, bathroom tents and even a shower tent. The nights get cold so it's not too late of a night before we all crawl into our sleeping bags for warmth. Tomorrow we will 

explore the glacier and do a little training for the upcoming climb on Lobuche.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Base Camp accomplished. We have arrived! The day started out El Gaucho style as we saddled up our mules and crossed the Vacas River. I mean... C'mon, that water was polar ice cold. Especially at 7:30 in the morning. After the teams John Wayne moment we enjoyed our final day of trekking. The last day into Base Camp ascends steeply at first until it gently rolls out to a gradual uphill. We even caught sight of two guanacos, which resemble a llama but actually have roots to the camel family. After arriving in camp we got busy relaxing. At 14,000 feet we all deserve to just kick back, relax and enjoy. We set up our shower tent and rinsed off the dust before we had another exquisite Argentine meal. Everyone is feeling well and we are acclimatizing perfectly. Tomorrow is a well deserved day of rest. Stay tuned! RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Well hello all. Last week temperatures were frigid. I am happy to say today was downright balmy. We'll take it. We spent our entire day today going over some critical information. Laying the ground work for crevasse rescue. A lot of information was downloaded and everyone seemed to grasp the concepts. Knots, anchors, rappelling into a crevasse, self extrication from a crevasse were some of our topics on this beautiful day. Kahiltna Base Camp is getting busier by the day. More and more climbers are showing up to head up Denali, other friends are finding success on various routes on the Mini Moon Flower and the North Buttress of Mt Hunter with this current stretch of superb weather. Word on the street is temperatures are about to get really hot the next few days. We will let you know how that plays out. Everyone is doing great and says hello. RMI Guide Jason Thompson

On The Map

After a great training seminar in the Alaska Range and a few days waiting out the weather at Base Camp, RMI Guide Jason Thompson and team have returned to Talkeetna. The team awoke to clear skies and anxiously awaited the sound of aircraft over head. They weren't disappointed. Everyone is back in Talkeetna looking forward to warm showers and a meal they don't have to make themselves. They will be transferring to Anchorage later this afternoon. Congratulations on a safe and successful week!

Oddly enough, we had great weather today, but we couldn't really put it to good use. We stayed in our 14,200' camp. Forecasts called for dire weather and a couple of our gang were under the weather, dealing with minor colds, so we decided to give everything and everyone a day in which to get better. In fact, none of the other teams on the mountain moved either. We know of four, one other guided group at 14 Camp and three teams up at 17,200'. The National Park Service team packed up their camp and flew out of 14 today by helicopter, their season finished. To take advantage of the fine sunshine and to stretch legs, most of our team roped up and took a short walk to the "edge of the world" on the rim of Genet Basin. It offers magnificent views nearly straight down to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and also a good look at the lower portions of the West Rib climbing route. Obviously, if we have the opportunity tomorrow, we want to get back to work on the West Buttress route. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Our team is back in Quito, safe and sound after a successful and challenging Cotopaxi summit today. The weather looked perfect when we woke before midnight but that didn't last long, as a storm began to brew as we were climbing. Most of the climb, we were in the clouds with light precipitation and moderate winds. It never got bad enough to turn around; instead, it just made our climbing harder. We didn't need any help making the route harder, as we encountered ladders spanning crevasses, steep slopes, and open crevasses, in addition to the extreme altitude that is always present on Cotopaxi. All in all, we had a fun and safe climb. We were climbing for more than 12 hours, so we're all bushed. Hopefully showers and a quick nap will rejuvenate everyone so that we can enjoy our celebration dinner tonight in Quito. It's been great spending the past 10 days in Ecuador with our team. We enjoyed a ton of different activities, both cultural and adventurous. Thanks team, for being an integral part of a great trip. Hasta la próxima montaña, Adios. ...stay tuned for the Cotopaxi Express trip's blog, starting this weekend! RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Monday, June 10, 2013 A windy and cold night was greeted by more wind. For our team this is no issue, as we had planned this second consecutive rest day. This will be just the ticket for a more acclimatized and rested body that we will need for summit success. The menu for this morning was supreme. Round upon round of bagels with cream cheese topped with bacon along with hash browns covered in cheese took us once again well past noon to complete. The places we travel in the mountains can lead one to believe we are Martians, ready to launch onto to another planet - and that is exactly what we are doing. We push ourselves both mentally and physically, taking our personal learning and discovery to a higher level. When we return from these Martian lands, after having come face to face with deep personal truths and surpassing previously held limitations...we bring a richer and more rounded person home, someone who understands more about the nature of teamwork, sacrifice, and awareness. We thank you all for the support and the opportunity to let us dig deep and take on a new understanding of our passions! The afternoon has more smelly tent time spent pounding water, fussing over who is the best celeb of all time and growing hairier by the day! The forecast is looking to set up nicely over the next few days and we hope to move to our high camp tomorrow. Till then keep the vibe high for our push! RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens and the crew

On The Map