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RMI Teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 7 a.m. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Zeb Blais and their Four Day Summit Climb teams reported clear skies and calm winds for their climb today. They will spend some time on top before beginning their descent to Camp Muir and continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

Well the snow continues to pile up. Our storm board is reading 68 cm of snow in the past 36-hour period. The wind has been picking up, intensifying the storm. Turns out, this storm is a little bigger then they first thought. We spent three hours this morning digging out our tents and the cook tent. We're all staying busy here on the glacier, experiencing the other part of Alaska, the weather. Well not too much else to report, hopefully we'll be off the glacier sooner then later. RMI Guide Jason Thompson

Today was another great day for the crew down here in Ecuador. After an early rise and quick breakfast we loaded up our van and headed out on the road from Quito into the countryside. The valleys and mountainsides around Quito are a gorgeous emerald green and the high peaks were all covered in fresh snow. We caught glimpses of our first mountaineering objective Cayambe, as clouds moved in and out. Needless to say the group was excited as we continued past Cayambe to a large volcanic caldera called Fuya Fuya. We spent the late morning and early afternoon summiting one of the twin peaks of Fuya Fuya at around 4,200 m. The views from the summit were spectacular. We looked down on a huge lake filling the crater and were surrounded by many beautiful peaks. After a quick descent the team headed to the Hacienda San Luis for dinner some R&R. Everybody is enjoying the beautiful grounds and rustic rooms (complete with fireplace) here. Tomorow's plans call for a trip to the open air market in Otovalo and then a move up to the climber refugio high on Cayambe! I'll check in again as soon as I can, we hope everyone at home is doing well too! Ciao from the Equator! Thanks to Dawn Kim for the photos in this post!

Monday, July 1, 2013 Our storm got real in the night, with cannon-like broadsides of wind and ice particles assaulting the tents. It was serious enough that the guides were out stumbling around from midnight to 2 AM, cutting snow blocks and building walls, but not serious enough that the whole team needed to be in on the fun. It snowed and blew for much of the night, with the wind changing direction every now and then in order to keep things interesting. Although the alarm had been set early for climbing, it was obvious as the morning progressed that we'd simply have to hunker down and ride out the storm. Around mid-morning we rallied the whole crew to eat breakfast, dig out tents and build more walls. Then it was back into the tents for a few hours. We finished the day with some avalanche transceiver training by Zeb Blais, a fine dinner by Erik Nelson and Mike King, and some tall tales by yours truly. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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We were up at 4 AM in the Yak and Yeti Hotel and we were packing. By 5:30 the team was at the Kathmandu airport and ready for some "hurry up and wait". The wait wasn't so long though, on this morning, before we were riding a little shuttle to our plane while watching the sunrise. We boarded the twin prop Dornier and took off in cloudless but smoky skies. Once through the thick smog layer it was possible to see a row of giant and jagged peaks out the port side windows. After a quick 30 minutes, the plane was in a steep descent toward the tilted Tarmac of Lukla airstrip. The landing was fast, flawless and loud as the pitch of the props was reversed to brake the plane. Within just a few moments we were out of the hectic 9,200-feet airport and in the quiet comfort of a tea house. The 2013 RMI Everest Expedition took its first steps at around 8:30 as we set off in perfect weather. The team only needed one rest along the way as we traveled through small farms and villages. The rock walls of our valley soared above and we could see a handful of glacier covered sharp summits floating over everything. "Traffic" was light on the trails - we leap-frogged a couple of teams we happened to know for a while, but for the last hour or so we had things pretty much to ourselves and could enjoy the quiet of the forest and the turbulence of the river. Shortly after noon Dan, James, Mark, Seth and myself, along with our Sirdar Lam Babu, pulled into Jo's Garden in the northern suburbs of Phakding. We lunched, we napped, we ate again and now we are retiring to the rooms for the night, ready to complete the transition from airports and jet lagged city life to mountains and rivers and valleys and walking. Best, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The conclusion of a climbing trip is always a bittersweet affair. We're looking forward to getting back home to loved ones, yet we're sad to end a great adventure with some new friends. 

Our last day saw the group split up with Mike and Heidi flying out from an airstrip near our lodge in the park and the Corcorans needing to beat feet for an early flight home. Plenty of animals were seen on this half-day safari, with Mike and Heidi seeing another leopard! Our day rooms at our nice hotel back in Arusha were key for us to be washed and rested for our long flights home. 

As I reflect on this trip from the modern Schiltpol Airport in Amsterdam I'm reminded why we do this stuff. Cool adventures, physical challenges of the type 2 fun variety, and most importantly, climbing (and safari-ing) with a special group of folks that I look forward to doing stuff within the future. 

Thanks for reading these posts. See you in the mountains! 

RMI Guide Brent Okita 

Habari! This is the Kili team checking in from the top of the Barranco Wall. We've just ascended the steepest part of our trek. We started this morning at 12,600' and have climbed just over 1,000 vertical feet. The views of the Heim Glaciers on the upper mountain were awesome this morning. The clouds have come in now which will give us pleasant hiking conditions the rest of the way. Tomorrow we will ascend to high camp! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall & Team

On The Map

Just got off the phone with our outfitter ALE. There will be no flight tonight. We are to dress in our gear, boot up, and be “wheels up” in the lobby at 4:30 am tomorrow morning. I have mixed feelings…glad to get another night in a bed after the enduro flights to get here, but I’m anxious to get on the ice and start. This will be my third trip to Vinson and I am stoked to go back. Viesturs and I have been planning this trip for years. First Ascent is our primary sponsor, and the team consists of Ed Viesturs, Seth Waterfall, Caroline George, and Jake Norton, who are all First Ascent team members. Also coming along is Kent Harvey, one of the best high altitude cinematographers in the business. Rounding out our team are clients Cindy Outlaw, Ben Dimock, and David Pritchett. This team will climb Vinson, celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the first ascent done in 1966 by Americans, who were wearing…you got it, Eddie Bauer expedition clothing. We have the original flag from that expedition and plan to place it on top to commemorate their climb. After Vinson, the guides and production team will fly to an unexplored area and ski several first descents. Throughout the trip the entire team will be testing 2011 and 2012 First Ascent prototypes. Just another day in the office… Stay tuned for more updates, Peter Whittaker

Hola from Banos Ecuador. I am sorry to announce we did not summit Chimborazo today. Here's why. This morning the team woke up at high camp and we couldn't tell if we were in Ecuador or Alaska. As I mentioned in the previous dispatch, the snow level on this mountain is as low as Ive ever seen it. Normally the precipitation falls during the later hours in the day as the clouds build. By midnight those clouds usually dissipate leaving clear skies and good climbing conditions. Of course this didn't happen the day we attempted to climb. When I got out to the tent at 11:30pm, we could barley see our neighbors, let alone the mountain. Light snow was falling and the wind didn't seem overly oppressive but the clouds were as thick as pea soup and air was cold. By the time we geared up and put in a solid hour of climbing, the skies actually began to clear enough to see what lay ahead. Everyone was climbing really strong and the conditions, despite the new snow were the best I've seen that high up. By the time we reached 18,900 feet, the mountain had had enough of playing Mr. Nice Guy. The clouds built, the wind began to blow a solid 25 and the snow began to fall quite hard. With all of these things happening at once, the safety margin in which we felt comfortable climbing in disappeared. The avalanche hazard became to high and the only reasonable option was to turn around. This was a hard blow to the team but everyone handled it well. Chimborazo dealt us a hand we couldn't beat. So goes the tough game of mountain climbing. You win some and you lose some. Fortunately, even the loses create experiences, memories and adventures we won't soon forget. So after the climb, the team descended to the hut, packed up all our gear and headed down to a jungle town called Banos, translated, meaning baths. There are many naturally heated hot springs here as well as good restaurants and pubs. We even found one that serves IPA and Stout. A well deserved treat after two hard weeks of climbing. Add on top of the beer a good beat down by a local group of teenagers on the basketball court next to the hotel and I would say our day ended better than it began. Now we return to Quito for our farewell dinner and travels home. We hope you've enjoyed following along. Thanks for the support. RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt and team saying adios and muchas gracias.

We experienced some thin air on our first acclimatization hike today, as we climbed Rucu Pichincha, a volcano that sits just to the west of Quito. At 15,413', it was certainly a new altitude record for some climbers on our team. Everyone did well on the climb. Tomorrow we will leave Quito and head south for our next acclimatization hike going up to the climbers' hut on the Illiniza mountains. We'll be in touch with our progress... RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map