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Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jack Delaney, David Price
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
We had a great day at Mt. Erie on Tuesday for the first day of our Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan. We went through gear, learned knots, anchors, belaying, and rappelling. We also did a bit of top rope climbing in boots to get ready for Shuksan. We then prepped and got ready to head onto the mountain for the next few days. We had a great day with a bit of cloud cover to keep it cool. We then moved into camp at the toe of the Sulphide Glacier with some incredible views for the next several days!
On Friday, we made our summit attempt with 100% of the group reaching the summit at 9,131'. It was a long day and we arrived back in camp late. Everybody is happy. We'll train on Saturday and check in then.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
Posted by: Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
Posted by: Alex Van Steen, Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Carstensz Pyramid
Elevation: 13,900'
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Walter, Taylor Bickford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Mike Walter checked in from camp this afternoon. Mike reported avalanche conditions and decided to turn due to unstable snow conditions, rain on snow, some natural avalanche conditions and 30 - 60cm postholing.
They hope to climb thru Coleman-Deming and then hike out tomorrow.
Dave Hahn and Team Members from the Vinson Summit
On The Map
congratulations Mindy! So proud of your big achievement! You are great. Bill
Posted by: Bill Liu on 12/19/2011 at 1:17 pm
I hope soon I will be able to do what you have done, congratulations on your climb
Posted by: grover rose on 12/15/2011 at 4:13 pm
Posted by: Henry Coppolillo, Kiira Antenucci, Roland Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
With a thick marine layer of clouds below Paradise, Camp Muir and the upper mountain enjoyed clear skies and sunshine. The Four Day climbs led by RMI Guides Josh McDowell and Henry Coppolillo reached the summit this morning and were beginning their descent from the crater rim around 7 am. Teams will return to Camp Muir then continue the remaining 4,500' down to Paradise to conclude their program at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon with a short celebration.
Congratulations to today's Four Day Climb teams!
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jess Wedel, Nick Sinapius, Josh McDowell, Eric Frank, Brian Walters
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Four Day Climb June 5 - 8 was unable to make their summit attempt. Strong winds overnight at Camp Muir kept the climbers safely inside the hut. RMI Guides Mike Haugen and Josh McDowell reported sustained winds of 50 mph with gusts in the 60's. The winds have decreased enough to allow the climbers to ascend above Camp Muir to check things out. After their walk, they will return to Camp Muir and then make their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing the climbers at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
Mike/Jess & Team-
Great climb, thanks so much for taking us! The views were amazing, I learned a ton, and you guys made it really fun, and safe! Good luck with the Kautz Route Seminar later this week!
-Bill
Posted by: Y on 6/8/2022 at 10:59 pm
Posted by: James Bealer, Josh Geiser
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,781'
The Mt. Baker Easton Glacier Team was on the summit of Mt. Baker at 11:24 am today. RMI Guide James Bealer reported a "Blue Bird" day of climbing, with clear skies, and warm temperatures. The team climbed in their t-shirts and only passed one team on the way to the top, perfect conditions. They are on their way back to camp where they will spend one more night before descending to the trailhead.
Congratulations Team!
Posted by: Kel Rossiter
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
Fortunately, time and time again, in the face of doom, gloom, cats, and dogs we put ourselves into position for success and just barely, and just somehow, squeaked it out. For the first few days we enjoyed the relative “rain shadow” that the Washington Pass area of the North Cascades provides. Washington Pass doesn't allow for glacial travel though—an integral part of the AGE—so after two days we had to leave that safe harbor for the shores of Mt. Shuksan. We arrived in the Lake Ann/Fisher Chimneys trailhead in a steady drizzle. By the time we packed up, things had improved, but the rest of the day was something of an ongoing “fashion show” as we put on a rain shell, took it off, added a warmth layer, and tried to predict what the weather would look like in five minutes. And in the backs of our minds all imagined how things might unfold. Happily, we were most certainly rewarded for our efforts: By the time we topped out on Fisher Chimneys and rolled into our bivvy site, we were high above the roiling sea of grey valley clouds. So often it's the case on Mount Rainier that we'll radio down to Ashford and hear that they're thick in the rain while up at Camp Muir we're above it all. Such was the case on Shuksan, and the next day we managed to circumnavigate the Upper Curtis, Sulphide, and Crystal Glaciers and climb the summit massif's Northeast Ridge—my first time doing that particular route and highly recommended!
As the forecast shifted from grim to grimmer, we again decided to head over to Washington Pass. Driving over Highway 20 toward our meeting point at the Cutthroat Peak trailhead, my windshield wipers clicked a steady rhythm in time with the electronic music I was listening to to try to psych myself up. I arrived early at the trailhead and the rain continued. I cranked more psych music as I attempted some gear-sorting-inside-the-car-yoga poses. Then, miraculously, it began to clear. Not the swift and sure kind of clear that let's you know a new weather attitude is on the way—more like the resistant backing away of an angry dog that's just been called by it's owner, but enough to make a climb seem viable. We racked up, packed up, and headed for Cutthroat Peak's South Buttress. While it is true that “you can't win if you don't play”, it's also true that it's a bad idea to climb yourself so far up an objective that retreat becomes untenable. Fortunately, the South Buttress offers plenty of bail options, so with one eye on the clouds and the other on my rope coils, we moved upward, steadily gaining another plum Cascade peak.
By then, we'd heard reports from a group of Advanced Alpine Guide Course participants that the Boston Basin area (home to West Ridge of Forbidden, Torment-Forbidden Traverse, Sharkfin Tower, and Sahale Peak, among others) had already received six inches of the new winter's snow. Fresh snow poses it's own set of problems in the alpine world, but deciding that fresh snow was more palatable than dealing with the reported dousing on the way, so up we went!
These days, I'm climbing on snow for at least a part of almost every month of the year, but it's not often I'm dealing with fresh snow in September. Skis or snowshoes weren’t a part of our packing list, so lift-kick-step-sink-lift was the interminable process as we moved up through the now 10 inches of fresh snow covering the Quien Sabe Glacier. A circumnavigation/summit of Sahale Peak was our goal, and we eyed the valley clouds warily as we proceeded in dogged pursuit. Soon the clouds enveloped us and in between breaks we attempted to plot the best path ahead. After some steep, snow-laden slopes, a bergschrund crossing, and the final rocky summit scramble we were on top of our last AGE objective, Sahale Peak!
By day's end I was back in a Bellingham motel room, enjoying the comforts of a shower, eat-in Thai Food, and 581 channels. On every weather channel, stoic looking forecasters delivered the report with the delicacy of a cancer ward counselor: the patient's condition was not improving. I spooned the last bit of tofu out of my box of green curry and grinned: For the last ten days we'd prevailed in the face of such gloom and doom forecasts, and now, with the AGE wrapped up I was much more than just a survivor, I was finally an AMGA Certified Alpine Guide!
Achieving AMGA Alpine Guide Certification only occurred through a lot of support. Thanks to RMI/Whittaker Mountaineering/Eddie Bauer-First Ascent for their solid support of guide professional development. Thanks to all of the RMI guides who, through their sharing of skills, techniques, and approaches, have honed my own alpine guide skills; and particular gratitude to Andres Marin, Geoff Schellens, Jake Beren, Levi Kepsel, Eric Frank, Leon Davis, Elias De Andres Martos, and Rob Montague who shared with me their time and talents in the field as I worked toward this goal.
- RMI Guide Kel Rossiter
Congrats Kel!! Photos look awesome!! I will be back to Rainier in 2014, this time in August and determined to make the summit.
Posted by: Scott Cadman on 11/26/2013 at 7:20 am
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
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