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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.

This is Dave Hahn Calling in from the Mt. Everest Climb. We are spending our second night here Deboche tonight. We weren’t able to send out email from here, that’s why you haven’t heard from us, but all is well. Today was our rest day here. What did was we hiked over to Tengboche and got our blessing from Lama Geshi, a blessing for attempting the mountain. That was a great time; we went out lunch in Tengboche afterward and came back here in the afternoon. Everybody is going really well. Tomorrow it is our intention is to move up to Pheriche. We hope we will have email communication then. Take care for now, Bye. RMI Guides Dave Hahn, JJ Justman, Billy Nugent & Team

Hi Everyone, Thanks to the Chilcabamba Eco Lodge the team has been well fed and all are well rested. After a leisurely breakfast the team finished packing for another climb before our ride arrived. It took as an hour to reach the parking lot at 15,000’. We hiked for about 45 minutes to reach the hut at Cotopaxi which resembles a modern two story house. All is well and the weather is improving. We will spend the next few hours playing cards, getting some sleep and plan to awake at midnight. If things go well we should arrive on the summit of Cotopaxi near sunrise. We will call from there if the mountain allows us to do so. Wish us luck! RMI Guides Casey Grom, Adam Knoff and Crew

The Four Day Summit Climb August 29 - 1 September led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reported cold temperatures with clear skies and moderate winds during their climb. They will return to Camp Muir and continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!

The team did well practicing mountaineering skills today in preparation for our Mt. Shuksan summit bid in the morning. The weather was perfect and we had a great time out on the glacier today. We'll check in from the summit tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter

At low camp, we woke to another thoroughly cloudy day. But it wasn't as cold as yesterday and there wasn't any wind up above that we could detect. We ate our usual late breakfast and checked in with Vinson Basecamp via the radio to hear the latest forecast (the same folks at Union Glacier who try to find weather windows for the Ilyushin also take a stab at mountain weather predictions). The forecast was just plain good. Clouds diminishing, no significant winds. We packed up low camp and headed for high camp. It was 2 PM by the time we were roped up and walking toward the fixed lines. We climbed in a murky world of cloud, between murky layers of other clouds down low and up high. But we made good and steady progress, reaching high camp at 12,300 ft by 8:30 PM. We worked to get a camp built and a kitchen going. At 10 PM we got our first sunshine of the day, which, thankfully kept on beaming down through clearing skies to make dinner and going to bed a lot easier. Tomorrow could be our big day... Depending, of course on how the weather shapes up and how the climbing team looks at breakfast. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

A nice 10 mile plus or minus hike from Chu Kung today. Not quite sure how there can be so much uphill on a descent, who built these trails anyway? Happy to be back here in Namche at the Campo de Base tea house. If you ever are in the area, this is the place to stay. Very friendly staff, comfortable rooms and Hot Hot showers! We saw a couple of Everest teams on the way today. We had a nice chat with some old friends and made plans for future meetings at Basecamp. We will check out of the park in the morning and finalize our permits regarding the Island Peak climb. The infrastructure is a bit crude but it is so important to keep trying to have an eye on this truly amazing part of the world. The sky was a bit hazy today but a nice temperature for the trek out. A few of the hillsides had a large number of rhododendron trees flowering, it is so nice to be back in the living zone of the Earth's dirt. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

13,000! That's our sleeping elevation tonight at the Altzimoni hut. We started the day with the best breakfast in Mexico at the Mission Tlaxcala. Then we drove back to the west and around Ixta, with a few pit stops along the way. Once we reached the town of Amecameca we loaded up on water and drove to the Altzimoni hut. After getting settled the group headed out for a light hike. After that we made dinner and now everyone is tucked in their bunks and getting ready to move to high camp tomorrow. We will check back in from there. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

We departed the Shira Plateau this morning in a light mist. Last night brought significant precipitation and muddied the trails a bit. However, the night rain afforded us a beautiful view of the mountain and its new snow. The day's traverse provided great views of the landscape and curious vegetation. About five hours from the onset, we walked down through rolling fog to our camp nestled underneath the Barranco Wall. Spirits are high and bellies are full. Tomorrow, we wake up early to traverse beneath the Southern Breach Wall. Stay tuned, RMI Climber Dan C.

On The Map

Hi from St. Petersburg, We finished our adventures in Russia by exploring the wonderful city of St. Petersburg. We began the morning by walking along the Mokya Canal, one of the city's many canals, to St. Isaac's Cathedral. Then we climbed the 211 steps to the rotunda where we were afforded fantastic views of the city's skyline, from the spires of the Admiralty and the original churches of the city to the cranes of the busy port city. Afterwards, we ventured across the historic center to the Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood, whose magnificent mosaic frescos are built around the very cobblestones upon which Tsar Alexander II was murdered. We wrapped up our city tour at the Hermitage Museum. Containing over three million pieces of artwork, the museum's size is daunting. But the building's incredible beauty, with its ornately decorated rooms, is enough motivation to explore all of its halls. After a delicious dinner at a traditional Russian restaurant we ended our day by boarding a canal boat and navigating the city's waterways as the setting sun lit up the sky in a fiery red. It has been a memorable two weeks of adventures in Russia, from the cobblestones of Red Square to the snowy reaches of Elbrus, Europe's highest point, to the canals of St. Petersburg, we have had a trip to remember. Tomorrow we board our flights bound for home and look forward to sharing our stories with you in person.