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Elbrus Northside Team meets in Moscow

August 27, 2010

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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside

Elevation: Moscow, Russia

Dobrey Vecher from Moscow, Our Elbrus North Side Climbing Team congregated from across the world today, everyone arriving from various destinations into Moscow by late afternoon. Despite the many flights and thousands of miles travelled arrivals were smooth. There is always a moment of great anxiety when arriving at your destination on an international climbing expedition occurring immediately upon arrival: standing at the luggage carousel as unfamiliar bags sweep past waiting to see if all of your climbing gear arrived with you. Thankfully, all bags and climbing equipment appeared one by one to our relief. After each person's transfer navigated the infamous Moscow traffic after their flights, we at last met up at our hotel. Moscow is a vibrant, chaotic melting pot that never ceases to surprise. With only twenty years since the end of the USSR, the city is a mix of old and new, of history and progress, and of dilapidation and glamour. All of this is apparent within the drive across town and it continues to present itself around every corner. We gathered as a team this evening, getting to know our fellow climbers over a few pints of local Russian beer and excellent steaks sitting on the terrace of our restaurant overshadowed by the colorful bell towers of the neighboring Russian Orthodox Church. Despite the 11 hour time difference between Moscow and the West Coast everyone seemed to be in good spirits and holding up well from the jet lag and talk quickly turned to the climb as we laid out our game plan for our time in Moscow and subsequent departure for the mountain. With night settled in we wrapped up dinner and headed back to our hotel, situated right on the southern banks of the Moscow River across from Alexander's Gardens and the red walls of the Kremlin. We are ready for a good night's rest before heading out to visit the famous sites of Moscow tomorrow.

Aconcagua: Smith & Team Bid Farewell to Basecamp and Move to Camp 1

January 16, 2023

Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Smith, Daniel May

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 16,200'

Hola amigos!

This morning we bid farewell to our fellow RMI team as they headed back down the Relinchos Valley, one day closer to civilization. We on the other hand shouldered our heavy packs and began our move to Camp 1 at 16,000ft. Blue skies and a light breeze accompanied the team up toward camp. We arrived in good style, feeling and looking good, happy to be making our way to the upper mountain. The night ended with our very own high altitude rendition of Pad Thai. The sun dipped below the ridgeline, the wind picked up, and we all took the cue and retreated to our warm sleeping bags. An early night's rest will do wonders for our carry to camp 2 (Guanacos 3) tomorrow!

Cheers!

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and the team

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hey Hannah! Best wishes for Strength and perfect weather for your climb!
Farmer Dave

Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/17/2023 at 8:15 am

How excited you must all be!

Posted by: Peter Darasz on 1/17/2023 at 5:25 am

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Aconcagua: Scott & Team Meet in Mendoza

January 20, 2020

Posted by: Nick Scott, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

The climbers have all arrived and day one is in the books. While the guides were kept busy with preparations for the coming days, the climbers that arrived early had a chance to experience a bit of Mendoza. Everyone is excited and eager for the days to come. Hopefully the sudden thunderstorm this evening means our bit of moisture for the trip has come and gone and sunny, blue skies await us on the mountain. Here’s to hoping!

RMI Guide Nick Scott

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Looks like a wonderful trip stay hydrated get rest and most of all enjoy the view.

Posted by: PATTI RICHARDS on 1/21/2020 at 4:45 pm

Safe travels all! And hoping for beautiful weather for all the days ahead! :) XO
Guide Mom - Coeli Scott

Posted by: Coeli Scott on 1/21/2020 at 3:11 am

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Mt. Rainier: August 7th Update

August 7, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Walter Hailes

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by Brent Okita and Walter Hailes, reached the summit at 7:00 a.m. The winds were 20-25 mph and a clear day. They are currently descending to Camp Muir. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz, led by Garrett Stevens, is currently on the summit reaching the top via the Kautz Glacier Route. Congratulations to today's teams!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congrats Shane!!! I am so proud of you and your
dedication. I can’t wait to hear all about it. Love-
Misty, Nathan, Ayden, and Brinley

Posted by: Misty on 8/8/2014 at 1:49 pm

I want to thank Brent again for all of his assistance and support on the climb. I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

Posted by: Jerry Thomas on 8/8/2014 at 8:11 am

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Vinson Massif Expedition: Top of the Ropes Carry

December 4, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 9,100'

Another perfect weather-less day, a bunch more Antarctic climbing. The sun didn't show until 11:15 AM -as expected, but even knowing it would be cold in the hours before the sun didn't keep us from being a little shocked at the big chill. We put our crampons on and took our ice axes in hand for today's climb, happy that the sled-pulling approach is done and that the real climbing has begun. We took about five hours to carry a load of food and gear from camp to the top of the fixed ropes. The terrain was up continuously steep and firm snow. It was a pretty good workout and perfect from an acclimatization standpoint as we reached 11,800 feet. We descended carefully, working out the kinks in our fixed line technique, and were back in camp by 8:30 PM. We seem to have the mountain all to ourselves now as the other teams turned out to be on schedules that put them well ahead of us. We'll likely take a rest day tomorrow to firm up the aforementioned acclimatization before our final assault on the heights. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Ya falta poco!!!! Ánimo !!!

Posted by: Eva Lecea on 12/5/2013 at 11:52 pm

Larry…Yet still another adventure of a lifetime…You have been busy since Jan 2012…Do your Aconcagua team proud my man…Godspeed…Waltero

Posted by: walter glover on 12/5/2013 at 8:41 am

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North Cascades: Forbidden Peak Teams Summit!

July 14, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Eric Frank

Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades

Both RMI Forbidden Peak teams reached the summit yesterday! After a leisurely breakfast, they hiked out to the trailhead, sorted gear and bid farewell. A glorious four-day program in the North Cascades! RMI Guides Jake Beren and Eric Frank

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team Arrive to 11,000 Camp

June 10, 2013

Posted by: Jake Beren, Leon Davis, Josh Maggard

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, June 9, 2013 Tonight we will sleep well after three big days on the lower Kahiltna. We arrived to 11,000' camp in the early warmth of a new day and made camp easily. A strong performance by the team gives us great confidence in our abilities the higher we move and with a full day of rest tomorrow, we should only grow stronger. The rest day won't be entirely lounging about. We are going to review some tricks of the trade for motion on the upper mountain and ready loads for our carry towards our 14,000' Camp. So with a light snow falling onto our tents and the sound of other teams passing through camp, we say goodnight to our friends and family. RMI Guides Jake Beren, Leon Davis & Josh Maggard

On The Map

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Looking good, Thanks for the wonderful updates and photos. B Safe and have fun! Kalispell Montana

Posted by: Jay Rocha on 6/10/2013 at 12:06 pm

Getting tremendous vicarious enjoyment from your trip! Keep up the fantastic work!!

Posted by: Nina Baj on 6/10/2013 at 11:43 am

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Kilimanjaro: Tucker & Team Finish Climb, Look Forward to safari

August 13, 2012

Posted by: Mark Tucker

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Hello, We finished our trek of Kilimanjaro today as we hiked the final leg out from Mweka Camp (10,000') to the Mweka Gate (6,000') and said goodbye to our mountain staff. We met our driver and transferred back to the Dik Dik Hotel. After nice showers we enjoyed a great dinner celebration. We have some tired and sore team mates but everyone is very happy. We are getting excited for the safari adventure that starts in the morning! Please check out the photo below of Jan and Clint on the summit of Kilimanjaro on August 11th. The flag they are holding has been flown: on Mt. Rainier, Cotopaxi (Ecuador), Ixtaccihuatl & Pico de Orizaba (Mexico), the U.S. Capital, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, during Desert Storm, Fort Leavenworth, Albania, Germany during the removal of the Berlin Wall, and during Clint's retirement ceremony from the U.S. Army as Colonel. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

What an inspirational photograph. Thank you, Clint, for your many years of service to our country and for sharing this flag with all! - Shari Fox

Posted by: Shari Fox on 8/14/2012 at 6:57 am

Way to go team! Enjoy the safari !

Posted by: Audrey on 8/14/2012 at 5:45 am

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Mt. Elbrus: JJ & Team Ready For Summit Bid

July 8, 2012

Posted by: JJ Justman

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside

Elevation: 12,000'

Mountain Guides can be a superstitious bunch. So as we did a little bit of training including rope travel, self arrest and cramponing in our second day of gorgeous weather. My superstitious side is coming out. Tomorrow is our summit day on Elbrus and we are knocking on wood that the weather stays beautiful. But if I may ask all of you (because this worked for me before), please leave a comment on this post wishing our team luck. The more posts we get from you the better the weather will be. And that means great photos and video to share with all of you when we get safely down. RMI Guide JJ Justman

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Hope the weather held- keep it holding for our trip as well!!! Safe travels back to St. Petersburg.

Posted by: Elsie Bemiss on 7/9/2012 at 5:48 am

Good luck all. Hope the weather holds and you have a good climb!

Posted by: Chris Foley on 7/8/2012 at 1:18 pm

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Denali Expedition: Champion & Team Carry Gear to 14,000ft, Return to 11,000ft Camp

May 23, 2023

Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom, Lauren Macklin

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

Monday, May 22, 2023 - 10:50 pm PT

We set an early alarm, and peaked our heads out the tent to see what the weather was doing. Surprised to find clear skies above us, we blasted the stoves and got every up for a quick breakfast of oatmeal. After eating a quick breakfast, we loaded up our packs with the group gear, and personal food we wanted to cache and began the first stretch of the climb requiring crampons. Up until now, we have been on a long rope interval, and primarily in snowshoes. From here on out we will be climbing in crampons, and using an ice axe. Just as sun hit camp, we began our way up the steep Motorcycle Hill, around the corner up Motorcycle Hill, through the broken up Polo Field and around Windy Corner. The morning was cold, the wind was howling for the first few stretches but by the time we got to the corner, the wind had died down and we were warming up. We passed the common cache site at 13,500' and made our way up to 14,000 Camp, where we were greeted by other RMI teams. We buried our cache, and then headed back downhill to 11,000' Camp for the night. We made a big dinner of Annie's Mac and Cheese and bacon, and then promptly crawled into our sleeping bags after a long day. The team did great today, setting us up well. We are looking forward to another slow morning, and rest before fully moving to 14 Camp.

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Sounds amazing!. Hope you are having fun, Kevin!

Posted by: Jim Boerger on 5/27/2023 at 3:50 pm

Way to go!! Rest up!!! Cheering from Houston. Go Dawny! Go Robin!! And go team!!

Posted by: tiff on 5/24/2023 at 11:27 am

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