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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Teams Top Out!

August 13, 2022

Posted by: Steve Gately, Avery Parrinello, Ben Ammon, George Hedreen, Lacie Smith, Evan Sather

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Teams August 10 - 13 led by RMI Guides Steve Gately and Avery Parrinello reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Clear skies and warm temps were enjoyed by the climbers. Around 7:30 am the teams started their descent from the crater rim. All teams will return to Camp Muir for a quick break before continuing the remaining 4.5 miles and 4,500' to Paradise. They will conclude thier program with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

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Congratulations! Well done!

Posted by: Gavin McCraley on 8/13/2022 at 9:23 am

Way to go! Great achievement on a beautiful day!

Posted by: Chuck Denney on 8/13/2022 at 9:23 am

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Training for the Khumbu Icefall

April 11, 2009

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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 5,343 meters

The clouds were blowing the wrong way today. From East to West is somewhat uncommon during the normal pre-monsoon climbing season. But oh well, it was an enjoyable day in any case. The morning chill didn't last long at all, it was nearly t-shirt weather by the time we'd finished breakfast and the several inches of snow which had fallen in recent days began to melt fast. Tents are going up all around us now as more and more teams show up on the scene. Our nearest neighbors are Korean and Danish. The Koreans have a neat tradition of conducting group calisthenics each morning just before the sun hits the camp. Today I felt quite lazy and antisocial, sipping my morning coffee and listening to the BBC in a big down coat while watching the Koreans bond and stretch. Our First Ascent team did a little bonding and stretching today as well, but at a much more civilized hour. At ten in the morning we all marched for 10 minutes over to a little obstacle course of ladders and ice towers for some practice at rigging up and staying safe. We've got our sights set on the Khumbu Icefall now as the next big goal - the Icefall Doctors are close to having the route complete as far as Camp I and it won't be long before we are moving along and up through their maze of ladders and ropes. But we'll ease into that. The route through the Khumbu is unlike any other climbing route in the world. Great technical climbers and glacier travel experts from elsewhere will not have seen anything like this before. And such is the case within our team. Practice in walking ladders with crampons and protecting ourselves by properly clipping into fixed ropes is a good thing. When one gets to a real passage through the Icefall, one must be fast and efficient at all of this, so today we repeatedly crossed a ladder just a few feet off the ground. And then we tilted it up and crossed at forty-five degrees. Finally we tried a little vertical stretch with the ladder, all the time enabling to protect ourselves against a fall (or a collapse of the ladder) by smartly attaching ourselves to safety lines. As expected, it was a blast to finally be walking on snow with an axe in hand. Everybody seemed a little excited to kick crampon points into ice or to pull on a rope or two. It felt like climbing. After lunch, Erica and I suited up again for an afternoon glacier tour. Just for an hour, since we didn't want to overdo the exercise at this still new altitude, we tramped around on the glacier away from tents and people (and well below the icefall). We stomped up and down little walls and explored corridors within the folds of the glacier. I took Erica to a few of the places I'd marked in my GPS over the years where I'd found oddball souvenirs like busted wooden ice-axes and oxygen bottles marking the basecamps used for the original attempts on this side of Mount Everest. I was startled by the changes in the glacial surface over the course of just one year. My first trip to this side of the mountain was in the year 2000 and over the past nine years I'd gotten familiar with a number of landmarks... boulders, ice ridges and towers that stayed more or less the same, streams of water on and within the ice that tended to form up each season and follow roughly the same course, that sort of thing. But this time, Erica saw me shaking my head a lot and turning my GPS this way and that (which doesn't actually help much with a GPS, by the way) because everything seemed radically different. Large, flat, frozen ponds sit where ice ridges had thrust up sixty and seventy feet previously. New stream courses seem to be everywhere and the formerly orderly flank of the medial moraine we all camped on for years is unrecognizable. I can only assume that a massive volume of ice has disappeared from the glacier due to melt in the past year. Erica and I came back into camp. She headed for the afternoon round of "Dirty Clubs" a mysterious card game that Gerry Moffatt inflicted on the team during the trek. No money changes hands, but the daily losers have to perform all manner of humiliating public stunts. I made the rounds, admiring the organizational work that basecamp managers Jeff Martin and Linden Mallory have been accomplishing while we played on the glacier. The Eddie Bauer, First Ascent/Rainier Mountaineering Inc. Basecamp is shaping up. The word is that the hot shower may be operational by tomorrow. Now there is still enough time for a quick nap before dinner... except the light is just getting good and small avalanches keep crashing down off of the West Shoulder, Lho La and Nuptse, forcing me to keep scrambling out of my tent to watch. So much to do...

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Mexico: Team Settles in at the Base of Ixtaccihuatl

October 11, 2021

Posted by: Grayson Swingle

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 13,000'

Checking in from 13,000ft on Ixta. Today the team is preparing our equipment for our trip up to high camp (15,500ft) on Ixta. We are enjoying a beautiful sunset to the west with glorious views of Ixta to the North. The mountain has fresh snow above 15,500ft.

Tomorrow will be a challenging day with heavier packs, but our team is looking strong. As we watch the sunset, we are eating a delicious meal prepared by our wonderful local staff!

Wish us luck for continuing good weather and hopefully a successful summit of Ixta 17,100ft!

We will check in from our high camp tomorrow.

RMI Guide Grayson Swingle

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Mexico Volcanoes: Cifelli & Team Arrive at High Camp of Pico de Orizaba

March 4, 2022

Posted by: Dominic Cifelli

Categories:

Elevation: 14,000'

The team left the comfort of Puebla for the more rural town of Tlachichuca. Here is where we met back up with our climbing equipment and got to work. Packing and sorting for the climb ahead.
We ate a quick lunch and hopped in the 4x4’s for a rough ride. Long, dusty, and hot we swayed back and forth on what seems like the bumpiest road in Mexico. After two hours of that intense discomfort we arrived at Pico de Orizaba Basecamp and are now settled in to our tents, resting for the climb ahead. We’ll eat some carne asada and head to bed. It’s a clear night here at camp and we’re hoping for that trend to continue till we get back down.

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

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Mt. Rainier: High Winds Keep Five Day Climb from Making Summit Attempt

June 28, 2022

Posted by: Casey Grom, Alex Halliday, Augi Fleer, Josh Geiser, Mira Schoeberlein, Bo Torrey

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 10,080'

The Five Day Climb June 24 - 28 was unable to make a summit attempt due to high winds at Camp Muir overnight. RMI Guides Casey Grom and Alex Halliday reported that the wind picked up around 8 pm last night averaging 60 mphs at Camp Muir with gusts over 90 mph. The wind continues to blow this morning which will prevent the teams from ascending above Camp Muir. The Five Days Teams will be descending to Paradise later this morning and returning to Rainier BaseCamp.

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Vinson Massif: Hanging Out at Basecamp

December 14, 2011

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 7,200'

Not so much to report today besides a good brunch and a fine dinner. Thick fog and cloud blanketed Vinson basecamp for much of the day. This made things predictably cool outside the tents and it was difficult to walk anywhere without feeling a touch of vertigo in the all-encompassing white-out. No news about the availability of aircraft either. Obviously not an urgent matter with the clouds glued into the Branscomb Glacier. Still, Vlado, TA, Mindy and I all enjoyed the day and will always remember where we were for the South Pole centennial. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Following you closly Vlado, thanks to Dave’s exelent reporting. Amazing,amazing, father is watching over you and we all are very proud of your achievments.
Stay safe for the rest of the expedition.
Cheers Maria, Lumir a Patrick

Posted by: Maria on 12/15/2011 at 10:34 am

So proud of you Mindy. thinking about you everyday and your achievement. Can’t wait to see all the glorious pictures. You stay safe and know you are in our thoughts. Missing you - but happy you are enjoying the challenge and sights. Love, Suz xoxo

Posted by: suzanne de maio on 12/15/2011 at 5:59 am

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Mt. Rainier: Summit Climb Teams on Top!

June 25, 2014

Posted by: Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guide Peter Whittaker along with Ed Viesturs led a team of eight climbers to the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Peter reported light wind, great climbing conditions and a beautiful day on Mt. Rainier. All eight climbers in the party reached the summit. The Five Day Summit Climb led by Solveig Waterfall also topped out this morning with 100% of her team on the summit as well. Both teams were beginning their descent from the crater rim around 7:20 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before descending down to Paradise and then to Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!

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Awesome job Matt; I am so happy for you! It looks like you had perfect conditions too. I look forward to hearing about it when you get back.

Posted by: John Boyce on 6/26/2014 at 7:54 am

Well done Dave,Mike and team! Thanks Ed and Peter for keeping them safe:)

Posted by: Nat Turner on 6/26/2014 at 3:20 am

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Teams Reach Crater Rim at 7 am

August 25, 2022

Posted by: Alex Halliday, Tatum Whatford, Joey Manship, Josh Geiser, George Hedreen, Lily Emerson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guide Tatum Whatford radioed at 7 am that the first rope teams of the Four Day Climb August 22 - 25 were reaching the crater rim. The remaining teams were 10 minutes out. Tatum reported a beautiful morning on the mountain with no wind and a very good route. Once they spend a bit of time on the summit, Tatum along with RMI Guide Alex Halliday will lead their climbers back to Camp Muir where they will have a quick break to re-organize and pack for their remaining descent to Paradise. The teams will conclude their program this afternoon with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.

Way to go teams!

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Mt. Baker: Teams Enjoy Daytime Climb and Stand on Top

August 20, 2022

Posted by: James Bealer, Evan Sather, Brian Walters

Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades

Elevation: 10,791'

RMI Guide James Bealer and team have made it to the summit of Mt. Baker this afternoon. After the team's walk into camp yesterday, they enjoyed a late afternoon training session where they covered self-arrest, cramponing, and rope travel before heading to bed in preparation for their climb today. The team will return to camp tonight and walk back to the trailhead tomorrow.

Congrats climbers!

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Back home in Ohio! Thanks all for a great experience. So happy to make it to the top as we all encouraged each other to push on through and get as far as each of us could. Special thanks to James, Evan and Brian for making it happen for us all!!!

Posted by: Patrick Barrett on 8/24/2022 at 9:40 pm

Awesome experience with all of you!!!!!!
Thanks so much!!!!

Posted by: Cheryl Quast on 8/22/2022 at 8:31 pm

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Torres del Paine: King & Team arrive at Lake Perros Camp

February 24, 2022

Posted by: Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine

Elevation: 1,859'

Our hike today was a gradual 1,200’ of vertical spread out over eight miles. We got some great views of the Dickson glacier and John Gardner pass. Most of the day was spent under a dense canopy of trees. The heat continues but with a breeze all day we weren’t inclined to go swimming in Lago Perros with it’s floating glacial ice bergs. This camp is well protected from the wind but we are anticipating some rain to begin tonight and might continue through tomorrow. We’ll get an early start in the morning due to the long day ascending and mostly descending from the pass. Wet/muddy trail will make it a more challenging day then it already is. Fingers crossed for clear skies tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in.

RMI Guide Mike King

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