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Mt. Everest: Hahn & Team Have a Snow Day

April 13, 2015

Posted by: Dave Hahn, JJ Justman

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest

Elevation: 17,575'

The snow began falling about the time we got into our sleeping bags last night. It didn't quit. When we poked heads out for a look-see around 3:30 AM, it was still piling up pretty good, and so there wasn't any consideration given for going ahead with the icefall plan for the day. Back to bed and wait and see, was the plan. It had snowed about a foot by breakfast. The gang assembled and we spent the day biding our time. We didn't have great conditions for walking with powder snow over uneven rock and ice. The clouds and flurries hung in all day. We could hear and occasionally see puja ceremonies going on at the camps around us. All-in-all it was a quiet day of waiting. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Ecuador: Nugent &Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

February 13, 2014

Posted by: Billy Nugent

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 15,696'

Ecuador Adventure - Day 2: Today the gang got their first taste of real altitude with an acclimatization hike and scramble on slopes just above the western edge of the city. After a quick breakfast we hopped a few taxis over to the Teleférico, Spanish for gondola, and rode it up high out of town. Blue skies and clear views were an uncommon treat for us and the top of the gondola revealed Cayambe in the north, Antisana to the east, and Cotopaxi and Chimborazo to the south. From there we started moving up the slopes of Pichincha, the volcano closest to Quito. We even had a chance to spy a couple of condors gliding below us and then riding thermals high, high above. These are rarely seen birds with wingspans as large as 3 m, quite the treat. Anyway, after a few hours of hiking and a little scrambling here and there we found ourselves on the summit enjoying 360-degree views of Quito and the caldera. The mountain we climbed was called Rucu Pichincha meaning the old part of the volcano, and we were catching views of the Guagua Pichincha, the baby volcano. We snapped some photos from the peak (4,697 m) and then made short work of the descent. Our acclimatization hikes will continue tomorrow but we are gonna hit the road and leave Quito headed north. More tomorrow! RMI Guide Billy Nugent

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Settle into 11K Camp

June 23, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013 Hello all, We're checking in from 11k! We woke at a more reasonable hour this morning to a centimeter or so of new snow, and crystal blue skies. There was nothing to do but eat a big breakfast, crash our camp, and bounce to 11,000 feet. Just over two hours later we rolled into camp, psyched to finally be setting up shop for a few days. We dug a big kitchen, got the tents all bomb proof, and enjoyed an afternoon lounging in (or hiding from) the sun. With a full rest day tomorrow, it was a relaxed evening, and we spectated as the rangers skied a few laps above camp. The group's competitive personalities are coming out, and tomorrow we have scheduled a competitive napping event. We'll let you know who the winners are! Until then, Happily resting at 11k. RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, et al.

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Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador: Experiencing the winds of Cayambe

January 8, 2013

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Casey Grom

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Elevation: 15,300'

Hello to all following the Ecuadorean skills seminar. As Casey mentioned yesterday, the wind gods in this neck of the woods, or jungle, seem to be a tad upset with Cayambe the last few days. Last night the gale rocked our hut, shaking windows and spraying dust onto our sleeping bags and equipment all through the bunk room. As I woke my concern shifted quickly not to dirt in my eyes but to Jan who will get his merit badge as the only one to have spent a night in a tent. I don't think too many of us were complaining though because the tent this morning looked very close to flying away. Unfortunately this same wind pattern continued throughout the morning making our projected second attempt at moving to high camp seem a bit detrimental to our actual summit attempt. As much as I wanted to give our team the experience of moving upward and making a high camp, discussions with Casey and Jamie helped me realize the effort needed to move up, pitch tents and get substantial rest was not advantageous to our climb tonight. What another day at the hut did allow us was more valuable training. The opening section to our route directly out of the hut offers impressive rock out croppings ideal for fixed rope travel and rappelling. After our outside time, that was certainly tested by the wind, we retreated back to the hut where we practiced rope coiling, knots and time killing activities. We are now preparing for an early dinner and retirement to our sleeping bags. We look forward to getting up early and gunning for the summit of the equator's highest point. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

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Mt. McKinley: Nugent & Team Waiting at 17,000’

June 1, 2012

Posted by: Billy Nugent

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,000'

Hey, everybody it’s Billy. I’m calling from 17,000’ where we are enjoying our third rest day or you could call them weather days. We have been sitting around in the clouds, it has been snowy and windy. We are hoping that this high pressure that is supposed to build this weekend over the mountain actually happens and we’ll get a chance to climb. Right now the team is hanging tight, chilling in their tent, every now and then getting out and working on the snow walls, trying to maintain sanity and waiting for this weather to lift so we can take a crack at the top. I’ll give you guys a call again tomorrow, let you know if anything new develops. Take care, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

RMI Guide Billy Nugent checks in from 17,000 ft on Mt. McKinley.

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Kilimanjaro: Climb Ends, Safari Begins

February 21, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Just finished a wonderful meal at The Dik Dik hotel with the whole team. They all look about the same as when we started the climb, but I believe everyone of them has change in some sense inside. I think a greater self awareness and positive outlook on just how tough and how much they can endure was brought to life over the course of this expedition. Thank goodness for the available hot showers this afternoon it was a nice touch to have them change on the outside. Perfect weather for our 3 hour hike to the end of the trail where we said good by to a fantastic group of local men who helped us with the climb of Kilimanjaro. Couldn't have done it without them. Thanks so much to The Dik Dik Hotel and RMI staff for all they have done. We will start the Safari part of the program tomorrow and I will do my best to keep you in the loop. May it be a short time before this group gets to a new trail head for the start of another great adventure. Cheers, RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Rainier: Five Day Climb Teams Reach the Summit

July 1, 2025

Posted by: Jack Delaney, Sam Marjerison, Leif Bergstrom, Hannah Billings, Arianna Drechsler, Layne Peters, Imogen Von Mertens, Brendan Oates

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

The Five Day Climb June 28 - 2 July led by RMI Guides Jack Delaney and Sam Marjerison reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning on a beautiful day. The teams enjoyed some time on the summit before beginning their descent from the crater rim around 9 am. The climbers will return to Camp Muir for their second night on the mountain and enjoy the views and their accomplishment. Tomorrow the teams will descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise.

Nice work today team!

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Mt. McKinley Expedition: Hahn & Team Move to 17,200ft Camp, Prepare for Summit Bid

July 1, 2025

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Sam Hoffman, Calvin Jiricko, Bailey Servais

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska

Elevation: 17,200'

Monday, June 30, 2025 - 11:04 pm PT

Perfect day for moving on up. We took advantage and climbed to 17,200. The team was already roped and moving toward the headwall at 8:30 AM when the cold shadows still covered the entire basin. We got much needed sun at the first rest break. It was a pleasure as always to top out the ropes at 16,200. We broke into our cache for a few essentials... just to make sure the guide packs were heavy enough for climbing the West Buttress. The spectacular walk up the crest went smoothly for us and we rolled into 17,000' Camp at 3:15. As usual, it was tough to build a solid and safe camp at such a high elevation just after arriving. But we got it done and sat down to a nice dinner inside our dining tent. Snow conditions on the route to Denali Pass are still unstable so there is no chance for us to go for the summit tomorrow.

We'll keep evaluating to see whether we get a chance on following days.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

New Post Alerts:
Mt. McKinley Expedition, June 14, 2025

Kilimanjaro: Okita and Team Say Goodbye

August 12, 2023

Posted by: Brent Okita

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

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

Mexicos Volcanoes: King & Team take acclimatization hike on La Malinche

November 7, 2022

Posted by: Mike King, Henry Coppolillo

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 10,000'

The weather cooperated yesterday and let us get to the top of La Malinche, 14,636’. The thunder rolled in as we got to the cabins.

Today we are in transit to Ixta. A few stops to get provisions and register with park at Paso de Cortez puts us between Popo and Ixta. We’ll have a nice hike to our camp to continue acclimating. Once in camp we’ll get our gear sorted for our move to high camp tomorrow and our summit attempt on Wednesday. The team is doing great, lots of laughs and camaraderie. We have clear skies as we drive and got our first views of Ixta and Popo. We’ll check in tomorrow from our high camp.

Thanks,

RMI Guide Mike King

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Most Popular Entries

Mt. Everest: Hahn & Team Have a Snow Day

Ecuador: Nugent &Team Hike to Top of Rucu Pichincha

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Settle into 11K Camp

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Expedition Skills Seminar - Ecuador: Experiencing the winds of Cayambe

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Mt. McKinley: Nugent & Team Waiting at 17,000’

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Kilimanjaro: Climb Ends, Safari Begins

Mt. Rainier: Five Day Climb Teams Reach the Summit

Mt. McKinley Expedition: Hahn & Team Move to 17,200ft Camp, Prepare for Summit Bid

Kilimanjaro: Okita and Team Say Goodbye

Mexicos Volcanoes: King & Team take acclimatization hike on La Malinche

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