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Just as the Mt. McKinley weather report predicted, we got six inches of snow last night at our 14,200' camp. There wasn't any wind to go with it though, so the night was an easy one. Most of today was spent "inside the ping pong ball" -in a white world of cloud and falling snow. So most of us passed the time in the tents, sleeping, reading, listening to music or talking about the weather. A high point to the cloudy part of the day was a reading of the comments posted to the RMI blog. We can't bring up a web page, but the comments were cut and pasted into an email for the team and were very well received. Thank You. Finally, around dinner time, the clouds began to clear and we were treated to stunning views of Foraker, Hunter and Denali. Now, at 9:30 in the evening it is crystal clear above and cloudy down below. This clear and dry evening defies predictions but we'll gladly take it. The big hope now is that tomorrow will stay nice and we'll get to move up to high camp. Spencer wishes his Mom a happy birthday from Denali... And his teammates second that. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Today we walked.

It was a dusty, rocky, hot, and dry 15 miles from Mulas Basecamp to the park trailhead. In front of us sprawled an immense valley. Behind us, clear views of the summit we stood upon just a few short days ago.

A perfect setting for reflection.

Some thought back to the summit bid with all the challenges and struggles that came with it.

Others looked forward to the Michelin Star dinner that awaits us in Mendoza tonight. With FKTs being broken to meet the reservation.

Still others spoke of future climbing plans such as Mt. Vinson or Denali.

All in all we started this journey as strangers just a few short weeks ago. But we leave the Park as friends, by our shared experience of climbing Aconcagua.

Thank you for following along, we can't wait till we're back out in the mountains for our next objectives.

Climber Jon Honda 

Yoga studios have popped up nearly everywhere it seems and are as common as gyms in many places. Combine that with all sorts of free online classes and podcasts, and yoga is an activity that is readily available to nearly everyone. There are numerous different styles which focus more heavily on different aspects of the practice, such as stretching, building core strength, or mental training. The combination of strength, stretching, and focus that yoga builds can hold a lot of benefits for athletes, but many do not include it in their training routines. Yoga has a place in your training routine as you prepare for your next climb. It builds strength: Training for climbing often focuses on a handful of major muscle groups in the legs and core. We do squats for our quads, carry weight up stairs to build our quad and hamstring strength, and do sit-ups and other core exercises for balance and to help stabilize a pack. All of this training does a great job building the major muscle groups we need, but often leaves the surrounding smaller muscles underdeveloped and leads to imbalances that can ultimately lead to injury. Frequent and consistent yoga practice helps to develop those smaller muscle groups that are often left out, helping to balance out the body. Many yoga poses have a strong focus on balance: Consistent yoga practice helps to develop increased balance and coordination. In climbing, good balance and coordination translate directly to more efficient movement, and ultimately to being able to climb for longer, at a more comfortable rate. Yoga involves a lot of stretching and is a great way to increase your flexibility: Yoga improves joint and muscular flexibility, translating to greater range of motion, which in turn, yields an increase in performance. Increased range of motion also allows greater strength conditioning since the force can be exerted over a greater period. The increases in strength and performance ultimately lead to greater muscular efficiency, benefits which will certainly be felt on your next long summit day! The Shavasana portion that usually concludes each class help you to develop mental control: Stretching and strength poses were originally included in the practice of yoga to prepare the mind and body for the meditation and mental training that follows. Developing the ability to calm your mind, quell your doubts, and focus on the task at hand makes climbing a much more enjoyable experience and will improve your success in the mountains. The number and different types of yoga classes can be intimidating for someone exploring the practice of yoga. Shop around until you find a studio that you like, and explore the different classes they offer. Don’t be frustrated if you can’t do the poses at first; stick with it for a few weeks and you’ll make huge improvements in your practice and will see the benefits creep into the rest of your training. _____ Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!

Greetings, So far so good in Chile. Everyone is here and in good spirits and we had a great welcome dinner in the center of Temuco. Powder skiing in the forecast! We'll keep you posted as things progress. RMI Guide Tyler Reid

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Linden Mallory reached the summit of Mt. Rainier earlier this morning. The teams got an early start this morning in order to take advantage of the cooler overnight temperatures and beat the heat today. While on the summit, the teams found it to be incredibly warm with calm winds. They are also enjoying a clear sky with views in all directions. The teams will descend to Camp Muir where they will refuel before continuing their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later today. Congratulations!

A whole lot of airplanes got flown around Union Glacier today, but not ours. At first, the day looked like another storm day with low cloud and poor contrast, but by mid-morning, things began to shape up. About fifty mountains appeared from the mists and the sun came out to stay. Word was that clouds were persisting at Vinson Base, however. So we got out our ropes and toys and began reviewing crevasse rescue strategies. Meanwhile the planes began flying other folks to and fro around Antarctica. Camp emptied out as the weather got more and more pleasant. We trained, we ate, we waited. It wasn't until after dinner that conditions at Vinson improved enough for a try with the ski-equipped Twin Otter. But that plane was designated for others and ours was to be a second lap by the same plane... if time allowed. But it didn't allow. By the time the plane finally went, it was known that the pilots would reach the end of their "duty day" before a second lap. Ours will have to be tomorrow after breakfast... fresh pilots, fresh weather, fresh hope. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Kathmandu! It's been quite the adventure the last few weeks. Today the team left the beautiful and peaceful Khumbu and caught our morning flight back to the busy city of Kathmandu. The team spent the day lounging by the pool, resting in our rooms and catching up with emails and news. Everyone is doing well and excited about returning home to family and friends. We finished the day off with pizzas and long fresh salads. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

Today we left the Alzimoni hut, moving to our high camp on Ixta. The crew did very well and we made in good style to our new home at 14,700 feet. After refueling on hot drinks, soup and dinner we turned in to catch some zzzz`s before our alpine start tomorrow. Wish us luck and good weather, we'll check in manana.

Yet another day for the books on our trek. After a long day yesterday we were all sore, sleepy, and appreciative that the big day was behind us. The unfortunate part is the the back end of this trip tends to feel like a bit of a whirlwind due to the shear amount of things at our disposal to see. So another early morning it is with the breakfast bell ringing at 6:30 AM. 

After our delicious meal at Refugio Grey we walked about 10 minutes down to the waters of Lago Grey and onto the catamaran to buzz past the icebergs and towards the long Grey glacier we ogled yesterday. We rappelled into a couple of ice caves and spent the morning traversing the glacier and taking in the unbelievable weather and views. 

We still had to get to the next Refugio though so after lunch, we hit the trail and enjoyed the vistas along the ridges that our morning glacier had carved years and years ago. 

We are now at Paine Grande, the biggest Refugio on the trek and a taste of civilization in this vast vast wilderness. Tomorrow we’re hoping for the weather to cooperate for our trip up the French Valley, but it’s supposed to rain. We can’t complain too much though. It’s been unbelievable so far. 

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Saturday, May 21, 2023 - 11:27 pm PT

Big moves today. We bounced back and forth on whether to move this morning, as it snowed all night and was still when we woke up. After a bit of waffling we decided it was time. Though it was pretty cloudy and white at 11,000', it was dead calm, and it looked much the same above. We stayed in that cloud until Windy Corner and it was HOT. It acted much like a microwave and we were sweating, both from heat and loads. The theme was pretty similar to yesterday - our travel was smooth, it was hard work, but the team was strong and we clipped right along. Six hours after leaving 11,000', we walked into our new home at 14,000'. 

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer