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Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
Your read that right, round 2 for RMI Torres del Paine Trek. Our team flew into Puerto Natales on the 19th. We spent the 20th getting gear ready and getting adjusted to the time zone change. Today our shuttle picked us up at 5 am and by 7:30 we were walking up hill. Our first day is up to see the Torres (towers) that the park takes it’s name from. Three granite spires that rise out of a alpine cirque that has a receding glacier and provide great views. It’s a tough day to begin our eight-day trek: 13 miles with 3,500’ up and back down to Torres Central. There was hardly a cloud in sight, no wind at Windy Pass and the heat was not what we’d have expected in Patagonia. Thankful for the shade we got from the forested trail while it lasted we enjoyed a good day and are now back at the Refugio. Tomorrow we’ll hope for some cooler weather but regardless head for Seron Camp over a short four-hour day. Thanks for following along.
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Joe Hoch, Ellison Boord, Lily Emerson, Evan Sather, Charlie Harrison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb July 13 - 16 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guides JT Schmitt and Joe Hoch. The teams reported winds around 45 mph towards the summit. That means they didn't spend much time on top today. As of 7 am they were on their descent and headed back to Camp Muir. The teams will continue down from Camp Muir later this morning and return to Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon for their celebration ceremony.
Congratulations to the Footprints of Fight climbers!
Congratulations A&R
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Posted by: Mike Walter, Henry Coppolillo, Jenna Burkey, Lacie Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
After several days of training and ascending to Camp Schurman, the Expedition Skills Seminar June 17 - 22 led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on Tuesday. The team enjoyed good weather and route conditions. After reaching the summit they returned to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. The team will descend to the trail head and return to Rainier BaseCamp on Wednesday afternoon.
Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar team!
Hey all, glad to hear you had a successful trip! I’m looking at climbing via the emmons the week of July 4th and would be interested in hearing how things are looking up there given all the late precipitation this year. Please shoot me an email if you’re able to share any beta! Thanks
Andrew
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Posted by: Andrew on 6/23/2022 at 7:34 pm
Great work! You guys flew right past us, I’m glad all teams were successful that day! What a slog on the way down, though!
Posted by: David on 6/22/2022 at 9:00 pm
On The Map
Dear Nat, John and Dave, looks like things are going well!!!! So happy for you all to be sharing this experience. Can’t wait to hear all the stories. Happy trails. Beth,Bill,Rachel,Lauren&Maria; :)
Posted by: Mastros on 8/1/2013 at 9:49 am
Way to go Samantha!! So very proud of you and Team Junell! A couple more days and you will be at the Summit and it will all be worth it. Enjoy yourselves and have fun. Lots of Love!
Posted by: Beverly Jones on 8/1/2013 at 9:47 am
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Cho Oyu
Posted by: Brent Okita, Christina Dale, Ben Luedtke, Erika Birkeland, Josh Geiser, Trevor Katz
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four-Day teams reached the summit this morning at 5 am! RMI Guides Brent Okita and Christina Dale reported great route conditions and no winds on the summit. They are currently finishing their descent to Camp Muir for a quick break before packing up camp and starting their descent to Paradise in the summer sunshine.
Congrats team!
Congratulations to everyone! Special thank you to Lead Guide Christina, and to Trevor for all his help with me on the descent. So very proud my son Christian Rainier Culbert summited a 2nd year in a row with RMI. On an even more beautiful day this time when they got to see the sunrise from the summit. I’ll always remember (rue?) the unique challenge of Disappointment Cleaver. Pre-dawn on the Ingraham Flats with Gibraltar Rock looming behind us in that early light, a canopy of stars just beginning to fade above us…a moment I will treasure. Appreciated everything so much; RMI you are a credit to your stewardship of our beloved Mt. Rainier.
Posted by: Geoff Culbert on 8/8/2022 at 7:35 am
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Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
The advice “show up in the best shape of your life” can mean very different things for different people. People from all sorts of different backgrounds come to Mt. Rainier for an adventure and they can all have great success, but it helps to know what you are training for. For an Ironman triathlete, perhaps it isn’t so much about showing up in the best shape of their life, but in the right shape: the physical demands of mountaineering can be very different than those of a triathlon. For someone venturing into the mountains for the first time, building overall aerobic fitness and core strength may be the focus.
Numbers that help to understand the climb:
17,982’ (5480m) of total elevation gain and loss
21 hours on our feet
45-55 lbs of weight potentially in your pack (pack weights do decrease for summit day)
30,000+ steps up and down (no one has ever actually counted them all for us)
2/3 roughly the amount of oxygen available to us at the summit versus sea level.
36 hours in which to do all this (*four day summit climb)
First off, aerobic fitness: For most, summit day on Mt. Rainier will be far and away the longest period of sustained exertion that they have ever done. A typical summit day involves 15 to 16 hours on our feet; as a general guideline that includes an hour of packing and prep, 10 hours of climbing to the summit and back to Camp Muir, an hour of packing and recovery at Muir, and 3 more hours down the Muir Snowfield. Even though the overall pace of our movement is slow, the sheer amount of time on our feet and moving adds up to be exhausting. Now consider that the previous day, the team spent 5 or 6 hours climbing to Camp Muir, and then got maybe 6 hours of somewhat fitful sleep prior to waking for the summit push. Having a deep aerobic base is the only way to be able to push through all these hours, and consequently, the bulk of your training should focus on this realm.
Recovery from anaerobic spurts: While 99.5% of the climb is accomplished in that zone of aerobic endurance, there are small sections of increased effort. It may be just a handful of tricky steps through a boulder jumble on Disappointment Cleaver, or a more sustained section of ice climbing through a tricky, steep section on the Kautz Ice Chute. At altitude, since we are breathing in less oxygen, these increases in effort can quickly become anaerobic, and the ability to recover mid-effort from these bursts is essential. Interval training helps to increase your body’s anaerobic threshold (the level of exertion at which you begin to create large amounts of lactic acid) and also builds your body’s ability to metabolize that lactic acid, effectively recovering. This way, though a few tricky steps may leave you feeling breathless or winded, you are able to recover in a matter of moments with a few deep breathes and fall right back into your rhythm.
Strength: While many focus on overall leg strength — consider that we will essentially be doing shallow squats all the way to the summit — and it is important, core strength and balance are perhaps even more important and more often overlooked. Throughout the climb you will be carrying a pack of varying weight. Your core muscles are responsible for helping to manage a load that is trying to pull you over backwards, keeping it stable and your posture in a position for efficient movement, and a base of core strength allows you to accomplish the more athletic moves that steeper climbing requires. While your core is doing the work to deal with your pack and much of your balance, the small muscles of your ankles and lower legs have to deal with ever-changing terrain: no step is the same, and your ankles and knees have adapt to the changes in slope and pitch to allow the rest of your body to remain in balance. Overall strength is still important, but strength exercises that incorporate an element of balance and coordination or involve your core will pay huge dividends once you find yourself on uneven terrain.
As you build your training plan, take these elements into account, and assess where you already stand. If you come from a strong endurance background, continue with that, but place more of your focus on recovery and core strength. If endurance sports are new to you, start here, focusing on building your base (as that really is the foundation of the rest). Most of all, have confidence that if you follow your plan, your will show up ready for the adventure of a lifetime!
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Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Posted by: Casey Grom, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 14,000'
Namaste Everyone,
The team woke to beautifully clear skies again and views of Everest right out our dining room window. We’ve settled into our daily routine of getting up and packing our duffel bags before meeting in the dining room for breakfast and plenty of Starbucks thanks to RMI sending it with us. After breakfast we steep outside to get a better sense of the temperature before adjusting our layers for the hike. Once on the trail we do our best to maintain a steady pace, with stops every hour or so to stay hydrated and take in the views. There is plenty of other hikers and yak trains headed in both directions to negotiate as well.
Today we hiked for a little over five hours including breaks and a light lunch to get to our next tea house in Pheriche, which sits at about 14,000 ft.
Everyone did great and enjoyed the stunning views of Ama Dablam, one of the most iconic peaks along the route to Everest Base Camp.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Base Camp Crew
Nice work Norm!
Casey. Missing the orange fanta and cribbage
Posted by: Rene Gomzalez on 3/22/2022 at 2:16 pm
Keep it moving.
That was me 15 April’s ago.
Thx for photos and words Casey, Hannah.
Walter
From Indiana
Posted by: Waltero Glover on 3/22/2022 at 12:24 pm
Yeah team!!!
Posted by: Mary Peer on 4/11/2013 at 2:34 pm
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