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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

On The Map

Hello from our 14,000' camp on Mt. McKinley. This is Mike Uchal, Gilbert, Jake, and team just hanging out after a carry to the fixed lined this afternoon. We made a cache up high and came down to a little bit of weather coming in. So we are going to hold tight for a day or two and see what develops and then hopefully move higher for our summit day. Everyone is doing well, and we will check in again later! RMI Guide Mike Uchal

On The Map

Thursday, 5/25/2023 10:21pm PDT

Good evening,

It was up in the air if we would get to move today. The forecast called for isolated showers and some wind and you just do not know what will come of it. Fortunately for us we woke to calm weather. We made fast work of packing up and tearing down camp. Once again, we conquered Motorcycle Hill and Squirrel hill. By the time we got to the Polo Fields a light snow began but not much more. The storm clouds seem to be stuck on another peak. As we walked further and further uphill they stayed at bay, clouds came and went and slow lightly floated down. Windy corner held to its name, but we pushed through. It was a long and grueling day, but we made it to 14,000’ camp. It feels good to be here even with sore and tired bodies.

Tomorrow we will sleep in!

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Happy New Year from the team, nestled in here at Plaza Argentina! How many of you can say you started off the new year riding on the back of a mule across a raging river? Well, everyone on the team did just that, and once we were all safely across the Vacas River we started today's long ascent up the Relinchos Valley. The early morning shade gave way to sun, and unlike yesterday we didn't have a breeze to cool us down. While the absence of flying sand was nice, the heat wasn't exactly what many expected as we made our way higher and higher. Hydration was critical as we climbed closer to our goal, and by mid-afternoon we arrived in base camp - hot, tired, and happy to be here. Our hostesses Griselda and Anita soon had delicious treats on the table and juice in our glasses, and the team took full advantage. After some much-needed rest, we sat down to a dinner of trout, potatoes and tomatoes, complemented with hot tea and lively conversation. We are settled in now for the night, looking forward to tomorrow's well-earned rest day. Everyone is excited to be kicking off 2014 here on Aconcagua! Keep it locked in for more news from the crew... RMI Guides Ben Liken, Nick Brown, and Garrett Stevens

On The Map

RMI Guide JJ Justman sends a video to kick off the start of their Elbrus Southside Expedition.

Congratulations to the Four Day Climb team led by RMI guides Brent Okita and Will Ambler for reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier!

With clear skies and breathtaking views, today’s climb was nothing short of spectacular. Huge kudos to the team for their determination and teamwork on this unforgettable journey.

Friday, June 4, 2021 - 3:09 pm PT

After our dry run yesterday, we got to do the real thing today. We landed on to the Kahiltna at precisely 10 am, and boy was it already hot! We were hoping to hit the ground running, but talking to teams coming off the lower Kahiltna and looking at the temps we decided to take the day to review skills, dig a cache and organize.

Due to the hot temps we are switching to a night schedule so we will sleep through the heat of the day today and depart when things firm up! Morale is high and we are super excited to be on the mountain!

RMI Guide JT Schmitt and team

Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 4:19 pm PT

With snow falling through the night and low visibility in the early morning we decided that a weather day at Camp 1 was better than packing up a wet camp and moving to a crowded 11,200’ Camp. We got some solar on the tents which makes for good napping. Lots of good conversations over a big breakfast of hash browns, eggs and bacon. Our plan is to move to 11,200’ tomorrow in better conditions. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to moving uphill.

RMI Guide Mike King

The Four Day Summit Climb of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides JJ Justman and Mike Soucy stood on top of Columbia Crest this morning. JJ reported that the teams were in and out of a cloud cap all morning but enjoyed light winds and pleasant conditions on the summit. The teams will descend to Camp Muir where they will pack up and refuel before making their way to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford this afternoon. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by RMI Guide Zeb Blais also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They enjoyed a light breeze while on the summit. The team will descend back to high camp for the night and will return to Ashford tomorrow. Congratulations to today's climbers!

Hi there, we are having a great summit day! We left Camp Muir at 4 am and reached the summit at 9:15. The weather has been very nice. We are making our way down the mountain now. We'll check in when we get back to Camp Muir. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall