Most Popular Entries

After a week of Denali Prep Training on the Paradise Glacier RMI Guide Tatum Whatford and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise Team made their way to Camp Muir for their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier. The team climbed under clear skies and a light breeze to successfully reach the Summit of Mt. Rainer at 7:30 am Today!  The team has started their descent and are looking forward to cold drinks and a celebration at the Basecamp Bar and Grill. 

Congratulations Team! 

Mark Tucker checking in from the Carstensz Pyramid Expedition. All is well. We had a great training day today. We climbed a portion of the route just trying to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and technique. Our team is doing very well. We were pleasantly surprised at the abilities of our group here. So, of course, it had to starting raining. We did start out in some clear weather but the spicket turned on and it is raining right now. We are going to take a look at the weather starting about midnight tonight. And at some point we’ll pull the trigger and give it our best shot. Safety is our number one priority but we are going to push it hard and hope that we get a chance to make the summit. We look forward to climbing tonight but for now, we have to get some rest. Thanks for checking in. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Today the trail became steeper on Kilimanjaro and rockier as we left the Giant Heather Zone. The team did a great job as the terrain got rockier. We even climbed some large rock bands testing our solid footwork on the slippery rocks. We now are in the Moorland consisting of unique grasses and beautiful wild flowers unique to East Africa including Lobelias and Senecios. After climbing a wide ridge we gained the broad and sloping Shira Plateau. It was a terrific day and we would love to include photos but the heavy mist kept the distant views out of sight. However, now at Shira Camp (12,200') we are hoping it clears offering our first view of the upper stretches of Kilimanjaro. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

RMI invested with a local solar outfitter a few years back, and as you can see by the picture we are charged up! At the start of this season we used a generator to jump start the batteries, but since then its been all sun. On cloudy days we have to be a bit careful on how much power we use from the bank of six good-sized car-type batteries but usually plenty of juice. Without it, tough to send out this dispatch and even the best generators are too loud. The other photo is of one of our star players here at Base Camp, Raju, who is at the watering hole of choice for now. The staff makes lots of trips to this spot daily with five-gallon plastic jugs to keep us full of that most important beverage. As the glacier moves throughout the season, so will we and the watering hole. With all of the human impact over the years we will boil all of the drinking water. Not yet there with the solar so we do use kerosene for cooking here at Base Camp. We have a most wonderful on-demand gas-powered shower tent that we try and not overuse, which you can imagine on a warm day is so fantastic it is hard to convey. A bit different nowadays since my first trip to Everest in 1990. It was 72 days between showers. Hey, we did what we could, but that first shower was a good one! Dave Hahn is at Camp 1 and a link to his audio dispatch is below. That's all for today from RMI's Everest Expedition. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Thursday, June 2, 2022 1:35 am PT

SUMMIT! 

The last two weeks of working hard on Denali payed off today. At 5:30 pm today we stood on top of the highest point in North America!

It was a beautiful sunny day, with a bit of wind but not too much to turn us around. It was a relatively quiet day with only a few other teams trying for the summit. The team performed incredibly well and summited in style! Now we are back at 17 camp, enjoying clear views all the way down to the tundra, where you can see the Alaskan sun shimmering off lakes over 15,000 feet below us.

Tomorrow we start the process of retracing our steps back down the mountain.

RMI Guides JT, Matias, Jackson and the RMI team.

The Four Day Climb July 17 - 20 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Casey Grom & Kiira Antenucci.  The teams enjoyed clear skies, sunshine and light winds today.  After enjoying the views and spending time in the crater they began their descent from the crater rim around 6:45 am. Once back at Camp Muir they will pack up and continue down to Paradise.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Josh McDowell reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:45 am.  Pete reported clear skies, calm winds of about 5 mph, and a good route with easy walking. It took the team 5 hours and 45 minutes to get from Camp Muir to the Summit. 

Congratulations Team! 

We awoke to a perfectly clear night and were on the move by just after 1am on Friday.  The first section of the climb, which is often a trail through pebble scree was covered in a perfectly hard, thin layer of snow.  In fact, conditions on the entire route were near perfect.  We followed La Ruta Antigua due to crevasse conditions on the more standard route.  Shortly after sunrise we were walking up La Arista de Yanasacha, staring down the final headwall and trying to catch our breaths above 18500'.  Upon reaching the summit, we were rewarded with 360 degree views of the highlands of Ecuador including numerous other active and dormant stratovolcanoes.  Everyone did their standard summit rituals, ate a favorite snack, took some pictures and headed down.  This team made quick work of the descent and we were eating pancakes at the hut by a normal breakfast hour. 

Thanks to all the members of this team for showing up ready to climb and thank you to you all for following along with our travels!

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

I climbed Mt. Rainier with my father last summer. After a memorable summit, my dad - a man of little words - expressed his confidence in my abilities as a mountain guide, a compliment I did not take lightly. He told me that he trusted my decision-making in the mountains and wanted me to be a part of his dream trip: combining his passion for the water and the mountains with a sailing and skiing trip in the Lofoten Islands of Norway. I immediately approached fellow RMI Guide and good friend Pete Van Deventer to see if he was interested in joining the crew. Without hesitation Pete and his wife committed to the trip. Besides being a great climbing partner, Pete had spent time in Norway in college and was eager to return. Additionally, he suggested that we invite one of his Norwegian friends to accompany us. Magnus had already completed a similar trip and was able to offer great suggestions about boat charters and finding a competent captain for our voyage. The dream trip was starting to take shape. After months of training and preparation, we headed to Norway in April. My dad and I flew to Oslo where we spent two days sightseeing before flying above the Arctic Circle to a fishing village on the west coast to meet our team. A few hours after arriving in Svolvaer, we heard ski bags rolling on pavement. Pete, Katie, Magnus and Maria, Magnus' girlfriend, arrived at the boat and our seven-day adventure began! The next morning we woke up to partly cloudy skies and the realization that a 44-foot sailboat is a tight space for ski gear, sailing gear, and eight people. After organizing our gear in waves, we left the boat with skis on our packs and walked toward a favorite local ski touring peak. Successfully navigating the Svolvaer neighborhoods, we finally reached snow. With climbing skins on our skis we began our ascent up the south side of a peak named Blåtind. Partway up the mountain, it began to rain and visibility dwindled. Too excited to turn back on our first day of ski touring, we decided to continue. A few minutes after reaching the saddle on Blåtind the sun came out and we focused our attention on a ski line on east side of the peak. The conditions were spring corn snow. After a close to 2,000’ descent we put our skins back on and toured along the water to the nearest road where we hailed a taxi back to the sailboat. The following morning we set sail to the Trollfjord. The Trollfjord is an area accessible to skiers only by boat. With our sails up and Katie Van Deventer at the helm, we sailed to the entrance of the Trollfjord - a dauntingly narrow waterway surrounded by steep walls. We docked amid howling winds and a mix of rain and snow. Reaching the TrollfjordHyatta, a cabin in the Norweigan Hut System, would have to wait until the next day. We woke to improved weather and loaded our ski gear and a night’s worth of food onto the dock. The boat sailed away promising to return the following afternoon and we spent the morning skinning to the TrollfjordHyatta. The hut turned out to be a small majestic wooden cabin surrounded by peaks in every direction. Inspired by the mountains around us, we headed out to ski Peak 975. We had great views of our climb ahead and discussed our route and ski options. After an hour the terrain became too steep to skin. With skis on our packs, and clouds rolling in, we reached the top of Peak 975. Since the light was flat we used our bootpack to guide us as we skied down the same route we ascended. The visibility improved and we were reminded of the natural beauty of the Trollfjord. Taking advantage of the good weather we added a few laps to finish our day on a smaller peak just above the cabin. From there we could see the dramatic entrance to the Trollfjord and the unlimited ski options for the following day. The night in the hut was filled with wine, laughs, and Ludo, a Norweigan board game. In the morning we were able to get a few runs in on some steep north facing chutes before returning to dock where we met the boat. As we sailed away, inspired by the endless quantity of peaks around us, we discussed the multitude of ski options for the day and remainder of the trip. The next few days were unlike any trip I have known. The terrain and sailboat allowed for ultimate flexibility. If the weather was good, we would ski; if the weather was marginal, we would set sail waiting for the conditions to change. Once we decided upon a peak the question then became: how do we get to shore? This was often time and energy consuming. We would either dock the boat or, if that wasn’t an option, we would get ashore via dinghy. If we went by dinghy Frederik, our captain, shuttled us and our gear ashore while Iselin, the assistant captain, handled the sailboat. From the dock or shore we would skin or walk a few miles to a skiable peak, climb and ski it, and make our way back to the boat. This sometimes meant walking, other times we were able to ski within a few hundred meters of the boat. Other times it meant taking a cab to where the boat was docked. Each day was a new adventure with a new set of options. As the days passed, the weather improved and we finally had the perfect Norweigan ski descent on the last day of the trip. For the first time during our adventure we woke up to bluebird skies and decided to ski a peak called Storgalten. Upon reaching the top of the peak could see mountains, water, and our sailboat. Thrilled with the descent, Pete, Katie and Magnus celebrated it with a plunge into the fjord. We then set sail back to Harstad, our final destination, with Storgalten still in view. Weeks later, I’m still amazed by the diversity and accessibility of the terrain found in the Lofoten Islands. I have been lucky enough to ski and climb in mountains all over this world and this trip was truly unique. What made it all the more special to me was being able to share it with my father and a group of close friends that got along seamlessly on a 44-foot sailboat for seven days.

Good evening or shall I say good morning,

After 2 nights in Namche, it was time to leave and make our way further up the valley. A tasty breakfast, a last message sent, and quick sit on the toilet wrapped up our morning routine before hitting the trail. Today’s hike was once again more beautiful than pictures can capture. The trail carried us along the hillside bringing us to the view we have all been waiting for...Everest. Haze cloaked the mountains giving almost a mysterious look to them. Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and Everest all stood proud. Words and pictures can't describe how impressive they are...one must simply be here to experience it.

All day the mountains stood in view almost calling us further down trail. After a handful of hours walking the dusty trail, sharing it will yak and zyopkyo, we arrive at the Tengboche Monastery. Here we received a puja ceremony by one of the monks who prayed for our safe travels. Each one of us placed items to be blessed and recieved both a khata and a sungdi.

After the ceremony we made our way downhill to Deboche where we will spend the night. Heated blankets greet us on our beds. There will be no cold toes tonight. Tomorrow, we hit the trail again to our next destination. Day by day we get closer to basecamp.

For now, we head to bed as the rest of you begin your day. 

RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team