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This morning we woke to more snow on the Kahiltna Glacier. Over 7 inches of snow fell over night and the snow continued throughout the day. The beauty of the Alaskan Range continues to impress us all. Today's training session involved the fitting topic of avalanches. We had avalanche rescue scenarios where we learned how to manage the scene of an accident, how to come up with a plan and how to execute that plan. During our time here on the glacier we have seen some very exciting and impressive Alaskan-sized avalanches, from a safe distance. We continued with our crevasse rescue technical skills training this afternoon. Everyone is grasping these concepts very well with an eagerness and excitement to learn. We shall see what the weather brings us as that dictates so much of life in the mountains. Ciao, RMI Guide Jason Thompson

The Four Day Summit Climb July 30 - 2 August led by Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! The team reported light winds and a beautiful day of climbing. They began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 a.m. en route to Camp Muir. They will return to Paradise and Ashford BaseCamp later this afternoon. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons July 29 - 3 August led by Dan Windham was standing on the summit at 3:00 p.m. with 15 mph winds. They will descend to Camp Schurman for the night, pack up camp in the morning and be back in Ashford tomorrow afternoon. Congratulations to today's Summit Teams!

This is Seth checking in from 11,200 feet on Denali. Today we completed our carry to 13,500 ft. The weather was spectacular when we awoke and our climbers were psyched to get higher up on the mountain. Everyone put in a good effort and we made great time. The forecast looks good for tomorrow with a deteriorating trend starting on Wednesday. So our plan is to move to 14k tomorrow and wait out the weather there. That's all for now. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

A few gusts of wind plowed through camp early this morning. Not enough to really test our First Ascent tents, just enough to remind that we, and those tents, will get all the test we can handle soon enough. On several mornings so far, we've seen big streamers of cloud and snow being ripped from high on Lhotse and Nuptse, betraying some fierce winds aloft. But on just as many other mornings, we've looked up at calm and still summits just begging some eager overachiever to come up to play. Of course, should someone come up to play right now, they'd be dealing with radically cooler temps -even in calm conditions- than we hope to experience in a month or so (when it will still be cold enough, thank you). Normally, the winters in these parts don't produce a lot of snow. The pattern is for the Everest region to be raked by cold, jet stream winds through much of winter and spring. Nobody I know wants to be going for Everest's summit when the jet is near. The summer monsoon, which hits in June, (and not in May, please) is the phenomenon bringing big moisture -in the form of snow- to these mountains. The monsoon is not a popular climbing season since most climbers don't enjoy the avalanches that accompany big snows in big mountains. When we come over here for the Spring, or pre-monsoon, climbing season, the hope is that we can get our acclimatization/rope-fixing/load-carrying cycles completed in the tail-end of the windy/cold winter season. There is then normally a period of relative calm when the jet stream pulls north away from Everest and the monsoon hasn't yet moved in. Ideally, we jump all over that hypothetical window in the second half of May and get our carcasses to the summit and back. Some years the window is open for weeks... some years the window is open for fifty-seven minutes. I've been encouraged so far this season to believe that the big peaks aren't continually being blasted by an organized jet stream stuck in the vicinity. Less wind up high means the route can be fixed earlier and people can start going for the summit earlier, thus alleviating some of the hazard that would exist if everybody is forced to go for the top in one narrow and congested window of opportunity late in May. We do receive excellent weather forecasts via our satellite email system, but at this early stage of the season, there isn't much to be gained by obsessing over the weather. Working, as we are, down low on the mountain and within giant valleys like the Western Cwm, we don't need forecasts much. If the weather is good, we climb, if the weather is bad we either sit or descend... simple. Peter Whittaker and Ed Viesturs took their half of the climbing team up above ABC today for an exploration of the starting zone of the Khumbu Glacier. They got a good look at the immense and icy Lhotse Face from its base at around 22,500 ft. and then returned to ABC... working high, sleeping low... it is a repetitive theme in smart acclimatization. Melissa Arnot did the same thing today down at Camp I after her first night there. She tested the ankle that has been giving her trouble and previewed the route to CII for a little distance before getting back to rest another night at CI. She'll hope to join her team at ABC tomorrow. Way down here at basecamp: Erica Dohring, Seth Waterfall, Kent Harvey and I have been packing and preparing to make the big move to Camp I tomorrow morning. Ang Kaji will be part of the crew, since Kent the cameraman has far more gadgetry than can be reasonably carried in one pack. Technically, we are resting today, but as usual, we are all keyed up and jittery and ready to get this party started. We sat with Linden Mallory and Jeff Martin, strategizing and coordinating. I laid out a plan that could put us up the hill for the next five days. We went "shopping" in the supply tent for yummy and familiar goodies from American supermarkets. We packed a few things for the Sherpa loads that will go up tomorrow. I talked with Tendi about whether to go the old route (from two days ago) in the icefall, the new route (from a day ago), or the new, new route (from today, detouring a section of the new route that fell out yesterday). We've got fresh batteries for our radios and an order in with Chef Kumar for an early breakfast. We are physically fit and rested. It is time to get in the game... weather permitting.

Greetings again from Cuzco, We had a great first day of official activities, with a morning packed of visits to the main monuments of the city. From the amazing, earthquake proof Inca walls of Koricancha, to the 16th Century Cathedral, we did also, without noticing, start our acclimatization process by stretching our legs across this ancient city. Gear check and hike briefing with our local outfitter filled the afternoon. We look forward to yet another day of discovery, along the Sacred Valley Of The Incas tomorrow. Best regards, RMI Guide Elías and team

July 10, 2014 - 10:32 pm PT Hey all, Today we awoke to just about the same weather we went to bed with yesterday, that is mostly cloudy with a little wind and snow. Knowing that we weren't walking up hill in it, we had a multiple-course breakfast of bacon, fried tortillas with sugar, bagels, eggs, and even some sausage gravy. By the time we finished up the weather had trended from poor to stormy. With winds and snow on the rise, everyone helped in building some walls and re-anchoring our cook tent. Looking above to high camp we radioed with some of the other teams. They said they were in pretty much the same weather and were staying put. The whole team is keeping vibes positive as we wait for Denali to stop what it does best.....storm, storm, storm. All the best, RMI Guide Ben Liken

On The Map

Cotopaxi summit! 100% of our climbing team reached the top of the beautiful 19,600' active volcano. We awoke at midnight to a clear and starry night, and started climbing at 1:30. A light breeze turned into a strong, cold wind that stayed with us most of the climb, but the skies remained clear and the climbing conditions were excellent. The wind eased on the summit, and we were treated to a beautiful morning with views of the surrounding peaks: the Ilinizas, Chimborazo, Antisana, and Cayambe, our next climbing destination. We're all safely off the mountain, and enjoying the ammeneties at the Hacienda La Cienega. I'll touch base tomorrow with more, and hopefully some pictures. But right now there's a shower with my name on it.

Checking in from Kisklovodsk! We managed to get out of Mt. Elbrus Base Camp today even though the roads were a bit slippery. The weather had a bit more in store for us as we all awoke to thunder and rain early this morning. After breakfast we waited out the soggy conditions and with just a bit of delay we loaded the 4x4's and made the trip back to town. After a well deserved shower we met up for a great dinner. The next stop for us is St. Petersburg which should be great! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

We're off the mountain and on the way back to the hotel! It's been a great climb but everyone is really looking forward to hot showers this afternoon. Summit day was awesome yesterday. This team really kicked some butt! It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Everyone stepped up and performed to the best of their abilities. The weather, once again, was fabulous and that just added to our enjoyment of Kilimanjaro. Tomorrow we're shifting gears into safari mode. That is always a fun time. That's all for now. Here's a summit shot. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and Team

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.

On The Map