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Posted by: Mike King, Camille Leininger, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Mike King and the Mt. Baker Coleman Deming July 20 - 22 team reached the summit this morning. Mike reported a cold and windy day with firm conditions on the Roman Headwall. The team returned to camp shortly after 11 am. After packing up camp they descended to the trail head and concluded their program.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
Update: Heatwave day 3.
We got a little breeze today at times but that is about it. Clear blue skies and great views dominated the day. Our trail was rolling “Patagonia flat” which is some ups and downs. There was some good canopy to get out of the sun. As we got closer to Lago Dickson we got views of the glaciers that make up the eastern part of the Southern ice fields. Lago Dickson is a very scenic camp and today it was exceptional. Once at camp we got some refreshments and headed down for a swim to cool off. With the glaciers a few miles away, the water was colder but the diminishing ozone over this area makes for intense sunlight and radiation, i.e., warm sand after a cold swim. Showers & laundry having been achieved with a swim the team is finished with dinner.
Tomorrow we head to Los Perros. Wildlife update: we have seen small Patagonian parrots & large Andean condors. Fingers crossed we get some cooler weather tomorrow cause the glacier is much closer for tomorrow’s swim should it come to that.
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Mike King & Team
Posted by: JM Gorum, Chase Halbert, Augi Fleer, Connor Mullady
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 9,440'
RMI Guide JM Gorum called from Camp Schurman (9,440') around 9 am, the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons June 25 - 30 team had made it safely back to camp after making their summit attempt this morning. The team encountered soft snow and poor route conditions at 12,600' which caused them to turn back. The team will spend their third and final night on the mountain tonight. Tomorrow they will pack up camp and descend to the White River Trailhead and return to Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford.
We hope they had a great week of training and climbing on Mt. Rainier!
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Josh McDowell
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14, 410'
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!
The members of the team arrived safely in Quito and ventured out yesterday for a city tour of Quito. The first (and generally favorite) stop on the tour was at the Mitad del Mundo museum, which means "middle of the world". This museum is located on the equatorial line and the tour guides give us a review of some 8th grade science (which it seems we have all forgotten). At an elevation greater than 9,000' we are already getting our breathing in check and today are looking forward to a warm-up hike on Rucu Pichincha!
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Lindsay Mann
Categories: Guide News
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.
Looks awesome!! Such I tough life you guys have!!
Posted by: Dan Brockway on 6/12/2013 at 10:28 am
This. Looks. Amazing.
Posted by: Sarah on 6/11/2013 at 10:36 am
Checking in from 13,000ft on Ixta. Today the team is preparing our equipment for our trip up to high camp (15,500ft) on Ixta. We are enjoying a beautiful sunset to the west with glorious views of Ixta to the North. The mountain has fresh snow above 15,500ft.
Tomorrow will be a challenging day with heavier packs, but our team is looking strong. As we watch the sunset, we are eating a delicious meal prepared by our wonderful local staff!
Wish us luck for continuing good weather and hopefully a successful summit of Ixta 17,100ft!
We will check in from our high camp tomorrow.
Great read Linden, I feel that I was there with you. It was fantastic to meet you and the Climb For Five team. Seeing you guys leave for the climb and to see you come back was special. Thanks for looking after the guys.
cheers,
Holdeen
Posted by: Holdeen Cushing-murray on 9/27/2011 at 7:21 pm
As the team leader and founder of Climb For Five , I would like to thank Linden and all the staff at RMI for a well run course. The weather was taxing at times but the whole crew from RMI kept our spirits up and made sure that we were safe and enjoyed the whole experience.
Our experience while climbing Rainier has provided us with a new skill set that will allow us to move forward with our other planned climbs over the next few years. We will definitely be using RMI and hopefully Linden for our next climbs. So thank you RMI and Linden for all that you have taught us, we look forward to future climbs with you guys.
Patrick and all the kids from Climb For Five.
Posted by: Patrick Mc Carrick on 9/27/2011 at 11:13 am
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