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Posted by: Mike Walter, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 9,131'
RMI Guide Mike Walter called from the top of Mt. Shuksan this morning. The team enjoyed a beautiful, hazy morning at 9,000' ft. The team made it back to camp and will enjoy a night's rest before they head back to the trailhead tomorrow.
Posted by: Geoff Schellens
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
On the third day of my five-day AMGA Ice Instructor Course, we had planned to take two groups to Eureka, Colorado, to climb long multi-pitch ice routes. Avalanches from large snow bowls above threaten many of these routes, like the classic Stairway to Heaven. On this cold, crisp morning we encountered six inches of new snow, and after driving up to Red Mountain Pass we decided that the avalanche risk was too high and opted to go with our back up plan: climbing at Dexter Falls.
Dexter is just north of Ouray, Colorado, and offers excellent multi-pitch ice routes that are exposed to less avalanche hazard. Climbing Dexter Falls with two teams of three climbers posed new guiding challenges. Namely, avoiding knocking ice onto the climbers below. We chose to climb with both teams parallel to each other to protect against this. Parallel rope technique requires that the lead climber is thoughtful about where both following climbers will be ascending. The goal to keep them on slightly separate routes, allowing any loose ice to fall without risking injury to either climber.
The climbing was fun and we topped out having done it in a safe manner. Climbing ice in Ouray, Colorado, or anywhere for that matter, is easy and enjoyable after acquiring a relatively straightforward skill set.
I hope you enjoy the photos!
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Geoff Schellens is a senior guide for RMI Expeditions, leading trips in Argentina, the North Cascades, Alaska, and Colorado. Geoff is currently climbing Dhaulagiri, an 8,000 meter peak in the Himalayas. See more of Geoff’s mountain photography on his website The Exposed Edge.
Posted by: James Bealer, Luke Wilhelm, David Price
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 14,400'
The team enjoyed a well deserved rest day at Basecamp. We spent the time napping, reading, and preparing gear for tomorrow. Optimism and hope flowed out of our dining tent this evening as we were finally able to see the climbing route above us. We feel recovered and ready for what lies above.
RMI Guides James, Luke, David & Team
The All-Women’s Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise led by RMI Guide Devin Wilkinson wrapped up their week by climbing to Ingraham Flats to watch the sunrise. Warm temperatures and overhead hazards on the climbing route prevented the team from reaching the summit safely.
The team has spent the last five days on the upper slopes of Mt. Rainier developing their expedition skills beginning with ice axe use and cramponing techniques and moving on to more advanced skills such as anchor placements, various self and team crevasse rescue techniques, steep technical ice climbing, belays, rappelling, knots, route finding and fixed rope travel. Evening lectures in camp include group discussions on mountain weather, medicine for mountaineering, altitude wellness and equipment.
Congratulations to our All-Women’s team!
Congratulations to this incredible group! Thanks for the post and sharing the photo. Spectacular!
Posted by: Barbara McQueeney on 8/14/2021 at 4:12 pm
Proud of everyone! Amazing accomplishment nonetheless!
Posted by: Kimmy on 8/14/2021 at 1:18 pm
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Up at high camp this morning, things were blessedly calm. So much easier, after a long summit day, to have breakfast and pack up in windless and sunny conditions. We set out at noon and took on the hardest part first, getting big packs and tired legs down the fixed lines. It felt good to get that all behind us as we rolled into low camp and repacked for sled hauling down the lower glacier. We pulled in to basecamp at around 7 PM with a Twin Otter waiting. Some hurried packing, sorting and organizing followed and the Twin got off deck at 8 PM. They held dinner for us tired but excited Vinson folk. We stuffed ourselves and caught up with all the expedition folk we’d been sharing the mountain with. Our tents went up for a final night in Antarctica. It looks good for flying tomorrow so we may make it all the way to Punta Arenas on this whirlwind finish to the trip.
Best Regards,
RMI Guie Dave Hahn
Bill and Sara,
What an awesome trip and pictures and what an accomplishment. Glad you are having so much fun. Saw Lisa, Morgan and Katie in Conn. last weekend. Lots of fun. Be careful, safe and good luck.
Ed, Marian and the girls.
Posted by: Ed Mule' on 4/10/2011 at 2:52 pm
Sending you lots of positive energy for a great adventure. Love being able to follow you on Facebook. Remembering my trip to Basecamp and wishing I were able to be there now.
Best wishes. ~JEN~
Posted by: Jen Petrik on 4/10/2011 at 12:39 pm
Posted by: Lindsay Mann
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
Incredible.
Posted by: John on 1/15/2014 at 5:29 pm
We made progress.
It was definitely colder in a tent at 7,000 ft on an Antarctic glacier than in a hotel room in Punta Arenas, but we were happy and comfortable enough for the night. Local conditions (shadows and breezes) dictate a slower start in the mornings, so we didn’t get moving around until after 9 AM. We ate breakfast and then did a bit of training and review and of course -gear sorting. We took a last COVID test (our sixth in six days) and then roped up and went walking up glacier. We carried loads for two and a half hours, to “half camp” our intended cache point. Most of our journey was in murky glacier fog, but we broke out of clouds near our cache point and could look up on Vinson’s great western wall. We could see neighboring peaks Shinn and Epperly, but they had a few clouds stuck on and around them as well. We secured the food and gear we’d carried and then walked back down into the cold and frosty clouds. Glacier conditions were reasonable and we didn’t sink into the snow too much or slip and slide on ice. There were some crevasses visible here and there, but we didn’t have any openings to step over.
Back at camp in the clouds, we ate dinner and turned in for a well deserved rest.
Best Regards,
Joe 1 foot in front of the other.
We are rooting for you, and wishing were there with a Cold Coke
Posted by: Daryl and Katie on 1/28/2022 at 9:35 am
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