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Hello everyone from Nepal! We have been in Kathmandu a handful of days now enjoying the food and culture as we get ready for our climb. The climb we are apart of is called Mission Saipal. Mission Saipal is an international climbing team composed of four different nationalities (Spanish, Italian, Nepalese, and American) coming together to climb in the far west region of Nepal.This area of Nepal is rarely visited by western tourist/climbers. Our mission out there is to join forces with four Nepali women who want to fight for women's rights and emancipation in the Saipal region of Nepal by climbing a peak near their village. These women come from a culture that sees women as inferior, second class to the men. They have little respect and freedom to do what they please. They have yet to gain equal rights. Our purpose of this climb is a social one. We are climbing together to show everyone that women are strong, independent, and equal. They are courageously taking the steps to change the view of women, to a more positive one. We hope to be the catalyst for change to improve the way of life for these women and future women. We are all very excited for this opportunity to climb together. This is a journey we will all remember and hopefully be life changing. Tomorrow we kick of the adventure by taking a plane ride to Dhangadi followed by a four hour drive to Dadheldhura. Namaste, RMI Guide Hannah Smith

Ah, the acclimatization process. A dismal process of spending the day eating mountain delicacies of dried meat and exotic cheeses, drinking coffee, spending a few hours reading, a midday siesta and strolling around camp soaking in the dramatic topography of the Andes. Yes, the rest day. Not always so accommodating but when the weather Gods give you a day like they gave us, the rest day is just what the doctor ordered. So today we try not to eat all of our remaining food, sleep to our hearts content and day dream of days to come. Oh, how it pays to be patient in the mountains! RMI Guide Steve Gately

On The Map

NEWS FLASH Sherpa fix ropes to the South Col! A group from different teams reached Camp Four today. With weather blowing in the group got up and down safely starting at Camp Two. All climbers from our team are at either Camp One or Camp Two, the report is, everyone is well. This will be a longer upper mountain rotation than the last. Fingers crossed that not too much snow falls tonight so tomorrow both teams can push higher up the mountain and return back to the same camp for another night to further their acclimatization process. Our Sherpa team is at Camp Two planning to carry loads to Camp Three in the morning. Nice progress!

This morning at 5:30 AM PDT, the Four Day Climbs led by RMI Guides Avery Stolte and Mike Bennett reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. Avery reported beautiful weather with no wind. With the early morning summit, the teams are currently descending back to Camp Muir where they will pack their bags before descending the Muir Snowfield to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford later this afternoon.

 

Congratulations climbers!

Hello again,

Hurry to wait was the name of the game this morning. The team woke early for the airport. It's a hectic scene at the Domestic Airport with people flying both fixed wing and helicopter. Everyone anxiously waits hoping they get to fly. Some cloudy weather separated the team as one helicopter took off, one was waiting for air traffic to clear, and one helicopter needed to arrive in Kathmandu. After a long morning and great patience by the team, all members arrived in Lukla by 1pm. A quick lunch fueled us to make our way to our first Teahouse. The start of our trek takes a downward trend with rolling uphill mixed in. Everyone looked strong and capable as we made our way along the crisp clear river below and up and down cobbled stairs. A walk across the river via suspension bridge brings us to our home for the night. Here we are great by a yippy dog and hot lemon ginger to warm us on a crisp afternoon. First day of the trek is complete. Tomorrow we will make our way to Namche where we will spends two nights acclimatizing and souvenir shopping. As for now we are cozied up in our beds ready for so earned sleep. 

Goodnight all, 

RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Abby Westling, and Team

We woke in our beds ready to start the day. We ate breakfast, grabbed our duffels, and loaded the van. A quick 45 minute drive (there was air breaking being done by all) brought us to Penitentes. We weighed our duffels for the mules and reloaded the van to bring to the trailhead. The team made quick work of today's hike. Lulls of no breeze made for a hot walk but when the wind did hit it it was the best feeling. A couple rest breaks and some frogger with another team got us to camp. To say we are roughing it would be a lie. We enjoyed melon and nuts for a snack at a picnic table waiting for our mule team to arrive. For dinner was Carne Asada, chorizo, potatoes, cabbage salad, bread and wine.  No complaints over here. Things will get tougher, but not just yet. Tomorrow is another day hiking along the Vacas River. Weather was good today and hopefully good tomorrow.

Good night all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Ben, Dan and team

Our second RMI Vinson Expedition is officially underway! The team all arrived this afternoon in Punta Arenas. Despite the long miles travelled in crowded planes, immigration lines, and the scrutiny of the custom's agents, everyone made it with their luggage. After a quick check-in at our hotel, we immediately headed off to dinner at the very popular La Marmita, where we dined on some of the best fresh and local food around. The restaurant was packed as usual, but we got right in and had a great meal. It's almost 11:00 pm now, and still light outside. The weather has been cold, rainy and windy in town the last few days, but that won't really affect our plans as we will be spending the majority of time finalizing our preparations for our flight to Union Glacier. But now we have to do is relax and focus on getting a good night's sleep. We'll check in tomorrow with our next update. Best regards, RMI Guide Jeff Martin

Ed Viesturs and I, along with the team, pulled into the 14,000 foot camp today! We spent 5.5 hours climbing. It was a great show of strength for our group. We started out in questionable weather but after two hours of climbing the clouds lifted and we were able to round Windy Corner in sunshine. We then spent a few hours building camp. Its necessary to build snow walls at the upper camps here to prevent the tents from being crushed by the wind. We're all settled in now for the evening. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

It was an early morning, hustling out of hotels and bustling onto buses for the short pre-dawn ride to the airport. After a moderate amount of hurry-up-and-wait we hurried out to board a pair of Twin Otters primed for flight. There was a haze lying over Katmandu that we quickly busted through to find generally clear skies and big mountains spread across the horizon. I had a window seat next to the port propeller and during the fifty minute flight to Lukla my eyes were mostly pressed against that window. It was only ten months since I'd left these same mountains on this same aircraft, so how could I possibly have forgotten just how spectacular and formidable these peaks could appear on a clear morning? It was as if I was seeing Ghari Shankar and Menlungtse and a thousand others for the very first time... and just like that very first time eighteen years ago, I was humbled to look out at all the impossible ridges, sheer faces and jagged summits that I will never be bold enough to attempt. Finally, the plane turned just enough for me to get a clear view of Everest lording over everything and about thirty miles distant. I turned in my cramped seat in an effort to get Erica and Ed Dohring to recognize the dark pyramid now dominating the horizon. The engine kind of messed with their view so I went back to enjoying it for myself... picking out the South Summit and noting how little snow seemed to be covering the rock of the Southwest Face. I smiled at the obvious lack of wind aloft and granted myself a clichéd climber's observation that it was "too bad we weren't going for the summit today" Of course, then remembering that temps at 29,000 ft in the last days of March were likely around -50 degrees F while with patience we could be in line for a balmy -15 degrees F in the latter half of May. Our Yeti Air Twin Otter started diving down into a steep sided valley and I lost the view of the big hill while focusing on the small ones not so far from our wingtips. Now in the lower Khumbu Valley, it was easy to pick out terraced fields and small farms as the plane lined up for a Lukla landing. The pilot greased it, somehow matching the plane's steep descent to the opposite slant of the small runway. Within minutes we were out and walking toward a nearby teahouse to regroup as the planes sped noisily away. We sat and ordered a breakfast while discussing the best ways to keep fifteen people looking out for one another on the trails. All were relaxed, as we knew the walk to Phak Ding would be short and relatively easy. In fact, we would lose about 700 ft of vertical over the course of the morning. The trail took us past blossoming cherry and apple trees, past a few flowering dogwoods and a selection of well-tended vegetable gardens. Things were easy enough that the gang could spread out and pursue their own interests. Ed Viesturs, typically, wasted little time in getting the day's work done. Walking a more moderate pace with Erica and her Dad, I finished somewhere in the middle of the pack along with Peter Whittaker and Melissa. Our camera teams had various projects along the way, including some vegetable mo mo's that beckoned seductively from one café menu along the track. Eventually, we were back to a full compliment of climbers, cameramen and trekkers hunkered down for the evening in our teahouse along the rushing river and protected from steadily falling rain (the good flying weather was merely temporary) in the suburbs of Phak Ding.

Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 10:33 pm PT

First couple days were spent meeting up in Anchorage and shuttling our way to Talkeetna via the scenic drive toward the Alaska range. After arriving we quickly got to packing, sorting gear and setting ourselves up for when the weather would allow us to get into the range. Sadly today wasn't our day in that regard but time was still well spent. Rest, rope and camp skills were the name of the game to further put as at advantage once on the great Ruth Glacier. 

We are hopeful that tomorrow's weather will grant us passage into the amphitheater to begin our days amongst the peaks.

The RMI Guides Dan May & Joey Manship and the Ruth Gorge Team