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Dave Hahn and
Melissa Arnot reached Everest Base Camp a few days ago and the expedition is underway! Keep an eye on the RMI Blog over the coming weeks for updates on their climb. In the meantime, check out this video from Outside Magazine where Dave describes his preparation for climbing
Mt. Everest.
Hey RMI, this is Casey calling in from Camp 1 on Cho Oyu.
We woke today to some pretty blustery skies and some snow whirling around so we decided to drag our feet a little to see if the weather would change a bit in our favor. Unfortunately, it did not. It seems like the jet stream is still a bit close to us here. It has made for some pretty miserable climbing conditions. Pretty high winds and snow blowing off of the surface which would make it challenging to see while climbing.
The team has been hunkered down here at Camp 1, or as we like to call it, "Camp Fun." We have been stuck in our tents for basically the last 24 hours and trying not to go stir crazy.
Everybody's in good spirits and we have our fingers crossed hoping that tomorrow proves to be a little nicer and allows us to sneak up to Camp 2. Everything else is going great and we'll try to touch base again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo and team had a successful climb of Mt. Shuksan yesterday. After a hazy morning wake-up call, the team ascended the Sulphide glacier and enjoyed some Class 4 scrambling on the summit pyramid before topping out yesterday. The team has made it back to the trailhead and team members are on their way home.
Nice work team!
This weekend our Backcountry Ski and Ride course had an excellent time learning the fundamentals of backcountry skiing. Saturday gave us a light dusting of fresh snow as we practiced our rescue skills and learned how to move as a group in the backcountry.
The next day, we practiced making terrain decisions and students navigated the group through the ascents and descents of our long tour. We ended up having beautiful weather for most of the course and had the whole mountain to ourselves on Sunday.
Our students are excited to use their new skills for upcoming ski descents of local Washington mountains as well as skiing corn with their friends.
RMI Guide James Bealer & Team
6:55 a.m. Nepalese Time
ON THE SUMMIT!
Perfect conditions with some other teams around.
Everybody in great shape.
Congratulations to RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Linden Mallory!!!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
The last few days have been filled with training, climbing and socializing around our Base Camp. A few observations:
1. Everest Base Camp has now swelled to about 350 people, with all the corresponding tents and equipment. It is massive, and it takes up acres and acres of space on top of a moving glacier. In addition, Everest BC is visited each day by organized groups of trekkers who hike up from Lukla to see the place (and the show). The glacier is not flat, but is a series of small undulations in the moving ice (which is mostly covered with rocks). Yesterday during a training run we climbed a portion of the way up the Khumbu Icefall and, from close to 18,000 feet, we got to see the entire camp. What a sight!
2. Socializing. Last night our group invited over the Base Camp doctors for dinner. The head physician has been running the Base Camp medical clinic for 9 years, so she was well known to Dave Hahn (who, again, seems to know everyone). The Base Camp doctors are incredibly knowledgeable about high altitude illnesses, and their presence in camp has no doubt saved many lives. They are here to treat everyone, including climbers, climbing Sherpas, porters, and trekkers (and anyone else). The ten of us had a great meal, and then played speed scrabble (which encouraged the use of slang words), and then Apples to Apples. As an aside, we all learned some interesting slang words from the different nationalities (Scotland, Nepal, etc.). Sara McGahan even threw in some slang used by 10th graders. I know that I learned quite a bit.
3. It is up to a group of incredibly courageous and talented Sherpas to fix line up Mt. Everest each year through one of the most dangerous parts of the climb - the Khumbu Icefall. These folks - called "Icefall Doctors" - are employed directly by the national park and are paid out of the fees the climbers pay to access the mountain. The Khumbu Icefall is the section of Mt. Everest that is between Basecamp and Camp I, and it is extremely dangerous because it is ever shifting as the glacier slowly moves ahead and tumbles down the mountain, and also because it is susceptible to avalanches from surrounding peaks. When shifting or an avalanche takes place, massive amounts of solid ice moves (and you don't want to be anywhere in the neighborhood when it happens). The Icefall Doctors also place ladders across huge crevasses and rope up steep sections of the Icefall, which is used by climbers to pull themselves up the mountain, but, as importantly, to "clip into" for safety. There would be literally no way for a climber of my capability to climb this mountain without the Icefall Doctors. They are amazing people.
4. In the incredibly capable hands of our lead guide Dave Hahn, Sara and I have been climbing around Base Camp in order to do two things: 1) continue to acclimatize, and 2) work on the skills that we need to move quickly up the mountain. One of the greatest dangers that we face on Everest is avalanches, and speed is one of our best ways to minimize our danger. We are working hard to be able to move quickly and safely though the icefall. We need to be able to breathe (this always helps!) and to have a comfort level on ladders and fixed line. Dave has spent days with us helping us
with these skills, and we will be continuing to work on them in the days ahead. Only then will we venture up to higher places on the mountain.
5. Fun. One of the reasons that trekkers and climbers alike come to Base Camp is that it is a fun place. Every day people come by to socialize with us. Mark Tucker (our Base Camp manager) is always ready with some kind of game. Mark and I teamed up to win a horse shoe throwing contest, and the other night we had a poker tournament (Texas hold em) with guides from other groups. We have also played golf on the frozen ponds on the icefall, with yours truly hitting a hole in one, much to the chagrin of Mr. Tucker (it earned me 50 rupees - ha!). So, there is always something going on, with people coming and going, and it is one of my favorite things about climbing. The people are adventurous, interesting, international, and fun loving - the best people in the world in my opinion.
So, thanks for following our blog. We are working hard and will have more to report in the days ahead.
Bill M.
Today the weather redeemed itself with perfect conditions on Cotopaxi. 100% of the team reached the summit in calm conditions just after sunrise. It could not have been a nicer day. We now can all go home having summited a big mountain and with a story to tell from Cayambe.
A huge shoutout to this team for embracing the team aspect of climbing. All members supported another member at some point during both of the climbs. It was impressive to see the group show genuine care towards people who were strangers just days earlier. On numerous occasions we spent two hours or more at a meal sharing stories, laughing and learning about each other.
Also a shoutout to our Ecuadorian guides who continue to show their professionalism in the mountains, this expedition would not be possible without their local knowledge and high level of skill.
Finally, thanks to friends and family who have been following along with this trip. It’s encouraging to know you’re out there supporting us and we always enjoy getting a comment from Farmer Dave!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
Thursday, June 9, 2022 9:42pm PT
RMI Guide Nikki Champion let us know that their Denali Team was 100% on the summit! They are back at camp resting and will give us full details of their climb soon!
Congratulations Team!
This past November I and several other RMI guides had the opportunity to further hone our guiding skills by participating in the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Rock Instructor Course (RIC). I decided that after five years in the industry it would be enlightening to gain a perspective into this organization and put myself in the position of a student. The RIC is designed to create a foundation for guides looking to pursue a certification in the rock or alpine realm and is a prerequisite for many other AMGA courses. The program was set up as a contract course by RMI and was partially funded by the
Eddie Bauer/First Ascent guide grant which kept the tuition costs low and excitement high.
The course took place in the world renowned climbing area of Red Rocks; just outside of the world renowned capital of partying and gambling, Las Vegas, NV. Red Rocks is formed out of beautiful Aztec sandstone that was left behind by sand dunes 180 million years ago in an environment much like today’s Sahara Desert. With relatively short but, often complex, approaches and descents to long classic routes this is the ideal place to learn and play. The available climbing ranges from short sport climbs to 2500’ big wall routes, however, this course focused on guiding in class 4 terrain and traditionally protected routes to the 5.9 level.
Most of us arrived at least a few days early to prepare for the course and get used to the rock; climbing Washington state granite, Bozeman ice, or glaciers on
Mount Rainier doesn’t always prepare you for long lines on soft sandstone. I arrived one week early and was thoroughly psyched to leave the soggy sight of the Puget Sound for a sun soaked desert. I quickly found myself back in the rock climbing culture at the local BLM campground, with campfires and some mellow acoustics at night as well as the blow torch sound of a propane stove firing in the morning. It was early to bed and early to rise for the next few weeks to maximize the limited winter light. The sun rose at 6:30 am but left us by 4:15 pm. After 6 great days of climbing and several months of preparation, I was ready to start the course.
It was a crisp Sunday morning and we were all up extra early to make sure our gear was in order and looking good. We had received a rather detailed itinerary via email and a few phone calls before the course but still were not sure exactly what to expect at the Red Springs picnic area that morning. For most of us this was our first experience with the AMGA and none of us had taken a “guide track” program before. I had heard that it was going to be serious and to go in prepared, which led me to have questions like “what will these instructors be like? And expect of us?” “Does my hair look okay?” ”How much am I really going to learn?” Upon arrival it was the classic first time meet up. Overall pretty quiet with a few light conversations, introductions, and of course a lot of sipping coffee. At 8 o’clock sharp we began and the mood eased exponentially over the day; by 2pm there were dirty jokes being thrown around. The three instructors were not out to judge or be hardcore; they were clearly there to mentor because they love guiding.
The first part of the RIC was used to make sure we were all on the same page with the basics and begin to learn a few more advanced skills we would need later in the week. By the end of the second day it was becoming clear that some foul weather was in store, so we decided to get on the rock and start tugging as soon as possible. Over the next two and a half days we split into teams of four and got in well over 1000 vertical feet of climbing on a few classic routes. Our management of three ropes and four people on a hanging belay quickly went from obnoxiously poor to…….well…..not half bad. The stoke was high, and we were all excited to be learning from and climbing with some of the best guides in the business. As I was two pitches up on the four pitch “Big Bad Wolf”, I looked over my shoulder and saw huge bands of rain pummeling Las Vegas in the valley below. We made the hasty call to link the last two pitches and bring a few ropes at a time to finish the climb before the rain hit us. As the last climber was cresting the top I felt the first drop hit my forehead. We continued with a crash course in short roping off the backside. As the dust turned to mud before my eyes I couldn’t have known that the climbing portion of the course would be over. We were in the desert, right?
Over the next three days we practiced and perfected rescue and rope skills as the rain fell nonstop all around the pavilion we were under. It was fun to focus purely on the timed drills and creating one handed hitches as they were called out. Looking out we could see the rock getting wetter than it had been in months. The sandstone in Red Rocks is porous and thus absorbs water like a sponge. Even in the warmest months the rock needs 24-48 hours to dry after a soaking rain and we had a lot of soaking rain with cool temps and low sun. The issue with climbing on the damp rock was not going to be its slipperiness but rather the danger of holds breaking and a leader falling onto protection in that same type of rock that just broke. As the sun rose for the last three days of the course we had to turn down perfect climbing weather because of poor route conditions. I sympathized with the climbers I work with on
Mount Rainier: they come from across the country after months of training, time, and money spent, only to be shut down by avalanche hazard or icy conditions on a beautiful, sunny day. All was not lost however; we were able to learn and practice new skills in the horizontal plane, on very sunny aspects, and in steep off trail terrain. We agreed that we learned just as much if not more in this manner than we would have high on the rock.
This was my first AMGA experience and it could not have been a better one. It solidified many skills that I can put to use in my current guiding and climbing. It was a great opportunity to develop myself in my profession and has opened the door for more courses and certifications. These courses and certifications are not required for guiding in the United States and many great guides are fully qualified through experience. This program and others offered by the AMGA however, get guides on the same page and forces us to be the best we can be, whether it be on Red Rocks sandstone, Mount Rainier Glaciers, or a
remote peak in the Andes. Thanks to RMI, Eddie Bauer/First Ascent guide grant, and all the guides on the course for making this possible. Climb On!
Seth here at
Everest Basecamp. It seems like the weather has fallen into a pattern of windy one day, calm the next. Yesterday we had high winds and a few inches of snow. Today when we awoke it was calm and sunny. We took to the glacier in the morning to practice crossing ladders in preparation for heading through the
Khumbu Icefall. Crossing a ladder is definitely not the hardest thing we'll do on this trip but mentally it can be challenging to stand over a 100+ foot deep crevasse. That's why we practice down low before entering the Icefall.
The practice session went well and now that we're comfortable with the component of tackling the Icefall, it shouldn't be more than a few days before we head up to Camp 1.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
The 2nd Mallory on top of Everest! Great job.
Posted by: b lee on 5/21/2011 at 12:56 pm
Very cool… On the top of the mountain!!!! Good effort by all… Thanks Tuck for all the info…. You see a good story teller! Malamo pono
Posted by: Susie on 5/21/2011 at 1:14 am
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