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We unanimously agreed that the temperatures were a bit warmer than the night prior and we all slept much more warmly, although we did find out in the morning that the temps were hovering around -18F when we crawled out of the tents around 9am this morning. Despite the cold bite to the air, the skies had cleared overnight and we set about breaking down camp and preparing to move to Camp 1 (known as "Low Camp" on Vinson). We hit the trail midday and climbed back up the Branscomb Glacier, navigating the first crevasse field again with ease, crossing the long basin above, and reaching our cached gear by late afternoon. The landscape, under clear skies this time, were completely different and we were able to soak in the surroundings: the bulging seracs and icecliffs of the Branscomb to our left and the towering rock and ice faces of Vinson's main Massif directly in front of us. After reaching our cached gear we transferred the loads from yesterday into the sleds we were dragging behind us and set off toward Low Camp. We made a long arcing turn from east to north facing around a second crevasse field and then set off across the upper stretches of the Branscomb, walking along the base of Vinson's towering walls stretching 3,000-4,000' above us. The glacier was an undulating plateau that felt like a false flat - the perspective lent itself to thinking we were traveling along flat ground but in reality we climbed another 800' over several miles. The constant backward tug of our sleds was a good reminder of why we were working so hard hauling our heavy loads. By early evening, with the sun still high in the sky, we reached Low Camp and set about establishing camp. Whatever chills we felt from the occasional breeze was quickly chased away by the hard work of shoveling out a tent platform and a place to cook in the thick wind packed snow. We needed saws to hack through the dense snow and had to wield our avalanche shovels with care for fear of bending or snapping the blades. Despite the firm snow, within a few hours we were settled comfortably into camp and enjoying a warm meal. It's now half past midnight and the sun is still high above the horizon, traveling from west to east now. We are crawling into the tent eager for a good night's rest after the long climb with all of our gear but very happy to be up here and staring up at the more exciting climbing above us. RMI Guide Linden Mallory and team

On The Map

June 25, 2014 - 12:26 am PT And so it begins... The last RMI Denali team of 2014 took shape today in the Anchorage airport. We assembled, seven climbers and four guides from around the world lugging about 23 or 24 giant duffel bags of cold weather gear. The team took a ride with Denali Overland, our shuttle service to Talkeetna. The three hour trip was broken by a stop for provisions in Wasilla, but then we powered on up the Parks highway to our Talkeetna turnoff. We had pretty good views of the Chugach Range as we left Anchorage but the Alaska Range stayed mostly hidden under cloud. There were some scattered rain showers to see, and a Bald Eagle or two, but no moose this time. We were in Talkeetna by 8:30 PM and getting settled into the comfortable Talkeetna Motel not much later. The big work of preparing to fly onto Denali begins in the morning. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We got a chance to enjoy an Antarctic storm today. It wasn't one for the record books, no epic, not particularly special. Just a fair amount of cloud, snow, blowing snow and persistent wind. In other words, it was a "no fly" day. It sounded like Vinson Basecamp was reporting similarly bad weather at their end. At first we thought we might be able to spend the day reviewing climbing techniques, but then the wind picked up and it became an indoors day. So we passed time in the mess tent, getting to know some of the people who will try to visit Emperor Penguin colonies and speaking to those who will try to either bike, ski or walk to the South Pole. It was a day for reading and writing and resting. Perhaps tomorrow we'll get to fly out to Mount Vinson. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

12:30 p.m. PST : RMI Guide Geoff Schellens just called into RMI to let everyone know the team reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan at 9,127'! Geoff Reported that the sky was dark and cloudy with a few sprinkles, but the rocks were relatively dry. The team has started their descent and will report when they are back their base camp. The have another day of training planned before heading out of the North Cascade Range on Friday. Congratulations Team!

After a relaxing stay at Hosteria La Cienega, we're travelling south towards our next climbing destination, Chimborazo. At 6,310 meters, Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador and higher than any peak north of it in the Americas. Due to the earth's equatorial bulge, Chimborazo also holds the distinction of being the point on the earth that's closest to the sun, and the point furthest from the center of the earth. Chimborazo will definitely test this team's mettle over the next few days of climbing. We will head out tomorrow morning and establish a camp high on the flanks of Chimborazo. We plan to climb on Monday morning and return to camp that same night. We call in to let you know how our climb goes. But tonight we're resting in beds again in the beautiful lodge, Estrella de Chimborazo, with great views of the mountain. Cheers, RMI Guide Mike Walter

Another day goes by and we are still here at the 11k Camp. The winds have died down for the most part, but it is snowing and visibility is nearly zero. We're still doing well, tent bound mostly. Hopefully the storm passes soon and we can move camp up higher. Cheers, RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Hello again everyone, The team awoke this morning to the soothing sound of rainfall. After a quick breakfast of cream of wheat and fried eggs we headed out into the downpour to test our waterproof pants and jackets. We had hopes of going on a long hike to help start our acclimatization, but after a short walk and a few rides on ski lifts we were greeted with more rain that eventually turned to snow. Although our adventure was short lived, everyone enjoyed riding the lifts, seeing the new snow and we even managed to climb just over 10,000 ft. We are excited for Elbrus. After our brief and wet exploration we head back into town for a little last minute shopping, lunch and to make it back to our hotel just in time for a quick nap before dinner. Dinner was nice and the team is adjusting to the fine Russian cuisine. Ever wonder why you don't see Russian restaurants in the States. Well, I assure you there is a reason. It almost seems as if there is an over abundance of Dill and the locals are attempting to eradicate it by ingesting it. For some reason they have volunteered us to help them with this. Dill-icious! That's all for now. The team is doing great and we are looking forward to moving further up the mountain tomorrow.

Day 1: We left Ashford at 7:30 this morning and enjoyed good views and generally cool weather on our approach to the kautz. We’ve made an excellent camp on the lower castle and are batoning down the hatches for rough weather tonight—an essential expedition skill. - RMI Guide Eric frank

Day 2: Today we practiced a variety of skills including fixed line travel, crevasse rescue and avalanche beacon searches. We even took a little time for yoga before our summit talk! - RMI Guide Tom Skoog

Day 5: SUMMIT!  The Kautz Seminar team left camp and ascended the Kautz Ice Chute and reached the top of Wapowety Cleaver before gaining Point Success and then contining across to Columbia Crest. The team enjoyed some time in the crater before starting their descent. The team climbed strong with 100% of the group reaching the summit. They will return to camp and enjoy some rest and a final tent night.  Tomorrow they will continue their descent to Paradise and conclude their program.

Nice work team!

Photos: Tom Skoog

Sunday, May 14, 2023 - 9:49 pm PT

The mountain reminded us how strong she is today and have us a good fight. We woke to sun and warm temps in camp and the beginnings of a beautiful day. We packed up camp and started moving uphill again to 11. At first we moved with better vis, views, and a little jump in our step. But as we walked the clouds from yesterday moved back in with a stiff wind and a lot of blowing snow. Quite quickly we had little visibility and following the tracks of previous climbers became quite difficult. But the team was warm, had all the gear we needed to move in the weather, so we marched on with the help of GPS. After a good battle and a longer day than anticipated, we made it to 11,000' Camp. Tents were a welcome sight but the battle wasn't over. We still had a few hours of camp constructing to do before we would be in our shelters. The team worked really well together and rallied it out, and now we are sitting snug In tents and sleeping bags, reminiscing about the day.

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

May 26, 2015 - 12:17 am PT Just like Johnny Cash said, "that train keeps a rollin'." The winds were down, a cloud of sparkling ice crystals hung around, reflecting the sunlight and solar baking everything, and we returned to a dead calm Windy Corner to retrieve our cash. We are one step closer now with all of our food up here with us. The next step is to take a run at the fixed lines and cache some food in the West Buttress. To prepare, we spent the afternoon practicing with our ascenders and getting prepped for that potential carry tomorrow. Mac and cheese with bacon for dinner to fuel us tomorrow. We'll hope to wake up with a green light to head up. For now, good night! RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team

On The Map