May 21, 2014 - 12:28am PT
After yesterday's blustery winds, snow, and ground blizzards, we woke up to silence. No shaking tents, no rumble from the ridge above, just a clear blue sky. Excited to move, we were the first team out of camp, cramponing up perfect styrofoam snow on Motorcycle and Squirrel Hill, then breaking trail through 5 or 6 inches of fluff on the Polo Field. The sun grew strong and bouncing off the fresh white snow, we were soon stripping layers. We cached 10 days worth of food and several gallons of fuel at 13,5k that we'll retrieve in a couple days after we move to 14 camp. It was a perfect day in the Alaska range, and everyone was excited to keep pushing forward. We were back in camp with several hours of sunshine left to dry sleeping bags and clothes. Hopefully tomorrow we 'll be packing up camp and making our way to 14.
We'll let you know how it goes.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Josh Maggard, Robby Young & Team
Hello everyone.
Today we opted to take an additional rest day here in Pheriche. There's a cold going around and everyone could benefit from a little more acclimatization. Most of us went on a hike to stretch our legs and lungs a bit. It was one of the nicest days in the Khumbu yet, with plenty of sunshine and it was relatively warm today.
After our hike we relaxed once again in the sunroom and played a bit of cribbage. Currently Travis and Sean are winning, but I think their luck is about to change. Hopefully tomorrow we'll hit the trail and head further towards Everest Base Camp.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Clay and I are enjoying your days there vicariously. Photos are amazing, and we are loving having a glimpse of your surroundings. Norm, I’ve been wondering if that K-State cap is keeping your head warm—-or is it just your heart?......:) Stay safe and ENJOY! Judy E.
Posted by: Judy Edmands on 3/28/2014 at 7:43 am
Hi, Dad! Pete, Lynn and I check in on you each day- great to see the pics. Wishing solid legs and lungs for all. Much love- chris
Today started early for the team when a wind storm kicked up through camp in the middle of the night, snapping anchor lines and making sleep quite difficult. We did manage to grab a few zzzz's, however, in between resetting anchors. But the nighttime fun ensured we were all up with the sun, ready for hot drinks and a hot breakfast.
We spent a couple of hours after breakfast reinforcing the rock walls around the tent platforms, and then packed up personal climbing gear for a carry to Camp 3 at 19,600'. The team moved well as we got higher and higher, with the thin air forcing each of us to concentrate on good rest stepping and being as efficient as possible. The wind stayed with us all day, making our down layers feel nice despite the bright sun.
We dropped our cache at high camp and headed back down. Many personal altitude records were set today, as the team remains strong. An early dinner was in order and now we're tucked into sleeping bags, hoping for calmer weather and a more restful night.
Now it's just a waiting game; waiting for the right forecast and good weather for our launch towards high camp and the summit bid. Thanks for your support and we'll follow up tomorrow!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
Stef - Winds are decreasing Saturday night! Looking good for the summit attempt on Sunday. Good luck to all. All is ok back home.
Posted by: Steve on 1/10/2014 at 11:43 am
Go team! I checked the mountain summit forecast and it looks like the winds will be slowing down some on Saturday and Sunday, with a change of some snow on Saturday night. Y’all stay safe and warm. Sending love and good summit juju.
Amy
Greetings everyone back home. This is Casey Grom checking in from the RMI Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Just wanted to let you know that everyone's doing fantastic. We are up here at the Refugio or the hut this sits at the base of glacier on Cayambe. We just finished dinner and packed our bags for tomorrow's climb. We took the day to get up early and go for a nice hike up to the glacier to do a little climbing review. Everyone did fantastic. The weather is looking pretty good. It was incredibly nice today; sunny almost all day. A little bit of clouds now but the forecast is pretty good. So we are going to be getting up about 11 PM and hopefully walking a little after midnight. We'll do our best to check in from the summit. I'm anticipating is is going to take us about seven hours to reach the summit. Sorry we are having some technology difficulties with charging some of our iPhones up here but will hopefully have some pictures sent tomorrow when we descend after our climb and we get cell reception or Wi-Fi access. Everything's great and looking forward to sending some pictures to you guys. Thanks.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
The Four Day Summit Climb August 11 - 14 led by RMI Guide Jason Thompson reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today! This team is comprised of climbers helping to support Big City Mountaineers Summit for Someone Program. Jason reported cold temperatures and a light wind with a cloud cap descending onto the summit. The team began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 a.m. PT en route to Camp Muir. They will continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit team and a special congratulations to RMI Guide Jason Thompson for reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier for the 100th time! Way to Go!
We hit the ground running today. At 8 am the weather looked good to fly, so we hustled to the hanger, changed into mountain clothes, and loaded gear on the two K2 otters that would ferry us to Basecamp. The flight in is always a highlight, as the tundra gives way to foothills, and then to the craggy peaks and ridges of the Alaska range, with cracked up glaciers carving channels between.
We took an hour or two to get our gear sorted, sleds loaded, and ropes setup, and then struck out from Basecamp to make our way up the lower Kahiltna to the base of ski hill. Often the first hour of moving with sleds has some hiccups, but not for us today. The group moved well, enjoying firm enough trail conditions that we could eschew the snowshoes.
We're settled into camp, feed, and tucking into sleeping bags for our first night in the mountain. We'll be in touch tomorrow!
Jason- Your structural engineering group is cheering you on from afar!! We miss you and look forward to hearing all about your adventures. Hope you’re not thinking of Camden Shops up there lol.
Posted by: Katherine Bemis on 5/28/2021 at 6:30 am
Jason, All that tire pulling with Sully is paying off! You got this!
Lisa and Charlie
Posted by: Lisa and Charlie on 5/18/2021 at 9:56 am
RMI Guides Eric Frank & Robby Young and their teams of Four Day Climbers reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They enjoyed some time in the crater on a beautiful morning and began their descent from the crater rim a little after 8 AM. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise. From there an RMI Shuttle will deliver them to Rainier BaseCamp. Their program will conclude with a celebration and cheers to their accomplishments over the last few days.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Hello all!
Oh what a glorious day! Your favorite ESS-Peru Team summited Nevado Ishinca! The air was thin up at 18,143’, but we were prepped and ready for the challenge. The clouds draped over the surrounding 20,000’ peaks but we spent the whole day in the sun with just a light breeze that kept us in puffy layers. We had a great day and enjoyed about an hour on the summit before we made our way back to our Base Camp where a feast awaited us. The team enjoyed some Coca Colas and some foot soaks in the river this afternoon while we recovered and we’re now tucked into sleeping bags once again. We’re going to lay low tomorrow and train here at Base Camp before our second climb of the trip goes down on Monday. Until then, stay classy out there in the real world. We’ll fill you in tomorrow on our rest day.
RMI Guide Robby Young, Alfie, William and Team Pato Alpino
June 24, 2014 – 7:51 pm PT
Hey it’s Billy and team calling in from High Camp here at over 17,000’ on Denali. Our crew moved up today from the 14,000' Camp. We enjoyed a nice walk and good temps up on the West Buttress, made our way up the ridge line in and out of the clouds all day.
And as we were building camp at 17,000’ the clouds parted. We are enjoying blue skies and relatively calm winds. If it looks anything like this tomorrow morning we are going to try and take a crack at the summit.
So, wish us luck and we will check in tomorrow, go or no go.
Alright, that is all for now.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hey Bruce and Michael. Good luck on your final ascent to the summit. I hope you have great weather for the vista at the top. Wave those Duke flags once again, and take plenty of pics! JBF/Mom
Posted by: Joyce Freedman on 6/25/2014 at 8:58 pm
Hey Bruce, Michael and team,
Sending you well wishes for a successful climb to the top! You are ready so go own it.
Kathy
Greetings from Punta Arenas,
This was our first full day in this southern port city and we made the most of it. After a nice breakfast we jumped right into the task at hand - final gear preparations for our flight to Antarctica. Packing for an expedition to the coldest and most remote place on earth takes a little more planning and effort than a weekend getaway. So we spread out all of our gear to check to make sure that no item was forgotten and that we resisted the temptation to throw in too many "extras". Punta Arenas is the last chance we have to buy anything, but luckily the shopping list was pretty short after the equipment check. A few more snack items for some, and we were pretty much ready for our flight.
We had the afternoon to hang out at our hotel and a chance to walk around town a little and take in some of the sights. We ended the day at the La Luna restaurant for dinner. A big thank you to Larry for buying us all dinner and drinks. It was a delicious meal!
We have a pre-flight briefing in the morning and we will check in once we hear about our flight plan.
Best regards,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
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Best wishes for a successful day tomorrow!
Posted by: Nick Spanakis on 5/21/2014 at 6:25 pm
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