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RMI Guide Alex Halliday called from Cmap this afternoon. The team turned at 12,200', at the top of the Ice Chute, due to deteriorating weather. He reported cloudy condition, some snow but an overall nice day of climbing. Alex mentioned that despite the team turning, that everyone was stoked after their ascent of the Ice Chute.

Their plan is to walk back to Paradise tomorrow and retun to Basecamp in the early afternoon.

Our hike today was a gradual 1,200’ of vertical spread out over eight miles. We got some great views of the Dickson glacier and John Gardner pass. Most of the day was spent under a dense canopy of trees. The heat continues but with a breeze all day we weren’t inclined to go swimming in Lago Perros with it’s floating glacial ice bergs. This camp is well protected from the wind but we are anticipating some rain to begin tonight and might continue through tomorrow. We’ll get an early start in the morning due to the long day ascending and mostly descending from the pass. Wet/muddy trail will make it a more challenging day then it already is. Fingers crossed for clear skies tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in.

RMI Guide Mike King

We looked like a totally different crew at breakfast this morning. Part of that was because it was still slightly dark when we had breakfast today... we were up early for Icefall training. But when the light happened to hit a face here and there, it showed freshly shaved mugs and clean, fluffy hair. We neatened up yesterday afternoon, testing the shower. When I first began coming to Everest, in 1991, we wouldn't have dreamed of such an extravagance. Or perhaps back then, we simply thought seventy days of grubbiness was required to properly test a summit wannabe. We all wanted to be Everest "hardmen" in the classic mold. Or maybe with some classic mold. Nowadays, of course, it is clear that we can't possibly measure up to the legends of the Everest game by accumulating filth. Cleanliness is in. And besides, it just doesn't seem all that difficult anymore to set aside one propane tank for an on-demand heater connected to a barrel full of water attached to a tiny electric pump, which all results in a hot stream of water coming out of a showerhead near the top of a tent built for such a purpose. Our clean team walked out of camp this morning at 6 AM. Ten minutes later, we'd stepped into crampons and were trudging up and over ice rolls and ridges, bound for the start of the climbing route. Our Sherpa team had beaten us to it, having rolled out of camp at 4:30 AM. Seven of them fired up the newly established Icefall route to establish our Camp I at around 19,900 ft. Two more, Tschering and Mingma, went to CI but then continued on all the way up the Western Cwm, claiming some prime real estate up there at 21,300 ft for our Advanced Basecamp (aka ABC, aka CII, aka "Tschering and Mingma kicked butt"). The rest of us contented ourselves with a good stretch of the legs, climbing 90 minutes out of camp to reach the first ladders and fixed ropes, which we practiced on for a bit before returning. It was a good reminder for all that we are new to these altitudes and that it is cold out on the glacier before the sun hits. But nearly everybody came down jazzed and excited to get after the rest of the Khumbu Icefall in the coming days. The Icefall is an intimidating place, but it is also quite beautiful in the early morning light. Resting up this afternoon, we watched as a number of teams pulled into basecamp. Within a few days, the gang will all be here, but for today we were happy to see the Alpine Ascents team pull in with a bunch of guides we've all worked alongside of for years. IMG got here before us, and they are just a stone's throw away with a bunch more of our friends. Russell Brice came through camp yesterday and reported that his big HimEx team is doing well in their slightly separate basecamp twenty minutes down the trail. There have been a few sightings of the Benegas brothers, Willie and Damian and it will be fun to connect up with them again for some milk tea. Henry Todd is rumored to be on the approach. The season is on and all the usual suspects are gathering.

This is Dave Hahn calling down again from Camp 2, ABC, on Mount Everest, 21,300'. We took a rest of day here today as plan, tried to catch up on our hydration and rest obviously. We were pretty much observers today watching a lot going on, watching a lot of climbers coming down from the top and a lot going up. Easy to look out at any time today and see over 100 climbers on the Lhotse Face. We were particularly interested in the efforts of Lam Babu, our Sirdar, who went up in the middle of the night last night and led a team of Sherpas that were determined to help a man high on Lhotse who had been in distress for a couple of days. They did a great job getting up there. They were up there at Lhotse Camp 4 by out about 4 in the morning, or I'm sorry by about 6 in the morning. But sadly it was just a little too late for the man who'd been through too much. But very proud of Lam Babu and the team that he led up there. He's back safely at camp now. And we're getting ready for our efforts at moving up tomorrow, moving to Camp 3 tomorrow on the Lhotse Face. So that's certainly occupying all our thoughts as we go to bed. Hoping everything's in order and that we have a good day tomorrow. Bye for now. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Day 10

Leaving the ruckus of Basecamp behind, the team enjoyed a smooth ascent to Camp 1 today. The massive rock buttresses of the upper mountain certainly made us feel tiny. It is peaceful moments like today, in epic places like this where we are reminded of how small we all are. It feels great to be established on the upper mountain.

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm

Friday, July 4, 2025 - 1:33 AM PT

After we got in the tents at 11k last night, there was a violent thunderstorm passing over with inches of hailstones. We awoke at 2:00 AM to fire the stoves, choke down some oatmeal and get ready for a big day. It was party cloudy but mostly clear, which led to easy  walking conditions. We were walking by 4:00 AM and and fairly soon, we’d reached the upper regions of Ski Hill and then our old camp at 8k. It only took us a further three hours to reach base camp. For late season, conditions were amazing. We never had to cross an open crevasse. We stayed busy at base camp sorting our own gear and helping others to load planes. Our flights came in around 1:00 PM and then we were headed to Talkeetna. Our team had donated pizzas in their mouths within 5 minutes of landing in Talkeetna. K2 Aviation did an excellent job bringing us home. In checking out with the National Park Service, we learned that we had been the absolute last team on the mountain and that the success rate for the season had only been 36%.

We sorted gear for the afternoon and then celebrated with a dinner at the brew pub. We celebrated a safe and enjoyable climb that didn’t reach the summit. That seemed appropriate given how much we enjoyed the effort of simply trying to get up the mountain.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team   

 

PC: Dave Hahn

Hi everybody, this is Casey checking in from the Cho Oyu Expedition. Sorry about the lack of dispatch yesterday. We have been under constant snowfall since we arrived at Advanced Basecamp (ABC). We wore out all the batteries around camp. Finally today we got a little break and some sun for a few hours and were able to charge some things. Everything is back up and operational. Two days ago the team had a rest day here at ABC. We relaxed around camp and packed up a few things for the upper mountain. Started dividing up our loads and food that we will distribute at Camp 1, Camp 2, and Camp 3. We also reviewed our oxygen masks, nozzles and regulators. Everyone got that pretty well dialed in. That was pretty much it for the day. Yesterday we got up early and went for a nice little hike. Managed to go all the way to Camp 1, just over 20,500'. Everybody did great. Took us almost six hours to get to Camp 1 and about three hours to descend back down. It was a good day- long and hard with snow falling sporadically all day. When we arrived back to ABC, we were welcomed by Kumar and some wonderful hot food for dinner. Today has been a lot like two days ago. It has been nice and relaxing on our rest day here as we prepare to move to Camp 1 for our first rotation sleeping over 20,000' tomorrow. The team has again been relaxing and enjoying the little bit of sunshine that we had for a while today. Laundry was done and a few bird baths were taken. All-in-all everybody seems like they are doing really well. The snow is back as I send this dispatch. It seems like every evening we are getting snowed on. Hopefully we are going to get a break here in the weather pretty soon and have some nice, warm and enjoyable temperatures. That's it for now. We'll check in again from here in another day or two.

We went for it today!  Another absolutely beautiful, sunny, calm and clear day.  It was something of a long shot for our entire team to be fully acclimated and ready for this serious push to 16,000 ft but we decided it was worth the try.  That summit or not, we wanted to give it a go.  And so we set off at 9 AM.  It was cold at first, but rapidly becoming evident that -without even a hint of breeze- we wouldn’t suffer so much from the low temps.  In fact, many of our team were pealing off down pants and bibs in the first uphill hours.  We made steady progress, but the altitude took a toll and ultimately we formed turn around ropes.  Those of us coming down early put our hopes and best wishes into those continuing to the top.  Those pushing on got determined and efficient and topped out at 4:45 PM with inspired help from Scott, from Conrad Anker and from Hannah.  Our entire team was reunited at high camp by 7:30 PM and enjoyed several easy, comfortable New Years Day hours recounting the adventure and looking out over the precipice of Vinson’s great western wall.  We blew out candles on cookies for Sarah’s perfectly timed birthday and called it a day.  An incredible day in a wondrous place. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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.

I'll never forget the day I decided to be a mountain climber. I was sixteen years old, sitting in a lecture hall at Edinburgh University - captivated by the slideshow being presented by the famous British Expedition Leader, Sir Chris Bonnington and his climbing partner Doug Scott. After it ended I got myself to the front and spoke to the man himself asking, "How do you begin to start to plan an expedition?"   "Just get your boots on, Lad", was the reply, accompanied by a larger-than-life grin and a firm handshake.    I had no response. However, that one comment led to many climbs the Scottish Highlands - and ultimately - onto years of expeditions, mountain climbing including a long stint as a guide. It's been a long and satisfying adventure so far!    I think that after the decision to climb Mt. Rainier or any other major mountain, there ought be a celebratory moment: a pause to mark the start of the preparation and to consider what the months ahead will look like. The climb may be a long way out, but the adventure starts now.   What are some considerations at this point? I recommend taking an inventory of the following:     - Time - Equipment - Fitness & Health - Location & available resources   Time: What time do I have to train? Be realistic about how many hours per week and also consider any vacation time in the months ahead. Is there a day (or half day) each week you can devote to training? What can you do on a daily basis? Can you combine training and a commute? Walk to work with a pack? Ride a bike?    Equipment: Will you be renting or will you likely need some gear of your own? To begin your training, all you'll need now are shoes, boots, a backpack and workout/hiking clothes. And going forward, there'll be good time to experiment with socks, layering and other clothing. Depending where you live (anyone reading this from Chicago or the northern states?), you might get some good use of cold-weather gear this winter during your training.    Fitness & Health: In next week's blog post we'll discuss how to set a baseline. Now is a good time to think about your strengths and any areas you want to improve. In terms of health, this might be a good time to schedule an annual physical examination, to visit the dentist, to take a look at your overall diet, and to generally consider what your athletic lifestyle will look like going forwards.   Location and Available Resources: A climber can train for mountaineering anywhere. However, if you are living in Florida, stationed on a military base halfway around the world, or getting ready for a northern winter, some creativity and imagination will make things more successful. In terms of resources at hand, do you have access to hiking trails? Are there hills? Can you get to a gym or have access to a stair-master or elliptical machine? Do you have a place at home, work, or school where you can workout? Is there a local yoga class, training facility, spin class, or swimming pool? Do you even like any of these activities? Do you have a workout partner, a fitness coach, or a personal trainer?    We'll discuss program design over the next few weeks. For now, a little time considering all of the options available will spark your imagination as to what is going to work for you. I've always thought that the best fitness program is the one you actually do. Personally, I like to enjoy my training and I like there to be variety and somewhat of a social aspect to it all. You'll be putting in some hours and days of preparation over the months ahead and making it as fun and interesting as possible will boost results.    Your climb is months away, yet the adventure has already begun. Congratulations on getting started!   - John Colver   John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle.