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The team woke early to the most incredible weather, no wind, blue skies, and sun on the tents. Although the over night temps dipped to -15F, the sun quickly warmed our group and fired up our motivation for a long day of hard work. By 9:30 we were headed back into the shade of the Autobahn and climbing up to Denali Pass, kicking steps into the soft, steep snow. Our crew set the track for the day being the first out. Two hours of cold shady trail breaking led us back to the sun and our first windless break at 18,300ft where spirits were rejuvenated. We continued to press higher and higher, until we arrived onto the flat plateau of the Football Field where the solar radiation had it feeling more like a day at the beach than 19,500' on Denali. One final grind up Pig Hill and we were on the summit ridge, with only one stretch between our team and the top of the continent. The clear weather gave us hundreds of miles of views in every direction, with only a few scattered clouds way below us to add texture to the breathtaking scenery. A few tears were shed as we climbed the final few feet to the summit, and then it was all smiles, hugs, and mugging for the obligatory summit photos. We stood on top for a half hour or so, and then began the descent back to thicker air and our cozy camp. What an incredible day in the mountains for our team! We're settled in now and planning for a fairly early launch back down the mountain. Our goal is 14k camp and the rest of our gear, then a quick trip downhill to 11k. We're all tired, sore, hungry, thirsty...but ultimately incredibly happy and proud of today's accomplishment. Kudos to everyone on the team, and thanks to everyone out there pulling for us! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

The RMI Aconcagua Team has returned to Mendoza. They are enjoying sunshine and 90 degree temperatures. The team celebrated their return with a great dinner of steak and wine. Everyone will be heading home soon. Congratulations to the team for a safe and successful expedition!

Our first Kautz Seminar of the season May 25 - 30, led by RMI Guide Ben Ammon, has spent the past several days training and establishing two expedition-style camps on the mountain. Today, the team made their summit attempt ascending the Kautz Ice Chute. However, moderate winds and light precipitation prevented them from reaching the summit. They are now descending and will return to camp for a final night on the mountain. Tomorrow, they will complete their descent to Paradise before heading back to Rainier Basecamp to conclude their program.

Namaste one last time! 

What an incredible journey it has been! And the team is finally out of the mountains safe and sound in Kathmandu. 

Words will never fully sum up the experience we have had here in Nepal. The eight of us have shared something incredibly special while spending the last few weeks together every day. Experiencing all the highs and lows taught us the importance of both, and allowed us to learn lessons of how one truly allows you to see the importance of the other. Enduring those difficult and joyous moment together is what has forever bonded us as a team. 

We are all grateful for the experience and thankful to have the physical ability and support from loved ones back home to undertake such a journey. 

I asked the team for one single word that could best sum up their experience. And here is what we came up with. 

Chapter 

Gratitude

Humility 

Breathless

Awakening 

Blessed

Humbled

Sublime 

 

 

In the words of Bob Seger

“ I think I'm goin' to Katmandu,

That's really really where I'm going to

If I ever get out of here

That's what I'm gonna do

 

Kkkkkk, Katmandu

I think it's really where I'm going to

If I ever get out of here

I'm goin to Katmandu 

 

Thanks for following! 

Come join us for an adventure sometime. 

 

RMI Guide Casey and the Best Crew!

We did it!!!

All team members safely back to high camp after standing on the “Roof of Africa”.  

The team did a great job climbing and stayed positive even though it was tough at times. It was slightly chilly and busier than we would have liked, however, our early departure saved us from the more than 100+ climbers all stuffed together. We even had the summit to ourselves for a little while. 

We spent about about 30 minutes on the summit celebrating, taking photos and even made a few phone calls to loved ones back home. 

We are headed down the mountain to our final camp in the thick warm air at 10’000ft, where we’ll have dinner then head off to bed for some well deserved sleep. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kili team!

Friday May 14, 2021 - 6:44 pm PT

The team spent a good day packing and prepping everything to be ready to fly into the Alaska Range tomorrow. Coffee and crepes to start the morning, orientation with the National Park Service, then digging into gear and packing for the planes: all went smoothly. All our bags are weighed and sorted, waiting to be loaded in the morning weather willing, and we'll trust the awesome pilots at K2 to tell us if and when it's time to fly.

With a bit of luck, we'll be checking in from tents on the Kahiltna Glacier tomorrow! 

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer & Team

It has been another beautiful sunny day here in Mexico! Today the team moved from La Malinche through the town of Amecameca to the base of Ixta at 13,000 feet. Here, we did a final gear check and packed our bags to begin our two day journey up Ixta. The volcano next to Ixta, Popo, has been giving us quite a show today with big plumes of ash and gas coming from its crater. Tonight our local logistics manager, Rehulio, is cooking us a Mexican feast as clouds begin to roll in on our perch! Rehulio does tons of work behind the scenes to make this trip run smoothly along with his porters and guides who help us along the way. Big shout out to them! The plan for tomorrow is to ascend to our high camp on Ixta at 15,500 feet. It’s going to be a big day! Wish us luck for good weather for climbing to the summit! RMI Guide Grayson Swingle

On The Map

We were treated to another clear morning -above Machame Camp at least- there was a sea of clouds below, but that didn’t bother anybody. We enjoyed a 7:15 breakfast and by 8 AM we were ready for walking. John, the lead guide on our local staff, formally introduced us to the fifty man team of porters, cooks, tent builders, waiters and guides helping to get us up Kilimanjaro. The team sent us off with a song as everybody clapped and danced along. The trail started out immediately more steep and rugged than yesterday’s route. We gained altitude quickly in a forest of giant heather. Ultimately we reached a ridge crest and followed it for several hours, still steadily gaining height. The final hour involved a traverse out to the left where the hike became a mild scramble requiring good hand and footholds on the rock. We reached a high point at around 12,900 ft as we turned a corner onto the Shira Plateau and then it was an easy downhill stroll into camp at 12,600 ft. We reached Shira Camp near 1:00 in the afternoon and so had most of the afternoon for resting, eating and drinking. As with yesterday, things clouded up by midday and this time we had brief rain showers in the afternoon, which just made it a little easier to nap inside the tents. The clouds melted away by evening and we were treated to a fine sunset and great views of 15,000 ft Mt. Meru off on the western horizon. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guide Alex Halliday reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team experienced good weather and a good route for their climb this morning. The team left the summit crater of Mt. Rainier shortly before 8:00 AM. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford this afternoon and hearing about their time on the mountain. Way to climb!

Buenas tardes from refugio "Altzomoni" at the feet of Ixtaccihuatl. We are pre-packing as we speak for our move to high camp tomorrow. After our hike up "la Malinche" yesterday, we had an easy day today; on our drive to Amecameca, (Where we bought food for Ixta climb with the highlight being fresh handmade corn tortillas.) We were able to see our objective between the clouds from the road. The skies closed up and fog reigns now at our hut. We'll keep you posted tomorrow of our progress. Best regards from 12,000'!!! RMI Guides JJ Justman & Elias de Andres Martos