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Success feels good, and we soaked it up by relaxing around our hotel today. The team spent most of the day close to the hotel on our iPhones and visiting the local market for a few trinkets. We wrapped up the day with our post climb celebration dinner at a nearby cafe. We had a Russian BBQ with wonderful soup and a potato salad. The team received summit certificates from our outfitter and from RMI, and made a few toast with a little vodka too. Everyone is doing great and are looking forward to seeing St. Petersburg in the upcoming days. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Mark Tucker checking in from Tarangire National Park. Another fabulous day of game viewing. What can I say? We had a birthday celebration this evening. Cake, balloons, singing, gifting. Very nice evening here at the lodge, a tented camp with a big bonfire... All is well... We'll be back at the Dik Dik tomorrow. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Jake, Gilbert & Mike called in from their 14,000' Camp. All is well and they will send another update soon.

The August 29th Mount Baker climb with Joe Hoch, Rob Whyte, and Celeste Wilson summited 100% of clients and guides at 8am Thursday morning with beautiful sunny skies and views from Canada to Mt Rainier. They spent a half hour on the summit and descended to base camp and out. 

Congratulations Team! 

After a relaxing evening enjoying traditionally prepared foods at La Casa Sol, we awoke to a peaceful morning.  Most of the team spent some time prior to breakfast drinking coffee and appreciating our perch above Otavalo.  Following breakfast we loaded the bus and headed into town to experience one of Ecuador's finest craft markets.

The market in Otavalo is full of traditional goods: alpaca garments, woven bags, various other textiles, chocolate (Ecuador is famous for artisan chocolate) and coffee amongst a variety of other goods.  Some team members spent most of their time sipping artisan coffee.  Others used a combination of broken Spanish and hand signals to haggle with vendors.  Once we all reconvened the bus drove us to our rendezvous with the 4x4 trucks that would take us to the refuge on Cayambe.

We are now moved in and situated for the next two days.  Sunday will consist of basic mountaineering skills training review.  The plan is to wrap up early and wake up during the night to climb Cayambe.  The entire team is getting acclimated and itching to give our first big objective a go!

RMI Guide Adam Knoff

May 8, 2014 1:54 a.m. PST The team woke this morning to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, which meant that yesterday's rain had passed. The sky was still overcast, but as we assembled for breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse spirits were high and conversation about our chances of flying onto the glacier carried a positive tone. By late afternoon, it looked like another night might find us sleeping in Talkeetna and dreaming of glaciers, but luck fell our way. We were instructed to "suit up" and get loaded on the plane. Our flight service, K2 Aviation, was going to put us in the air and see if they could punch through. Six hours later, we were nestled into our camp on the southeast flow of the Kahiltna Glacier. We established a camp and had a phenomenal dinner. Everyone is in awe of the surroundings and the group's cameras are getting quite the workout. RMI Guides Eric Frank, Leon Davis and the Alaska Mountaineering Seminar crew

On The Map

New team member! We now have a second man on the team. Carter is his name and is husband of Lucy. We put him right to the test by climbing the 218 steps up to the colonnade at St. Isaac's Cathedral. No crampons, nor ice axe needed, but we did put on at least another six miles touring around and he handled it no problem. Super nice guy and loads of fun to be with, guess I need to make him a summit certificate. So much to see, what a great job they do here to make it user friendly. The rich history and the sights we visit, accompanied by a local guide, are overwhelming to say the least. Can't forget the multitude of food options with the group making some great choices. Definitely not cheap to get some calories on board, but if you do a little research the taste buds are well rewarded. I have been on the Borscht taste testing program when possible, this kind of beet-type soup can take on many identities. So far the smoked pear version has been the most far out in flavor. Being at the end of the Bay of Finland and part of the Baltic Sea,they say that they get about fifty sunny days here a year. The usual maritime climate prevails. We have been fortunate with the glorious days we have been so lucky to experience. Better get here quick before the nice days are gone for this year. That said, could not of had a nicer evening boat cruise to top off such a wonderful day. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

It is a rest day for Team 1 on Mt. Elbrus. I wish I had some really exciting things to report. However, rest days are filled with the continual search to beat the boredom of camp life. Activities like cards, dice, reading, people watching, drinking coffee, eating food, etc...are a few of the things we have partaken in so far today. I'm not gonna jinx it but our summit day tomorrow may require a constant supply of sunscreen and cooling mist machines! It's normal for team members to be a little nervous before summit day. But I'm telling ya...if I were to place a Las Vegas bet, it would be 100% to the top. Wish us luck! RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

The team enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Hacienda San Luis. We're a colorful bunch of climbers, and the evening was filled with belly laughter. After a good night's rest, we packed up our bags and headed north to visit the world famous Otavalo indigenous market. We are currently enjoying the market as I write this. Here you can buy all sorts of hand-made items, ranging from alpaca and sheep wool woven goods to wood carvings to jewelry to artwork. The whole experience is nearly overwhelming to the senses; vivid colors, a unique shopping experience, locals dressed in their traditional clothing, and a beautiful setting surrounded by the Andes all come together to make this an unforgettable experience. After a few hours of enjoying the market, we will regroup for lunch and then make our way up to the climber's hut on Cayambe for the night. Tomorrow we will rest, acclimate to the altitude, and review climbing techniques like cramponing and ice axe arrest, in preparation for our summit bid. RMI Guide Mike Walter

We woke to 6-8" of snow at the base of Ski Hill. Light snow was still falling as we ate breakfast, but the trend was improving so we started packing up camp.

By the time we started climbing it was mostly sunny and quite warm. Climbing up Ski Hill in base layers was a treat. Clouds increased and winds ramped up during our climb. By the time we got to our second break, visibility was down to near zero, winds were steadily increasing, and temps had dropped enough to remind us we're in Alaska. It was obvious that conditions would continue to deteriorate, so we put our camp in at 9,400'. It's pretty nasty outside but we're all safe and cozy in our tents. We guides are suiting up to go set up our cook tent so we can fire up stoves and get everyone fed. Hopefully this weather passes overnight, and we can push camp up to 11,200' tomorrow. Time will tell, but 9400' will be our home for tonight. We'll check in again tomorrow with an update.

RMI Guide Mike Walter